Wafer horizontal transfer mechanism

Abstract

The application relates to a wafer horizontal transmission mechanism. A wafer support seat is adjusted to be horizontal by a horizontal adjusting mechanism during wafer feeding and discharging, so that a mechanical hand can conveniently grab vertically upward and downward. When transmission is performed, the horizontal part of the wafer support seat is inclined to a certain degree, so that the wafer can be inclined to one direction on the wafer support seat, the wafer is prevented from colliding due to different left and right inclined states, and the risk of wafer scratching is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of wafer cleaning and preparation equipment, and in particular relates to a wafer horizontal transport mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, the cleanliness of the wafer surface is a crucial factor affecting the reliability of semiconductor devices. Therefore, cleaning is one of the most important and frequent processes. The purpose of wafer cleaning is to remove various contaminants adhering to the wafer surface, such as organic matter, metallic impurities or fine particles, and the PSG layer that needs to be removed. This cleaning typically needs to be carried out in different cleaning tanks containing various cleaning solutions. Therefore, a transfer device is required to transport the wafers between different cleaning tanks.

[0003] Chinese patent document CN206116363U discloses a crystal boat that is tilted to orient wafers in one direction, preventing disordered tilting and further preventing collisions between wafers, thus improving wafer integrity. However, this document uses the downward movement of a support component to determine whether the crystal boat is level or not. This structure is relatively complex and lacks structural stability, making it unsuitable for use during transport. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a wafer tilting mechanism that ensures wafer verticality and horizontal transport during the transfer process and during loading and unloading.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is:

[0006] A wafer horizontal transport mechanism, comprising:

[0007] Horizontal mounting base;

[0008] The horizontal slide rail is set on the horizontal mounting base and located on the top surface of the horizontal mounting base. It is divided into the loading section, the conveying section and the unloading section in sequence from the direction of transmission.

[0009] A wafer support base for receiving wafers is mounted on a horizontal slide rail and has a vertical portion and a horizontal portion rotatably connected to the vertical portion via a rotating shaft. After accommodating the wafer, the horizontal portion can form a certain angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and the horizontal portion has rows of arc-shaped wafer receiving slots.

[0010] A drive unit, used to drive the horizontal mounting base to move on the horizontal slide rail;

[0011] It also includes a horizontal adjustment mechanism, comprising a horizontal adjustment wheel disposed on the wafer support, and a horizontal adjustment block fixedly disposed on the outer frame corresponding to the loading section and the unloading section. The horizontal adjustment block has an inclined bottom surface. During the process of the wafer support moving from the transfer section to the loading section or from the transfer section to the unloading section, the horizontal adjustment wheel slides on the bottom surface of the horizontal adjustment block, thereby adjusting the horizontal part of the wafer support to be horizontal.

[0012] Preferably, the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention,

[0013] The bottom surface of the horizontal adjustment block corresponding to the feeding section is undulating.

[0014] Preferably, the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention,

[0015] The bottom surface of the horizontal adjustment block corresponding to the feeding section consists of a horizontal surface, an upward inclined surface, a downward inclined surface, and an end inclined surface. When the horizontal adjustment wheel travels on the horizontal surface, the horizontal part of the wafer support is arranged horizontally. When the horizontal adjustment wheel travels on the upward inclined surface, the end of the horizontal part of the wafer support away from the horizontal adjustment wheel moves downward. When the horizontal adjustment wheel travels on the downward inclined surface, the end of the horizontal part of the wafer support away from the horizontal adjustment wheel moves upward. When the horizontal adjustment wheel travels on the end inclined surface, the end of the horizontal part of the wafer support away from the horizontal adjustment wheel moves downward. When it leaves the end inclined surface, the horizontal part of the wafer support forms the required specific angle with the horizontal surface.

[0016] Preferably, the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention,

[0017] The highest point of the downward-sloping surface is not higher than the highest point of the end-sloping surface, and the lowest point of the downward-sloping surface is higher than the horizontal plane. The vertical height from the lowest point of the downward-sloping surface to the horizontal plane is denoted as H, and the vertical height from the highest point of the downward-sloping surface to the horizontal plane is denoted as h. H is between two-thirds and one-half of h.

[0018] Preferably, the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention,

[0019] It also includes a position locking mechanism for locking the wafer support in the loading or unloading section.

[0020] Preferably, the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention,

[0021] The position locking mechanism includes a locking wheel mounted on a wafer support, a locking drive fixedly mounted on an outer frame, and a U-shaped locking element mounted on the telescopic rod of the locking drive. When locking is required, the locking drive drives the locking element to rise, causing the locking element to lock the locking wheel. When unlocking is required, the locking drive drives the locking element to fall, causing the locking element to disengage from the locking wheel.

[0022] Preferably, the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention,

[0023] Limiting rods are provided on the vertical portion of the wafer support to limit the maximum tilt angle of the horizontal portion.

[0024] Preferably, in the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention, the driving component includes a drive motor and a belt drive.

[0025] The belt drive is arranged on the side of the horizontal mounting base and is driven by a drive motor. The belt drive is fixed to the bottom of the wafer support base by a fixing clamp.

[0026] Preferably, in the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention, the horizontal mounting base is further provided with a limit wheel to limit the position of the belt drive belt.

[0027] Preferably, in the wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention, the horizontal mounting base is further provided with the sensor for sensing the position of the horizontal portion.

[0028] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0029] The wafer horizontal transport mechanism of the present invention has a wafer support base that is adjusted to be horizontal by a horizontal adjustment mechanism during the loading and unloading sections to facilitate the robot arm to grasp the wafer vertically. During transport in the transport section, the horizontal part of the wafer support base has a certain inclination, which can make the wafer tilt in one direction on the wafer support base, preventing the wafer from bumping or hitting due to different tilt states on the left and right sides, and reducing the risk of wafer scratches. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The technical solution of this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the wafer horizontal transport mechanism according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the wafer horizontal transport mechanism according to an embodiment of this application from another direction;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the wafer support base according to an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 A structural diagram of the wafer support base of the unloading section in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 5 A structural diagram of the wafer support base of the loading section in one embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 6 This application contains a structural diagram of the horizontal adjustment block according to an embodiment.

[0037] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0038] 1. Horizontal mounting base;

[0039] 2. Horizontal slide rail;

[0040] 3. Wafer support base;

[0041] 4. Belt drive;

[0042] 22. Drive motor;

[0043] 31. Vertical portion;

[0044] 32. Horizontal section;

[0045] 33. Rotary shaft;

[0046] 41. Limit wheel;

[0047] 42. Fixing clip;

[0048] 43 Limit rod;

[0049] 311 Locking wheel;

[0050] 312 Locking drive unit;

[0051] 313 Locking components;

[0052] 321 Leveling wheel;

[0053] 322 Horizontal adjustment block;

[0054] 323 Sensor;

[0055] 3221 Horizontal plane;

[0056] 3222 Upward-sloping surface;

[0057] 3223 Downward sloping surface;

[0058] 3224 End inclined surface. Detailed Implementation

[0059] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0060] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0061] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art will be able to understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0062] The technical solution of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0063] Example

[0064] This embodiment provides a wafer horizontal transport mechanism, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes:

[0065] Horizontal mounting bracket 1;

[0066] The horizontal slide rail 2 is set on the horizontal mounting base 1 and located on the top surface of the horizontal mounting base 1. From the transmission direction, it is divided into a loading section, a transmission section and an unloading section. The loading section is where the robot arm places the wafer onto the wafer support base 3 (described below). The transmission section is where the wafer support base 3 carries the wafer and moves it. The unloading section is where the robot arm removes the wafer from the wafer support base 3.

[0067] Wafer support 3, such as Figure 3As shown, it is used to receive wafers and is set on a horizontal slide rail 2. It has a vertical part 31 and a horizontal part 32 rotatably connected to the vertical part 31 via a rotating shaft 33. After the horizontal part 32 receives the wafer, it can form a certain angle (preferably 10°-20°) with respect to the horizontal plane. The horizontal part 32 has a row of arc-shaped wafer receiving slots.

[0068] A driving component is used to drive the horizontal mounting base 1 to move on the horizontal slide rail 2;

[0069] It also includes a horizontal adjustment mechanism, comprising a horizontal adjustment wheel 321 disposed on the wafer support 3, and a horizontal adjustment block 322 fixedly disposed on the outer frame corresponding to the loading section and the unloading section. The horizontal adjustment block 322 has an inclined bottom surface. During the process of the wafer support 3 moving from the transfer section to the loading section or from the transfer section to the unloading section, the horizontal adjustment wheel 321 slides on the bottom surface of the horizontal adjustment block 322, thereby adjusting the horizontal part 32 of the wafer support 3 to be horizontal.

[0070] In this embodiment, the wafer horizontal transport mechanism adjusts the wafer support 3 to be horizontal during the loading and unloading sections to facilitate the robot arm's vertical gripping. During transport in the transport section, the horizontal portion 32 of the wafer support 3 has a certain inclination, which allows the wafer to tilt in one direction on the wafer support 3, preventing the wafer from bumping into each other due to different left and right tilt states, and reducing the risk of wafer scratches.

[0071] Preferably, the driving component specifically includes a belt drive belt 4, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the belt drive 4 is driven by the drive motor 22 and arranged on the side of the horizontal mounting base 1. The belt drive 4 is fixed to the bottom of the wafer support base 3 by the fixing clamp 42. The horizontal mounting base 1 is also provided with a limit wheel 41 to limit the position of the belt drive 4.

[0072] The bottom surface of the horizontal adjustment block 322 corresponding to the feeding section has undulations, which can be either zigzag undulations or wavy undulations.

[0073] like Figure 6As shown, the specific structure is as follows: the bottom surface of the horizontal adjustment block 322 corresponding to the feeding section is composed of a horizontal surface 3221, an upward inclined surface 3222, a downward inclined surface 3223, and an end inclined surface 3224. When the horizontal adjustment wheel 321 travels on the horizontal surface 3221, the horizontal part of the wafer support 3 is arranged horizontally. When the horizontal adjustment wheel 321 travels on the upward inclined surface 3222, the end of the horizontal part 32 of the wafer support 3 away from the horizontal adjustment wheel 321 moves downward. When the horizontal adjustment wheel 321 travels on the downward inclined surface 3223, the end of the horizontal part 32 of the wafer support 3 away from the horizontal adjustment wheel 321 moves upward. When the horizontal adjustment wheel 321 travels on the end inclined surface 3224, the end of the horizontal part 32 of the wafer support 3 away from the horizontal adjustment wheel 321 moves downward. When it leaves the end inclined surface 3224, the horizontal part 32 of the wafer support 3 forms the required specific angle with the horizontal surface.

[0074] Preferably, the highest point of the downward-sloping surface 3223 (the connection between the two downward-sloping surfaces 3223) is not higher than the highest point of the end-sloping surface 3224, and the lowest point of the downward-sloping surface 3223 (the connection between the downward-sloping surface 3223 and the end-sloping surface 3224) is higher than the horizontal surface 3221. The vertical height from the lowest point of the downward-sloping surface 3223 to the horizontal surface 3221 is denoted as H, and the vertical height from the highest point of the downward-sloping surface 3223 to the horizontal surface 3221 is denoted as h. H is two-thirds to one-half of h.

[0075] By using the undulations of the horizontal portion 32 of the wafer support 3, the wafer is "shaked" slightly, making it easier to maintain consistency during the subsequent tilting stage and ensuring a more orderly position of the wafer within the basketless wafer carrier. Of course, the operating speed should be controlled at a low level to prevent damage to the wafer from violent movement.

[0076] It also includes a position locking mechanism, comprising a locking wheel 311 mounted on the wafer support 3, and a locking drive 312 fixedly mounted on the outer frame. The telescopic rod of the locking drive 312 has a U-shaped locking element 313. When locking is required, the locking drive 312 drives the locking element 313 to rise, causing the locking element 313 to engage the locking wheel 311. When unlocking is required, the locking drive 312 drives the locking element 313 to descend, causing the locking element 313 to disengage from the locking wheel 311. The position locking mechanism can fix the wafer support 3, maintaining the stability of the component.

[0077] Furthermore, a limit rod 43 is provided on the vertical portion 31 of the wafer support 3 to limit the maximum tilt angle of the horizontal portion 32 and prevent the horizontal portion 32 from tilting excessively.

[0078] Furthermore, the horizontal mounting base 1 is also provided with a sensor 323 for sensing the position of the horizontal portion 32. For example... Figure 3 As shown, when the horizontal part 32 is tilted, one end of the horizontal part 32 is close to the sensor 323, so that the sensor 323 can sense the object. When the horizontal part 32 is horizontal, the sensor 323 cannot sense the object. By connecting the sensor 323 to the controller, the position of the horizontal part 32 can be monitored.

[0079] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments according to this application, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical concept of this application. The technical scope of this application is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer horizontal transfer mechanism, characterized by, The horizontal mounting base (1) comprises: a wafer support base (3) for receiving a wafer, which is arranged on the horizontal slide rail (2) and has a vertical part (31) and a horizontal part (32) rotatably connected to the vertical part (31) through a rotating shaft (33), the horizontal part (32) can form a certain angle with the horizontal plane after receiving the wafer, and the horizontal part (32) has a plurality of arc-shaped wafer receiving grooves arranged in a row; Horizontal sliding rail (2) is arranged on horizontal mounting base (1) and is located on the top surface of horizontal mounting base (1) and is sequentially divided into feeding section, conveying section and discharging section from the conveying direction Conveying section Discharging section a driving member for driving the wafer support base (3) to move on the horizontal slide rail (2); and a horizontal adjustment mechanism, which comprises a horizontal adjustment wheel (321) arranged on the wafer support base (3) and a horizontal adjustment block (322) fixedly arranged on an external frame corresponding to the loading section and the unloading section, the horizontal adjustment block (322) has an inclined bottom surface, and the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) slides on the bottom surface of the horizontal adjustment block (322) during the movement of the wafer support base (3) from the transmission section to the loading section or from the transmission section to the unloading section, so as to adjust the horizontal part (32) of the wafer support base (3) to be horizontal; the bottom surface of the horizontal adjustment block (322) corresponding to the loading section is composed of a horizontal surface (3221), an upward inclined surface (3222), a downward inclined surface (3223) and a terminal inclined surface (3224), when the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) travels on the horizontal surface (3221), the horizontal part of the wafer support base (3) is arranged horizontally, when the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) travels on the upward inclined surface (3222), the end of the horizontal part (32) of the wafer support base (3) away from the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) moves downward, when the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) travels on the downward inclined surface (3223), the end of the horizontal part (32) of the wafer support base (3) away from the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) moves upward, when the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) travels on the terminal inclined surface (3224), the end of the horizontal part (32) of the wafer support base (3) away from the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) moves downward, and when the horizontal adjustment wheel (321) leaves the terminal inclined surface (3224), the horizontal part (32) of the wafer support base (3) forms a certain angle with the horizontal plane; and a sensor (323) arranged on the horizontal mounting base (1) for sensing the position of the horizontal part (32).

2. The wafer horizontal transmission mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the highest point of the downward inclined surface (3223) is not higher than the highest point of the terminal inclined surface (3224), the lowest point of the downward inclined surface (3223) is higher than the height of the horizontal surface (3221), the vertical height from the lowest point of the downward inclined surface (3223) to the horizontal surface (3221) is denoted as H, the vertical height from the highest point of the downward inclined surface (3223) to the horizontal surface (3221) is denoted as h, and H is two-thirds to one-half of h. and a position locking mechanism for locking the wafer support base (3) in the loading section or the unloading section.

3. The wafer level transfer mechanism of claim 1, wherein, ​ 4. The wafer level transfer mechanism of claim 3, wherein, The position locking mechanism comprises a locking wheel (311) arranged on the wafer support seat (3), a locking driving member (312) fixedly arranged on the outer frame, and a U-shaped locking member (313) arranged on the telescopic rod of the locking driving member (312).

5. The wafer level transport mechanism of claim 1, wherein, A limiting rod (43) is arranged on the vertical part (31) of the wafer support seat (3) to limit the maximum inclination angle of the horizontal part (32).

6. The wafer level transport mechanism of claim 1, wherein, The driving member comprises a driving motor (22) and a belt transmission belt (4). The belt transmission belt (4) is arranged on the side of the horizontal mounting seat (1), and the driving motor (22) drives the belt transmission belt (4) to move; the belt transmission belt (4) is fixed to the bottom of the wafer support seat (3) through a fixing clamp (42).

7. The wafer level transport mechanism of claim 6, wherein, A limiting wheel (41) is further arranged on the horizontal mounting seat (1) to limit the position of the belt transmission belt (4).

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