Semiconductor processing apparatus and wafer transfer platform

Abstract

The application discloses a semiconductor processing equipment and a wafer conveying platform thereof. The wafer conveying platform comprises a platform body, a mechanical hand for wafer grabbing arranged on the platform body, at least one extension cavity, the extension cavity being detachably installed on the platform body through a connecting piece and located on the side of the platform body, the extension cavity and the platform body constituting a platform area, and a reaction cavity group, the reaction cavity group being multiple groups and each reaction cavity group being arranged on the outer periphery of the platform area. When a certain or some reaction cavities are out of order, other reaction cavities arranged in parallel with the certain or some reaction cavities can be selected to complete work without stopping, so that the wafer processing efficiency is improved and the equipment maintenance cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and in particular to a semiconductor processing equipment and a wafer transport platform. Background Technology

[0002] In existing wafer transfer platforms, each platform can only be equipped with a single type and a fixed number of reaction chambers. However, in semiconductor processing, the required reaction chamber size varies depending on the product type, and a single reaction chamber cannot meet the requirements for versatility. Furthermore, when a reaction chamber malfunctions, the entire platform needs to be shut down for repair or the equipment needs to be replaced, which not only affects wafer processing efficiency but also increases equipment maintenance costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a semiconductor processing equipment and a wafer transport platform to at least partially solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] A wafer transport platform, comprising:

[0006] Platform body;

[0007] An expansion cavity, wherein there is at least one expansion cavity, and the expansion cavity is located on the side of the platform body and is detachably installed on the platform body via a connector, the expansion cavity and the platform body constituting a platform area;

[0008] The reaction chamber group consists of multiple groups, and each reaction chamber group is located on the outer periphery of the platform area.

[0009] Furthermore, the wafer transfer platform also includes a robotic arm, which is disposed within the platform body or the expansion cavity and positioned away from the center of the cavity. Specifically, in this application, the robotic arm can be disposed on one side of the combined cavity formed by the platform body and the expansion cavity, for example, on the left, right, upper, or lower side of the cavity, or in a corner of the cavity. By positioning the robotic arm in this way, interference with gas flow can be better avoided, thereby making the air intake and exhaust channels smoother during the vacuuming, degassing, and purging (cleaning) processes of the cavity, thus better controlling the flow field of the cavity, resulting in fewer particles and a cleaner cavity.

[0010] Furthermore, the reaction chamber group includes at least two reaction chambers, which are independent of each other and distributed adjacent to each other.

[0011] When the two reaction chambers are independent of each other, only one of the reaction chambers can be operated, or the same or different operations can be performed on both reaction chambers at the same time, thereby improving the flexibility of the process.

[0012] Furthermore, the reaction chamber comprises at least two independent chambers.

[0013] Furthermore, the wafer transfer platform also includes a loading cavity.

[0014] Furthermore, the loading cavity is connected to the platform body or the expansion cavity, and the loading cavity is disposed on both sides or around the platform body, and / or the loading cavity is disposed on both sides or around the expansion cavity.

[0015] Furthermore, there is one expansion cavity, which is located on one side of the platform body. Specifically, it can be located at the end of the platform body away from the loading cavity.

[0016] Furthermore, the reaction chamber group consists of four groups, of which two groups of reaction chambers are located on both sides of the expansion cavity, and the other two groups of reaction chambers are located on both sides of the platform body.

[0017] Furthermore, the expansion cavity may be two or more.

[0018] Furthermore, the reaction chamber group comprises five groups, wherein two of the five reaction chamber groups are located on one side of the platform area, the other two of the five reaction chamber groups are located on the other side of the platform area, and the last of the five reaction chamber groups is located at the end of the platform area furthest from the loading cavity.

[0019] Furthermore, the reaction chamber group comprises five groups, wherein two of the five reaction chamber groups are respectively arranged on both sides of the first expansion chamber, the other two of the five reaction chamber groups are respectively arranged on both sides of the second expansion chamber, and the last of the five reaction chamber groups is arranged on any side of the platform body.

[0020] Furthermore, the reaction chamber group comprises six groups, wherein two groups of the six reaction chamber groups are respectively arranged on both sides of the first expansion chamber, the other two groups of the six reaction chamber groups are respectively arranged on both sides of the second expansion chamber, and the last two groups of the six reaction chamber groups are respectively arranged on both sides of the platform body.

[0021] Furthermore, the expansion cavity is polygonal, and each side of the expansion cavity may be selectively fitted with the reaction cavity.

[0022] Furthermore, the expansion cavity is quadrilateral, pentagonal, hexagonal, or L-shaped. When the expansion cavity is quadrilateral or hexagonal, the area of ​​the site can be better utilized, increasing the number of reaction cavities that can be arranged per unit area of ​​the site.

[0023] Furthermore, the loading cavity of the wafer transfer platform has a modular structure, and the loading cavity can be selectively installed at a preset position on the platform body.

[0024] Furthermore, the robotic arm can grasp wafers transferred from one side or chips transferred from both sides.

[0025] In this article, "the robotic arm grasps a wafer transferred from one side or a wafer transferred from both sides" means that, according to the requirements of the wafer transfer logic, the robotic arm can grasp one wafer and transfer it to the corresponding reaction chamber, or it can grasp two wafers and transfer them to the corresponding reaction chamber, thus providing various possible transfer methods and corresponding wafer processing methods for the operation, and providing operational flexibility.

[0026] The present invention also provides a semiconductor processing apparatus, including the wafer transport platform as described above.

[0027] The present invention also provides a wafer transfer method, which employs the wafer transfer platform described above.

[0028] The wafer transfer method of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0029] The atmospheric evaporator (EFEM) is used to transfer two wafers to one of the loading cavities, and then transfer the other two wafers to the other of the loading cavities.

[0030] The loading cavity is evacuated to a vacuum state. The left and right arms of the robot (vacuum robot) in the wafer transfer platform of the present invention are used to pick up two wafers from the loading cavity respectively. Then, the left arm of the robot transfers the wafers to the first set of reaction chambers in the reaction chamber group, and the first set of reaction chambers starts the process. The right arm of the robot transfers the wafers to the second set of reaction chambers in the reaction chamber group, and the second set of reaction chambers starts the process.

[0031] The EFEM robot continues to transfer the wafer to the loading cavity. The left and right arms of the robot in the wafer transfer platform of the present invention repeat the above steps to transfer the wafer to other groups of reaction cavities (e.g., the third and fourth groups of reaction cavities).

[0032] After completing the above steps, the left arm of the robot continues to pick up the wafers from the loading chamber. After the first set of reaction chambers completes the process, the right arm of the robot removes the wafers from the first set of reaction chambers. Then, the left arm of the robot transports the next batch of wafers into the first set of reaction chambers to start the process. The right arm of the robot transfers the first batch of wafers that have completed the process to the loading chamber, and then the EFEM robot transports them out.

[0033] Then repeat the above steps to complete the loading and unloading of wafers in the second set of reaction chambers and other sets of reaction chambers (such as the third set of reaction chambers and the fourth set of reaction chambers).

[0034] In one or more specific embodiments, the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0035] In the wafer transfer platform of the present invention, by providing at least one expansion cavity on the side of the platform body, the expansion cavity and the platform body constitute a platform area, thereby increasing the area of ​​the platform area and allowing for an increase in the number of reaction cavities. When one or more reaction cavities malfunction, other parallel reaction cavities can be selected to complete the work without downtime, improving wafer processing efficiency and reducing equipment maintenance costs. Furthermore, the wafer transfer platform of the present invention allows for diverse combinations of cavities, including but not limited to the relative positions of the platform body and expansion cavities, the number and placement of reaction cavity groups, and the placement of loading cavities. These can all be adjusted, resulting in more diverse combinations and more flexible operation of the wafer transfer platform, better meeting the different needs of the semiconductor processing technology field. Furthermore, in this invention, by combining the setting of the expansion cavity, the wafer transfer scheme of the EFEM robot (atmospheric robot) and the vacuum robot (wafer transfer platform robot) can be adjusted, thereby enabling the wafer transfer platform of this invention to perform different process processes in different reaction cavities. This not only improves processing capacity but also integrates various process reactions more efficiently, making different process reaction steps continuous. Attached Figure Description

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be noted that the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer transport platform provided by the present invention when it includes an extended cavity;

[0038] Figure 2One of the schematic diagrams of the wafer transport platform provided by the present invention includes two quadrilateral expansion cavities;

[0039] Figure 3 The second schematic diagram of the wafer transport platform provided by the present invention includes two quadrilateral expansion cavities;

[0040] Figure 4 One of the schematic diagrams of the wafer transport platform provided by the present invention includes a hexagonal extended cavity;

[0041] Figure 5 The second schematic diagram of the wafer transport platform provided by the present invention includes two hexagonal expansion cavities;

[0042] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of each reaction chamber group in the wafer transport platform provided by the present invention, which includes four reaction chambers.

[0043] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0044] 1-Platform body, 2-Expansion cavity, 3-Loading cavity, 4-Reaction cavity assembly, 41-Reaction cavity; 5-Robot arm Detailed Implementation

[0045] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other; and, based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0047] It should also be noted that the following description relates to various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. It should be pointed out that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0048] To address the problem that the single combination of reaction cavities in wafer transfer platforms and the impact of reaction cavity maintenance on the overall process implementation, this invention provides a wafer transfer platform that can realize multiple combinations of the number and location of reaction cavities, so as to achieve diversified reaction cavity combinations and non-stop maintenance of reaction cavities.

[0049] In one specific embodiment, the wafer transport platform provided by the present invention is used in semiconductor processing equipment. The wafer transport platform includes a platform body 1, an expansion cavity 2 connected to the platform body 1, and reaction cavity groups 4 installed on the periphery of the expansion cavity 2 and / or the platform body 1. Each reaction cavity group 4 includes at least two reaction cavities 41, which are independent of each other and distributed adjacently. That is, each module formed by the reaction cavity group 4 has two independent reaction cavities 41, and each reaction cavity 41 includes at least two independent chambers, which can be arranged adjacently. A robotic arm 5 for wafer gripping is provided on the platform body 1. The robotic arm 5 is used to grip wafers in the loading cavity 3 and deliver the wafers to the corresponding reaction cavity 41, or to backfill the processed wafers in the reaction cavity 41 into the loading cavity 3. Depending on the process requirements, the robotic arm 5 can be arranged at the center of the platform body 1 or on one side of the platform. The robotic arm 5 can grasp wafers transferred from one side or wafers transferred from both sides. The robotic arm 5 can transfer two wafers simultaneously or transfer a wafer from one side only. This is to ensure that if one reaction chamber 41 in the reaction chamber group 4 malfunctions, it will not affect the operation of the other reaction chamber 41. In other words, the robotic arm 5 is preferably dual independent robotic arms 5, so that two wafers can be transferred simultaneously to two adjacent reaction chambers 41 in the same reaction chamber group 4, or a single wafer can be transferred to another reaction chamber 41 in the same group while one reaction chamber 41 is being maintained. Meanwhile, since the combined cavity has a large volume, the robotic arm 5 is preferably positioned away from the center of the cavity. In this application, "position away from the center of the cavity" includes placing the robotic arm 5 on one side of the cavity. "Placed on one side of the cavity" includes placing the robotic arm 5 on, for example, the left, right, upper, or lower side of the cavity, and also includes placing the robotic arm 5 in a corner of the cavity. In this case, when the cavity is evacuated or emptied, the flow field inside the cavity will not be disturbed by the setting of the robotic arm, so the flow field inside the cavity can be more stable, thus better maintaining the vacuum level and cleanliness of the cavity.

[0050] The inventors discovered through research that during conventional wafer processing, certain particles may adhere to the surface of the wafer itself. Furthermore, these particles inevitably accumulate during storage, transportation, and use. Even if the wafer is cleaned before processing, the cleaning process, whether conducted in the atmosphere or under a controlled atmosphere, still presents the possibility of particle generation. In this context, particularly in this invention, the larger volume of the combined cavity due to the introduction of the extended cavity makes maintaining its cleanliness especially crucial. By positioning the robotic arm away from the center of the cavity (including positioning it on one side, such as the left, right, upper, or lower side, or a corner), the robotic arm does not interfere with gas flow during vacuuming, venting, and purging (cleaning) of the cavity. This allows for smoother airflow in the intake and exhaust channels, better control of the cavity's flow field, resulting in fewer particles and a cleaner cavity.

[0051] The platform body 1 can be a quadrilateral or a polygonal structure, such as a pentagon or hexagon. Considering the need for a smaller footprint per unit reaction chamber, a hexagonal structure is preferred. This allows for the arrangement of more chambers within the same footprint, resulting in higher productivity per unit area.

[0052] There can be at least one expansion cavity 2, and the expansion cavity 2 can be located beside the platform body 1. The outer wall of the expansion cavity 2 is detachably installed on the platform body 1 via a connector. The expansion cavity 2 and the platform body 1 constitute a platform area. It can be understood that the platform area is a region jointly formed by the expansion cavity 2 and the platform body 1, and this region is used to connect the reaction chamber assembly 4. Specifically, the connector can be a bolt or caliper, as long as it enables a detachable connection between the platform body 1 and the expansion cavity 2. A sealing ring is provided at the connection point between the platform body and the outer wall of the expansion cavity 2 to achieve a seal at the joint.

[0053] In some embodiments, the expansion cavity 2 is quadrilateral or hexagonal, and each side of the expansion cavity 2 may optionally be fitted with a reaction cavity 41. That is, the expansion cavity 2 can be quadrilateral or expanded into a hexagon, offering a variety of options. Since the hexagonal shape occupies less space and can connect more reaction cavities 41, a hexagonal expansion cavity 2 is preferred.

[0054] The reaction chamber group 4 consists of multiple groups, each located on the outer periphery of the platform area. It should be understood that each reaction chamber group 4 has a housing, with the reaction chamber 41 located within the housing. The reaction chamber group 4 is detachably connected to the outer wall of the platform body 1 or the expansion cavity 2 via its housing. To allow for expansion of the reaction chamber group 4 in any form and number, and to facilitate the replacement and adjustment of the reaction chamber 41, the reaction chamber 41 is detachably installed on the outer periphery of the platform area; that is, the reaction chamber 41 is detachably connected to the expansion cavity 2 and the platform body 1. Specifically, bolts or calipers can be used to achieve this detachable connection. Furthermore, sealing rings are provided at the connection points between the housings of the reaction chamber 41 on the platform body and between the housing of the reaction chamber 41 and the outer wall of the expansion cavity 2 to ensure sealing at the joints.

[0055] Theoretically, the platform body 1 can be a quadrilateral structure, such as a rectangle or a square, or it can be a pentagon or a hexagon. When installing the expansion cavity 2, the expansion cavity 2 can be set on each side of the platform body 1, or it can be set on one or more sides of the platform body 1 as needed. Furthermore, the expansion cavity 2 can be a quadrilateral structure, or it can be a pentagon, hexagon, or other structural form, whichever is required. The installation position and number of reaction cavity groups 4 on the expansion cavity 2 and the platform body 1 can also be selected according to requirements; this invention does not limit these aspects.

[0056] Taking a quadrilateral structure as an example, the expansion cavities 2 can be configured with one, two, or more depending on usage requirements. It should be understood that when the platform body 1 has a polygonal structure, the number of expansion cavities 2 can be equal to or less than the number of sides of the platform body 1. For example, when the platform body 1 is pentagonal, all or part of the remaining sides can be configured with expansion cavities, except for one side used for the loading cavity. In this case, four expansion cavities 2 can be configured, each connected to a side of the platform body 1 to expand outwards relative to the platform body 1.

[0057] Furthermore, the loading cavity of the wafer transfer platform has a modular structure, and the loading cavity can be selectively installed at a preset position on the platform body 1. The preset position includes the upper part, left side, right side, or lower part of the platform body 1.

[0058] In one application scenario, a modular loading chamber is used, and its position can be changed according to usage requirements to connect more reaction chambers 41 within a smaller footprint. The loading chamber can be set at the bottom, left, right, or top, offering greater flexibility in placement and footprint. It can also connect chambers of different shapes (including reaction chambers and loading chambers). Due to its modular design and flexible configuration, it is suitable for various machine models and can also be used for the modification of existing platforms, making it widely applicable.

[0059] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, both the platform body 1 and the expansion cavity 2 are quadrilateral structures. There is one expansion cavity 2, located at the end of the platform body 1 furthest from the loading cavity 3. There are four sets of reaction cavities 4, with two sets located on either side of the expansion cavity 2 and the other two sets located on either side of the platform body 1. Through expansion, the number of reaction cavities 41 can be increased from the existing four to eight.

[0060] To further improve the carrying capacity of the reaction chamber assembly 4, two expansion chambers 2 can also be provided, that is, expansion chamber 2 includes a first expansion chamber and a second expansion chamber. The first expansion chamber is located at the end of the platform body 1 away from the loading chamber 3, and the second expansion chamber is located at the end of the platform body 1 close to the loading chamber 3.

[0061] When there are two expansion cavities 2, such as Figure 2 As shown, the reaction chamber group 4 can be configured with five groups, of which two groups are located on one side of the platform area, and the other three groups are located on the other side of the platform area. Through expansion, the number of reaction chambers 41 can be increased from the existing conventional four to ten, thus increasing the number of reaction chambers 41.

[0062] When there are two expansion cavities 2, such as Figure 3 As shown, the reaction chamber group 4 can be six groups, wherein two groups of the six reaction chamber groups 4 are respectively arranged on both sides of the first expansion cavity 2, the other two groups of the six reaction chamber groups 4 are respectively arranged on both sides of the second expansion cavity 2, and the other two groups of the six reaction chamber groups 4 are arranged on both sides of the platform body 1. After expansion, the number of reaction chambers 41 can be expanded from the existing conventional arrangement of 4 to 12, thus increasing the number of reaction chambers 41.

[0063] It should be understood that the reaction chamber group can also be 7, 8 or more groups, which can be set according to the specific needs of use, without exhaustive list.

[0064] In the above embodiments, the expansion cavity 2 is a quadrilateral structure, or it can be a hexagonal structure. The reaction cavity group 4 can be set on each side of the hexagonal structure, thereby further increasing the number of reaction cavity groups 4 and improving space utilization.

[0065] When the expansion cavity 2 is a hexagonal structure, such as Figure 4 As shown, the reaction chamber group 4 can be configured with seven groups. One group of the seven reaction chamber groups 4 is located on one side of the platform body, another group is located on the other side of the platform body, and the remaining five groups are located on the five sides of the expansion cavity 2. After expansion, the number of reaction chambers 41 can be increased from the existing conventional four to fourteen, significantly increasing the number of reaction chambers 41.

[0066] When there are two expansion cavities 2, that is, when expansion cavity 2 includes a first expansion cavity 2 and a second expansion cavity 2, and both expansion cavities 2 are hexagonal structures, such as Figure 5 As shown, the reaction chamber group 4 can also be 11 groups, wherein five groups of the 11 reaction chamber groups 4 are respectively arranged on the five sides of the first expansion cavity 2, the other two groups of the 11 reaction chamber groups 4 are respectively arranged on both sides of the platform body 1, and the last four groups of the 11 reaction chamber groups 4 are respectively arranged on the four sides of the second expansion cavity 2. After expansion, the number of reaction chambers 41 can be expanded from the existing conventional arrangement of 4 to 22, significantly increasing the number of reaction chambers 41.

[0067] In the above embodiments, each reaction chamber group 4 includes two reaction chambers 41. However, in this invention, each reaction chamber group 4 is not limited to having only two reaction chambers 41, such as... Figure 6 As shown, each reaction chamber group can also be equipped with four reaction chambers 41, or more reaction chambers 41. In this case, the width of the reaction chamber group needs to be expanded. With four or more reaction chambers 41 in each reaction chamber group, more chambers can be arranged in the same footprint, thereby increasing the production capacity per unit area.

[0068] The wafer transfer platform is equipped with two independent loading cavities 3, enabling rapid vacuuming and backfilling. Depending on different process requirements, a single loading cavity 3 can be vacuumed / backfilled individually, or a combination of both can be performed. Each loading cavity 3 can hold two wafers, one above the other. During operation, the wafer is removed from the wafer cassette on the EFEM (Equipment Front-End Module) by an atmospheric robotic arm and placed into the loading cavity. The loading cavity is then evacuated. After evacuation, the vacuum robotic arm removes the wafer from the loading cavity and, depending on the process chamber, transfers it to the process chamber for process experiments. After the process is completed, the vacuum robotic arm removes the wafer from the process chamber and places an unprocessed wafer inside for further process experiments. The processed wafer is then transferred back to the loading cavity, which is then backfilled to atmospheric conditions. The atmospheric robotic arm then removes the wafer and transfers it back to the wafer cassette on the EFEM.

[0069] Regarding the process of robotic arms transferring wafers, Figure 1 Taking the wafer transfer platform shown as an example, further explanation is provided below.

[0070] The EFEM robotic arm simultaneously picks up two wafers, transfers them to one of the loading cavities 3, and then picks up two more wafers and transfers them to the other of the loading cavities 3. Here, as mentioned earlier, two wafers can be placed one on top of the other in the loading cavity.

[0071] The loading chamber is evacuated to a vacuum. The left and right arms of robot 5 can rotate relative to each other. The left arm picks up one wafer from each side of the loading chamber. The left arm then rotates to a certain angle, and the right arm picks up one wafer from each side of the loading chamber. The left arm transfers the wafers to the first set of reaction chambers in the reaction chamber group, where the process begins. The right arm then transfers the wafers to the second set of reaction chambers in the reaction chamber group, where the process begins. The EFEM robot continues to transfer wafers to the loading chamber, and the left and right arms of robot 5 repeat the above steps to transfer wafers to the third and fourth sets of reaction chambers.

[0072] After completing the above steps, the left arm of the robotic arm continues to pick up wafers from the loading chamber. After the first set of reaction chambers completes the process, the right arm of the robotic arm removes the wafers from the first set of reaction chambers. Then, the left arm of the robotic arm feeds the next batch of wafers into the first set of reaction chambers to begin the process. The right arm of the robotic arm transfers the first batch of wafers that have completed the process to the loading chamber, where they are then transported out by the EFEM robotic arm. The above steps are then repeated to complete the picking and placing of wafers in the second, third, and fourth sets of reaction chambers.

[0073] When the EFEM robot removes the wafer, the loading cavity is backfilled to the atmosphere. The EFEM robot can take one wafer or two wafers at the same time, depending on the actual situation, and transfer them back to the wafer box to complete the entire process experiment.

[0074] Unlike traditional wafer transfer methods, where the robotic arm must return to its origin before transferring the wafer, this invention allows the robotic arm to rotate directly from the loading cavity to the reaction cavity after retrieving the wafer, reducing transfer time. Furthermore, the left and right arms of the robotic arm can rotate relative to each other. After the reaction cavity process is completed, one arm (left or right) of the robotic arm will remove the wafer from the reaction cavity, and then the other arm can transfer the wafer to be reacted to the reaction cavity for reaction. This makes the wafer transfer process more compact and efficient.

[0075] Alternatively, the first, second, third, and fourth reaction chambers can be reaction chambers for different processes. After the first reaction chamber completes its process, it can be transferred to other reaction chambers to continue another process. The multi-chamber setup combined with different wafer transfer schemes can more efficiently integrate various process reactions and make different process reaction steps continuous.

[0076] The above content combined Figure 1 The illustrated wafer transfer platform provides an explanation of the wafer transfer scheme. Based on this understanding, the wafer transfer scheme can be adapted to the wafer transfer platform disclosed in other specific embodiments of the present invention. The above description of the wafer transfer scheme is illustrative and not restrictive.

[0077] In the above specific embodiments, the wafer transfer platform provided by the present invention increases the area of ​​the platform region by providing at least one expansion cavity on the side of the platform body, thereby increasing the number of reaction cavities that can be installed. Furthermore, by combining the provision of different expansion cavities with adaptive adjustments to the wafer transfer schemes of the EFEM robot (atmospheric robot) and vacuum robot (robot 5), the wafer transfer platform of the present invention can perform different process steps in different reaction cavities. This not only improves processing capacity but also allows for more efficient integration of various process reactions, making different process reaction steps continuous. Moreover, when one or more reaction cavities malfunction, other parallel reaction cavities can be selected to complete the work without downtime, improving wafer processing efficiency and reducing equipment maintenance costs.

[0078] In addition to the aforementioned wafer transfer platform, the present invention also provides a semiconductor processing apparatus including the wafer transfer platform. For the structure of other parts of the semiconductor processing apparatus, please refer to the prior art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0079] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” as used herein may also include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not construed as requiring them to be performed in a particular order described or illustrated unless the order of performance is explicitly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0080] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or segment from another. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer, or segment discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or segment without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0081] For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used in the text to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature, as shown in the figure. These relative terms include, for example, "inside," "outside," "middle," "outer," "below," "below," "above," "over," etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation, other than those depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, an element described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" would subsequently be oriented as "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features." Therefore, the example term "below" can include both upper and lower orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relative descriptors used in the text will be interpreted accordingly.

[0082] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer transport platform, characterized in that, include: Platform body (1); An expansion cavity (2) is provided, and the expansion cavity (2) is located on the side of the platform body (1) and is detachably installed on the platform body (1) by means of a connector. The expansion cavity (2) and the platform body (1) constitute a platform area, which is a vacuum area jointly formed by the expansion cavity (2) and the platform body (1). The reaction chamber group (4) consists of multiple groups, and each reaction chamber group (4) is located on the outer periphery of the platform area; The wafer transfer platform also includes a robotic arm (5), which is located on one side of the combined cavity formed by the platform body and the expansion cavity or at the corner of the combined cavity, so that the air intake and exhaust channels are unobstructed. The wafer transfer platform also includes a loading cavity (3), which is connected to the platform body (1) or the expansion cavity (2). The loading cavity (3) is located on both sides or around the platform body (1), or the loading cavity (3) is located on both sides or around the expansion cavity (2). Only one side of the platform body (1) and the expansion cavity (2) is used to set the loading cavity (3).

2. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reaction chamber group (4) includes at least two reaction chambers (41), and each of the reaction chambers (41) is distributed adjacent to each other.

3. The wafer transport platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reaction chamber group (4) consists of at least three groups, wherein the reaction chamber group (4) is located on both sides of the platform body (1) or around the expansion cavity (2).

4. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The expansion cavity (2) may be two or more.

5. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The expansion cavity (2) may be two or more.

6. The wafer transport platform according to claim 5, characterized in that, The reaction chamber group (4) consists of five groups, of which two groups are located on one side of the platform area, the other two groups are located on the other side of the platform area, and the last group is located at the end of the platform area away from the loading cavity (3).

7. The wafer transport platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The expansion cavity (2) includes a first expansion cavity and a second expansion cavity. The first expansion cavity is located at the end of the platform body (1) away from the loading cavity (3), and the second expansion cavity is located at the end of the platform body (1) close to the loading cavity (3).

8. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 7, characterized in that, The reaction chamber group (4) consists of five groups. Two of the five reaction chamber groups (4) are respectively located on both sides of the first expansion chamber, and the other two of the five reaction chamber groups (4) are respectively located on both sides of the second expansion chamber. The last of the five reaction chamber groups (4) is located on any side of the platform body (1).

9. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 7, characterized in that, The reaction chamber group (4) consists of six groups, two of which are respectively located on both sides of the first expansion chamber, the other two of which are respectively located on both sides of the second expansion chamber, and the last two of which are respectively located on both sides of the platform body (1).

10. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The expansion cavity (2) is polygonal, and each side of the expansion cavity (2) is selectively fitted with the reaction cavity (41).

11. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 10, characterized in that, The polygon can be a triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, or hexagon.

12. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer transfer platform also includes a loading cavity, which is a modular structure and is selectively installed at a preset position on the platform body (1).

13. The wafer transfer platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic arm (5) grasps a wafer transferred from one side or a chip transferred from both sides.

14. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the wafer transport platform as described in any one of claims 1-13.

15. A wafer transfer method, characterized in that, The wafer transfer platform as described in any one of claims 1-13 is used for wafer transfer.

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