Wafer carrier

Abstract

A wafer carrying device comprises: a machine body with a purge system, a carrying platform, which is arranged on the machine body and includes a rotatable carrying plate, wherein the carrying plate is used to carry a wafer box; a back plate, which is arranged on the machine body and is vertically arranged with respect to the carrying platform; a sensor is arranged at at least one of the carrying platform and the back plate, so as to sense the position of the inflation port on the wafer box; and a plurality of blowing ports are respectively arranged on the carrying platform and the back plate, wherein the purge system provides clean gas into the wafer box through the plurality of blowing ports.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor wafers, in particular to a wafer carrying device capable of judging the type of a wafer box and then providing inflatable gas to be placed in the wafer box. Background Art

[0002] The wafer carrier (Load Port) may include a purge system to blow air into the wafer box while carrying the wafer box to clean it. There are two types of wafer boxes: Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) and Front Opening Shipping Box (FOSB). However, the current wafer carrier cannot determine the type of wafer box placed on the carrier. Manual adjustment is required to align the wafer box with the nozzle of the purge system before the subsequent inflation and purge process can be performed. In pursuit of the goal of automating repetitive processes, optimizing the existing wafer carrier is one of the goals that manufacturers are working hard on. Summary of the invention

[0003] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer carrier device, which uses a sensor to detect the position of the air filling port of the wafer box. If the air filling port is at the bottom of the wafer box, the carrier plate on the wafer carrier device will not rotate, and the blowing system will inflate the wafer box on the carrier plate from bottom to top through the carrier plate; if the sensor does not detect the position of the air filling port at the bottom of the wafer box, the wafer carrier device will start the carrier plate to rotate, so that the air filling port of the front door (Front door) of the wafer box on the carrier plate is aligned with the air filling port on the back plate of the wafer carrier device, so that the blowing system will inflate the wafer box through the back plate and the front door of the wafer box. Based on this, the type of wafer box can be sensed by the sensor to solve the technical problem in the prior art that different types of wafer boxes require wafer carriers of different designs.

[0004] Another object of the present invention is to provide a wafer carrier, wherein a clamp is disposed above the machine body of the wafer carrier, and the clamp can clamp and fix the wafer box downward to prevent the semiconductor material in the wafer box from being damaged due to vibration of the wafer box during operation.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a wafer carrier, on which a two-dimensional barcode or a wireless radio frequency tag containing coded data of a material item number and a material status is attached, and a scanning module is provided, so that the wafer carrier can utilize the scanning module to scan the two-dimensional barcode or the wireless radio frequency tag on the wafer box to obtain the material item number and material progress in the wafer box currently on the wafer carrier, so as to facilitate the back-end control or logistics system to track the progress and status of the material in this wafer box.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a wafer carrying device that can simultaneously perform inflation operations on two types of wafer boxes: a front opening shipping box and a front opening unified pod.

[0007] According to the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a wafer carrying device, including a machine body, which is at least composed of a carrying platform and a back plate, the carrying platform is parallel to the horizontal plane and is arranged vertically with the back plate, and the machine body also includes: a carrying platform, which is arranged on the carrying platform to carry a wafer box; a sensor, which is used to sense the positions of multiple air filling ports of the wafer box on the carrying plate; the sensor is arranged at at least one of the carrying platform and the back plate, and is used to sense the positions of the air filling ports on the wafer box; and a purge system, which is arranged in the machine body, has multiple first air filling ports arranged on the carrying plate and multiple second air filling ports arranged on the back plate, the purge system senses the positions of the multiple air filling ports of the wafer box according to the sensor, and provides clean gas to the wafer box through the multiple first air filling ports or the multiple second air filling ports.

[0008] In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the sensor senses that the inflation port of the wafer box is located at the bottom of the wafer box, the purge system provides clean gas through the first inflation port of the carrier and enters the wafer box from the bottom of the wafer box to inflate the wafer box.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wafer box is a front opening wafer shipping box (Front Opening Shipping Box) or a front opening wafer transfer box (Front Opening Unified Pod).

[0010] In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the sensor does not sense that there are multiple air filling ports at the bottom of the wafer box, the wafer carrying device rotates the carrying plate so that the multiple air filling ports at the front door of the wafer box on the carrying plate correspond to the multiple second air blowing ports on the back plate, and the blowing system provides clean gas through each second air blowing port on the back plate, and enters the wafer box from the front door to inflate the wafer box.

[0011] In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wafer carrier device further includes a clamp, wherein the clamp can be arranged above the back plate or on the carrier plate. When the clamp is arranged above the back plate, the clamp is used to clamp and fix the wafer box from top to bottom and toward the top of the wafer box; when the clamp is arranged on the carrier plate, the clamp is used to clamp and fix the wafer box from bottom to top toward the bottom of the wafer box.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of first air blowing ports disposed on the carrier platform and the plurality of second air blowing ports disposed on the back plate are nozzles.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wafer carrier further comprises a scanning module for scanning the wafer box to obtain the encoding data of the wafer box.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the encoded data is stored in a two-dimensional barcode or a radio frequency identification tag, and the two-dimensional barcode or the radio frequency identification tag is disposed on the wafer box.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the coded data includes the material number of the wafer box and the progress status of the material in the wafer box. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of a wafer carrier according to the technology disclosed in the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram showing a wafer carrying system according to the technology disclosed in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical features and advantages of the present invention more understandable to those skilled in the relevant technical field and to implement the present invention, the technical features and implementation methods of the present invention are specifically explained in conjunction with the attached drawings, and preferred embodiments are listed for further explanation. The drawings compared in the following text are for expressing the features of the present invention, and are not and do not need to be fully drawn according to the actual situation. The technical content familiar to those skilled in the art in the description of the implementation method of this case is not described again.

[0019] First, please refer to Figure 1 . Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the wafer carrier device disclosed in the present invention. Figure 1In the embodiment of the present invention, the wafer carrier 1 includes a machine body 10, which is composed of at least a carrier 12 and a back plate 14, wherein the carrier 12 is horizontally arranged, that is, parallel to the horizontal plane, and the carrier 12 and the back plate 14 are vertically arranged, that is, the carrier 12 and the back plate 14 are L-shaped. In the embodiment of the present invention, the machine body 10 also includes a carrier plate 122 and a sensor 124 arranged on the carrier plate 12, wherein the carrier plate 122 is used to carry the wafer box 50. The sensor 124 is used to sense the positions of multiple inflation ports (not shown in the figure) of the wafer box 50 on the carrier plate 122. In addition, a purge system (not shown in the figure) is also provided in the machine body 10, and the purge system has a plurality of first air ports 302 and a plurality of second air ports 304, wherein the plurality of first air ports 302 are provided on the carrier plate 122, and the plurality of second air ports 304 are provided on the back plate 14. The purge system senses the position of the air inlet (not shown in the figure) of the wafer box 50 according to the sensor 124, and provides clean gas to the wafer box 50 through the first air ports 302 or the second air ports 304. In addition, a clamp 60 is provided at the top of the back plate 14 of the machine body 10, and the clamp 60 clamps and fixes the wafer box 50 from top to bottom toward the top of the wafer box 50. In another embodiment, the clamp 60 can be provided on the carrier plate 122 (not shown in the figure), and the clamp 60 clamps and fixes the wafer box 50 from bottom to top toward the bottom of the wafer box 50. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first air outlet 302 disposed on the carrier plate 122 and the second air outlet 304 on the back plate 14 are nozzles. The multiple air inlets (not shown in the figure) of the wafer box 50 on the carrier plate 122 can also be nozzles.

[0020] In this embodiment, after the wafer box 50 is placed on the carrier plate 122 of the wafer carrier device 1, the sensor 124 disposed on the carrier plate 122 will sense the location of the gas inlet (not shown in the figure) of the wafer box 50. When the sensor 124 senses that the gas inlet (not shown in the figure) of the wafer box 50 is located at the bottom of the wafer box 50, the purge system will start to provide clean gas, which enters the wafer box 50 from the bottom of the wafer box 50 through the first gas inlet 302 of the carrier plate 122 to inflate the wafer box 50. In this embodiment, the wafer box 50 is a front opening unified pod (FOUP), and the purge system provides clean gas.

[0021] In another preferred embodiment, when the sensor 124 does not sense that there is an air inlet (not shown in the figure) at the bottom of the wafer box 50, the wafer carrier 1 automatically determines that the air inlet of the wafer box 50 is at the front door 52. At this time, the wafer carrier 1 starts the rotation module 126 to rotate the carrier plate 122, so that the wafer box 50 on the carrier plate 122 rotates and moves forward to a position, so that the front door 52 of the wafer box 50 faces the back plate 14, that is, the multiple air inlets (not shown in the figure) on the front door 52 of the wafer box correspond to the second air inlet 304 on the back plate 14. At this time, the purge system provides clean gas to enter the wafer box 50 from the front door 52 of the wafer box 50 through the second air inlet 304 on the back plate 14, and inflate the wafer box 50. In this embodiment, the wafer box 50 is a front opening shipping box (FOSB).

[0022] In summary, in the present invention, the sensor 124 is used to sense the location of the gas filling port (not shown in the figure) of the wafer box 50 to determine the type of the wafer box 50. After the sensor 124 senses, if the wafer box 50 is determined to be a front-opening wafer transfer box, the wafer carrier 1 does not need to start the rotation module 126, and the purge system (not shown in the figure) can directly provide clean gas to the wafer box 50 for inflation. If the sensor 124 determines that the wafer box 50 is a front-opening wafer shipping box after sensing, the rotation module 126 is started, and the wafer box 50 on the carrier plate 122 is rotated and moved forward to a position so that the front door 52 of the wafer box 50 faces the back plate 14, and the purge system provides clean gas into the wafer box 50 to inflate the wafer box 50. The advantage of using the sensor 124 to sense the location of the inflation port of the wafer box 50 is that there is no need to manually determine the type of the wafer box 50, nor is there any need to manually remove the wafer box 50 from the wafer carrier 1 to adjust the direction of the wafer box 50 before inflating it, which can save manpower and avoid damage to the materials in the wafer box 50 caused by human operational errors.

[0023] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a clamp 60 is further provided at the top of the back plate 14 of the machine body 10, and the clamp 60 clamps and fixes the wafer box 50 from top to bottom toward the top of the wafer box 50. In another embodiment, the clamp 60 can also be provided on the carrier plate 122, and clamps and fixes the wafer box 50 in a hook-like manner from bottom to top toward the bottom of the wafer box 50. Whether the clamp 60 at the top of the back plate 14 or the clamp 60 on the carrier plate 122, it is to prevent the wafer box 50 from generating unnecessary vibrations due to the operation of the machine body when the wafer box 50 is inflated, so as to prevent objects in the wafer box 50, such as semiconductor wafers (not shown in the figure), from being damaged by collisions in the wafer box 50 due to vibrations.

[0024] Therefore, in a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the sensor 124 senses the inflation port of the wafer box 50, if it is determined that the wafer box 50 is a front-opening wafer transfer box, the wafer carrier 1 does not need to start the rotating module 126. At this time, the machine body 10 will clamp and fix the wafer box 50 from bottom to top toward the bottom of the wafer box 50 with the clamp 60 disposed on the carrier plate 122 (not shown in the figure), and then the purge system (not shown in the figure) provides clean gas through the first blowing port 302 to enter the wafer box 50 from the bottom of the wafer box 50 for inflation. In another preferred embodiment, if the sensor 124 determines that the wafer box 50 is a front-opening wafer shipping box after sensing, the rotation module 126 is activated to rotate the wafer box 50 on the carrier plate 122 and move it forward to a position. Then, the clamp 60 on the carrier plate 122 clamps and fixes the wafer box 50 from bottom to top toward the bottom of the wafer box 50, so that the front door 52 of the wafer box 50 faces the back plate 14, and the purge system provides clean gas to enter the wafer box 50 to inflate the wafer box 50.

[0025] The above embodiment shows a single wafer carrier 1. Based on the concept of using the sensor 124 to sense the location of the air inlet of the wafer box 50 to determine the type of the wafer box 50, the present invention further provides an integrated wafer carrier system, such as Figure 2 shown. Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the integrated wafer handling system. Figure 2 In Figure 1 The wafer carrier 1 in the embodiment is integrated into a wafer carrier system 2, which is composed of at least one wafer carrier 1a or 1b, and the structure and function of each wafer carrier 1a, 1b are similar to those of FIG. Figure 1It should be noted that the wafer carriers 1a and 1b can be inflated for only a single type of wafer box 50, for example, the wafer carrier 1a can be inflated for only a wafer box 50 that is a front-opening wafer shipping box, and the wafer carrier 1b can be inflated for only a wafer box 50 that is a front-opening wafer transfer box; in another preferred embodiment, the wafer carriers 1a and 1b are Figure 1 The wafer carrier 1 is the same as the wafer carrier 1, and both have sensors (not shown in the figure) to sense the positions of the inflation ports 502a, 502b of the wafer boxes 50a, 50b on the carrier plates 122a, 122b of the two wafer carriers 1a, 1b placed in the wafer carrier system 2, and then determine whether the wafer boxes 50a, 50b do not need to be rotated or need to be rotated before inflation.

[0026] In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to know the material number and the progress status of the material in the wafer box 50, each wafer box 50 is configured with a two-dimensional bar code (bar code) or a radio frequency identification tag (RFID, Radio frequency identification tag) (not shown in the figure), and the above-mentioned material number and the progress status of the material can be used as coded data and stored in the two-dimensional bar code or the radio frequency identification tag. Therefore, when the wafer box 50 is placed on the wafer carrier 1 (such as Figure 1 As shown), 1a (as Figure 2 as shown) and / or 1b (as shown Figure 2 The carrier platform 122 (as shown) Figure 1 As shown), 122a (as shown Figure 2 ) and / or 122b (as shown Figure 2 ), the wafer carrier 1, 1a, 1b can first scan the two-dimensional barcode or wireless radio frequency identification label on the wafer box 50, 50a, 50b to obtain the material number of the wafer box 50, 50a, 50b and the progress status of the material in the wafer box 50, 50a, 50b, and then communicate with the wafer carrier 1 (as shown in FIG. Figure 1 ) or a wafer carrier system 2 (as shown Figure 2 The back-end server or computer connected to the wafer box 50, 50a, 50b can obtain the material item number in the wafer box 50, 50a, 50b and the progress status of the material in the wafer box 50, 50a, 50b, and assist in determining whether the material item number in the wafer box 50, 50a, 50b and the progress status of the material in the wafer box 50, 50a, 50b need to comply with the current operating procedures. On the other hand, the progress status of each wafer box 50, 50a, 50b in the semiconductor factory can also be monitored.

[0027] In summary, the present invention provides a wafer carrier or a wafer carrier system that can sense the type of wafer box by using a sensor, so as to solve the technical problem in the prior art that different types of wafer boxes require wafer carriers of different designs.

[0028] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of rights of the present invention. At the same time, the above description should be understandable and implementable for professionals in the relevant technical field. Therefore, other equivalent changes or modifications that do not deviate from the spirit disclosed by the present invention should be included in the scope of the patent application.

Claims

1. A wafer carrying device, It is characterized in that include: The machine body is composed of at least a carrying platform and a back plate, wherein the carrying platform is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the carrying platform and the back plate are arranged vertically, and the machine body includes: A carrier plate, disposed on the carrier platform, for carrying a wafer box; A sensor for sensing the positions of a plurality of air filling ports of the wafer box on the carrier plate; and A purge system is disposed in the machine body, and has a plurality of first air ports disposed on the carrier plate and a plurality of second air ports disposed on the back plate. The purge system senses the position of the air inlet of the wafer box according to the sensor, and provides clean gas into the wafer box through the first air port or the second air port. Among them, when the sensor senses that the location of the inflation port of the wafer box is at the bottom of the wafer box, the blowing system provides the clean gas through the first blowing port of the carrier, and enters the wafer box from the bottom of the wafer box to inflate the wafer box; when the sensor does not sense the inflation port at the bottom of the wafer box, the wafer carrier starts the rotating module to rotate the carrier plate, so that the multiple inflation ports of the front door of the wafer box on the carrier plate correspond to the second blowing ports on the back plate, and the blowing system provides the clean gas through each of the second blowing ports on the back plate, enters the wafer box from the front door of the wafer box, and inflates the wafer box.

2. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that When the sensor senses that the location of the air filling port of the wafer box is at the bottom of the wafer box, the wafer box is a front-opening wafer transfer box.

3. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that When the sensor does not sense that there is the inflation port at the bottom of the wafer box, the wafer box is a front-opening wafer shipping box.

4. The wafer carrier device as described in claim 1 further includes a clamping member, which is arranged at the top of the back plate or on the carrier plate, wherein the clamping member at the top of the back plate is used to clamp and fix the wafer box from top to bottom toward the top of the wafer box, and the clamping member on the carrier plate is used to clamp and fix the wafer box from bottom to top toward the bottom of the wafer box.

5. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first air blowing port disposed on the supporting platform and the second air blowing port disposed on the back plate are nozzles. 6 . The wafer carrier device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a scanning module for scanning the wafer box to obtain the encoding data of the wafer box.

7. The wafer carrier device according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The encoding data is stored in a two-dimensional barcode or a wireless radio frequency identification tag, and the two-dimensional barcode or the wireless radio frequency identification tag is configured on the wafer box.

8. The wafer carrier device according to claim 6 or 7, It is characterized in that The coded data includes the material item number of the wafer box and the progress status of the material in the wafer box.

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