Wafer transfer method and apparatus for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment

Abstract

The application discloses a wafer transmission method and device for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment, and the method comprises the following steps: conveying a wafer box in which different types of wafers are placed to a corresponding station of a wafer box buffer rack, placing the wafer box on a transfer buffer rack according to a corresponding sequence, and placing the wafers in the wafer box into a boat until all the required wafers are placed into the boat, and completing the input transmission of the wafers. The device comprises a wafer box buffer rack, a transfer buffer rack, a feeding and discharging table, a wafer box transmission assembly and a wafer transmission assembly. In the application, the storage and transfer functions of the wafer box buffer rack and the transfer buffer rack are reasonably utilized, wafer placing and wafer taking of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat can be better coordinated, and the transmission of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat can be more reliably and efficiently completed, the application has the advantages of simple operation, controllable process, high transmission efficiency, low error rate and the like, has high use value, and has good application prospect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of integrated circuit manufacturing technology, and relates to a wafer transfer method and apparatus, specifically a wafer transfer method and apparatus for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor integrated circuit technology is the core of modern information technology. From the perspective of industrial division of labor, integrated circuit technology can be divided into three aspects: integrated circuit design, integrated circuit manufacturing, and integrated circuit packaging and testing.

[0003] Vertical furnace equipment is a core piece of equipment in integrated circuit chip manufacturing. To improve automation and safety, wafers are generally transferred automatically. However, the transfer structure of vertical furnace equipment is relatively complex, resulting in a complex transfer process. This is detrimental to improving wafer transfer efficiency and can easily lead to a higher error rate. Given a fixed process time, the reliability and efficiency of automated wafer transfer determine the equipment's utilization rate. Therefore, the current conventional operation involves first placing different types of wafers into different wafer cassettes. Then, according to the type of wafers placed in each slot on the vertical furnace's rack, the wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers are transferred to the buffer rack station. Subsequently, different types of wafers are sequentially placed into the slots on the rack from top to bottom, completing the wafer input transfer. Correspondingly, during the wafer output transfer, different types of wafers from the rack slots are placed into the wafer cassettes on the buffer rack from bottom to top. In the aforementioned transmission method, because the workstations for different wafer cassettes of different types on the buffer rack are not specified, the wafer cassette robot arm has difficulty quickly and accurately locating the corresponding wafer cassette during the actual transmission process. This leads to low transmission rates and incorrect wafer cassette selection during the transmission of different wafer cassettes of different types to the buffer rack. Simultaneously, wafers processed by the vertical furnace equipment are difficult to return to their original wafer slots corresponding to their original cassettes, thus hindering accurate wafer tracking. Furthermore, directly assigning wafers to slots on the vertical furnace rack according to their wafer type... When different wafer cassettes are transferred to the buffer rack station, different wafer cassettes of different wafer types are transported to the buffer rack station in an interleaved manner. This means that wafers of the same type need to be transferred back and forth multiple times. This not only makes the transfer process cumbersome and inefficient, but also significantly increases the probability of wafer cassette and wafer selection errors, hindering the reduction of error rates. Furthermore, placing different types of wafers sequentially into the wafer slots of the rack from top to bottom, or placing different types of wafers from the rack slots into the wafer cassettes on the buffer rack from bottom to top, makes it difficult to return wafers to their original slots within the same wafer cassette. Clearly, existing wafer transfer devices and methods still suffer from high error rates and low transfer efficiency, hindering the realization of automated wafer transfer. 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 transfer method and device for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment that is simple to operate, has a low error rate, and high transmission efficiency.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A wafer transfer method for an integrated circuit vertical furnace includes the following steps:

[0007] S1. According to process requirements, different types of wafers are placed into the corresponding slots of different wafer cassettes;

[0008] S2. Transfer the different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack;

[0009] S3. According to the order in which different types of wafers enter the boat rack, transfer the wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafers on the wafer cassette cache rack to the workstations of the transfer cache rack in sequence. If there are no empty workstations in the transfer cache rack, wait.

[0010] S4. According to the type of wafers placed in each slot on the vertical furnace equipment boat rack, place the wafers of the same type in the wafer cassettes on the transfer buffer rack into the corresponding wafer slots on the boat rack. If there are empty wafer cassettes in the transfer buffer rack or the remaining wafers in the wafer cassettes do not need to be put into the boat rack, then put the corresponding wafer cassettes back to the workstations corresponding to the original wafer cassette buffer rack.

[0011] S5. Repeat S3 to S4 until all wafers of different types are placed into the corresponding slots on the boat frame, completing the input transfer of wafers.

[0012] The above-mentioned wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment is further improved by including S6: after the relevant processes of the wafer in the vertical furnace equipment are completed, the wafer is output and transferred in a first-in-last-out manner.

[0013] A further improvement to the above-described wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment is that the wafer output transfer includes the following steps:

[0014] S6-1. After the relevant processes of the wafers are completed in the vertical furnace equipment, the original wafer cassettes corresponding to the wafers are taken from the wafer cassette buffer rack in the first-in-last-out manner and transferred to the station of the transfer buffer rack. If there are no empty stations in the transfer buffer rack, wait.

[0015] S6-2. Take out the corresponding wafer from the boat rack and put it into the wafer slot of the corresponding wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack. If the wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack no longer needs to hold wafers, transfer the wafer cassette from the transfer buffer rack to the workstation corresponding to the wafer cassette buffer rack.

[0016] S6-3. Repeat S6-1 to S6-2 until all wafers of different types on the gantry are returned to the original wafer slots of the corresponding original wafer cassettes in the wafer cassette buffer rack, thus completing the output transmission of the wafers.

[0017] In a further improvement to the above-mentioned wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment, in step S6-2, the wafer picking and placing rule for wafers of the same type is to first pick up wafers from the wafer slots of the boat frame from bottom to top, and then place them from top to bottom into the original wafer slots corresponding to the original wafer boxes placed on the transfer buffer rack.

[0018] The wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment described above is further improved by adding the following step in S6-3: transferring the wafer cassette placed on the wafer cassette buffer rack to the loading / unloading station to complete the unloading.

[0019] A further improvement to the wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment described above, in step S2, when transferring different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack, includes the following steps:

[0020] S2-1. Transfer the different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the loading / unloading station. If there are no available loading / unloading stations, wait.

[0021] S2-2. Transfer the wafer cassettes on the loading and unloading platforms to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack;

[0022] S2-3. Repeat S2-1 to S2-2 until all the wafer cassettes corresponding to the required wafers are transferred to the wafer cassette buffer rack station.

[0023] In a further improvement to the above-mentioned wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment, in step S4, the wafer picking and placing rule for wafers of the same type is to first pick up wafers from the wafer slots of the wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack from bottom to top, and then place them into the corresponding wafer slots of the boat frame from top to bottom.

[0024] The wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment described above is further improved in that the wafer types include baffle wafers, filler wafers, process wafers, and monitoring wafers.

[0025] As a general technical concept, the present invention also provides a wafer transfer device for an integrated circuit vertical furnace, comprising:

[0026] Wafer cassette buffer racks are used to store wafers that are to be processed or have already been processed;

[0027] A transfer buffer rack is used to transfer wafers that are yet to be processed or have already been processed.

[0028] Loading and unloading platforms are used to load and unload wafers.

[0029] The cartridge transfer component is used to transfer cartridges between the cartridge buffer rack, the transfer buffer rack, and the loading / unloading platform;

[0030] Wafer transport assembly, used to enable the transport of wafers between the boat frame and the transfer buffer rack.

[0031] The wafer transfer device for the aforementioned vertical furnace equipment for integrated circuits is further improved in that the wafer cassette transfer assembly includes a wafer cassette transfer support frame and a wafer cassette robot arm that can move on the wafer cassette transfer support frame; the wafer cassette robot arm is located in the middle of the wafer cassette buffer frame, the transfer buffer frame, and the loading and unloading platform.

[0032] The wafer transfer device for the aforementioned vertical furnace equipment for integrated circuits is further improved in that the wafer transfer assembly includes a wafer transfer support frame and a wafer manipulator that can move on the wafer transfer support frame; the wafer manipulator is positioned between the transfer buffer frame and the boat frame.

[0033] In a further improvement of the wafer transfer device for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment, the number of wafer cassette buffer racks is at least one; each wafer cassette buffer rack is provided with multiple workstations for storing wafer cassettes.

[0034] In a further improvement of the wafer transfer device for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment, the number of the transfer buffer racks is at least one; each of the transfer buffer racks is provided with multiple workstations for storing wafer cassettes.

[0035] The wafer transfer device for the above-mentioned vertical furnace equipment for integrated circuits is further improved in that the number of loading and unloading platforms is at least one; each loading and unloading platform is provided with multiple workstations for storing wafer cassettes; each workstation is provided with a sensor for identifying the number of wafers in the wafer cassette and the position of the wafers in the wafer slot of the wafer cassette.

[0036] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0037] To address the shortcomings of existing wafer transfer devices and methods, such as high error rates and low transfer efficiency, this invention creatively provides a wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment. According to process requirements, different types of wafers are placed into wafer slots corresponding to different wafer cassettes, and different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers are transferred to corresponding stations on the wafer cassette buffer rack. That is, different types of wafers have fixed positions within their cassettes, and different wafer cassettes have fixed positions on the wafer cassette buffer rack. This placement method allows the wafer cassette robot to quickly and accurately locate the wafer cassette corresponding to the required wafer. Then, following the order in which different types of wafers entered the carrier, wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafer are sequentially transferred from the wafer cassette buffer rack to the station on the intermediate buffer rack. This method enables the transfer of wafers containing different types of wafers. Different wafer cassettes are quickly transferred to the intermediate buffer rack station, which improves transmission efficiency and reduces the probability of errors. Simultaneously, according to the type of wafers placed in each slot on the vertical furnace rack, wafers of the same type from the wafer cassettes in the intermediate buffer rack are placed into the corresponding slots on the rack. This two transmission processes are repeated until all wafers of different types are placed into their corresponding slots on the rack, completing the wafer input transmission. In this wafer input transmission process, wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafers are sequentially transferred to the intermediate buffer rack station without any staggered arrangement, and wafers of the same type are sequentially placed into their corresponding slots on the rack, eliminating the need for multiple back-and-forth transfers. This simplifies the wafer cassette transmission process, improving transmission efficiency and reducing the probability of errors. Furthermore, since different types of wafers have fixed positions within the wafer cassettes and between the wafer cassettes and the wafer cassette buffer rack, wafers processed by the vertical furnace can quickly and accurately return to their original slots in a first-in, last-out manner, facilitating accurate tracking of different types of wafers. This invention relates to a wafer transfer method for vertical furnace equipment in integrated circuits. By placing different types of wafers into the corresponding slots of the wafer cassettes on the buffer rack, and transferring the wafer cassettes according to the order in which different types of wafers enter the boat rack, and transferring wafers according to the type of wafer placed in each slot on the boat rack of the vertical furnace equipment, this method can rationally utilize the storage and transfer functions of the wafer cassette buffer rack and the transfer buffer rack. This allows for better coordination of the placement and retrieval of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat rack, thus enabling more reliable and efficient transfer of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat rack. It has advantages such as simple operation, controllable process, high transfer efficiency, and low error rate. Not only can the processed wafers be returned to their original slots in the original wafer cassettes for accurate tracking, but it can also effectively improve the utilization rate of the equipment under fixed process time conditions. It has high practical value and good application prospects. Attached Figure Description

[0038] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a wafer transport flowchart for an integrated circuit vertical furnace device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a wafer transfer flowchart for the vertical furnace equipment used in integrated circuits in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a front view of the wafer transport device used in the vertical furnace equipment for integrated circuits in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 4 This is a side view of the wafer transport device used in the vertical furnace equipment for integrated circuits in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 5 This is a wafer transport flowchart for the vertical furnace equipment used in integrated circuits in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0044] Legend:

[0045] 1. Boat frame; 2. Wafer robot; 3. Transfer buffer rack; 4. Wafer cassette buffer rack; 5. Wafer cassette transfer support frame; 6. Wafer cassette robot; 7. Loading and unloading platform. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific preferred embodiments, but this does not limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] Example 1:

[0048] A wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0049] S1. According to process requirements, different types of wafers are placed into the corresponding slots of different wafer cassettes, so that different types of wafers have a fixed placement slot in the corresponding wafer cassette.

[0050] S2. The wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers are transferred to their corresponding positions on the wafer cassette buffer rack, so that each wafer cassette containing different types of wafers has a fixed placement position on the wafer cassette buffer rack, specifically:

[0051] S2-1. Transfer the different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the loading / unloading station. If there are no available loading / unloading stations, wait.

[0052] S2-2. Transfer the wafer cassettes on the loading and unloading platforms to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack;

[0053] S2-3. Repeat S2-1 to S2-2 until all wafer cassettes corresponding to the required wafers are transferred to the wafer cassette buffer rack station. In this invention, the transfer function of the loading and unloading platform facilitates the placement of different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to designated stations.

[0054] S3. According to the order in which different types of wafers enter the boat rack, transfer the wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafers on the wafer cassette cache rack to the workstations of the transfer cache rack in sequence. If there are no empty workstations in the transfer cache rack, wait.

[0055] S4. Based on the type of wafers placed in each slot on the vertical furnace rack, place the wafers of the same type from the wafer cassettes on the transfer buffer rack into the corresponding wafer slots on the rack. If there are empty wafer cassettes in the transfer buffer rack or the remaining wafers in the wafer cassettes do not need to be placed on the rack, return the corresponding wafer cassettes to the workstations corresponding to the original wafer cassette buffer racks.

[0056] In S4, the order for picking up and placing wafers of the same type is to pick up wafers from the wafer slots of the wafer cassette on the transfer cache rack from bottom to top, and then place them into the corresponding wafer slots on the boat rack from top to bottom.

[0057] S5. Repeat S3 to S4 until all wafers of different types are placed into the corresponding slots on the boat frame, completing the input transfer of wafers.

[0058] In this embodiment, the wafer types include baffle wafers, filler wafers, process wafers, and monitoring wafers.

[0059] In this embodiment, according to process requirements, different types of wafers are placed into the corresponding slots of different wafer cassettes, and different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers are transferred to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack. That is, different types of wafers have fixed positions within the wafer cassettes and different wafer cassettes have fixed positions on the wafer cassette buffer rack. This placement method allows the wafer cassette robot to quickly and accurately locate the wafer cassette corresponding to the required wafer. Then, following the order in which different types of wafers entered the carrier, wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafer are sequentially transferred from the wafer cassette buffer rack to the workstations of the intermediate buffer rack. This allows for the rapid transfer of different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the workstations of the intermediate buffer rack, which is beneficial for improving transfer efficiency. To reduce the probability of errors, the wafer cassettes are placed in the corresponding slots on the vertical furnace rack according to the type of wafers placed in each slot. Wafers of the same type from the wafer cassettes on the transfer rack are then placed into the corresponding slots on the rack. This process is repeated until all wafers of different types are placed into their corresponding slots on the rack, completing the wafer input transfer. During this wafer input transfer process, wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafers are sequentially transferred to the transfer rack station without any staggered arrangement. The wafers are then placed into their corresponding slots on the rack without multiple back-and-forth transfers, thus simplifying the wafer cassette transfer process, improving transfer efficiency, and reducing the probability of errors. Therefore, the wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment of the present invention, by placing different types of wafers into the corresponding wafer slots of the wafer cassettes on the buffer rack, and transferring the wafer cassettes according to the order in which different types of wafers enter the boat rack, and transferring the wafers according to the type of wafer placed in each wafer slot on the boat rack of the vertical furnace equipment, can make reasonable use of the storage and transfer functions of the wafer cassette buffer rack and the transfer buffer rack. This can better coordinate the placement and retrieval of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat rack, and thus more reliably and efficiently complete the transfer of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat rack. It has the advantages of simple operation, controllable process, high transfer efficiency, and low error rate. It can effectively improve the utilization rate of equipment under fixed process time, has high use value, and good application prospects.

[0060] Example 2:

[0061] A wafer transfer method for an integrated circuit vertical furnace is basically the same as in Example 1, except that the wafer output transfer is also included after the relevant processes in the vertical furnace are completed, such as... Figure 2 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0062] S1. According to process requirements, different types of wafers are placed into the corresponding slots of different wafer cassettes, so that different types of wafers have a fixed placement slot in the corresponding wafer cassette.

[0063] S2. The wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers are transferred to their corresponding positions on the wafer cassette buffer rack, so that each wafer cassette containing different types of wafers has a fixed placement position on the wafer cassette buffer rack, specifically:

[0064] S2-1. Transfer the different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the loading / unloading station. If there are no available loading / unloading stations, wait.

[0065] S2-2. Transfer the wafer cassettes on the loading and unloading platforms to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack;

[0066] S2-3. Repeat S2-1 to S2-2 until all wafer cassettes corresponding to the required wafers are transferred to the wafer cassette buffer rack station. In this invention, the transfer function of the loading and unloading platform facilitates the placement of different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to designated stations.

[0067] S3. According to the order in which different types of wafers enter the boat rack, transfer the wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafers on the wafer cassette cache rack to the workstations of the transfer cache rack in sequence. If there are no empty workstations in the transfer cache rack, wait.

[0068] S4. According to the type of wafers placed in each slot on the vertical furnace equipment boat rack, put the wafers of the same type in the wafer cassettes on the transfer buffer rack into the corresponding wafer slots on the boat rack. If there are empty wafer cassettes in the transfer buffer rack or the remaining wafers in the wafer cassettes do not need to be put into the boat rack, then put the corresponding wafer cassettes back to the workstations corresponding to the original wafer cassette buffer rack.

[0069] S5. Repeat S3 to S4 until all wafers of different types are placed into the corresponding slots on the boat frame, completing the input transfer of wafers.

[0070] S6. The wafers placed in the boat rack of the vertical furnace undergo relevant processing. After the relevant processes in the vertical furnace are completed, the wafers are output and transferred in a last-in, first-out manner, specifically as follows:

[0071] S6-1. After the relevant processes of the wafers are completed in the vertical furnace equipment, the original wafer cassettes corresponding to the wafers are taken from the wafer cassette buffer rack in the first-in-last-out manner and transferred to the station of the intermediate buffer rack. If there are no empty stations in the intermediate buffer rack, wait.

[0072] S6-2. Take the corresponding wafer from the boat rack and place it into the wafer slot of the corresponding wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack. If the wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack no longer needs to hold wafers, transfer the wafer cassette from the transfer buffer rack to the workstation corresponding to the wafer cassette buffer rack.

[0073] In S6-2, the rule for picking up and placing wafers of the same type is to pick up the wafers from the wafer slots of the boat frame from bottom to top, and then place them into the original wafer slots corresponding to the original wafer cassettes placed on the transfer buffer rack from top to bottom.

[0074] S6-3. Repeat S6-1 to S6-2 until all wafers of different types on the gantry are returned to the original wafer slots of the corresponding original wafer cassettes in the wafer cassette buffer rack, thus completing the output transmission of the wafers.

[0075] S6-3 also includes: transferring the disc cartridges placed on the disc cartridge buffer rack to the loading / unloading station to complete the unloading.

[0076] In this embodiment, the wafer types include baffle wafers, filler wafers, process wafers, and monitoring wafers.

[0077] In this embodiment, according to process requirements, different types of wafers are placed into the corresponding slots of different wafer cassettes, and different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers are transferred to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack. That is, different types of wafers have fixed positions within the wafer cassettes and different wafer cassettes have fixed positions on the wafer cassette buffer rack. This placement method allows the wafer cassette robot to quickly and accurately locate the wafer cassette corresponding to the required wafer. Then, following the order in which different types of wafers entered the carrier, wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafer are sequentially transferred from the wafer cassette buffer rack to the workstations of the intermediate buffer rack. This allows for the rapid transfer of different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the workstations of the intermediate buffer rack, which is beneficial for improving transfer efficiency. To reduce the probability of errors, the system simultaneously places wafers of the same type into the corresponding slots on each wafer rack of the vertical furnace equipment, according to the set wafer type for each slot. Wafers of the same type from the wafer cassettes in the transfer buffer rack are then placed into the corresponding slots on the boat. This process is repeated until all wafers of different types are placed into their corresponding slots on the boat, completing the wafer input transfer. During this wafer input transfer process, wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafers are sequentially transferred to the transfer buffer rack without any staggered arrangement. The sequential placement of wafers of the same type into their corresponding slots on the boat eliminates the need for multiple back-and-forth transfers, thus simplifying the wafer cassette transfer process, improving transfer efficiency, and reducing the probability of errors. Furthermore, since different types of wafers have fixed positions within the wafer cassettes and different wafer cassettes on the wafer cassette buffer rack, wafers processed by the vertical furnace equipment can quickly and accurately return to their original slots in a first-in, last-out manner, facilitating accurate tracking of different types of wafers. Therefore, the wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment of the present invention, by placing different types of wafers into the corresponding slots of the wafer cassettes on the buffer rack, and transferring the wafer cassettes according to the order in which different types of wafers enter the boat rack, and transferring the wafers according to the type of wafer placed in each slot of the boat rack of the vertical furnace equipment, can make reasonable use of the storage and transfer functions of the wafer cassette buffer rack and the transfer buffer rack. This can better coordinate the placement and retrieval of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat rack, and thus more reliably and efficiently complete the transfer of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat rack. It has the advantages of simple operation, controllable process, high transfer efficiency and low error rate. It can not only put the processed wafers back into the original slots of the original wafer cassettes for accurate tracking, but also effectively improve the utilization rate of the equipment under the condition of fixed process time. It has high use value and good application prospects.

[0078] Example 3:

[0079] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, a wafer transfer device for an integrated circuit vertical furnace includes:

[0080] Wafer cassette buffer rack 4 is used to store wafers that are to be processed or have already been processed;

[0081] Transfer cache rack 3 is used to transfer wafers that are yet to be processed or have already been processed.

[0082] The loading and unloading platform 7 is used to load and unload wafers;

[0083] The cartridge transfer assembly is used to transfer cartridges between the cartridge buffer rack 4, the transfer buffer rack 3, and the loading / unloading platform 7;

[0084] A wafer transfer assembly is used to transfer wafers between the boat frame 1 and the transfer buffer frame 3.

[0085] In this embodiment, the cartridge transfer assembly includes a cartridge transfer support frame 5 and a cartridge robot arm that can move on the cartridge transfer support frame 5; the cartridge robot arm is located in the middle of the cartridge buffer frame 4, the transfer buffer frame 3, and the loading and unloading platform 7.

[0086] In this embodiment, the wafer transfer assembly includes a wafer transfer support frame and a wafer robot 2 that can move on the wafer transfer support frame; the wafer robot 2 is located between the transfer buffer frame 3 and the boat frame 1.

[0087] In this embodiment, there is at least one disc cartridge buffer rack 4; each disc cartridge buffer rack 4 is provided with multiple workstations for storing disc cartridges;

[0088] In this embodiment, there is at least one intermediate buffer rack 3; each intermediate buffer rack 3 is provided with multiple workstations for storing disc cassettes;

[0089] In this embodiment, there is at least one loading / unloading platform 7; each loading / unloading platform 7 is provided with multiple workstations for storing wafer cassettes; each workstation is provided with a sensor for identifying the number of wafers in the wafer cassette and the position of the wafers in the wafer slot of the wafer cassette, specifically a mapping sensor, but not limited to this.

[0090] For ease of understanding, the present invention also provides a method of using the above-described device, such as... Figure 5 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0091] (1) In the control system configuration parameters, specify the wafer type and number of wafers placed in the wafer cassette corresponding to each station of the wafer cassette buffer rack 4;

[0092] (2) According to the process requirements, specify the type of wafer placed in each slot on the boat frame 1, and specify the order in which different types of wafers enter the boat frame;

[0093] (3) Select the wafer type to be input in the control system and place the wafer cassette containing the corresponding wafer on the loading / unloading platform 7.

[0094] (4) The chip box robot 6 sequentially transfers the chip boxes on the loading and unloading platform 7 to the corresponding station of the chip box buffer rack 4;

[0095] (5) Repeat (3) to (4) to transfer all the required wafer cassettes to the workstation of wafer cassette buffer rack 4;

[0096] (6) According to the set order of wafers entering the carrier 1, the wafer cassette robot 6 starts to take wafer cassettes from the wafer cassette buffer rack in sequence and place them on the workstation of the transfer buffer rack 3. If there is no empty workstation on the transfer buffer rack 7, it waits.

[0097] (7) Use the wafer robot 2 to take wafers from the wafer tray on the transfer buffer rack 3 and place the wafers into the wafer slots of the boat frame 4. When the wafers are of the same type, the wafer taking and placing rule is to take wafers from the wafer trays on the transfer buffer rack 3 from bottom to top and then place them into the wafer slots of the boat frame 1 from top to bottom.

[0098] (8) If an empty wafer cassette appears in the transfer cache rack 3 or the remaining wafers in the wafer cassette do not need to be fed into the boat rack 1, the wafer cassette robot 6 will remove the wafer cassette from the station of the transfer cache rack 3 and put it back in the original station of the wafer cassette cache rack 4.

[0099] (9) Repeat (6) to (8) until all the required wafers are transferred into the wafer slot of the boat frame 1, thus completing the wafer input transfer.

[0100] (10) Start the process and wait for the process to finish;

[0101] After the relevant processes on the wafer are completed in the vertical furnace, the wafer is output and transferred in a last-in, first-out (LIFO) manner, specifically as follows:

[0102] (11) Following the wafer first-in-last-out method, the wafer cassette robot 6 sequentially picks up wafers from the wafer cassette buffer rack 4 and places them into wafer cassettes on the intermediate buffer rack 3. If there are no empty spaces on the intermediate buffer rack 3, it waits.

[0103] (12) Use the wafer robot 2 to take out the wafer from the boat frame 1 and put it into the wafer slot of the original wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack 3. When the wafers are of the same type, the wafer taking and placing rule is to take the wafers from the wafer slot of the boat frame 1 from bottom to top, and then put them into the wafer slot of the wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack 3 from top to bottom.

[0104] (13) If the wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack 3 no longer needs to be fed into the wafer rack, the wafer cassette robot 6 will remove the wafer cassette and place it on the original work position of the wafer cassette buffer rack 4.

[0105] (14) Repeat steps (11) to (13) until all wafers on the boat rack 1 are returned to the wafer cassette cache rack 4;

[0106] (15) Select the wafer to be unloaded in the system, and use the wafer cassette robot 6 to transfer the corresponding wafer cassette from the wafer cassette buffer rack 4 to the loading and unloading platform in sequence to complete the unloading.

[0107] In this embodiment, the wafer types include baffle wafers, filler wafers, process wafers, and monitoring wafers.

[0108] In this embodiment, by making reasonable use of the storage and transfer functions of the wafer cassette buffer rack and the transfer buffer rack, the placement and retrieval of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat rack can be better coordinated. This enables more reliable and efficient transfer of different types of wafers between the buffer rack and the boat rack. Not only can the processed wafers be placed back into their original slots in the original wafer cassette for accurate tracking, but the utilization rate of the equipment can also be effectively improved under fixed process time conditions. This method has high value and good application prospects.

[0109] The above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions falling within the scope of the present invention's concept are within the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, improvements and modifications made without departing from the principles of the present invention should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer transfer method for an integrated circuit vertical furnace, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. According to process requirements, different types of wafers are placed into the corresponding slots of different wafer cassettes; S2. Transfer the different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack; S3. According to the order in which different types of wafers enter the boat rack, transfer the wafer cassettes containing the same type of wafers on the wafer cassette cache rack to the workstations of the transfer cache rack in sequence. If there are no empty workstations in the transfer cache rack, wait. S4. According to the type of wafers placed in each slot on the vertical furnace equipment boat rack, put the wafers of the same type in the wafer cassettes on the transfer buffer rack into the corresponding wafer slots on the boat rack. If there are empty wafer cassettes in the transfer buffer rack or the remaining wafers in the wafer cassettes do not need to be put into the boat rack, then put the corresponding wafer cassettes back to the workstations corresponding to the original wafer cassette buffer rack. S5. Repeat S3 to S4 until all different types of wafers are placed into the corresponding slots on the boat frame, completing the input transfer of wafers; It also includes S6: After the relevant processes of the wafer are completed in the vertical furnace equipment, the wafer is output and transferred in a first-in-last-out manner; The output transmission of the wafer includes the following steps: S6-1. After the relevant processes of the wafers are completed in the vertical furnace equipment, the original wafer cassettes corresponding to the wafers are taken from the wafer cassette buffer rack in the first-in-last-out manner and transferred to the station of the transfer buffer rack. If there are no empty stations in the transfer buffer rack, wait. S6-2. Take the corresponding wafer from the boat rack and place it into the wafer slot of the corresponding wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack. If the wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack no longer needs to hold wafers, transfer the wafer cassette from the transfer buffer rack to the workstation corresponding to the wafer cassette buffer rack. The wafer picking and placing rule for wafers of the same type is to pick wafers from the wafer slots of the boat rack from bottom to top, and then place them into the wafer slots corresponding to the wafer cassettes placed on the transfer buffer rack from top to bottom. S6-3. Repeat S6-1 to S6-2 until all wafers of different types on the gantry are returned to the original wafer slots of the corresponding original wafer cassettes in the wafer cassette buffer rack, thus completing the output transmission of the wafers. S6-3 further includes the following steps: transferring the disc cassettes placed on the disc cassette buffer rack to the loading / unloading station to complete the unloading.

2. The wafer transfer method for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, when transferring different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack, the following steps are included: S2-1. Transfer the different wafer cassettes containing different types of wafers to the loading / unloading station. If there are no available loading / unloading stations, wait. S2-2. Transfer the wafer cassettes on the loading and unloading platforms to the corresponding workstations of the wafer cassette buffer rack; S2-3. Repeat S2-1 to S2-2 until all the wafer cassettes corresponding to the required wafers are transferred to the wafer cassette buffer rack station. In step S4, the wafer picking and placing rules for wafers of the same type are as follows: first, wafers are picked up from the wafer slots of the wafer cassette on the transfer buffer rack from bottom to top, and then placed into the corresponding wafer slots of the boat frame from top to bottom.

3. The wafer transfer method for an integrated circuit vertical furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer types include baffle wafers, filler wafers, process wafers, and monitoring wafers.

4. A wafer transfer device for an integrated circuit vertical furnace, used to implement the wafer transfer method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Including the control system: Wafer cassette buffer racks are used to store wafers that are yet to be processed or have already been processed. A transfer buffer rack is used to transfer wafers that are yet to be processed or have already been processed. Loading and unloading platforms are used to load and unload wafers. The cartridge transfer component is used to transfer cartridges between the cartridge buffer rack, the transfer buffer rack, and the loading / unloading platform; Wafer transport assembly, used to enable the transport of wafers between the boat frame and the transfer buffer rack.

5. The wafer transfer device for an integrated circuit vertical furnace according to claim 4, characterized in that, The cartridge transfer assembly includes a cartridge transfer support frame and a cartridge robot arm that can move on the cartridge transfer support frame; the cartridge robot arm is located in the middle of the cartridge buffer rack, the transfer buffer rack, and the loading and unloading platform.

6. The wafer transport device for integrated circuit vertical furnace equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The wafer transfer assembly includes a wafer transfer support frame and a wafer robot arm that can move on the wafer transfer support frame; the wafer robot arm is positioned between the transfer buffer frame and the boat frame.

7. The wafer transport device for an integrated circuit vertical furnace according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The number of the disc cassette buffer rack is at least one; each disc cassette buffer rack is provided with multiple workstations for storing disc cassettes; The number of the transfer buffer rack is at least one; each of the transfer buffer racks is provided with multiple workstations for storing disc cassettes; The number of loading and unloading platforms is at least one; each loading and unloading platform is provided with multiple workstations for storing wafer cassettes; each workstation is provided with a sensor for identifying the number of wafers in the wafer cassette and the position of the wafers in the wafer slot of the wafer cassette.

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