SMIF pod loading apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a SMIF box loading device and belongs to the technical field of semiconductors. In view of the poor transfer stability, the application provides the SMIF box loading device, which comprises a device frame, an opening and closing device is arranged at the front of the device frame, the opening and closing device is used for bearing and opening and closing a SMIF box, a robot arm is arranged in the device frame, an end effector is arranged at the tail end of the robot arm, the robot arm is used for driving the end effector to vertically and horizontally move, so as to enter and exit the SMIF box and take and place a wafer basket. The application realizes the SMIF box loading, and can realize the multi-layer taking and placing of the wafer basket in the limited space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more particularly to an SMIF (Semiconductor Component Interchange) loading device. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor industry standard 8-inch (200mm) or 12-inch (300mm) SMIF wafer fabs (SMIF: Standard Mechanical Interface), the front end of the main process equipment is equipped with a standard SMIF opener / closer, which serves as the loading port for the SMIF pods, used for loading and unloading wafer pods and opening / closing them. However, the handling of wafers or cassettes within the pods still requires a robotic arm. Conventional applications typically install a separate robotic arm at the rear end of the SMIF opener / closer to handle wafer handling, which is the industry-familiar EFEM architecture.

[0003] Although the main process equipment, SMIF opener / closer, and robotic arm are all located in the cleanroom, the wafers generally still need to be in a higher level of clean space. When the SMIF box is opened for the robotic arm to pick up or put down, it is connected to the external cleanroom, causing the wafers to be exposed to the cleanroom environment.

[0004] Furthermore, certain specialized semiconductor process equipment, such as high-temperature furnace tube equipment and RPT equipment, already occupy excessive cleanroom space due to their wafer memory designs. To enhance commercial competitiveness, the space available for SMIF openers and robotic arms is very limited, making the conventional EFEM architecture undesirable. Simultaneously, to maximize space utilization, there are multi-level stacking requirements for cassette placement within the equipment, which conventional EFEM designs cannot meet.

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, existing technologies have also provided corresponding improvements. For example, US Patent Application No. US6086323A, published on July 11, 2000, discloses a method for unloading silicon wafers contained in a sealed cassette and supplying the wafers to an IC manufacturing process. This method includes receiving the cassette's base onto a loading platform of a cassette loader interface, and then unlocking the cassette cover from the base. While maintaining the wafer in a clean microenvironment, the method lifts the cassette cover from the base, contacts the now-exposed cassette via an end effector of a hinged arm, secures the cassette to the end effector, and activates the arm to transport the wafer out of the microenvironment for supplying the wafer to the IC manufacturing process. The end effector, fixed to one end of the arm, allows the machine to grip and secure the cassette, i.e., the gripping device extends and retracts via a cylinder. Preferably, the method further includes raising the hinged arm to elevate the cassette before transferring the wafer to the process. The shortcomings of this solution are as follows: after the pod cover is lifted from the base, before the pressurization chamber rises to the top, the windows on the support partition are not completely covered by the pressurization chamber, and there is a gap between the pressurization chamber and the support partition, which may allow outside air to enter the pressurization chamber and come into contact with the wafer. At the same time, since the articulated arm is suspended, its stability is poor, and the end effector is extended and retracted by cylinders, resulting in poor control precision. The linear extension leads to poor load-bearing capacity, further increasing the instability of the transfer operation.

[0006] For example, a Korean patent application published on July 3, 2006, with publication number KR100594371B1, discloses a loader device with a cassette output function. It uses a lifting arm to achieve lifting and lowering, which is stable. However, its structure is complex, and the arm still adjusts the distance by moving horizontally to hold the box, resulting in poor load-bearing capacity and instability in the transfer operation. At the same time, it requires a large space.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to propose further solutions to address at least one of the aforementioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the issue of poor transfer stability, this invention provides an SMIF box loading device. The technical solution is:

[0009] An SMIF box loading device includes a device frame, an opening and closing device at the front of the device frame for carrying and opening / closing SMIF boxes, a robot arm inside the device frame, and an end effector at the end of the robot arm for driving the end effector to move vertically and horizontally to enter and exit the SMIF boxes and to pick up and place wafer baskets.

[0010] Preferably, the robotic arm is a SCARA type robotic arm.

[0011] Preferably, the end effector is provided with two grippers and a rotary drive mechanism II for rotating the two grippers, the distance between the two grippers being adapted to the distance between the two handles on the wafer basket, so as to insert or pull out the handles.

[0012] Preferably, the rotary drive mechanism II is connected to the gripper via a linkage transmission structure.

[0013] Preferably, the gripper includes a rotating shaft II, on which a hook is connected. The rotating shaft II drives the hook to rotate under the drive of the rotation drive mechanism II, and inserts or pulls out the handle.

[0014] Preferably, the end effector is provided with a fixed base, one end of the rotating shaft II is connected to the rotary drive mechanism II, and the other end is rotatably connected to the fixed base.

[0015] Preferably, the opening and closing device includes a loading stage for carrying the substrate of the SMIF box and the wafer basket, and the opening and closing device also includes a box cover support frame for supporting the box cover of the SMIF box. The loading stage is disposed in the box cover support frame and connected to the equipment frame. The box cover support frame drives the box cover to rise and fall under the drive of the lifting drive mechanism I. A carrier box is connected to the bottom of the box cover support frame. A sealing door is connected to the side of the box cover support frame near the equipment frame. As the box cover support frame rises and falls, the carrier box rises and falls to surround or move away from the loading stage, and the sealing door rises and falls to move away from or cover the window of the equipment frame.

[0016] Preferably, the equipment frame is provided with a limiting groove, and the sealing door moves up and down within the limiting groove.

[0017] Preferably, the carrier box is connected to a gas filter device I, which supplies horizontal laminar gas into the carrier box; and / or, a gas filter device II is provided at the top of the equipment frame, which supplies vertically downward laminar gas into the equipment frame.

[0018] Preferably, the lid support frame is provided with a latch mechanism for locking the lid. The latch mechanism includes a latch plate, and a rotating shaft I is connected below the latch plate. A holding block is provided around the rotating shaft I. A connecting rod assembly is hinged to one end of the holding block. The connecting rod assembly drives the rotating shaft I connected to the holding block to rotate through a driving member. The rotating shaft I drives the latch plate to rotate and abut against or move away from the outer protrusion of the lid to lock or unlock the lid.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0020] (1) The present invention achieves initial loading of SMIF boxes by setting an opening and closing device in front of the equipment frame, the opening and closing device being used to carry and open and close SMIF boxes; by setting a robot arm inside the equipment frame, the end of the robot arm being provided with an end effector, the robot arm being used to drive the end effector to move vertically and horizontally to enter and exit the SMIF boxes and pick up and place wafer baskets, thereby achieving SMIF box loading, and multi-layer picking up and placing wafer baskets can be achieved in a limited space.

[0021] (2) By setting two grippers and a rotary drive mechanism II for rotating the two grippers in the end effector of the robot arm, the end effector has increased load-bearing capacity and transfer operation stability compared with conventional linear motion gripping of wafer baskets, and no space is required for linear motion in the left and right directions, thereby reducing the space required for the equipment.

[0022] (3) The present invention provides a sealing door on the box cover support frame. The sealing door moves up and down along the height direction of the equipment frame under the drive of the lifting drive mechanism I, thereby keeping the carrier box and the equipment frame sealed. The sealing door covers or moves away from the window of the equipment frame, so that the space inside the equipment frame is always sealed to prevent external pollution from entering. At the same time, the sealing door and the box cover support frame share a drive mechanism, which helps to reduce the size of the equipment and ensure that the opening and closing of the window is synchronized with the opening and closing of the SMIF box, thereby improving the loading efficiency.

[0023] (4) The present invention improves the rotation accuracy of the latch mechanism and has a simple structure by setting a latch mechanism on the box cover support frame and using a combination of a holding block and a connecting rod assembly to rotate the latch. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the SMIF box loading device in use according to the present invention, wherein the SMIF box cover is open;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the SMIF box loading device in another usage state of the present invention, in which the robotic arm has grasped the wafer basket into the device frame;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the SMIF box;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer basket structure in the SMIF box;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper structure in the SMIF box loading device of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6This is a partial structural diagram of the end effector in the SMIF box loading device of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a partial structural diagram of the robotic arm in the SMIF box loading device of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a partial structural diagram of the main body of the SMIF box loading device in this invention;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the SMIF box loading device in this invention;

[0033] Figure 10 This is a partial structural diagram of the SMIF box loading device in this invention from another angle;

[0034] Figure 11 This is a partial structural diagram of the opening and closing device in the SMIF box loading device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the latch mechanism in the SMIF box loading device of the present invention.

[0036] Specifically, 1. SMIF box loading equipment; 2. SMIF box; 21. Substrate; 22. Wafer basket; 22-1. Handle; 23. Box cover; 23-1. Outer protrusion edge;

[0037] 100. Equipment frame; 101. Front panel; 102. Control panel; 103. Dust cover;

[0038] 200. Opening and closing device; 201. Device housing; 210. Loading platform; 220. Box cover support frame; 221. Sealing door; 222. Protective frame; 223. Door latch mechanism; 2231. Door latch plate; 2232. Rotating shaft I; 2233. Holding block; 2234. Connecting rod I; 2235. Connecting rod II; 224. Wafer protrusion sensor 224; 225. Wafer basket in-situ sensor I; 230. Carrier box; 231. Base plate; 232. Side plate; 233. Front plate; 234. Connecting plate; 240. Drive motor I; 241. Lead screw; 242. Slider I; 243. Guide rail I;

[0039] 300. Robot arm; 310. Body; 311. Housing; 312. Drive motor II; 313. Synchronous belt pulley transmission assembly; 314. Lead screw I; 315. Platform; 316. Cylinder; 320. Arm; 321. Lower arm; 322. Upper arm; 330. End effector; 331. Base; 332. Backplate; 3321. Drive motor III; 3322. Lead screw II; 3323. Slider II; 3324. Guide rail II; 3325. Swing arm I; 3326. Swing arm II; 3327. Swing arm III; 3328. Swing arm IV; 3329. Wafer basket in-situ sensor II; 333. Gripper; 3331. Rotary shaft II; 3332. Hook; 3333. Mounting base; 3334. Anti-collision sensor;

[0040] 410. Fan I; 411. Filter box I; 420. Fan II; 421. Filter box II. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] 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 orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation 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 limiting the scope of protection of this 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 specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, 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.

[0043] 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. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0044] like Figure 1-2As shown, an SMIF box loading device 1 is installed at the front end of the main machine of the process equipment for loading and unloading SMIF boxes 2. Figures 3-4 As shown, the SMIF Pod 2 includes a substrate 21, a wafer cassette 22 placed on the substrate 21, and a cover 23, thereby keeping the wafers located in the wafer cassette 22 in a closed environment formed by the substrate 21 and the cover 23. This device includes a device frame 100, with an opening / closing device 200 at the front of the device frame 100. A robotic arm 300 is located inside the device frame 100. The opening / closing device 200 opens the SMIF Pod 2, detaching the cover 23 from the substrate 21 and away from the wafer cassette 22. The robotic arm 300 passes through a window in the device frame 100 and picks up or places the wafer cassette 22 or wafers located on the opening / closing device 200, then transfers them to the process equipment host or docks with the robotic arm of the process equipment host to complete the loading operation. The unloading operation is essentially the reverse of the loading operation.

[0045] The edge of the equipment frame 100 abuts against the process equipment and covers the ports of the process equipment. To improve sealing, a dust cover 103 is provided between the equipment frame 100 and the process equipment. The equipment frame 100 is also equipped with a docking equipment door status detection sensor to determine whether the port door of the process equipment is open or closed, so as to avoid misoperation of the robot arm 300.

[0046] The equipment frame 100 includes a front panel 101, an opening and closing device 200 connected to the front panel 101, and an operation panel 102 connected to the front panel 101. The operation panel 102 is equipped with indicator lights and control buttons.

[0047] The opening and closing device 200 is installed inside the device housing 201, such as Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, the device housing 201 is connected to the front panel 101. The opening and closing device 200 includes a loading platform 210 and a lid support frame 220. The loading platform 210 is used to support the SMIF box 2. The loading platform 210 is provided with a positioning pin and a fork mechanism adapted to the SMIF box 2. The fork mechanism is used to unlock or lock the SMIF box 2, that is, to unlock or lock the connection between the substrate 21 and the lid 23. The fork mechanism can adopt existing technology. The lid support frame 220 is U-shaped or rectangular. The loading platform 210 is located inside the lid support frame 220. When the SMIF box 2 is placed on the loading platform 210, the substrate 21 of the SMIF is located on the loading platform 210, and the lid 23 is located on the lid support frame 220. One side of the loading platform 210 is connected to the front panel 101, so that the loading platform 210 maintains a constant distance from the window of the device frame 100. When the SMIF box 2 is placed on the loading platform 210, it faces the window. The lid support frame 220 is connected to a lifting drive mechanism I. Driven by the lifting drive mechanism I, the lid support frame 220 moves up or down, moving away from or closer to the loading stage 210. This causes the lid 23 on the lid support frame 220 to move away from or closer to the wafer basket 22 on the substrate 21, providing a basis for the robotic arm 300 to pick up and place wafers from the wafer basket 22 or inside the box. Figure 11 As shown, a carrying box 230 is connected below the lid support frame 220. The carrying box 230 includes a bottom plate 231, two side plates 232 and a front plate 233. The front plate 233 is located in front of the window of the equipment frame 100. The two side plates 232 are located on opposite sides of the bottom plate 231. The tops of the two side plates 232 and the front plate 233 are connected to the lid support frame 220. The bottom plate 231 is provided with a connecting plate 234 for connecting with the lifting drive mechanism I. As the lid support frame 220 rises and falls, the carrier box 230 rises and falls, thereby surrounding or moving away from the loading stage 210. That is, when the lid support frame 220 rises until the lid 23 is completely detached from the wafer basket 22, the carrier box 230 rises until the loading stage 210 is located inside the carrier box 230, and the wafer basket 22 is also located inside the carrier box 230. At this time, the opening of the carrier box 230 is connected to the window of the equipment frame 100, and the robot arm 300 extends into the carrier box 230 to pick up or place the wafer basket 22 or the wafer. When the lid support frame 220 falls until the lid 23 completely covers the wafer basket 22, the carrier box 230 falls away from the loading stage 210.

[0048] The lid support frame 220 is connected to the lifting drive mechanism I via the carrier box 230. Specifically, the lifting drive mechanism I includes a drive motor I 240, which is connected to a lead screw 241. A guide rail I 243 is provided on the back of the front side plate 101. A slider I 242 is slidably connected to the guide rail I 243. The slider I 242 is connected to the nut of the lead screw 241 via a transition plate at the front of the front side plate 101. The transition plate is also connected to the connecting plate 234 of the carrier box 230, thereby enabling the lifting drive mechanism I to drive the carrier box 230 to rise and fall, and the carrier box 230 to drive the lid support frame 220 to rise and fall.

[0049] To ensure the wafer basket 22 remains in a clean environment, the carrier box 230 is connected to a gas filtration device I. The gas filtration device I delivers horizontal laminar flow gas into the carrier box 230, ensuring the wafer basket 22 is under positive pressure and preventing the entry of potentially particulate airflow to avoid secondary contamination. Simultaneously, it blows gas parallel to the wafer surface within the wafer basket 22, preventing particulate matter from falling onto the wafer even if it is generated. Specifically, the gas filtration device I includes a fan I 410, and a filter box I 411 is positioned between the fan I 410 and the carrier box 230 to filter external gas. The gas filtration device I can be located below the carrier box 230, and the carrier box 230 has an airflow channel to allow the filtered airflow to be delivered from the front panel 233 towards the opposite side.

[0050] When the wafer basket 22 detaches from the cover 23, although it is in the vertical space formed by the cover 23, the cover support frame 220, and the carrier box 230, there is still a gap between it and the window of the equipment frame in the horizontal direction. In order to improve the sealing, a sealing door 221 is connected to the side of the cover support frame 220 near the equipment frame 100, that is, the sealing door 221 is connected to the side opposite to the front panel 233. The sealing door 221 is located above the cover support frame 220, so that it rises and falls synchronously with the cover support frame 220 to move away from or cover the window of the equipment frame 100. That is, when the cover support frame 220 is in the initial position, the sealing door 221 covers the window of the equipment frame 100; when the cover support frame 220 rises, the sealing door 221 rises synchronously, so that the window of the equipment frame 100 opens synchronously, thereby ensuring that the space inside the equipment frame 100 is always sealed to prevent external contamination from entering. At the same time, the two share a drive mechanism, which helps to reduce the size of the equipment and ensure that the opening and closing of the window is synchronized with the opening and closing of the SMIF box 2, thereby improving loading efficiency. A limiting groove can be provided on the equipment frame 100, and the sealing door 221 can be raised and lowered within the limiting groove to keep the sealing door 221 in contact with the window of the equipment frame 100 and prevent it from tilting.

[0051] To ensure that the lid 23 is not accidentally removed during the lifting and lowering process of the lid support frame 220, the lid support frame 220 is also equipped with a guard frame 222 and a latch mechanism 223. The guard frame 222 is used to position the lid 23 and restrict its horizontal movement, while the latch mechanism 223 is used to lock the lid 23 onto the lid support frame 220 to restrict its upward movement relative to the lid support frame 220. Specifically, as shown... Figure 9 As shown, in this embodiment, two protective frames 222 are arranged opposite each other on the front and rear sides of the lid support frame 220. The protective frames 222 are U-shaped, and the latch mechanism 223 is disposed inside the protective frames 222. Figure 12 The latch mechanism 223 includes a latch plate 2231. A rotating shaft I 2232 is connected below the latch plate 2231. A holding block 2233 is arranged circumferentially on the rotating shaft I 2232. A connecting rod assembly is hinged to one end of the holding block 2233. The connecting rod assembly drives the rotating shaft I 2232 connected to the holding block 2233 to rotate via a driving component. The rotating shaft I 2232 drives the latch plate 2231 to rotate, causing it to abut against or move away from the outer protruding edge 23-1 of the cover 23, thereby locking or unlocking the cover 23. This mechanism offers high precision and a simple structure. The driving component can be a linear motor or a cylinder. The connecting rod assembly may include connecting rod I 2234 and connecting rod II 2235, which are hinged sequentially. One end of the holding block 2233 is hinged to connecting rod I 2234, and the other end of connecting rod I 2234 is hinged to connecting rod II 2235. The other end of connecting rod II 2235 is connected to the driving component.

[0052] A wafer protrusion sensor 224 and a wafer basket in-situ sensor Ⅰ 225 can be installed at appropriate positions in the carrier box 230 to detect the wafer status inside the SMIF box 2 and the status of the wafer basket 22 as the carrier box 230 rises and falls. A mapping sensor can also be installed on the side of the box cover support 220 to detect the wafer status as the box cover support 220 rises.

[0053] A robotic arm 300 is housed within the equipment frame 100. The robotic arm 300 drives its end effector 330 to move vertically and horizontally, facilitating entry and exit from the SMIF box 2 and the placement and removal of wafers from the wafer basket 22. In this embodiment, a SCARA-type robotic arm is used, which reduces the space required for the equipment compared to traditional multi-joint robotic arms. Specifically, as... Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the robot arm 300 includes a body 310, an arm 320, and an end effector 330. The body 310 is disposed within a housing 311, and a platform 315 is disposed within the body 310. The platform 315 is connected to a lifting drive mechanism II, thereby enabling the robot arm 300 to be raised and lowered. A cylinder 316 is disposed above the platform 315, and a rotation drive mechanism I is connected to the cylinder 316, thereby enabling the robot arm 300 to rotate. The arm 320 is disposed on the cylinder 316, and the arm 320 includes a lower arm 321 and an upper arm 322 that are hinged at both ends, enabling horizontal movement. The end effector 330 is disposed on the upper arm 322.

[0054] The lifting drive mechanism II includes a drive motor II 312. The drive end of the drive motor II 312 is connected to the guide screw I 314 through a synchronous belt pulley transmission assembly 313. A guide rail is provided inside the housing 311 along its height direction. A slider connected to the nut of the guide screw I 314 is slidably connected on the guide rail. The slider is connected to the platform 315, thereby realizing the lifting of the platform 315.

[0055] In this embodiment, the end effector 330 is configured as a wafer pick-and-place basket 22. Of course, other end effectors 330 can also be used for wafer pick-and-place. For example... Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the end effector 330 is connected to the upper arm 322 via a base 331, and a back plate 332 is vertically disposed on the base 331. Figure 5 As shown, the back plate 332 is provided with two grippers 333 and a rotary drive mechanism II for rotating the two grippers 333. The distance between the two grippers 333 is adapted to the distance between the two handles 22-1 on the wafer basket 22, so that the handles 22-1 on the wafer basket 22 can be gripped by direct rotation, and the wafer basket 22 can be lifted without the need for horizontal extension of the grippers 333, which improves the stability of the transfer operation after gripping, and it does not require horizontal extension space. Specifically, the grippers 333 and the rotary drive mechanism II are respectively located on both sides of the back plate 332. The gripper 333 includes a rotating shaft II 3331, one end of which passes through the back plate 332 and is connected to the rotary drive mechanism II. A hook 3332 is connected to the rotating shaft II 3331. Driven by the rotary drive mechanism II, the rotating shaft II 3331 rotates the hook 3332, causing it to insert or remove the handle 22-1, thereby lifting the wafer basket 22 as the main body 310 rises. Figure 6As shown, the rotary drive mechanism II includes a linear drive assembly. Two linkage transmission structures are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the drive end of the linear drive assembly. In this embodiment, it is a four-bar linkage assembly. The first end of the four-bar linkage assembly is hinged to the drive end of the linear drive assembly, and the tail end is connected to the rotating shaft II 3331, so as to drive the rotating shaft II 3331 to rotate under the drive of the linear drive assembly. The linear drive assembly includes a drive motor III 3321. The drive shaft of the drive motor III 3321 is connected to the lead screw II 3322. A guide rail II 3324 is arranged on the back plate 332 along its height direction. A slider II 3323 is slidably arranged on the guide rail II 3324. The slider II 3323 is connected to the nut on the lead screw II 3322. The slider II 3323 is the drive end of the linear drive assembly. Two four-bar linkage assemblies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the slider II 3323, so that as the slider II 3323 moves up and down, the two four-bar linkage assemblies move synchronously and symmetrically. The four-bar linkage includes rocker arm I 3325, rocker arm II 3326, rocker arm III 3327, and rocker arm IV 3328. Both ends of rocker arm I 3325 are hinged to the drive end of the linear drive assembly and the middle section of rocker arm II 3326, respectively. The head end of rocker arm II 3326 is hinged to the back plate 332, and the tail end of rocker arm II 3326 is hinged to the head end of rocker arm III 3327. The tail end of rocker arm III 3327 is hinged to the head end of rocker arm IV 3328. The tail end of rocker arm IV 3328 is connected to the rotating shaft II 3331. Generally, the tail end of rocker arm IV 3328 is fixed to the end of rotating shaft II 3331, thereby driving slider II 3323 to move up and down via drive motor III 3321. Slider II 3323 drives rotating shaft II 3331 to rotate via the four-bar linkage, thus achieving the rotation of the claw 3332.

[0056] The end effector 330 is provided with a fixed seat 3333, that is, a fixed seat 3333 is provided on the back plate 332. The fixed seat 3333 and the rotating shaft II 3331 are located on the same side of the back plate 332 and are arranged in parallel. One end of the rotating shaft II 3331 is connected to the rotary drive mechanism II, and the other end is rotatably connected to the fixed seat 3333. Thus, the fixed seat 3333 improves the levelness of the rotating shaft II 3331 and avoids tilting deviation at the end away from the rotary drive mechanism II.

[0057] To improve the stability of gripping the wafer basket 22, a wafer basket in-situ sensor II 3329 is provided on the end effector 330. The wafer basket in-situ sensor II 3329 is fixed on the back plate 332. There are two wafer basket in-situ sensors II 3329, which are located below the two grippers 333 respectively, so as to ensure that the grippers 333 will rotate only after the wafer basket 22 is detected.

[0058] An anti-collision sensor 3334 can also be provided above the gripper 333. In this embodiment, the fixed base 3333 and the gripper 333 are arranged side by side and are located on the same horizontal plane. Therefore, the anti-collision sensor 3334 is located at the top of the fixed base 3333 to prevent the top of the end effector 330 from colliding with other devices when the robot arm 300 rises.

[0059] To ensure proper airflow within the equipment frame 100, a gas filtration device II is installed at the top of the equipment frame 100. The gas filtration device II delivers vertically downward laminar flow gas into the equipment frame 100. Specifically, the gas filtration device II includes a fan II 420, and a filter box II 421 is installed between the fan II 420 and the equipment frame 100 to filter external gas. The fan II 420 delivers airflow from top to bottom into the equipment frame 100.

[0060] In summary, this invention provides a sealing door on the lid support frame. The sealing door moves up and down along the height of the equipment frame under the drive of the lifting mechanism I, thus covering or moving away from the window of the equipment frame. This keeps the space inside the equipment frame sealed and prevents external contamination from entering. At the same time, the sealing door and the lid support frame share a drive mechanism, which helps to reduce the size of the equipment and ensures that the opening and closing of the window is synchronized with the opening and closing of the SMIF box, thereby improving loading efficiency.

[0061] Furthermore, it should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of the present 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.

Claims

1. An SMIF pod loading apparatus, characterized by, The device frame is provided with an opening and closing device in front for carrying and opening and closing SMIF boxes, and is internally provided with a robot arm, the end of which is provided with an end effector, the robot arm is used to drive the end effector to move vertically and horizontally to enter and exit the SMIF box and take and place a wafer basket, the end effector is connected with the upper arm of the robot arm through a base, and a back plate is vertically arranged on the base; The back plate is provided with two clamping jaws and a rotating drive mechanism II for rotating the two clamping jaws, the spacing of the two clamping jaws is matched with the spacing of two handles on the wafer basket to insert or pull out the handles, and the clamping jaws and the rotating drive mechanism II are separately arranged on the two sides of the back plate; The clamping jaw comprises a rotating shaft II, one end of the rotating shaft II penetrates through the back plate and is connected with the rotating drive mechanism II, a hook is connected on the rotating shaft II, and the rotating shaft II drives the hook to rotate under the drive of the rotating drive mechanism II and inserts or pulls out the handle; The rotating drive mechanism II is connected with the clamping jaw through a four-bar linkage transmission assembly; the rotating drive mechanism II comprises a linear drive assembly and a four-bar linkage transmission assembly, the linear drive assembly comprises a drive motor III, the drive shaft of the drive motor III is connected with a lead screw II, a guide rail II is arranged on the back plate of the end effector along the height direction thereof, a sliding block II is slidably arranged on the guide rail II, the sliding block II is connected with a nut on the lead screw II, two four-bar linkage transmission assemblies are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the sliding block II, the two four-bar linkage transmission assemblies are synchronously and symmetrically moved with the up-down movement of the sliding block II, and the tail end of the four-bar linkage transmission assembly is connected with the rotating shaft II to drive the rotating shaft II to rotate under the drive of the linear drive assembly; A fixing seat is arranged on the back plate, one end of the rotating shaft II is connected with the rotating drive mechanism II, and the other end is rotationally connected with the fixing seat.

2. The SMIF pod loading apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The robot arm is an SCARA type robot arm.

3. The SMIF pod loading apparatus of any of claims 1-2, wherein, The opening and closing device comprises a loading table for carrying SMIF boxes and wafer baskets, and a box cover support frame for supporting the box cover of the SMIF box, the loading table is arranged in the box cover support frame and is connected with the device frame, the box cover support frame drives the box cover to lift and lower under the drive of a lifting drive mechanism I, a carrying box is connected below the box cover support frame, a sealing door is connected on the side of the box cover support frame close to the device frame, and the carrying box lifts and lowers to surround or move away from the loading table and the sealing door lifts and lowers to move away from or cover the window of the device frame with the lifting and lowering of the box cover support frame.

4. The SMIF pod loading apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The device frame is provided with a limiting groove, and the sealing door lifts and lowers in the limiting groove.

5. The SMIF pod loading apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The carrying box is connected with a gas filtering device I, the gas filtering device I supplies horizontal laminar flow gas into the carrying box, and / or the top end of the device frame is provided with a gas filtering device II, the gas filtering device II supplies vertically downward laminar flow gas into the device frame.

6. The SMIF pod loading apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The box cover support frame is provided with a latch mechanism for locking the box cover, the latch mechanism comprises a latch plate, a rotating shaft I is connected below the latch plate, a holding block is arranged on the circumference of the rotating shaft I, one end of the holding block is hinged with a connecting rod assembly, the connecting rod assembly drives the rotating shaft I connected with the holding block to rotate through a driving piece, the rotating shaft I drives the latch plate to rotate, and abuts against or moves away from the outer convex edge of the box cover to lock or unlock the box cover.

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