Semiconductor processing apparatus and wafer alignment device therefor

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a semiconductor process equipment and a wafer alignment device thereof. The wafer alignment device is arranged on a preset cassette temporary storage table in the semiconductor process equipment, and comprises a rotating mechanism and a clamping mechanism. The rotating mechanism is arranged on the cassette temporary storage table, and the clamping mechanism is connected with the rotating mechanism and used for clamping the cassette. The rotating mechanism is used for driving the clamping mechanism to rotate synchronously, so that the clamping mechanism and the cassette are inclined, and wafer alignment in the cassette is realized. Embodiments of the present application can arrange the wafer without contacting the cassette and the wafer, thereby effectively reducing particle pollution of the wafer caused by impact and contact. In addition, particle pollution caused by impact between the existing measuring device and the wafer can be avoided, thereby greatly improving the yield.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, in particular, the present application relates to a semiconductor process equipment and a wafer alignment device thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, the heat treatment equipment of the semiconductor process equipment mainly includes two parts of a furnace body and a storage bin. The cassette robot will first convey multiple cassettes into the storage bin. At this time, the wafer conveying robot takes the wafers out of the cassettes and puts them on the wafer boat. The wafer boat is lifted into the furnace body, and the wafer undergoes oxidation reaction in the furnace body to form an oxide film. After the reaction is completed, the wafer boat is lowered, and the wafer is conveyed back to the cassette by the wafer conveying robot to complete the process.

[0003] In the prior art, the cassette has a layer of wafer grooves to ensure the fixed position of the wafers in the cassette. When the cassette is placed horizontally, the wafers are in a horizontal state, and the wafer conveying robot can take and place the wafers through the wafer conveying port on the front side of the cassette. When the cassette robot needs to take the cassette, the number and position of the cassette need to be measured. In the prior art, a measuring device is generally moved up and down at the wafer conveying port of the cassette to complete the scanning measurement of the cassette. However, when individual wafers slide out of the cassette, the measuring device will hit the wafers, causing the risk of broken wafers and contaminated cassettes. Although the existing technology usually sets a wafer pushing device in the storage bin part, the wafer pushing device moves to the wafer conveying port and pushes the slipped wafers back into the interior of the cassette from the front. However, the current wafer pushing device directly contacts the cassette during wafer pushing, which not only has the possibility of contaminating the cassette and the wafers, but also easily causes excessive wafer pushing, causing the cassette to move or even overturn if the forward movement of the wafer pushing action is not precise enough. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims at the shortcomings of the existing method and provides a semiconductor process equipment and a wafer alignment device thereof to solve the technical problems of contaminating the cassette, moving and overturning the cassette in the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a wafer alignment device of a semiconductor process equipment, which is arranged on a preset cassette temporary storage table in the semiconductor process equipment, and includes a rotating mechanism and a clamping mechanism. The rotating mechanism is arranged on the cassette temporary storage table, and the clamping mechanism is connected with the rotating mechanism and used for clamping the cassette. The rotating mechanism is used for driving the clamping mechanism to rotate synchronously, so as to incline the clamping mechanism and the cassette, and realize the alignment of the wafers in the cassette.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present application, the clamping mechanism comprises clamping columns and a first driver, two of the clamping columns are oppositely and spacedly arranged, the bottom ends of the two clamping columns are connected with the rotating mechanism, and the first driver is arranged between the two clamping columns and used to drive the two clamping columns to approach or move away from each other, so as to clamp or release the two side walls of the film box in the horizontal direction.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the clamping mechanism further comprises two groups of symmetrically arranged clamping assemblies, two groups of the clamping assemblies are arranged on the two clamping columns respectively, and the two groups of the clamping assemblies are oppositely arranged, each group of the clamping assemblies comprises clamping sliders and a second driver, two of the clamping sliders are sequentially arranged on the corresponding clamping column from top to bottom and can slide along the corresponding clamping column, and the second driver is arranged on the corresponding clamping column and located between the two clamping sliders, and is used to drive the two clamping sliders to approach or move away from each other, so as to clamp or release the top wall and the bottom wall of the film box in the vertical direction.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the clamping assembly further comprises a plurality of clamping blocks, the plurality of clamping blocks are arranged on the two clamping sliders respectively, and the clamping blocks on the two clamping sliders are oppositely arranged, and are used to make point contact with the top wall and the bottom wall of the film box.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, the wafer alignment device further comprises a vibration assembly, the vibration assembly is arranged on the clamping block and is used to vibrate one side of the film conveying port of the film box when the clamping mechanism is rotated to deviate from the vertical direction by a preset clamping angle.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, the vibration assembly comprises a vibrator and a lifting structure, the vibrator is arranged on the clamping block through the lifting structure, and the lifting structure is used to drive the vibrator to rise, so that the vibrator abuts against the bottom of the film box.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the vibrator comprises a piezoelectric ceramic vibrator, and the vibration frequency of the vibrator is 40 kHz-120 kHz.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present application, the wafer alignment device further comprises a detection assembly, the detection assembly is arranged at the end of the clamping slider and is used to detect the film conveying port of the film box, so as to detect whether the wafer in the film box is aligned.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, the detection assembly comprises at least two pairs of sensors, two of the pairs of sensors are arranged on the two clamping sliders of any one of the clamping assemblies.

[0014] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a semiconductor process equipment, comprising a furnace body, a storage bin, and a wafer alignment device as provided in the first aspect, wherein the storage bin is provided with a cassette temporary storage table, and the wafer alignment device is arranged on the cassette temporary storage table.

[0015] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application has the beneficial technical effects of:

[0016] The embodiments of the present application arrange the rotating mechanism and the clamping mechanism on the cassette temporary storage table, so that when the cassette is on the cassette temporary storage table, the rotating mechanism and the clamping mechanism can arrange and align the multiple wafers in the cassette, so that the embodiments of the present application can align the multiple misaligned wafers in the cassette at one time, so as to realize the arrangement and alignment of the wafers without contacting the cassette and the wafers, thereby effectively reducing the particle pollution of the wafers caused by impact and contact. In addition, since the multiple wafers in the cassette have been arranged and aligned, even if the existing measuring device is used to detect the cassette, the particle pollution caused by the impact between the measuring device and the wafers can also be avoided, thereby greatly improving the yield.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be made apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the present application, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the embodiments of the present application, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the embodiments of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] FIG. 1A A front view schematic diagram of a wafer alignment device provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0020] FIG. 1B A sectional view schematic diagram of a wafer alignment device provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0021] FIG. 2A A sectional view schematic diagram of a clamping mechanism cooperating with a cassette provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0022] FIG. 2B A sectional view schematic diagram of a clamping mechanism cooperating with a cassette provided by the embodiments of the present application, in a first position;

[0023] FIG. 2C A sectional view schematic diagram of a clamping mechanism cooperating with a cassette provided by the embodiments of the present application, in a second position;

[0024] FIG. 3 A structural schematic diagram of a clamping assembly cooperating with a clamping column provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0025] FIG. 4A A structure schematic view of a clamping mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present application not clamping a sheet box;

[0026] FIG. 4B A structure schematic view of a clamping column clamping a sheet box provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 4C A structure schematic view of a clamping column and a clamping assembly clamping a sheet box provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 5 A side view schematic view of a vibration assembly cooperating with a sheet box provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG. 6 A top view schematic view of a vibration assembly cooperating with a sheet box provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG. 7 A side view schematic view of a detection assembly cooperating with a sheet box provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG. 8A A structure schematic view of a semiconductor process equipment provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG. 8B A structure schematic view of a wafer alignment device cooperating with a sheet box temporary storage table provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present application will be described in detail below, examples of embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, wherein the same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar components or components having the same or similar functions throughout. In addition, if a detailed description of known technology is unnecessary for the features of the present application shown, it is omitted. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary, only for explaining the present application, and cannot be interpreted as a limitation of the present application.

[0034] Those skilled in the art can understand that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as that generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in a general dictionary should be understood to have meanings consistent with those in the context of the prior art, and should not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless specifically defined as such.

[0035] The technical solutions of the present application and how the technical solutions of the present application solve the above technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments.

[0036] The embodiment of the present application provides a wafer alignment device of a semiconductor process equipment, which is arranged on a preset cassette temporary storage table in the semiconductor process equipment. The semiconductor process equipment specifically refers to as shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B , which comprises a furnace body 101 and a storage bin 102, and the storage bin 102 is provided with a cassette temporary storage table 104. Specifically, the bottom of the furnace body 101 is provided with a wafer boat 105 and a wafer conveying manipulator 106. The storage bin 102 is located at the right side of the furnace body 101, a cassette manipulator 107 can be arranged in the storage bin 102, and the cassette temporary storage table 104 is arranged at the bottom right side of the storage bin 102.

[0037] The structure schematic diagram of the wafer alignment device 103 provided by the embodiment of the present application is as shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B , which comprises a rotating mechanism 1 and a clamping mechanism 2; the rotating mechanism 1 is arranged on the cassette temporary storage table 104, the clamping mechanism 2 is connected with the rotating mechanism 1 and is used for clamping a cassette 200; the rotating mechanism 1 is used for driving the clamping mechanism 2 to rotate synchronously, so that the clamping mechanism 2 and the cassette 200 are inclined, so as to realize the alignment of wafers 300 in the cassette 200.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B , FIG. 8A and FIG. 8BAs shown, the wafer alignment device 103 is arranged on a cassette temporary storage table 104 of a semiconductor processing equipment, and is arranged close to a cassette robot 107, which can be located at a side of the wafer transfer port 201 of the cassette 200 when the cassette 200 is moved to the clamping mechanism 2. The cassette temporary storage table 104 can be located on a storage bin 102 of the semiconductor processing equipment, but the present application is not limited thereto. The rotating mechanism 1 can include a roller 11, for example, which can be driven by a motor. The clamping mechanism 2 can be arranged on the top of the roller 11 of the rotating mechanism 1 for clamping the cassette 200. The rotating mechanism 1 can drive the clamping mechanism 2 to rotate by a preset clamping angle in a first direction, for example, the first direction can be clockwise, and the preset clamping angle can be specifically set to be less than 30 degrees, so that the cassette 200 on the clamping mechanism 2 is inclined, thereby realizing the arrangement of the wafers 300 in the cassette 200. It should be noted that the first direction needs to be opposite to the direction of the wafer transfer port 201 of the cassette 200, so the present application is not limited to the specific direction of the first direction, as long as the first direction is opposite to the direction of the wafer transfer port 201 of the cassette 200, for example, the first direction can also be counterclockwise, but in order to facilitate the description below, the first direction is taken as an example of clockwise. In actual application, the clamping mechanism 2 clamps the cassette 200, so that the wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are in a horizontal state, and the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate through the clamping mechanism 2, so that the cassette 200 is in an inclined state. Due to the influence of gravity on the wafers 300 in the cassette 200 in the inclined state, one or more misaligned wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are aligned under the action of gravity.

[0039] The present application can arrange the rotating mechanism and the clamping mechanism on the cassette temporary storage table, so that when the cassette is on the cassette temporary storage table, the rotating mechanism and the clamping mechanism can arrange and align the plurality of wafers in the cassette, so that the present application can align the plurality of misaligned wafers in the cassette at one time, thereby avoiding the impact and contact between the measuring device and the wafers, and effectively reducing the particle pollution caused by the impact and contact. In addition, since the plurality of wafers in the cassette have been arranged and aligned, even if the existing measuring device is used to detect the cassette, the particle pollution caused by the impact between the measuring device and the wafers can be avoided, thereby greatly improving the yield.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 1A-2C The clamping mechanism 2 can clamp the cassette 200 to be in a second position in advance, and the second position can make the wafers 300 in the cassette 200 in a horizontal state, for example, as shown in FIG. 2AAs shown in FIG. 1, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate a preset angle along a first direction, for example, 30 degrees clockwise to make the cassette 200 in the first position, so that the multiple misaligned wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are automatically aligned under the action of gravity. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate along a second direction, for example, 30 degrees counterclockwise to make the cassette 200 in the second position, so that the cassette 200 is conveniently transferred into the storage bin of the semiconductor process equipment by the cassette robot. FIG. 2B As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate a preset angle along a first direction, for example, 30 degrees clockwise to make the cassette 200 in the first position, so that the multiple misaligned wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are automatically aligned under the action of gravity. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate along a second direction, for example, 30 degrees counterclockwise to make the cassette 200 in the second position, so that the cassette 200 is conveniently transferred into the storage bin of the semiconductor process equipment by the cassette robot. FIG. 2C As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate a preset angle along a first direction, for example, 30 degrees clockwise to make the cassette 200 in the first position, so that the multiple misaligned wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are automatically aligned under the action of gravity. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate along a second direction, for example, 30 degrees counterclockwise to make the cassette 200 in the second position, so that the cassette 200 is conveniently transferred into the storage bin of the semiconductor process equipment by the cassette robot.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate a preset angle along a first direction, for example, 30 degrees clockwise to make the cassette 200 in the first position, so that the multiple misaligned wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are automatically aligned under the action of gravity. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate along a second direction, for example, 30 degrees counterclockwise to make the cassette 200 in the second position, so that the cassette 200 is conveniently transferred into the storage bin of the semiconductor process equipment by the cassette robot. FIG. 1A FIG. 1B As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate a preset angle along a first direction, for example, 30 degrees clockwise to make the cassette 200 in the first position, so that the multiple misaligned wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are automatically aligned under the action of gravity. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate along a second direction, for example, 30 degrees counterclockwise to make the cassette 200 in the second position, so that the cassette 200 is conveniently transferred into the storage bin of the semiconductor process equipment by the cassette robot.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate a preset angle along a first direction, for example, 30 degrees clockwise to make the cassette 200 in the first position, so that the multiple misaligned wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are automatically aligned under the action of gravity. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate along a second direction, for example, 30 degrees counterclockwise to make the cassette 200 in the second position, so that the cassette 200 is conveniently transferred into the storage bin of the semiconductor process equipment by the cassette robot. FIG. 1A FIG. 1B As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate a preset angle along a first direction, for example, 30 degrees clockwise to make the cassette 200 in the first position, so that the multiple misaligned wafers 300 in the cassette 200 are automatically aligned under the action of gravity. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating mechanism 1 drives the cassette 200 to rotate along a second direction, for example, 30 degrees counterclockwise to make the cassette 200 in the second position, so that the cassette 200 is conveniently transferred into the storage bin of the semiconductor process equipment by the cassette robot.

[0043] ​​It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not necessarily include the rotating vertical rod 211. For example, the bottom end of the clamping vertical column 21 is directly connected with the roller 11 of the rotating mechanism 1 in sliding mode, and the first driver 22 is directly arranged between the two clamping vertical columns 21. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust and arrange it according to actual conditions.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B , the clamping mechanism 2 further includes two groups of symmetrically arranged clamping assemblies 23. The two groups of clamping assemblies 23 are arranged on the two clamping vertical columns 21 respectively, and the two groups of clamping assemblies 23 are arranged oppositely. Each group of clamping assemblies 23 includes a clamping slider 231 and a second driver 232. The two clamping sliders 231 are arranged on the corresponding clamping vertical column 21 in sequence from top to bottom, and can slide along the corresponding clamping vertical column 21. The second driver 232 is arranged on the corresponding clamping vertical column 21 and located between the two clamping sliders 231, and is used to drive the two clamping sliders 231 to approach or move away, so as to clamp or release the top wall and the bottom wall of the film box 200 in the vertical direction.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B and FIG. 3 , the two groups of clamping assemblies 23 are arranged on the two clamping vertical columns 21 respectively, and the two groups of clamping assemblies 23 are symmetrically arranged. The two groups of clamping assemblies 23 can clamp or release the film box 200 in the vertical direction. Since the two groups of clamping assemblies 23 are arranged on the two clamping vertical columns 21 respectively, the two groups of clamping assemblies 23 can clamp the left and right sides of the film box 200 respectively, so as to avoid mechanical interference with the film box mechanical hand. By using the above design, since the two groups of clamping assemblies 23 can clamp or release the film box 200 in the vertical direction, the clamping of the clamping mechanism 2 on the film box 200 is more stable, so as to avoid the film box 200 from falling during the turning process, thereby further improving the stability of the embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Further, the clamping sliders 231 are in the form of rod-shaped structures made of metal. Two clamping sliders 231 are sequentially arranged on the corresponding clamping columns 21 from top to bottom and located on the side opposite to the two clamping columns 21. The extension direction of the clamping sliders 231 can be parallel to the front-rear direction of the film box 200. The side of the film box 200 with the film conveying opening 201 is the front side, and the side opposite to the film conveying opening 201 is the rear side. The middle part of the clamping slider 231 is provided with a sliding rod 233. The clamping slider 231 slides through the sliding rod 233 arranged on the clamping column 21, and one end of the sliding rod 233 protrudes from the side opposite to the two clamping columns 21. The second driver 232 can be a double-head air cylinder. The second driver 232 can be arranged on the side opposite to the two clamping columns 21, and the two heads of the second driver 232 are respectively connected to the ends of the sliding rods 233 on the two clamping sliders 231, so as to drive the two clamping sliders 231 to move close to or away from each other, thereby clamping or releasing the top wall and the bottom wall of the film box 200 in the vertical direction. In actual application, first, the film box 200 is placed between the two clamping columns 21 and the two clamping assemblies 23, which can be specifically referred to as shown in FIG. 4A ; the first driver 22 drives the two clamping columns 21 to move close to each other to clamp the film box 200 from the two side walls, which can be specifically referred to as shown in FIG. 4B ; the two second drivers 232 respectively drive the two clamping sliders 231 to move close to each other to clamp the film box 200 from the top wall and the bottom wall, thereby clamping the film box 200 in two directions, which can be specifically referred to as shown in FIG. 4C . The above design makes the structure of the embodiment simple, thereby greatly reducing the failure rate and prolonging the service life.

[0047] It should be noted that the specific position and type of the second driver 232 are not limited in the embodiment. For example, the second driver 232 can be a single-head air cylinder, and can be arranged on the side opposite to the two clamping columns 21 to achieve the above technical effects. Therefore, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust and set it according to the actual situation.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B , FIG. 3 and FIG. 7As shown, the clamping assembly 23 further comprises a plurality of clamping blocks 234, which are respectively arranged on the two clamping sliders 231 and oppositely arranged on the two clamping sliders 231, and used for point contact with the top wall and the bottom wall of the film box 200. Specifically, two clamping blocks 234 are arranged on the bottom surface of the top clamping slider 231 in an interval manner, and two corresponding clamping blocks 234 are arranged on the top surface of the bottom clamping slider 231 in a corresponding manner. When the two clamping sliders 231 clamp the film box 200, the plurality of clamping blocks 234 are in point contact with the top wall and the bottom wall of the film box 200, thereby greatly reducing the contact area with the film box 200, so that the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various types of film boxes 200, that is, the top wall and the bottom wall of the film box 200 can adopt a non-planar structure, thereby greatly improving the applicability and scope of application of the embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that the present application does not limit the specific number of clamping blocks 234, for example, more than two clamping blocks 234 can be arranged on each clamping slider 231. Therefore, the present application is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust the arrangement according to actual conditions.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B and FIG. 5 , the wafer alignment device further comprises a vibration assembly 3 arranged on the clamping block 234, used for vibrating the film box 200 on one side of the film conveying port 201 when the clamping mechanism 2 is rotated to a preset clamping angle deviating from the vertical direction.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B , FIG. 3 and FIG. 5As shown, the two vibration assemblies 3 are arranged on the two clamping blocks 234 at the bottom of the two clamping assemblies 23, and specifically can be arranged close to the film feeding port 201 of the film box 200, i.e. the vibration assembly 3 is arranged on the clamping block 234 close to one end of the clamping slide block 231. Alternatively, the vibration assembly 3 can be arranged directly on the clamping block 234 at the top of the two clamping assemblies 23, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. When the clamping mechanism 2 drives the film box 200 to rotate to the first position, i.e. when the clamping mechanism 2 drives the film box 200 to rotate to a preset angle of deviation from the vertical direction, the vibration assembly 3 can vibrate the bottom of the side of the film box 200 close to the film feeding port 201, so that the wafer 300 can be separated from the film box 200 for a short time, and the wafer 300 slides into the film box 200 under the action of gravity to complete the resetting of the wafer 300. With the above design, the preset angle of rotation of the clamping mechanism 2 in the first direction is reduced, for example, the preset angle can be 5 degrees, so as to avoid that the wafer 300 in the film box 200 is impacted due to too fast sliding when the preset angle is too large, which not only can greatly improve the yield, but also can further reduce the possibility of particle contamination. In addition, the vibration assembly 3 is arranged close to the film feeding port 201 of the film box 200, which not only can improve the vibration effect and thus improve the alignment effect, but also because the space on the side close to the film feeding port 201 of the clamping assembly 23 is large, so as to facilitate the disassembly, maintenance and assembly of the vibration assembly 3.

[0051] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific number and position of the vibration assembly 3, for example, the vibration assembly 3 is arranged on each of the plurality of clamping blocks 234. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust and set according to actual conditions.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 1A 、 FIG. 1B 、 FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , the vibration assembly 3 comprises a vibrator 31 and a lifting structure (not shown in the figure), the vibrator 31 is arranged on the clamping block 234 through the lifting structure, and the lifting structure is used to drive the vibrator 31 to ascend, so that the vibrator 31 abuts against the bottom of the film box 200. Alternatively, the vibrator 31 comprises a piezoelectric ceramic vibrator, and the vibration frequency of the vibrator 31 is 40 kHz-120 kHz.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 1A 、 FIG. 1B 、 FIG. 5 and FIG. 6As shown, the mounting groove 235 can be formed on the clamping block 234, and the lifting structure can be arranged in the mounting groove 235, and the vibrator 31 can be arranged in the mounting groove 235 and above the lifting structure. The lifting structure can be a motor-driven connecting rod or a telescopic cylinder, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. In actual application, the lifting structure can drive the vibrator 31 to ascend, so that the vibrator 31 can abut against the bottom of the wafer box 200, so that the vibrator 31 is tightly attached to the wafer box 200, thereby further improving the vibration effect. Alternatively, the lifting structure drives the vibrator 31 to ascend in advance, so that the vibrator 31 is directly and tightly attached to the wafer box 200, thereby further improving the vibration effect. In a specific embodiment of the present application, the vibrator 31 can be a piezoelectric ceramic vibrator, which can produce vibrations of different frequencies by voltage adjustment in actual application. For example, the vibration frequency of the vibrator 31 can be set to any value between 40 kHz and 120 kHz. When the vibration frequency of the vibrator 31 is close to the natural frequency of the wafer 300, the wafer 300 can produce slight resonance, so that the wafer 300 is separated from the wafer box 200 for a short time, and then slides into the wafer box 200 by gravity. Alternatively, the vibration frequency of the vibrator 31 can be set to 83 kHz. Since the natural frequency of the wafer 300 is about 83 kHz, setting the vibration frequency of the vibrator 31 to 83 kHz can further improve the wafer resonance effect. By using the above design, the rotation angle of the clamping mechanism 2 can be further reduced to avoid impact between the wafer 300 and the wafer box 200, thereby further improving the yield of the wafer 300.

[0054] It should be noted that the specific installation position of the vibration assembly 3 is not limited in the embodiment. For example, the vibration assembly 3 can also be arranged on the clamping sliding block 231, for example, between the two clamping blocks 234 of any clamping sliding block 231. Therefore, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust and set according to actual conditions.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B and FIG. 7 , the wafer alignment device further comprises a detection assembly 4 arranged on the clamping sliding block 231 of the clamping assembly 23 and located at the end of the clamping sliding block 231, for detecting the wafer box 200 transmission port 201 to detect whether the wafer 300 in the wafer box 200 is aligned.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 1A , FIG. 1B and FIG. 7As shown, the detection assembly 4 can be arranged at the end of the two clamping sliders 231 of any one clamping assembly 23, or arranged on both clamping assemblies 23, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust and arrange according to actual conditions. Further, the detection assembly 4 is arranged at the end of the same side of the clamping slider 231 and the wafer box 200 transmission port 201, for detecting whether the wafers 300 in the wafer box 200 are all located in the wafer box 200, that is, whether the wafers 300 in the wafer box 200 are aligned. When it is detected that the wafers 300 in the wafer box 200 are not aligned, the detection assembly 4 can send a detection signal to the lower computer of the semiconductor process equipment, and the lower computer can control the rotating mechanism 1 to drive the clamping mechanism 2 to rotate to drive the wafer box 200 to rotate to the first position to complete the alignment of the wafers 300. With the above design, since the detection assembly 4 is arranged on the clamping assembly 23, the wafers 300 in the wafer box 200 can be directly detected, and the wafer box 200 does not need to be detected by using the existing detection device, thereby avoiding the detection device from impacting the wafers 300 and the wafer box 200, preventing the wafers 300 from being broken and the particle pollution problem from occurring, and further improving the yield of the product.

[0057] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the detection assembly 4, for example, the wafer alignment device can include a controller, which can be connected with the rotating mechanism 1 and the detection assembly 4, thereby realizing the automatic control of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust and arrange according to actual conditions.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 7As shown, the detection assembly 4 includes two pairs of sensors 41, and the two pairs of sensors 41 are respectively arranged on the two clamping sliders 231 of any one set of clamping assemblies 23, so as to emit a light beam to detect the wafer 300 in the film box 200. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, for example, the clamping sliders 231 of the two clamping assemblies 23 are both provided with the pairs of sensors 41, or the two pairs of sensors 41 are respectively arranged at the end of the clamping slider 231 of the clamping assembly 23 located at the top and the end of the clamping slider 231 of the clamping assembly 23 located at the bottom, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust and set according to the actual situation. With the above design, the detection assembly 4 can realize detection without contacting the wafer 300, avoiding the collision between the detection device and the wafer 300 in the prior art, so as to not only avoid the phenomenon of broken pieces to improve the yield of the wafer 300, but also avoid the collision with the film box 200 to improve the production rhythm. However, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the type and number of sensors included in the detection assembly 4, for example, the detection assembly 4 can also include four pairs of sensors 41, which are respectively arranged on the four clamping sliders 231 of the two clamping assemblies 23, and the detection assembly 4 can also include other types of sensors, such as a reflective sensor. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust and set according to the actual situation.

[0059] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiments of the present application provide a semiconductor process equipment, which will be specifically described as follows FIG. 8A and FIG. 8BAs shown, it comprises a furnace body 101, a storage bin 102, and a wafer alignment device 103 provided in each of the above embodiments. The storage bin 102 is provided with a cassette temporary storage platform 104, and the wafer alignment device 103 is arranged on the cassette temporary storage platform 104. Specifically, the bottom of the furnace body 101 is provided with a wafer boat 105 and a wafer transfer robot 106. The storage bin 102 is located on the right side of the furnace body 101, and a cassette robot 107 can be arranged in the storage bin 102. The cassette temporary storage platform 104 is arranged at the bottom of the right side of the storage bin 102 and communicates with the internal space of the storage bin 102. The top of the cassette temporary storage platform 104 can be located outside the storage bin 102, and the bottom of the cassette temporary storage platform 104 is provided with the wafer alignment device 103. In actual application, the cassette 200 can be placed on the top of the cassette temporary storage platform 104. The cassette temporary storage platform 104 can drive the cassette 200 to descend into the storage bin 102. At this time, the wafer alignment device 103 can clamp the cassette 200 and align the wafers 300 in the cassette 200. Then, the cassette robot 107 can transfer the aligned cassette 200 to other positions in the storage bin 102 for storage. The wafer transfer robot 104 can transfer the wafers 300 in the cassette 200 to the wafer boat 105, and the wafers 105 are sent into the furnace body 101 to perform a process.

[0060] The application embodiment can at least achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0061] The application embodiment sets a rotating mechanism and a clamping mechanism on the cassette temporary storage platform. When the cassette is on the cassette temporary storage platform, the rotating mechanism and the clamping mechanism can arrange and align multiple wafers in the cassette. The application embodiment can align multiple misaligned wafers in the cassette at one time, which can arrange and align the wafers without contacting the cassette and the wafers, thereby effectively reducing the particle pollution of the wafers caused by impact and contact. In addition, since the multiple wafers in the cassette have been arranged and aligned, even if the existing measuring device is used to detect the cassette, the particle pollution caused by the impact between the measuring device and the wafers can be avoided, thereby greatly improving the yield.

[0062] It can be understood that the above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments adopted to illustrate the principles of the application, but the application is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and essence of the application, and these modifications and improvements are also considered as the protection scope of the application.

[0063] In the description of the application, it needs to be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the application.

[0064] The terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purpose, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the application, unless otherwise specified and limited, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more.

[0065] In the description of the application, it needs to be explained that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediate medium, or the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0066] In the description of the specification, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0067] The above is only part of the embodiments of the application, and it should be pointed out that, for those skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the application, a number of improvements and refinements can be made, which should also be regarded as the protection scope of the application.

Claims

1. A wafer alignment device of a semiconductor processing apparatus, disposed on a predetermined cassette temporary storage table in the semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, The application relates to a wafer aligning device. The rotating mechanism is arranged on the wafer cassette temporary storage table, and the clamping mechanism is connected with the rotating mechanism and used for clamping the wafer cassette. The rotating mechanism is used for driving the clamping mechanism to rotate synchronously, so that the clamping mechanism and the wafer cassette are inclined to realize wafer alignment in the wafer cassette. The rotating mechanism comprises a roller, the clamping mechanism comprises clamping columns and a first driver, the two clamping columns are oppositely and spacedly arranged, the bottom ends of the two clamping columns are connected with the rotating mechanism, and the first driver is arranged between the two clamping columns and used for driving the two clamping columns to approach or move away from each other to clamp or release the two side walls of the wafer cassette in the horizontal direction. The clamping mechanism further comprises two groups of symmetrically arranged clamping assemblies, the two groups of clamping assemblies are arranged on the two clamping columns respectively and oppositely, each group of clamping assemblies comprises clamping sliders and a second driver, the two clamping sliders are sequentially arranged on the corresponding clamping column from top to bottom and can slide along the corresponding clamping column, and the second driver is arranged on the corresponding clamping column and located between the two clamping sliders and used for driving the two clamping sliders to approach or move away from each other to clamp or release the top wall and the bottom wall of the wafer cassette in the vertical direction.

2. The wafer alignment apparatus of claim 1, wherein The clamping assembly further comprises a plurality of clamping blocks, the clamping blocks are arranged on the two clamping sliders respectively and oppositely on the two clamping sliders, and are used for point contact with the top wall and the bottom wall of the wafer cassette.

3. The wafer alignment apparatus of claim 2, wherein The wafer aligning device further comprises a vibration assembly arranged on the clamping blocks and used for vibrating one side of a wafer conveying port of the wafer cassette when the clamping mechanism is rotated to deviate from the vertical direction by a preset angle.

4. The wafer alignment apparatus of claim 3, wherein The vibration assembly comprises a vibrator and a lifting structure, the vibrator is arranged on the clamping blocks through the lifting structure, and the lifting structure is used for driving the vibrator to ascend so that the vibrator abuts against the bottom of the wafer cassette.

5. The wafer alignment apparatus of claim 4, wherein The vibrator comprises a piezoelectric ceramic vibrator, and the vibration frequency of the vibrator is 40 kHz-120 kHz.

6. The wafer alignment apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The wafer aligning device further comprises a detection assembly arranged at the end of the clamping slider and used for detecting the wafer conveying port of the wafer cassette to detect whether the wafer in the wafer cassette is aligned.

7. The wafer alignment apparatus of claim 2, wherein The detection assembly comprises at least two pairs of sensors, and the two pairs of sensors are arranged on the two clamping sliders of any one group of clamping assemblies respectively.

8. The wafer alignment apparatus of claim 7, wherein The application further relates to a furnace body, a storage bin and the wafer aligning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, the storage bin is provided with a wafer cassette temporary storage table, and the wafer aligning device is arranged on the wafer cassette temporary storage table.

9. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized by, ​

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