Flexible docking and locking device

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of flexible docking locking device, including wafer manipulator, fork arm, docking plug, wafer fork storage and wafer fork, the driving end on wafer manipulator is provided with several fork arms, fork arm is provided with docking plug, wafer fork storage is uniformly provided with several storage racks along the direction of Z axis, storage rack is provided with wafer fork along the direction of X axis, docking plug is connected with wafer fork along the side of X axis negative direction, the bottom of storage rack is uniformly provided with several clamping adjustment mechanisms along the direction of X axis.The present application realizes normal locking by double-axis positioning, double-slot self-locking and double spring, prevents loosening, and clamping considers unlocking function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer processing technology, and in particular to a flexible docking and locking device. Background Technology

[0002] With the large-scale development of the semiconductor industry in China, the demand for new technologies and processes in domestic semiconductor manufacturing has surged. As a core process in semiconductor manufacturing, wafer processing has seen a rapid increase in equipment demand in a short period, providing significant impetus for technological research and development for equipment manufacturers in the semiconductor field. The high standards and reliability of semiconductor manufacturing necessitate minimal human intervention in process control to avoid manufacturing defects and errors caused by human factors. The goal is unified information exchange and transmission across the entire production line, with end-to-end information traceability to track the quality information of each product. Fully automated operation and information exchange are required to achieve fully automated production without human intervention. Developing fully automated modules to meet equipment requirements is a necessary technology and function for fully automated equipment.

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings, the designer actively researched and innovated in order to create a flexible docking and locking device, which would have greater industrial application value. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the purpose of this invention is to provide a flexible docking and locking device.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A flexible docking and locking device includes a wafer manipulator, forks, docking plugs, a wafer fork storage container, and wafer forks. The drive end of the wafer manipulator is equipped with several forks, each with a docking plug. The wafer fork storage container has several storage racks evenly arranged along the Z-axis, and wafer forks are arranged along the X-axis on each storage rack. The docking plugs are connected to the wafer forks on one side along the negative X-axis. The bottom of each storage rack has several clamping and adjusting mechanisms evenly arranged along the X-axis. Each clamping and adjusting mechanism includes a clamping cylinder and a flexible... The support base has clamping blocks connected to the drive ends of the clamping cylinder along both sides of the Y-axis. The clamping blocks pass through the storage rack from bottom to top and are located on both sides of the wafer fork along the Y-axis. The flexible support base includes a mounting base and a connecting base. The mounting base is mounted on the storage rack on one side along the negative Y-axis. The mounting base is connected to the connecting base on one side along the positive Y-axis via a leaf spring. The connecting base is equipped with a bearing. The bearing seat at the bottom of the bearing is connected to the connecting base on both sides along the Y-axis with a balance shaft. The top of the bearing is connected to the storage rack above.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the docking plug is provided with two connecting shafts on one side along the positive direction of the X-axis, and the connecting shafts are inserted into the insertion slots on the side along the negative direction of the X-axis of the wafer fork.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, a plurality of separation pins are provided on the outer side of the insertion groove along the X-axis direction, the separation pins being connected to the outer clamping block, and a plurality of locking buckles are provided on the inner side of the insertion groove along the X-axis direction.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, a locking spring is provided on the inner side of the locking buckle.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, an accordion suction cup is also provided at the position of the docking plug and the wafer fork. The docking plug is provided with a first vacuum channel and a second vacuum channel connected to each other in sequence along the positive direction of the X-axis. The wafer fork is provided with a third vacuum channel and a fourth vacuum channel connected to each other in sequence along the positive direction of the X-axis. The accordion suction cup is connected to the second vacuum channel and the third vacuum channel on both sides respectively.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, a balance spring is sleeved on the outer side of the balance shaft.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the drive end of the wafer manipulator is provided with two forks, and six storage racks are evenly arranged along the Z-axis direction on the wafer fork storage rack.

[0013] By means of the above-described solution, the present invention has at least the following advantages:

[0014] 1. This invention achieves normal locking through dual-axis positioning, dual-slot self-locking, and dual springs to prevent loosening, and combines clamping with unlocking functions;

[0015] 2. This invention achieves flexible docking through dual flexible support bases, improving the reliability of automatic docking and replacement;

[0016] 3. The flexible support base of the present invention has an adaptive mechanism in the Y-axis direction, Z-axis direction and rotation axis direction to realize an adaptive adjustment mechanism in multiple dimensions.

[0017] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible docking locking device according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure when the connector and wafer fork are connected;

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A structural diagram of the other side;

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 or Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible support base;

[0023] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 or Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the connection between the mid-mount connector and the wafer fork;

[0024] Figure 6 yes Figure 2 A partial structural schematic diagram of the front view;

[0025] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A structural diagram of AA.

[0026] The meanings of the labels in the figures are as follows.

[0027] 1. Wafer robotic arm; 2. Fork arm

[0028] 3. Connector 4. Wafer Y-shaped storage unit

[0029] 5 Storage racks 6 Wafer forks

[0030] 7 Clamping block 8 Clamping cylinder

[0031] 9 Flexible support base 10 Mounting base

[0032] 11 Leaf spring 12 Connecting seat

[0033] 13 Balance shaft 14 Bearing

[0034] 15 Balance spring 16 Connecting shaft

[0035] 17 Separating ejector pin 18 Locking buckle

[0036] 19 Locking spring 20 First vacuum passage

[0037] 21 Second vacuum channel 22 Accordion suction cup

[0038] 23 Third Vacuum Channel 24 Fourth Vacuum Channel Detailed Implementation

[0039] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0040] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] Example

[0042] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown,

[0043] A flexible docking and locking device includes a wafer manipulator 1, forks 2, docking plugs 3, a wafer fork storage 4, and wafer forks 6. The wafer manipulator 1 has several forks 2 mounted on its drive end, and docking plugs 3 are mounted on the forks 2. The wafer fork storage 4 has several storage racks 5 evenly arranged along the Z-axis, and wafer forks 6 are mounted on the storage racks 5 along the X-axis. The docking plugs 3 are connected to the wafer forks 6 on one side along the negative X-axis. The bottom of the storage racks 5 has several clamping and adjusting mechanisms evenly arranged along the X-axis. Each clamping and adjusting mechanism includes a clamping cylinder 8 and a flexible support base 9. Cylinder 8 is connected to the drive ends on both sides along the Y-axis with clamping blocks 7. The clamping blocks 7 pass through the storage rack 5 from bottom to top and are located on both sides of the wafer fork 6 along the Y-axis. The flexible support base 9 includes a mounting base 10 and a connecting base 12. The mounting base 10 is mounted on the storage rack 5 on one side along the negative Y-axis. The mounting base 10 is connected to the connecting base 12 on one side along the positive Y-axis via a leaf spring 11. A bearing 14 is provided on the connecting base 12. The bearing seat at the bottom of the bearing 14 is connected to the connecting base 12 on both sides along the Y-axis with a balance shaft 13. The top of the bearing 14 is connected to the storage rack 5 above.

[0044] Preferably, the docking plug 3 is provided with two connecting shafts 16 on one side along the positive direction of the X-axis, and the connecting shafts 16 are inserted into the insertion slots on the side along the negative direction of the X-axis of the wafer fork 6.

[0045] Preferably, a plurality of separating pins 17 are provided on the outer side of the insertion groove along the X-axis direction, the separating pins 17 are connected to the outer clamping block 7, and a plurality of locking buckles 18 are provided on the inner side of the insertion groove along the X-axis direction.

[0046] Preferably, a locking spring 19 is provided on the inner side of the locking buckle 18.

[0047] Preferably, an accordion suction cup 22 is provided at the insertion point of the docking plug 3 and the wafer fork 6. The docking plug 3 has a first vacuum channel 20 and a second vacuum channel 21 connected to each other in sequence along the positive direction of the X-axis. The wafer fork 6 has a third vacuum channel 23 and a fourth vacuum channel 24 connected to each other in sequence along the positive direction of the X-axis. The accordion suction cup 22 is connected to the second vacuum channel 21 and the third vacuum channel 23 on both sides respectively.

[0048] Preferably, a balance spring 15 is sleeved on the outer side of the balance shaft 13.

[0049] Preferably, the drive end of the wafer robot 1 is provided with two forks 2, and the wafer fork storage bin 4 is provided with six storage racks 5 evenly arranged along the Z-axis direction.

[0050] This invention is applied in the field of wafer micromachining, enabling wafer robotic arms to automatically change wafer handling forks of different specifications. For handling forks of different specifications, automatic docking and replacement on the storage rack provides the necessary functional application for fully automated production and product switching in fully automated equipment.

[0051] This invention achieves stable and reliable connection and self-locking through simple pneumatic and mechanical mechanisms, and simultaneously realizes the vacuum connection of the Y-shaped fork. It does not require complex electrical control execution and detection mechanisms, and adopts a flexible installation method to maximize redundancy and protect against jamming and overload caused by docking deviation of the robot arm.

[0052] First embodiment of the present invention:

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the wafer robotic arm 1 is basically a double-fork structure (i.e., it includes two forks 2); each fork is equipped with a set of dual-axis docking connectors 3. The wafer fork storage unit 4 is equipped with 6 storage racks 5, which can store 6 sets of wafer forks 6.

[0054] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, six wafer forks 6 are placed on the storage rack 5; they are clamped and positioned by two clamping cylinders 8 and clamping blocks 7 on both sides of the clamping cylinders 8, and the wafer forks 6 are centered and held by the clamping blocks 7. The storage rack 5 is mounted on two sets of flexible support seats 9; this eliminates the alignment error of the fork arms 2 and avoids jamming failures when the fork arms 2 and the wafer forks 6 are docked and separated.

[0055] like Figure 4 As shown, the working principle of the flexible support base 9 is as follows: the mounting base 10 is fixed on the wafer fork storage 4, the leaf spring 11 is used for vertical deviation compensation, the balance spring 15, the balance shaft 13 and the bearing 14 are used for horizontal deviation compensation, and the two sets of flexible support bases are used to compensate for angular deviation.

[0056] as follows Figure 5 As shown, the clamping block 7 clamps the wafer fork 6, while simultaneously pushing the four separation pins 17, moving the four locking latches 18 on both sides to reset, and unlocking the connecting shaft 16. This allows the docking plug 3 to be pulled out, separating the robotic arm from the fork. When the fork on the storage rack 5 is in the clamped state, the locking spring 19 contracts, allowing the connecting shaft 16 of the docking plug 3 to smoothly insert into the docking slot of the fork. Performing the reverse action completes the connection locking.

[0057] Vacuum docking as follows Figure 7 As shown, the docking plug 3 is docked and locked with the wafer fork 6, and the accordion suction cup 22 is compressed and sealed to achieve docking and sealing of the vacuum channels on both sides.

[0058] In the description of this invention, 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 orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention 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 a limitation of the invention. 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 referring to the number of technical features indicated. 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.

[0059] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly 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 of two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention can be understood through the specific circumstances.

[0060] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible docking and locking device, comprising a wafer manipulator (1), forks (2), docking plugs (3), a wafer fork storage container (4), and wafer forks (6), wherein the wafer manipulator (1) has a plurality of forks (2) on its drive end, the forks (2) are provided with docking plugs (3), the wafer fork storage container (4) has a plurality of storage racks (5) evenly arranged along the Z-axis direction, and the storage racks (5) are provided with wafer forks (6) along the X-axis direction, characterized in that, The docking plug (3) is connected to the wafer fork (6) on one side along the negative X-axis. Several clamping and adjusting mechanisms are evenly arranged at the bottom of the storage rack (5) along the X-axis. Each clamping and adjusting mechanism includes a clamping cylinder (8) and a flexible support base (9). Clamping blocks (7) are connected to the driving ends of the clamping cylinder (8) on both sides along the Y-axis. The clamping blocks (7) pass through the storage rack (5) from bottom to top and are located on both sides of the wafer fork (6) along the Y-axis. The flexible support base (9) includes a mounting bracket... Mounting base (10) and connecting base (12), the mounting base (10) is mounted on the wafer fork storage container (4) along the negative Y-axis, the mounting base (10) is connected to the connecting base (12) along the positive Y-axis by a leaf spring (11), the connecting base (12) is provided with a bearing (14), the bearing seat at the bottom of the bearing (14) is connected to the connecting base (12) on both sides along the Y-axis by a balance shaft (13), and the top of the bearing (14) is connected to the storage rack (5) above; The docking plug (3) has two connecting shafts (16) on one side along the positive direction of the X-axis. The connecting shafts (16) are inserted into the insertion slots of the wafer fork (6) on one side along the negative direction of the X-axis. A plurality of separating pins (17) are provided on the outer side of the insertion slot along the X-axis direction. The separating pins (17) are connected to the clamping block (7) on the outer side. A plurality of locking buckles (18) are provided on the inner side of the insertion slot along the X-axis direction. A locking spring (19) is provided on the inner side of the locking buckle (18). Using the clamping block (7) to tighten the wafer fork (6), while pushing several separation pins (17), moving several locking buckles (18) on both sides to reset, unlocking the connecting shaft (16), the docking plug (3) can be pulled out, realizing the separation of the robot and the fork; the fork on the storage rack (5) is in the clamping state, the locking spring (19) retracts, and the connecting shaft (16) of the docking plug (3) can be smoothly inserted into the docking slot of the fork.

2. The flexible docking locking device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, An accordion suction cup (22) is also provided at the insertion point of the docking plug (3) and the wafer fork (6). The docking plug (3) is provided with a first vacuum channel (20) and a second vacuum channel (21) connected to each other along the positive direction of the X-axis. The wafer fork (6) is provided with a third vacuum channel (23) and a fourth vacuum channel (24) connected to each other along the positive direction of the X-axis. The accordion suction cup (22) is connected to the second vacuum channel (21) and the third vacuum channel (23) on both sides respectively.

3. The flexible docking locking device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A balance spring (15) is fitted on the outside of the balance shaft (13).

4. The flexible docking locking device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer manipulator (1) has two forks (2) on its drive end, and six storage racks (5) are evenly arranged along the Z-axis on the wafer fork storage rack (4).

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