Wafer automatic decapping mechanism

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor technology and discloses an automatic wafer cap removal mechanism, which includes a carrier, a guide, and a drive. A lower vacuum carrier is disposed on the carrier, and the guide is vertically disposed on the carrier. An upper vacuum carrier is slidably disposed on the guide, located above the lower vacuum carrier. The drive is configured to drive the upper vacuum carrier to slide. In practical applications, the upper vacuum carrier adsorbs and fixes the sapphire, the lower vacuum carrier adsorbs and fixes the substrate, and the drive drives the upper vacuum carrier to slide. Therefore, when the drive moves the upper vacuum carrier away from the lower vacuum carrier, it can separate the substrate from the sapphire, thus completing the wafer cap removal process. This reduces manual intervention in the wafer cap removal process, thereby helping to reduce the labor intensity of workers and improving product yield and production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to an automatic wafer cap removal mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] A wafer is a silicon chip used in the fabrication of silicon semiconductor integrated circuits. Because of its circular shape, it is called a wafer. Wafers are the carriers used in the production of integrated circuits; generally, wafers refer to single-crystal silicon wafers. Wafers are the most commonly used semiconductor material.

[0003] Specifically, a wafer consists of a substrate and sapphire crystal. During wafer manufacturing, there is a cap removal process, which requires separating the substrate from the sapphire crystal. Currently, most chip manufacturers use manual cap removal. However, manual cap removal cannot guarantee consistent pressure application each time, which can easily damage the product and lead to a lower product yield. Furthermore, manual cap removal results in high labor intensity for workers and low production efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, the above problems urgently need to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic wafer cap removal mechanism to improve product qualification rate and production efficiency while reducing the labor intensity of workers.

[0006] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] An automated wafer cap removal mechanism, wherein the wafer includes a substrate and sapphire, and the automated wafer cap removal mechanism includes:

[0008] Load-bearing components;

[0009] A lower vacuum carrier is disposed on the carrier, and the lower vacuum carrier is used to adsorb and fix the substrate;

[0010] A guide member is provided on the support member in a vertical direction;

[0011] An upper vacuum carrier is slidably disposed on the guide member. The upper vacuum carrier is located above the lower vacuum carrier, and the upper vacuum carrier is used to adsorb and fix the sapphire and separate the sapphire from the substrate.

[0012] The drive element is configured to drive the upper vacuum carrier to slide.

[0013] Preferably, the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism further includes an elastic buffer, one end of which is connected to the upper vacuum carrier and the other end of which is connected to the carrier.

[0014] Preferably, the guide member is provided in multiple forms, and the multiple guide members are evenly distributed along the circumference of the upper vacuum carrier.

[0015] Preferably, the lower vacuum carrier includes a heating element for heating the wafer to be processed.

[0016] Preferably, the carrier is provided with a heat insulation plate, and the heat insulation plate is located between the lower vacuum carrier and the carrier.

[0017] Preferably, the driving component is a cap removal cylinder, which is fixed to the end of the guide component away from the carrier component via an adapter; the piston rod of the cap removal cylinder passes through the adapter component in a vertical direction, and the piston rod is fixedly connected to the upper vacuum carrier component.

[0018] Preferably, the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism further includes:

[0019] A cap removal cylinder pressure monitor is installed on the support member. The cap removal cylinder pressure monitor is communicatively connected to the cap removal cylinder and is configured to monitor the cap removal cylinder pressure.

[0020] A cap removal cylinder pressure regulator is disposed on the support member. The cap removal cylinder pressure regulator is communicatively connected to the cap removal cylinder and is configured to regulate the pressure of the cap removal cylinder.

[0021] Preferably, a limiting groove is formed on the upper surface of the lower vacuum carrier, and the limiting groove is engaged and adapted with the substrate.

[0022] Preferably, multiple limiting grooves are provided, and the multiple limiting grooves correspond to multiple different substrate dimensions.

[0023] Preferably, a hydraulic buffer is provided on the side of the upper vacuum carrier near the lower vacuum carrier.

[0024] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0025] This invention employs an upper vacuum carrier to adsorb and fix sapphire, a lower vacuum carrier to adsorb and fix the substrate, and a driving component to drive the upper vacuum carrier to slide. Therefore, when the driving component drives the upper vacuum carrier away from the lower vacuum carrier, it can drive the substrate to separate from the sapphire, thus completing the wafer capping process. This reduces the manual intervention in the wafer capping process, thereby helping to reduce the labor intensity of workers and improve product qualification rate and production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lower vacuum carrier provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the upper vacuum carrier provided by the present invention.

[0030] In the picture:

[0031] 1. Bearing component; 11. Abutment block; 12. Pressure monitor for the cap removal cylinder; 13. Pressure regulator for the cap removal cylinder; 14. Vacuum monitor for the upper vacuum carrier; 15. Vacuum monitor for the lower vacuum carrier; 16. Temperature monitor for the lower vacuum carrier.

[0032] 2. Lower vacuum carrier; 21. Limiting groove; 22. Heating element;

[0033] 3. Guide component; 31. Mounting base; 32. Support plate;

[0034] 4. Upper vacuum carrier; 5. Drive unit; 6. Adapter; 7. Hydraulic damper; 8. Heat insulation plate. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present invention, and not all of the structures.

[0036] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected," "linked," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; 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; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0037] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0038] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," etc., refer to the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for ease of description and simplification of operation, 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for distinction in description and have no special meaning.

[0039] In the prior art, a wafer includes a substrate and sapphire, and the decapping process in wafer manufacturing is to separate the substrate from the sapphire.

[0040] This embodiment provides an automatic wafer cap removal mechanism. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 1 The automatic wafer cap removal mechanism includes a carrier 1, a lower vacuum carrier 2, a guide 3, an upper vacuum carrier 4, and a drive 5. The carrier 1 is a rectangular enclosure. The lower vacuum carrier 2 is mounted on the carrier 1 and is used to adsorb and fix the substrate. That is, the lower vacuum carrier 2 is located on the upper surface of the enclosure. In this embodiment, the lower vacuum carrier 2 is a vacuum carrier plate, which is existing technology and will not be described in detail. It should be noted that this embodiment does not impose requirements or limitations on the shape of the lower vacuum carrier 2. Those skilled in the art can choose a suitable shape according to actual usage needs. In this embodiment, the lower vacuum carrier 2 is circular.

[0041] The guide member 3 is vertically mounted on the support member 1. The upper vacuum carrier 4 is slidably mounted on the guide member 3, located above the lower vacuum carrier 2. The upper vacuum carrier 4 is used to adsorb and fix the sapphire and separate the sapphire from the substrate. Specifically, the guide member 3 is fixed to the upper surface of the support member 1 by the mounting base 31. A support plate 32 is slidably mounted on the guide member 3. The upper vacuum carrier 4 is fixed to the lower side of the support plate 32 by bolts, and is located directly above the lower vacuum carrier 2, thus making the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism compact. In this embodiment, the upper vacuum carrier 4 is also a vacuum carrier plate, and it is also circular, which will not be described in detail. In addition, the upper vacuum carrier 4 and the lower vacuum carrier 2 are parallel to each other to ensure that the adsorption surfaces of the upper vacuum carrier 4 and the lower vacuum carrier 2 can respectively adhere to the opposite sides of the substrate and the sapphire. It should be noted that the lower surface of the upper vacuum carrier 4 and the upper surface of the lower vacuum carrier 2 are adsorption surfaces.

[0042] Preferably, multiple guide members 3 are provided, and the guide members 3 are evenly distributed around the upper vacuum carrier 4. In practical applications, the upper vacuum carrier 4 is guided by multiple evenly distributed guide members 3, making its sliding more stable. In this embodiment, the guide members 3 are guide rods, and there are four guide members 3. The four guide members 3 are set at the four corners of the carrier 1, which facilitates actual operation. At the same time, the arrangement of four guide members 3 can achieve stable sliding of the upper vacuum carrier 4, with high reliability. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of guide members 3 can also be three, five, or more.

[0043] Furthermore, the driving component 5 is a cap-removing cylinder, which is fixed to the end of the guide component 3 away from the carrier component 1 via an adapter 6. The piston rod of the cap-removing cylinder passes through the adapter 6 vertically and is fixedly connected to the upper vacuum carrier component 4. Specifically, the adapter 6 is an adapter plate, and its four corners are fixedly connected to the upper ends of the four guide components 3 respectively. In this embodiment, the connection method between the adapter 6 and the guide components 3 is not required or limited. For example, the adapter 6 can be fixed to the guide component 3 by screwing, or the adapter 6 and the guide component 3 can be welded together. A clearance hole is provided through the center of the adapter 6, and the cap-removing cylinder is installed on the upper surface of the adapter 6 by bolts, with the piston rod of the cap-removing cylinder passing through the clearance hole. The piston rod is fixedly connected to the upper side of the upper vacuum carrier component 4. The piston rod and the upper vacuum carrier component 4 can also be connected by screwing or welding or other connection methods well known to those skilled in the art.

[0044] It is understandable that the piston rod of the decapping cylinder can extend to drive the upper vacuum carrier 4 to move down, and the piston rod of the decapping cylinder can retract to drive the upper vacuum carrier 4 to move up. Thus, the lifting and lowering of the upper vacuum carrier 4 can be controlled by the decapping cylinder, which makes the structure of the automatic wafer decapping mechanism simple. At the same time, the cylinder is a commonly used component in the existing technology, which has low cost and reliable operation.

[0045] To improve the efficiency of sapphire separation from the substrate, the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism also includes an elastic buffer (not shown in the figure). One end of the elastic buffer is connected to the upper vacuum carrier 4, and the other end is connected to the carrier 1. In this embodiment, the structures of multiple guides 3 are identical. The structure of one guide 3 will be described below as an example. The elastic buffer is a buffer spring, which is sleeved on the outer periphery of the guide 3. The upper end of the buffer spring abuts against the support plate 32, and the lower end of the buffer spring abuts against the mounting base 31. It can be understood that when the driving member 5 drives the upper vacuum carrier 4 to move downward, the buffer spring is compressed; subsequently, when the cap removal cylinder drives the upper vacuum carrier 4 to move upward, the buffer spring releases its elastic potential energy and pushes the upper vacuum carrier 4 upward. Thus, the upward movement of the upper vacuum carrier 4 is driven simultaneously by the buffer spring and the driving cylinder, thereby enabling the upper vacuum carrier 4 to move upward more quickly, thereby improving the efficiency of sapphire separation from the substrate.

[0046] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 Furthermore, a hydraulic buffer 7 is provided on the side of the upper vacuum carrier 4 near the lower vacuum carrier 2, and the hydraulic buffer 7 is arranged vertically. Specifically, there are four hydraulic buffers 7, all of which are mounted on the support plate 32 and are evenly distributed around the periphery of the upper vacuum carrier 4, with each hydraulic buffer 7 close to one of the four guide members 3. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of hydraulic buffers 7 can be three, five, or more. It should be noted that the hydraulic buffer 7 is prior art and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0047] In practical applications, when the cap-removing cylinder drives the upper vacuum carrier 4 to move down to its limit position, the buffer part of the hydraulic buffer 7 abuts against the upper surface of the carrier 1, thereby limiting the upper vacuum carrier 4 and helping to prevent the upper vacuum carrier 4 from damaging the wafer. Furthermore, to accommodate the length of the hydraulic buffer 7, this embodiment has abutment blocks 11 installed on the carrier 1. The number of abutment blocks 11 corresponds to the number of hydraulic buffers 7, so that when the upper vacuum carrier 4 moves down to its limit position, the buffer part of the hydraulic buffer 7 abuts against the abutment blocks 11, thereby limiting the upper vacuum carrier 4.

[0048] Reference Figure 1To improve the applicability of the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism, the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism also includes a cap removal cylinder pressure monitor 12 and a cap removal cylinder pressure regulator 13. The cap removal cylinder pressure monitor 12 is mounted on the support member 1, and is communicatively connected to the cap removal cylinder, and is configured to monitor the cap removal cylinder pressure. The cap removal cylinder pressure regulator 13 is also mounted on the support member 1, and is also communicatively connected to the cap removal cylinder, and is configured to regulate the cap removal cylinder pressure. Understandably, during operation, the automatic wafer capping mechanism can continuously monitor the pressure of the capping cylinder using the capping cylinder pressure monitor 12. This helps to detect abnormal pressure conditions in the capping cylinder immediately, ensuring timely implementation of appropriate measures. Simultaneously, when abnormal pressure occurs, the capping cylinder pressure regulator 13 can promptly adjust the pressure, improving the ease of pressure adjustment. Furthermore, the capping cylinder pressure regulator 13 can also adjust the pressure of the capping cylinder to meet the processing requirements of different wafers, thereby enhancing the applicability of the automatic wafer capping mechanism.

[0049] It should be noted that both the cap removal cylinder pressure regulator 13 and the cap removal cylinder pressure monitor 12 are existing technologies and will not be described in detail in this embodiment. Except for the control unit, which is located outside the support member 1 (chassis), the rest of the cap removal cylinder pressure regulator 13 is located inside the support member 1. Similarly, except for the display unit, which is located outside the support member 1 (chassis), the rest of the cap removal cylinder pressure monitor 12 is also located inside the support member 1. Thus, the support member 1 protects both the cap removal cylinder pressure regulator 13 and the cap removal cylinder pressure monitor 12.

[0050] Furthermore, the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism also includes an upper vacuum carrier vacuum monitor 14 for monitoring the vacuum status of the upper vacuum carrier 4, and a lower vacuum carrier vacuum monitor 15 for monitoring the vacuum status of the lower vacuum carrier 2. Both the upper and lower vacuum carrier vacuum monitors 14 and 15 are located inside the carrier 1, except for their display sections which are located outside the carrier 1 (chassis). This allows the carrier 1 to protect both the upper and lower vacuum carrier vacuum monitors 14 and 15. Understandably, during operation, the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism can use the upper vacuum carrier vacuum monitor 14 to continuously monitor the vacuum status of the upper vacuum carrier 4, and the lower vacuum carrier vacuum monitor 15 to continuously monitor the vacuum status of the lower vacuum carrier 2. This helps to detect any abnormalities in the upper or lower vacuum carrier 4 at the first opportunity, ensuring that appropriate measures can be taken promptly.

[0051] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3Meanwhile, to further improve the applicability of the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism, a limiting groove 21 is formed on the upper surface of the lower vacuum carrier 2, and the limiting groove 21 is matched with the substrate. It can be understood that the limiting groove 21 is formed according to the outer dimensions of the substrate. Thus, before the lower vacuum carrier 2 adsorbs and fixes the substrate, the substrate is first locked and fixed with the limiting groove 21, which helps to reduce the substrate displacement when the lower vacuum carrier 2 adsorbs the substrate.

[0052] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 4 Specifically, multiple limiting grooves 21 are provided, each corresponding to a different substrate shape and size. This allows the lower vacuum carrier 2 to be adapted to different substrates, thereby further improving the applicability of the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism. Furthermore, the multiple limiting grooves 21 are staggered on the upper surface of the lower vacuum carrier 2 without interfering with each other, thus improving the utilization rate of the upper surface of the lower vacuum carrier 2. Of course, slots adapted to engage with the sapphire can also be provided on the adsorption surface of the upper vacuum carrier 4, allowing for pre-fixation of the sapphire before it is adsorbed and fixed by the upper vacuum carrier 4, thus achieving pre-fixation from opposite sides of the wafer to be processed.

[0053] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 To enable the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism to be applicable to more different types of wafers, and thus further improve its applicability, the lower vacuum carrier 2 includes a heating element 22. The heating element 22 is used to heat the wafer to be processed. In this embodiment, the heating element 22 is a heating rod, which is installed inside the cavity of the lower vacuum carrier 2. The heating rod is existing technology and will not be described in detail. It is understood that because different types of wafers have different characteristics, some types of wafers require heating during cap removal. The heating element 22 is designed to meet the specific characteristics of these wafers, thereby further improving the applicability of the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism.

[0054] Furthermore, multiple heating elements 22 are provided, and the multiple heating elements 22 are evenly distributed in the inner cavity of the lower vacuum carrier 2 along the circumference of the lower vacuum carrier 2, thereby making the lower vacuum carrier 2 heated evenly, which helps to ensure that the wafer to be processed is heated evenly. In this embodiment, the number of heating elements 22 is three. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of heating elements 22 can also be four, five or more.

[0055] To facilitate temperature control of the lower vacuum carrier 2, the automatic wafer cap removal mechanism also includes a lower vacuum carrier temperature monitor 16. The lower vacuum carrier temperature monitor 16 is mounted on the carrier 1 and is communicatively connected to the lower vacuum carrier 2. Except for the display section, which is located outside the carrier 1 (chassis), the entire lower vacuum carrier temperature monitor 16 is located inside the carrier 1, thus protecting it using the carrier 1. It should be noted that the lower vacuum carrier temperature monitor 16 is prior art and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0056] Continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Preferably, a heat insulation plate 8 is provided on the carrier 1, and the heat insulation plate 8 is located between the lower vacuum carrier 2 and the carrier 1. As described above, the carrier 1 is a chassis. Specifically, the heat insulation plate 8 is fixed to the upper surface of the chassis with bolts, and the lower vacuum carrier 2 is mounted on the heat insulation plate 8 with bolts. It is understood that the heat insulation plate 8 reduces the heat transfer from the heating element 22 to the interior of the carrier 1, thereby preventing damage to the internal components of the carrier 1 due to overheating.

[0057] The implementation principle of an automatic wafer cap removal mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is as follows: In actual application, the wafer to be processed is first placed on the lower vacuum carrier 2, and the substrate of the wafer to be processed is engaged with the limiting groove 21 on the lower vacuum carrier 2. Then, the lower vacuum carrier 2 is activated, and the lower vacuum carrier 2 adsorbs and fixes the substrate on its upper surface. Afterwards, the cap removal cylinder drives the upper vacuum carrier 4 to move downward along the guide 3 until the adsorption surface of the lower vacuum carrier 2 contacts the upper side of the sapphire of the wafer to be processed. During this process, the buffer spring is compressed. Then, the upper vacuum carrier 4 is activated, and the upper vacuum carrier 4 adsorbs and fixes the sapphire on its adsorption surface. Finally, the cap removal cylinder drives the upper vacuum carrier 4 to move upward. At the same time, the buffer spring releases its elastic potential energy and pushes the upper vacuum carrier 4 upward. Thus, under the dual action of the buffer spring and the cap removal cylinder, the sapphire is separated from the substrate, thereby completing the wafer cap removal process.

[0058] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will be able to make various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively describe all embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic wafer cap removal mechanism, wherein the wafer comprises a substrate and sapphire, characterized in that, The automatic wafer cap removal mechanism includes: Supporting component (1); A lower vacuum carrier (2) is disposed on the carrier (1), and the lower vacuum carrier (2) is used to adsorb and fix the substrate; The guide member (3) is arranged vertically on the support member (1); The upper vacuum carrier (4) is slidably disposed on the guide (3). The upper vacuum carrier (4) is located above the lower vacuum carrier (2), and the upper vacuum carrier (4) is used to adsorb and fix the sapphire and separate the sapphire from the substrate. The drive element (5) is configured to drive the upper vacuum carrier (4) to slide; The automatic wafer cap removal mechanism also includes an elastic buffer, one end of which is connected to the upper vacuum carrier (4), and the other end is connected to the carrier (1); The guide member (3) is provided with multiple members, and the multiple guide members (3) are evenly distributed around the upper vacuum carrier (4); The lower vacuum carrier (2) includes a heating element (22) for heating the wafer to be processed; The driving component (5) is a cap removal cylinder, which is fixed to the end of the guide component (3) away from the carrier component (1) by a connector (6); the piston rod of the cap removal cylinder passes through the connector (6) in the vertical direction, and the piston rod is fixedly connected to the upper vacuum carrier component (4).

2. The wafer automatic cap removal mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, A heat insulation plate (8) is provided on the carrier (1), and the heat insulation plate (8) is located between the lower vacuum carrier (2) and the carrier (1).

3. The wafer automatic cap removal mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic wafer cap removal mechanism also includes: A cap removal cylinder pressure monitor (12) is installed on the support (1). The cap removal cylinder pressure monitor (12) is communicatively connected to the cap removal cylinder and is configured to monitor the cap removal cylinder pressure. A cap removal cylinder pressure regulator (13) is disposed on the support member (1). The cap removal cylinder pressure regulator (13) is communicatively connected to the cap removal cylinder and is configured to regulate the pressure of the cap removal cylinder.

4. The wafer automatic cap removal mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper surface of the lower vacuum carrier (2) is provided with a limiting groove (21), and the limiting groove (21) is engaged and adapted with the substrate.

5. The automatic wafer cap removal mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, The limiting groove (21) is provided in multiple ways, and the multiple limiting grooves (21) are set to multiple different substrate dimensions.

6. The automatic wafer cap removal mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, A hydraulic buffer (7) is provided on the side of the upper vacuum carrier (4) near the lower vacuum carrier (2).

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