Automatic loading and unloading device for rotating wafer hanger

Abstract

This invention discloses an automatic loading and unloading device for a rotary wafer rack, including a frame, a rack turnover mechanism mounted on the frame, a rack clamping and flipping mechanism, a traversing module, an edge-following mechanism, a cleaning mechanism, multiple wafer feeding mechanisms, and a transfer robot. The traversing module is equipped with an outer cover opening and closing mechanism and an inner ring moving mechanism. The rack clamping and flipping mechanism is located in the middle, clamping the conductive rack within the rack turnover mechanism and flipping and moving it to the loading and unloading station. The outer cover opening and closing mechanism and the inner ring moving mechanism are located on either side of the loading and unloading station, respectively realizing the outer cover opening and inner ring moving operations. The transfer robot is located on one side of the loading and unloading station, with the edge-following mechanism, cleaning mechanism, and multiple wafer feeding mechanisms arranged around the transfer robot and within its operating range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of semiconductor automation equipment, and in particular to an automatic loading and unloading device for a rotary wafer hanger. Background Art

[0002] At present, during the surface treatment process of wafers, especially the surface treatment process of electroplating or chemical plating, it is necessary to match good conductive fixtures and support hangers (hereinafter referred to as conductive hangers). The range of about 0~2mm from the edge of the wafer ring is called the invalid band. When the wafer is assembled to the conductive hanger, the invalid band and the conductive hanger are well sealed and conductively contacted, and the effective band is exposed (excluding other areas outside the range of 0~2mm from the edge of the wafer ring). The wafer assembled with the conductive hanger can then be subjected to the immersion chemical surface treatment process. The conductive hanger can be processed on one side or on both sides at the same time. At least one wafer is placed on each side according to the size of the wafer. The conductive hanger can be vertically erected or horizontally placed during surface treatment. In either case, the conductive hanger must be water-tight and chemical-resistant to prevent the liquid from leaking into the invalid band during the surface treatment process. Once the liquid leaks, it will not only destroy the conductive structure of the hanger, affecting the life of the hanger, but also cause abnormal quality of the wafer.

[0003] In order to ensure the sealing of the conductive hanger, there are four types of sealing methods for the existing conductive hangers: the first is the rotating type, the second is the screw locking type, the third is the airbag type, and the fourth is the vertical tension type. Regardless of the sealing method, when loading and unloading wafers, they are all manually loaded and unloaded, including the sealing or unsealing of the hanger, and the loading and unloading of wafers. This manual method is not only inefficient, but also easily causes wafer damage and cannot meet production needs.

[0004] For this purpose, an automatic loading and unloading device has emerged, such as a patented wafer product electroplating loading and unloading device (application number 2021107464543). This automatic loading and unloading device can only perform automated operations on airbag-sealed hangers, but cannot perform automated loading and unloading operations on rotary hangers. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the deficiencies and shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides an automatic loading and unloading device for a rotary wafer hanger, which realizes fully automatic loading and unloading of the rotary wafer hanger.

[0006] An automatic loading and unloading device for a rotating wafer hanger comprises a frame, a hanger turnover mechanism installed on the frame, a hanger clamping and flipping mechanism, a transverse movement module, a patrol mechanism, a cleaning mechanism, multiple wafer feeding mechanisms and a transfer robot, while the transverse movement module is equipped with an outer cover opening and closing mechanism and an inner ring moving mechanism; the hanger clamping and flipping mechanism is located on one side of the hanger turnover mechanism, clamps the conductive hanger to flip it and move it to the loading and unloading station, the outer cover opening and closing mechanism and the inner ring moving mechanism are located on both sides of the loading and unloading station, respectively realize the outer cover screwing and inner ring moving operations, the transfer robot is located on one side of the loading and unloading station, the patrol mechanism, the cleaning mechanism, and multiple wafer feeding mechanisms are arranged around the transfer robot and are located within the operating range of the transfer robot.

[0007] Preferably, the rotary wafer hanger has a first support plate and a second support plate which are arranged perpendicular to each other, a counterweight is fixed on the surface of the first support plate, an annular base is fixed on one or both sides of the second support plate, wafers, a sealing inner ring and an outer cover are arranged on the annular base in sequence, and the outer cover is threadedly screwed on the annular base to press the sealing inner ring against the invalid band of the wafer.

[0008] Preferably, the hanger clamping and flipping mechanism includes two sets of sliding modules arranged in parallel, a support frame fixed on the slider of the sliding module, a clamping rotating assembly installed between the support frames for clamping the counterweight block and driving the center of the wafer hanger to rotate, and a flipping motor installed on one side of the support frame to drive the clamping rotating assembly to flip.

[0009] Preferably, the clamping and rotating assembly includes a U-shaped mounting frame, a rotating motor, an assembly plate, a parallel clamping cylinder and two groups of clamping plates. The parallel clamping cylinder is fixed on the assembly plate. The two groups of clamping plates are symmetrically mounted on the two slides of the parallel clamping cylinder. The parallel clamping cylinder controls the clamping plates to move relatively close or away from each other to achieve clamping or loosening of the counterweight block. The assembly plate is connected to the rotating motor, and the rotating motor is fixed between the two support frames in conjunction with the U-shaped mounting frame, and one side of the U-shaped mounting frame is connected to the flip motor.

[0010] Preferably, the outer cover opening and closing mechanism includes a first lifting module, a fixed frame, an outer cover rotating motor and an outer cover rotating jig. The first lifting module is fixed on a slider of the transverse movement module, the fixed frame is installed on the slider of the first lifting module, the outer cover rotating motor is installed on the fixed frame, the upper end of the outer cover rotating jig is connected to the outer cover rotating motor with a coupling, and the lower end has a cavity consistent with the shape of the outer cover, and cylinders are embedded on opposite sides of the cavity for clamping the outer cover in the cavity.

[0011] Preferably, the inner ring moving mechanism comprises a second lifting module, a fixed plate, an inner ring clamping module and a carrying platform, the carrying platform is fixed on the frame, the second lifting module is fixed on the slider of the transverse movement module, the fixed plate is installed on the slider of the second lifting module, the inner ring clamping module is fixed on the fixed plate, and the inner ring clamping module clamps the inner ring and moves it to the carrying platform to synchronously realize the wafer taking and placing.

[0012] Preferably, the inner ring clamping module includes a module body, a plurality of inner ring clamping cylinders arranged at equal intervals around the module body, and an inner ring clamping cylinder installed on the inner ring clamping cylinder. The top of the module body is installed on a fixed plate through a connecting shaft, and a plurality of wafer proximity sensors are embedded in the bottom. At the same time, vacuum sealing rings are embedded in the positions of the wafer invalid bands around the bottom to vacuum adsorb the wafer.

[0013] Preferably, the inner ring clamping module includes a module fixing plate, multiple inner ring clamping cylinders, multiple wafer clamping assemblies and a rotating linkage assembly. The multiple inner ring clamping cylinders are circumferentially evenly distributed around the module fixing plate, and inner ring clamping cylinders are equipped with inner ring clamps. Multiple wafer clamping assemblies are also circumferentially evenly distributed around the module fixing plate, and the inner ring clamping cylinders and wafer clamping assemblies are alternately arranged. The wafer clamping assembly includes a clamping slider fixed on the module fixing plate, and a wafer clamp slidably mounted on the clamping slider. The rotating linkage assembly includes a turntable mounted at the center of the module fixing plate, and a linkage driving part that drives the turntable forward and reverse. The wafer clamp is connected to the turntable through a connecting rod. As the turntable rotates forward and reverse, the connecting rod drives the wafer clamp to extend and retract along the clamping slider.

[0014] Preferably, hook needles are provided on the clamping surface of the wafer clamping jaws.

[0015] Preferably, the hanger turnover mechanism includes a base plate, multiple left and right moving modules, front and back moving modules and a U-shaped hanger. The multiple left and right moving modules are arranged in parallel on the base plate, including slide rails, and a transmission synchronous belt parallel to the slide rails. The transmission synchronous belt is a double-sided toothed synchronous belt, and its transmission is controlled by a driving motor at one end. The front and back moving modules are arranged perpendicular to the left and right moving modules. A connecting slide rail is fixed on the slider of the front and back moving modules, and a hanger slider is installed on the connecting slide rail. The front and back moving modules control the slider to slide back and forth, so that the connecting slide rail is spliced ​​with the slide rail of the corresponding left and right moving modules, so that the hanger slider moves from the connecting slide rail to the slide rail. The U-shaped hanger is installed on the hanger slider, and racks matching the synchronous belt teeth are provided on both sides of its bottom surface.

[0016] Preferably, the wafer feeding mechanism includes a wafer box and a wafer box opening mechanism, the wafer box opening mechanism includes a placing base plate for placing the wafer box, an opening panel for adsorbing and opening the wafer box panel, a lifting guide column and a lifting module, the opening panel is mounted on the lifting guide column with a guide sleeve, and is connected to a lifting module fixed on the top of the lifting guide column, the lifting module controls the opening panel to move up and down along the lifting guide column, lifts the wafer box panel, and exposes the interior of the wafer box.

[0017] Preferably, an opening knob is provided on the opening panel corresponding to the position of the crystal box panel knob. The opening knob is controlled by a knob cylinder installed on the back of the opening panel. A plurality of suction cups are also provided on the opening panel. The placement base plate is fixed to the frame through an opening linear module. A positioning cylinder and a positioning protrusion for positioning the crystal box are provided on the surface of the placement base plate. The opening linear module drives the crystal box to move forward to the opening panel for opening the cover.

[0018] Beneficial effects: The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer hanger disclosed by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] Optimizing the conductive hanger structure and adding an additional sealing inner ring can effectively prevent the liquid from penetrating into the ineffective zone during surface treatment;

[0020] For the automatic loading and unloading device, the continuous operation of multiple sets of hangers can be realized through the set hanger turnover mechanism, and the intermediate transition can be realized by using the turnover avoidance position, thereby improving the uninterruptedness of the entire loading and unloading;

[0021] The hanger clamping and flipping mechanism can realize the hanger clamping and flipping, and can also realize 360° rotation, so that the double-sided hanger can be loaded and unloaded without manual surface change operation. In addition, the design of the sliding module cooperates with the visual correction mechanism on the top to accurately control the loading and unloading position of the hanger, ensuring the accuracy of subsequent loading and unloading.

[0022] For the outer cover opening and closing mechanism, a cavity matched with the outer cover structure is used in combination with a clamping cylinder arranged relatively to realize the bionic human pinching and twisting operation, ensuring the feasibility and smoothness of the outer cover opening and closing;

[0023] The inner cover moving mechanism is used to simultaneously realize the movement of the sealed inner ring and the placement of the wafer. Different placement methods are used for wafers with different requirements to avoid direct contact with the effective belt of the wafer and achieve stable placement.

[0024] The entire loading and unloading device has a reasonable layout of the dynamic line, and can fully automatically realize the opening, loading and unloading, and closing of the rotary wafer hanger. At the same time, it can meet the automatic loading and unloading of single-sided or double-sided hangers. The entire equipment has a reasonable structure, and automated operation saves time and improves production efficiency. At the same time, it improves the accuracy of assembly and ensures the electroplating quality of the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a wafer corresponding to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a conductive hanger corresponding to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a structural exploded diagram of a conductive hanger corresponding to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 is an overall structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 A top view of the layout of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 The structure of the hanger turnover mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention is Figure 1 ;

[0032] Figure 8 The structure of the hanger turnover mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention is Figure 2 ;

[0033] Fig. 9 It is a structural diagram of the hanger clamping and flipping mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Fig.10 It is a structural diagram of a clamping and rotating assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Fig.11 A bottom view of the clamping rotating assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Fig.12 It is a front view of the twist-open outer cover mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Fig.13 It is a structural diagram of the twist-off outer cover mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Fig.14 It is a structural diagram of the inner ring opening mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Fig.15 This is a structural diagram of the first inner ring clamping jaw module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Fig.16 This is a front view of the first inner ring clamping jaw module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Fig.17The structure of the second inner ring clamping jaw module in the embodiment of the present invention is Figure 1 ;

[0042] Fig.18 The structure of the second inner ring clamping jaw module in the embodiment of the present invention is Figure 2 ;

[0043] Fig.19 It is a structural diagram of the border patrol mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a border patrol mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Fig.21 It is a structural diagram of the cleaning mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Fig. 22 It is a structural diagram of a wafer feeding mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Fig.23 It is a front structural diagram of the crystal box opening mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Fig.24 It is a reverse structural diagram of the crystal box opening mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Fig.25 2 is a structural diagram of a hanger loading mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] In the figure: 10-conductive hanger, 101-wafer, 102-effective belt, 103-ineffective belt, 104-first support plate, 105-second support plate, 106-annular base, 107-sealed inner ring, 108-outer cover, 109-counterweight, 1010-external thread, 21-frame, 22-hanger turnover mechanism, 23-hanger clamping and flipping mechanism, 24-transverse module, 25-edge patrol mechanism, 26-cleaning mechanism, 27-wafer feeding mechanism, 28-transfer robot, 29-outer cover opening and closing mechanism, 30-inner ring moving machine Structure, 31-gantry, 32-first lifting module, 33-second lifting module, 34-visual correction mechanism, 35-carrying platform, 36-hanging device loading mechanism, 221-bottom plate, 222-left and right moving module, 223-front and rear moving module, 224-U-shaped hanger, 225-slide rail, 226-synchronous belt, 227-driving motor, 228-connecting slide rail, 229-hanger slider, 2210-rack, 231-sliding module, 232-support frame, 233-clamping rotating assembly, 234-flip motor, 235- U-shaped mounting frame, 236-rotating motor, 237-motor fixing seat, 238-assembly plate, 239-parallel clamping cylinder, 2310-guide rail, 2311-clamping plate, 2312-pin, 251-base, 252-column, 253-edge patrol CCD device, 254-backlight source, 255-support platform, 256-rotating platform, 257-XY adjustment base, 261-cleaning support platform, 262-water retaining basin, 263-nozzle cleaning parts, 264-CCD cleaning equipment, 265-water retaining basin cylinder, 266-water receiving basin, 267-swing arm, 268-swing motor assembly, 271-crystal box-272-crystal box opening mechanism, 273-placing bottom plate, 274-opening cover panel, 275-lifting guide column, 276-lifting module, 277-guide sleeve, 278-opening cover knob, 279-knob cylinder, 2710-suction cup, 27 11-opening linear module, 2712-linear slide rail, 2713-positioning cylinder, 2714-positioning protrusion, 281-wafer pick-and-place fork, 291-fixed frame, 292-screw cover motor, 293-screw cover fixture, 294-cavity, 295-cylinder, 296-damping block, 301-fixed plate, 302-inner ring clamping module, 303-module body, 304-inner ring clamping cylinder, 305-inner ring clamping claw, 3 06-connecting shaft, 307-proximity sensor, 308-vacuum sealing ring, 309-module fixing plate, 3010-grip slider, 3011-wafer gripper, 3012-turntable, 3013-connecting rod, 3014-linkage rod, 3015-linkage cylinder, 3016-hook needle, 3017-side plate, 3018-slot hole, 361-removal module, 362-hanger loading lifting module, 363-hanger carrying tray. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] In order to further understand the present invention, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are only for further illustrating the features and advantages of the present invention, rather than limiting the claims of the invention.

[0052] The automatic loading and unloading device of the rotary wafer rack of the present invention realizes the automatic sealing and unsealing operation of the conductive rack 10, thereby realizing the automatic loading and unloading of the wafer 101. The wafer structure is as follows Figure 1 The wafer structure is described, wherein the middle disc area is the effective zone 102, which is the area where the wafer is surface treated, and the surrounding 0-2 mm range is called the ineffective zone 103, which is used for manual placement or fixture clamping.

[0053] The conductive hanger targeted by the present invention is a rotary structure, and its structure is as follows Figure 2~3 As shown, it includes a first support plate 104, a second support plate 105, an annular base 106, a sealing inner ring 107 and an outer cover 108. The second support plate is vertically arranged with the first support plate. A counterweight 109 is fixed on the first support plate. An annular base 106 is fixed on one or both sides of the second support plate. External threads 1010 are arranged around the annular base. The wafer is placed on the annular base, and its ineffective band is pressed by the sealing inner ring. The wafer is screwed on the annular base through the outer cover to realize the overall rotary sealing assembly.

[0054] The automatic loading and unloading device of the present invention realizes the horizontal flipping, central rotation, opening and closing of the outer cover, movement of the sealing inner ring and loading and unloading operations of the wafer, and its structure is as follows Figures 4 to 6 The device comprises a frame 21, a hanger turnover mechanism 22 installed on the frame, a hanger clamping and flipping mechanism 23, a transverse movement module 24, a patrol mechanism 25, a cleaning mechanism 26, multiple wafer feeding mechanisms 27 and a transfer robot 28. At the same time, an outer cover opening and closing mechanism 29 and an inner ring moving mechanism 30 are installed on the transverse movement module. The hanger flipping mechanism is located in the middle position, clamps the conductive hanger in the hanger turnover mechanism, and flips it to the loading and unloading station. The outer cover opening and closing mechanism and the inner ring moving mechanism are located on both sides of the loading and unloading station to respectively realize the outer cover unscrewing and inner ring moving operations. The transfer robot is located on one side of the loading and unloading station. The patrol mechanism, the cleaning mechanism, and multiple wafer feeding mechanisms are arranged around the transfer robot, and the transfer robot performs wafer transfer operations between various mechanisms.

[0055] Specifically, the rack turnover mechanism is used to realize the turnover of the conductive rack between the loading and unloading positions and the surface treatment line. Its structure is as follows: Figure 7-8As shown, it includes a bottom plate 221, a plurality of left and right moving modules 222, a front and rear moving modules 223, and a U-shaped hanger 224. The plurality of left and right moving modules are arranged in parallel on the bottom plate, including a slide rail 225, a transmission synchronous belt 226 parallel to the slide rail, and the transmission synchronous belt is a double-sided toothed synchronous belt, and its transmission is controlled by a driving motor 227 at one end. The front and rear moving modules are arranged perpendicular to the left and right moving modules, and a connecting slide rail 228 is fixed on the slider of the front and rear moving modules, and a hanger slider 229 is installed on the connecting slide rail. The moving module controls the slider to slide back and forth, so that the connecting slide rail is spliced ​​with the slide rail of the left and right moving module, so that the bracket slider is moved from the connecting slide rail to the slide rail 225. The U-shaped bracket is installed on the bracket slider, and racks 2210 that match the teeth of the synchronous belt are provided on both sides of its bottom surface. When the slider moves to the corresponding left and right moving module working positions, the connecting slide rail is spliced ​​with the slide rail, and the rack is meshed with the outer teeth of the synchronous belt, and the driving motor rotates. Under the action of the rack, the bracket slider moves to the slide rail, thereby realizing the switching of the conductive hanger at different positions.

[0056] Among the multiple parallel arranged left and right moving modules, the one close to the hanger flipping mechanism is the loading position left and right moving module, the one close to the surface treatment line is the unloading position left and right moving module, and the middle one is used for transition turnover.

[0057] The hanger clamping and flipping mechanism 23 is used to clamp the counterweight of the conductive hanger and flip the conductive hanger from a vertical state to a horizontal state for loading and unloading. At the same time, for a double-sided hanger, a 180° rotation is required to realize the switching of the two sides. The specific structure is as follows Figures 9-11 As shown, it includes two parallel sliding modules 231, a support frame 232 fixed on the sliding module slider, a clamping rotating component 233 installed between the two support frames, and a flipping motor 234 installed on one side of the support frame to drive the clamping rotating component to flip. One end of the clamping rotating component is fixed to the support frame with a bearing seat, and the other end is connected to the flipping motor. The flipping motor drives it to perform stepless flipping switching between the vertical state and the horizontal state, and slides horizontally along the sliding module to the loading and unloading station in the horizontal state.

[0058] The clamping and rotating assembly is used to clamp the counterweight of the conductive hanger, and can rotate 360 ​​degrees in the center at the same time, and perform stepless switching of the two surfaces of the hanger. It specifically includes a U-shaped mounting frame 235, a rotating motor 236, a motor fixing seat 237, an assembly plate 238, a parallel clamping cylinder 239, a guide rail 2310 and a clamping plate 2311. The rotating motor is fixed to the U-shaped mounting frame through the motor fixing seat, the assembly plate is connected to the rotating motor, and the parallel clamping cylinder and two sets of guide rails are fixed on the assembly plate in parallel with each other, and the two sets of guide rails are fixed to the assembly plate in parallel. The guide rails are located on both sides of the parallel clamping cylinder, and the two clamping plates are arranged parallel to each other. The two ends cooperate with the guide rails through sliders, and the middle is connected to the sliding block of the parallel clamping cylinder. The parallel clamping cylinder controls the two groups of clamping plates to move relatively close or away to achieve clamping or loosening operations. The two groups of clamping plates are used to clamp the counterweight blocks of the conductive hanger. In order to improve the stability of clamping, a plurality of pins 2312 are provided on the opposite surfaces of the two groups of clamping plates, which are matched with the pin holes on the counterweight blocks, so that when clamping, the pins are inserted into the pin holes to ensure that they will not loosen and fall off during rotation.

[0059] The transverse shifting module 24 is fixed on the frame through the gantry 31. There are two groups of transverse shifting modules, which are installed in a straight line on the crossbeam of the gantry. The outer cover opening and closing mechanism 29 cooperates with the first lifting module 32 to be fixed on the slider of one group of transverse shifting modules to realize the transverse movement and vertical lifting of the outer cover opening and closing mechanism. The inner ring moving mechanism 30 cooperates with the second lifting module 33 to be fixed on the slider of another group of transverse shifting modules to realize the transverse movement and vertical lifting of the inner ring moving mechanism.

[0060] The outer cover opening and closing mechanism realizes the rotational unsealing or rotational sealing operation of the outer cover on the conductive hanger, and its structure is as follows: Figures 12-13 As shown, it includes a fixing frame 291, an outer cover screwing motor 292, and an outer cover screwing fixture 293. The fixing frame is installed on the first lifting module. The outer cover screwing motor cooperates with the coupling to connect with the outer cover screwing fixture. The bottom surface of the outer cover screwing fixture has a cavity 294 for accommodating the outer cover. The shape of the cavity is consistent with the shape of the outer cover. In actual use, in order to improve the operability of screwing, the outer cover is usually designed to be polygonal. Hexagons or octagons are conventionally selected to ensure the force points during screwing. Cylinders 295 are embedded on the opposite sides of the cavity, and the telescopic ends of the cylinders are equipped with damping blocks 296. When screwing, the outer cover is embedded in the cavity of the fixture, and the cylinders on both sides extend to clamp the outer cover with the damping blocks. The outer cover screwing motor is controlled to drive the entire fixture to rotate, so as to realize the rotation unsealing or sealing operation. The damping block structure clamped on both sides is in the form of bionic human hand pinching to ensure the smoothness of the operation.

[0061] The working process of the outer cover opening and closing mechanism is that the transverse movement module controls the outer cover opening and closing mechanism to move to just above the conductive hanger, the first lifting module controls its descent, the outer cover rotating fixture covers the outer cover, the cylinders on both sides control the damping blocks to clamp the outer cover, and the outer cover rotating motor is controlled to rotate to loosen the outer cover, and then the first lifting module is lifted, and the synchronous transverse movement module is moved to realize the unsealing of the outer cover. Due to the aging and deformation of the conductive hanger, the opening angle or the torque locking angle of the outer cover will change. In order to solve this problem, a visual correction mechanism 34 is set above the frame, which is located just above the loading and unloading station, to identify the opening characteristic angle of the outer cover to compensate for the matching angle of the outer cover rotating fixture, and ensure that when the outer cover rotating fixture is lowered, the outer cover is just embedded in the cavity to avoid collision during matching.

[0062] In addition, the visual correction mechanism can also perform overall correction on the conductive hangers at the loading and unloading stations. For example, when the conductive hanger is deformed or offset after flipping, the visual correction mechanism calculates the compensation value of the feature, uses the transverse movement module to correct the lateral position of the outer cover opening and closing mechanism, and uses the sliding module of the hanger clamping and flipping mechanism to correct the front and rear position, thereby avoiding collision when the cover opening mechanism cooperates due to the overall offset of the fixture.

[0063] The inner ring moving mechanism moves the sealed inner ring on the conductive hanger to simultaneously take and place the wafer. Its structure is as follows: Fig.14 As shown, it includes a fixed plate 301 and an inner ring clamping module 302. The fixed plate is L-shaped, one side of which is fixed on the second lifting module. As the second lifting module rises and falls, the inner ring clamping module is fixed on the other side. Since the inner ring clamping module not only realizes the movement of the sealed inner ring, but also realizes the placement and taking of wafers, some wafers cannot contact their surfaces during placement and taking, while some can contact their surfaces. Therefore, two different inner ring clamping modules are designed according to two different needs, which are described below respectively.

[0064] like Figures 15 and 16 The first inner ring clamping claw module structure is shown, which is used for taking and placing wafers whose surfaces can be contacted, including a circular module body 303, a plurality of inner ring clamping cylinders 304 are arranged at equal intervals around the circumference of the module body, and the telescopic ends of the inner ring clamping cylinders are fixed with inner ring clamping claws 305. The number of the inner ring clamping cylinders is preferably four, which are arranged in a cross shape in four directions of the module body to achieve clamping of the sealed inner ring in four directions. The top of the module body is mounted on a fixed plate through a connecting shaft 306, and a plurality of wafer proximity sensors 307 are embedded on the bottom surface of the module body to determine whether there is a wafer. Vacuum sealing rings 308 are embedded around the bottom surface of the module body at positions corresponding to the invalid bands of the wafers. In conjunction with the vacuum pumping equipment, the invalid bands around the wafers are airtightly contacted to achieve wafer taking and placing.

[0065] like Figures 17 and 18The figure shows the second type of inner ring clamping module mechanism, which is mainly used for taking and placing wafers whose surfaces cannot be touched, including a module fixing plate 309, a plurality of inner ring clamping cylinders 304 arranged at equal intervals around the module fixing plate, an inner ring clamping claw 305 fixed to the telescopic end of the inner ring clamping cylinder, and a plurality of wafer clamping claw assemblies are also installed on the module fixing plate, which are also arranged at equal intervals around the circumference, and each wafer clamping claw assembly is located between two inner ring clamping cylinders. In actual use, in order to achieve accurate and reliable clamping and to ensure cost, the number of the inner ring clamping cylinders and wafer clamping claw assemblies is selected to be four, which are distributed in a cross and clamped from four directions. The wafer clamp assembly includes a clamp slider 3010 fixed on the module fixing plate, a wafer clamp 3011 slidably mounted on the clamp slider, and a turntable 3012 installed in the center of the backplane module. The end of the wafer clamp is connected to the turntable via a connecting rod 3013. As the turntable rotates forward and reverse, the connecting rod drives the wafer clamp to slide forward and backward along the clamp slider to achieve clamping of the side of the wafer. A rotating shaft is provided at the center of the turntable extending out of the module fixing plate and connected to a cylinder 3015 on the surface of the module fixing plate via a linkage rod 3014. The cylinder is telescoped to control the swing of the linkage rod, thereby controlling the forward or reverse rotation of the turntable, and further controlling the extension or retraction of the wafer clamp. In order to prevent the grasped wafer from falling during use, a hook needle 3016 is provided on the clamping surface of the wafer clamp, which acts as an auxiliary support for the bottom during clamping.

[0066] The module fixing plate is also provided with side plates 3017 around it, and slots 3018 are opened on the side plates corresponding to the positions of the inner ring clamps and the wafer clamps for the inner ring clamps and the wafer clamps to extend out, and a cover plate (not shown) is provided on the opposite side of the module fixing plate, which is fixed to the side plates around it, wrapping the turntable, the clamp slider, the inner ring clamping cylinder and other components inside, and a wafer proximity sensor 307 is also provided on the module fixing plate to determine whether there is a wafer, thereby achieving precise clamping.

[0067] Since the inner ring moving mechanism needs to realize the movement of the sealed inner ring and the simultaneous placement of the wafer, a carrier 35 is provided on the frame. The carrier is located below the inner ring moving mechanism and is used to temporarily place the removed sealed inner ring to facilitate the inner ring moving mechanism to continue to place the wafer.

[0068] The structure of the patrol mechanism is as follows: Figures 19 and 20As shown, it includes a base 251, a column 252, an edge patrol CCD device 253, a backlight source 254, a support 255, a rotating platform 256, and an XY adjustment base 257. The rotating platform is installed on the XY adjustment base, and the support is fixed on the rotating platform. The wafer is placed on the support, and the wafer is driven to rotate by the rotating platform. In order to prevent the wafer from being thrown out under the action of centrifugal force during rotation, a vacuum channel is provided on the support, and a vacuum pumping device is used to absorb the wafer on the support by vacuum pumping after the wafer is placed. The backlight source is fixed on the base and located at the edge of the wafer. Below the wafer, the edge patrol CCD device is fixed on the base through a column, and the edge patrol CCD device is located directly above the backlight source. When patrolling the edge, the backlight source provides illumination backlight for the edge of the wafer, and the CCD device above takes pictures synchronously, so as to obtain the edge position and positioning groove position of the wafer, and obtain the position correction compensation value through the algorithm, and use the XY adjustment base to perform position correction, so that the center of the wafer is corrected to the origin position, and the positioning groove is rotated to the zero position using the rotating platform. In this way, when the mechanical claw lifts the wafer and sends it into the conductive hanger, the positioning groove and center position are accurate and correct.

[0069] The cleaning mechanism cleans the surface-treated wafers, and its structure is as follows: Fig.21 As shown, it includes a cleaning platform 261, a water retaining basin 262, a cleaning nozzle component 263 and a cleaning CCD device 264. The cleaning platform is used to place processed wafers. In order to prevent the wafers from loosening, a vacuum channel is provided on the cleaning platform to firmly hold the wafers with the vacuum device. The water retaining basin is arranged on the periphery of the cleaning platform, and its lifting is controlled by a water retaining basin cylinder 265. It rises during cleaning to prevent the cleaning water from splashing, and descends after the cleaning is completed to facilitate the mechanical claw to take and discharge the materials. The bottom of the water retaining basin discharges the clean water in the water retaining basin in time through a drain pipe. After the cleaning is completed, the cleaning nozzle will move and stop above the water receiving basin 266 to prevent the nozzle from leaking and being contaminated. The cleaning nozzle cooperates with the swing arm 267 and the swing motor assembly 268 to realize the swinging water spraying of the wafer to achieve all-round cleaning. The cleaning nozzle can spray nitrogen after cleaning to dry the moisture on the surface of the wafer. The cleaning CCD device is located above the wafer, and the cleaned wafer is photographed as a whole to determine whether there are defects in the surface treatment.

[0070] In order to improve the cleaning effect, a rotating mechanism can be set at the bottom of the cleaning tray to achieve cleaning while rotating, thereby ensuring that the entire wafer surface is cleaned. At the same time, the rotating structure can also realize a spin-drying operation after cleaning.

[0071] The wafer feeding mechanism is used to load unprocessed wafers and processed wafers, and its structure is as follows: Figures 22-24As shown, it includes a crystal box 271 and a crystal box opening mechanism 272. The crystal box has a box body and a panel that is screwed with the box body. When opening, it is necessary to rotate the knob on the panel surface to unlock it. The crystal box opening mechanism includes a placement bottom plate 273, a cover opening panel 274, a lifting guide column 275 and a lifting module 276. The lifting guide column is vertically arranged on the frame. The cover opening panel cooperates with the guide sleeve 277 to be sleeved on the lifting guide column and is connected to the lifting module fixed on the top of the lifting guide column. The lifting module controls the cover opening panel to move up and down along the lifting guide column. The cover opening panel is provided with a cover opening knob 278 at the position corresponding to the crystal box panel knob. The cover opening knob is rotated by a knob gas installed on the back of the cover opening panel. The placement base plate is controlled by the cylinder 279, and a plurality of suction cups 2710 are provided on the cover opening panel to suck the crystal box panel with vacuum. The placement base plate cooperates with the cover opening linear module 2711 to be fixed on the frame, and linear slide rails 2712 are provided at both ends. The crystal box is placed on the placement base plate. In order to ensure that the crystal box is placed in place, a positioning cylinder 2713 and a positioning protrusion 2714 are provided on the placement base plate. The placement base plate moves forward to the cover opening panel under the drive of the cover opening linear module, and the panel of the crystal box fits the cover opening panel. The cover opening knob is used to open the crystal box panel, and the suction cup is used to suck the crystal box panel. The lifting module is controlled to lift the crystal box panel to expose the compartment cavity in the crystal box, which is convenient for taking and placing wafers.

[0072] The transfer robot 28 is a conventional wafer robot that can perform operations at multiple angles and positions. A wafer pick-up and placement fork 281 for lifting wafers is installed at its end. During operation, the transfer robot needs to take out the processed wafers from the conductive hanger and send them to the cleaning mechanism for cleaning, and then take them out from the cleaning mechanism and send them to the wafer box. At the same time, the unprocessed wafers in the wafer box are sent to the edge patrol mechanism for edge patrol and deviation correction, and then sent to the conductive hanger.

[0073] In the initial state, no wafer is set in the conductive hanger, and the empty conductive hanger needs to be sent in for loading through the hanger loading mechanism 36, and then enters the cyclic loading and unloading and surface treatment process. The hanger loading mechanism is located below the hanger clamping and flipping mechanism, and includes a removal module 361, a hanger loading and lifting module 362 and a hanger carrying tray 363. The hanger carrying tray is fixed on the slider of the hanger loading and lifting module, and the hanger loading and lifting module is fixed on the slider of the removal module. Initially, the removal module drives the hanger loading and lifting module and the hanger carrying tray to move out of the rack, and the empty conductive hanger is manually placed in the hanger carrying tray. The removal module and the hanger loading and lifting module are used to send the empty hanger to the bottom of the hanger clamping and flipping mechanism, and the counterweight block is clamped by the clamping plate and flipped for loading. The conductive hanger after loading is sent to the hanger turnover mechanism for transportation to the surface treatment line.

[0074] The present invention discloses an automatic loading and unloading device for a rotary wafer hanger, and the whole principle process thereof is as follows:

[0075] The conductive hanger with completed surface treatment is sent to the U-shaped hanger of the left and right modules of the unloading position by the overhead crane, and the conductive hanger is rotated to the loading position by the left and right moving modules cooperating with the front and back moving modules. The two sets of clamping plates of the hanger clamping and flipping mechanism clamp the counterweight block of the conductive hanger, remove the U-shaped hanger, and flip it synchronously with the flipping motor to flip it, so that the conductive hanger flips from a vertical state to a horizontal state, and then slides horizontally to the loading and unloading station through the sliding module. The outer cover opening and closing mechanism is moved to the upper part of the conductive hanger by the transverse movement module cooperating with the first lifting module, and at the same time, the outer cover rotating jig descends to match the outer cover, the cylinder controls the damping block to clamp the outer cover, and at the same time, the outer cover rotating motor rotates, thereby opening the outer cover from the conductive hanger, and the opened outer cover is temporarily moved to one side with the outer cover opening and closing mechanism, and at the same time, the inner ring moving mechanism moves to the positive position of the conductive hanger Above, the inner ring clamping claw module is lowered by the second lifting module to clamp the sealing inner ring, and the sealed inner ring is transferred to the supporting platform for temporary storage, and then the wafer is clamped by the inner ring clamping claw module, and the transfer robot moves to the bottom of the wafer, lifts the wafer by the wafer pick-up and placement fork, and sends it to the cleaning mechanism to clean the processed wafer. During the cleaning process, the transfer robot sends the unprocessed wafer to the edge patrol mechanism for positioning groove and circular edge patrol and correction, and then the wafer after edge patrol is lifted by the transfer robot and sent to the top of the conductive hanger, and the wafer is clamped by the inner ring clamping claw module and placed on the annular base of the conductive hanger to realize wafer loading, and then the sealing inner ring on the supporting platform is clamped and placed above the wafer, and then the outer cover opening and closing mechanism screws the outer cover again to realize the sealing operation.

[0076] After one side of the conductive hanger is loaded and unloaded, it is rotated 180° by the clamping rotating assembly so that the reverse side faces upwards, and the above steps are repeated to load and unload the other side. After the entire conductive hanger is replaced with a new wafer, the flip motor flips the horizontal conductive hanger to a vertical state, and then it is transferred to the unloading position with the help of a U-shaped hanger, and transported to the surface treatment line for processing by an overhead crane.

[0077] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention in any form. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention are within the scope of the technical solution of the invention.

Claims

1. An automatic loading and unloading device for a rotary wafer rack, characterized in that: It includes a frame, a hanger turnover mechanism installed on the frame, a hanger clamping and flipping mechanism, a lateral movement module, a patrol mechanism, a cleaning mechanism, multiple wafer feeding mechanisms and a transfer manipulator, and an outer cover opening and closing mechanism and an inner ring moving mechanism are installed on the lateral movement module; The hanger turnover mechanism includes a bottom plate, a plurality of left and right moving modules, a front and back moving modules and a U-shaped hanger. The plurality of left and right moving modules are arranged in parallel on the bottom plate, including slide rails, and a transmission synchronous belt parallel to the slide rails. The transmission synchronous belt is a double-sided toothed synchronous belt, and its transmission is controlled by a driving motor at one end. The front and back moving modules are arranged perpendicular to the left and right moving modules. A connecting slide rail is fixed on the slider of the front and back moving modules, and a hanger slider is installed on the connecting slide rail. The front and back moving modules control the slider to slide back and forth, so that the connecting slide rail is spliced ​​with the slide rail of the corresponding left and right moving modules, so that the hanger slider moves from the connecting slide rail to the slide rail. The U-shaped hanger is installed on the hanger slider, and racks matching the synchronous belt teeth are provided on both sides of its bottom surface. The hanger clamping and flipping mechanism is located on one side of the hanger turnover mechanism, and clamps the conductive hanger to flip it and move it to the loading and unloading station; The wafer feeding mechanism is used to load unprocessed wafers and processed wafers; The outer cover opening and closing mechanism and the inner ring moving mechanism are located on both sides of the loading and unloading stations, respectively realizing the outer cover screwing and inner ring moving operations; The transfer robot is located on one side of the loading and unloading station. The edge inspection mechanism, cleaning mechanism, and multiple wafer feeding mechanisms are arranged around the transfer robot and are located within the operation range of the transfer robot. The inner ring moving mechanism includes an inner ring clamping claw module and a carrying platform. The inner ring clamping claw module clamps and moves the inner ring to the carrying platform to simultaneously realize the wafer taking and placing; The rotary wafer hanger comprises a first support plate and a second support plate which are arranged perpendicular to each other, a counterweight is fixed on the surface of the first support plate, an annular base is fixed on one or both sides of the second support plate, a wafer, a sealing inner ring and an outer cover are arranged on the annular base in sequence, and the outer cover is screwed on the annular base to press the sealing inner ring against the ineffective zone of the wafer; The transfer robot moves to the bottom of the wafer, lifts the wafer with the wafer pick-and-place fork, and sends it to the cleaning mechanism to clean the processed wafer. During the cleaning process, the transfer robot sends the unprocessed wafer to the edge patrol mechanism for positioning groove and circular edge patrol and correction. The wafer after edge patrol is then lifted by the transfer robot and sent to the top of the conductive hanger. The wafer is clamped by the inner ring clamp module and placed on the annular base of the conductive hanger to realize wafer loading. The sealing inner ring on the carrier is then clamped and placed above the wafer. The outer cover opening and closing mechanism then screws the outer cover again to realize the sealing operation.

2. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer rack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hanger clamping and flipping mechanism includes two sets of sliding modules arranged in parallel, a support frame fixed on the slider of the sliding module, a clamping rotating assembly installed between the support frames for clamping the counterweight block and driving the center of the wafer hanger to rotate, and a flipping motor installed on one side of the support frame to drive the clamping rotating assembly to flip.

3. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer rack according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping and rotating assembly includes a U-shaped mounting frame, a rotating motor, an assembly plate, a parallel clamping cylinder and two groups of clamping plates. The parallel clamping cylinder is fixed on the assembly plate. The two groups of clamping plates are symmetrically mounted on the two sliders of the parallel clamping cylinder. The parallel clamping cylinder controls the clamping plates to move relatively close or away from each other to achieve clamping or loosening of the counterweight. The assembly plate is connected to the rotating motor. The rotating motor is fixed between two support frames in conjunction with the U-shaped mounting frame, and one side of the U-shaped mounting frame is connected to the flip motor.

4. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer rack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer cover opening and closing mechanism includes a first lifting module, a fixed frame, an outer cover rotating motor and an outer cover rotating fixture. The first lifting module is fixed on the slider of the transverse movement module, the fixed frame is installed on the slider of the first lifting module, the outer cover rotating motor is installed on the fixed frame, the upper end of the outer cover rotating fixture is connected to the outer cover rotating motor with a coupling, and the lower end has a cavity consistent with the shape of the outer cover, and cylinders are embedded on opposite sides of the cavity for clamping the outer cover in the cavity.

5. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer hanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner ring moving mechanism also includes a second lifting module and a fixed plate, the supporting platform is fixed on the frame, the second lifting module is fixed on the slider of the transverse module, the fixed plate is installed on the slider of the second lifting module, and the inner ring clamping claw module is fixed on the fixed plate.

6. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer hanger according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner ring clamping module includes a module body, a plurality of inner ring clamping cylinders arranged at equal intervals around the module body, and an inner ring clamping cylinder installed on the inner ring clamping cylinder. The top of the module body is installed on a fixed plate through a connecting shaft, and a plurality of wafer proximity sensors are embedded in the bottom. At the same time, vacuum sealing rings are embedded around the bottom corresponding to the wafer invalid band positions to vacuum adsorb the wafer.

7. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer hanger according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner ring clamping module includes a module fixing plate, multiple inner ring clamping cylinders, multiple wafer clamping assemblies and a rotating linkage assembly. The multiple inner ring clamping cylinders are circumferentially evenly distributed around the module fixing plate, and the inner ring clamping cylinders are equipped with inner ring clamps. The multiple wafer clamping assemblies are also circumferentially evenly distributed around the module fixing plate, and the inner ring clamping cylinders and the wafer clamping assemblies are alternately arranged. The wafer clamping assembly includes a clamping slider fixed on the module fixing plate, and a wafer clamp slidably mounted on the clamping slider. The rotating linkage assembly includes a turntable mounted at the center of the module fixing plate, and a linkage driving part that drives the turntable to rotate forward and reverse. The wafer clamp is connected to the turntable through a connecting rod. As the turntable rotates forward and reverse, the connecting rod drives the wafer clamp to extend and retract along the clamping slider.

8. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer rack according to claim 7, characterized in that: A hook needle is arranged on the clamping surface of the wafer clamping claw.

9. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer hanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer feeding mechanism includes a wafer box and a wafer box opening mechanism. The wafer box opening mechanism includes a placement base plate for placing the wafer box, an opening panel for adsorbing and opening the wafer box panel, a lifting guide column and a lifting module. The opening panel cooperates with the guide sleeve to be mounted on the lifting guide column and is connected to the lifting module fixed on the top of the lifting guide column. The lifting module controls the opening panel to move up and down along the lifting guide column to lift the wafer box panel and expose the interior of the wafer box.

10. The automatic loading and unloading device of a rotary wafer hanger according to claim 9, characterized in that: An opening knob is provided on the opening panel corresponding to the position of the crystal box panel knob. The opening knob is controlled by a knob cylinder installed on the back of the opening panel. A plurality of suction cups are also provided on the opening panel. The placement base plate is fixed to the frame through an opening linear module. A positioning cylinder and a positioning protrusion for positioning the crystal box are provided on the surface of the placement base plate. The opening linear module drives the crystal box to move forward to the opening panel for opening the cover.

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