A horizontal automatic sheet loading machine

Abstract

The present invention discloses a horizontal automatic wafer loader, which includes a main frame, a fixture clamping mechanism, a fixture flipping mechanism, a fixture translation mechanism, a switch cover mechanism, a lifting type cleaning and detection mechanism and a detection mechanism. The fixture clamping mechanism is installed on the fixture flipping mechanism to position and clamp the fixture. At the same time, the flipping mechanism flips the vertical fixture into a horizontal state, and the fixture translation mechanism transfers the horizontally placed fixture to the wafer loading position. The switch cover mechanism is installed on the main frame to perform the opening and closing operation of the outer cover of the fixture. The lifting type cleaning and detection mechanism is installed on the main frame to clean and detect the fixture after the cover is opened. The detection mechanism is installed on the main frame to detect the sealing performance and conductivity of the fixture after wafer loading. The present invention is a general-purpose wafer loader, and the unsealing operation of different sealing methods can be realized by replacing different switch cover structures.

Description

Technical Field:

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor automation equipment, and particularly to a horizontal automatic wafer loader. Background Art:

[0002] During the surface treatment process of current wafers, especially in the surface treatment processes of electroplating or electroless plating, a good conductive fixture and a support hanger (hereinafter referred to as a conductive hanger for short) are required. When the wafer is assembled to the conductive hanger, the ineffective band makes good sealing and conductive contact with the conductive hanger, and the effective band is exposed. Only the wafer assembled with the conductive hanger can then carry out the immersion chemical surface treatment process.

[0003] To ensure the sealing performance of the conductive hanger, the existing sealing methods of the conductive hanger are roughly divided into the following four categories: the first is the rotary type, the second is the screw-locking type, the third is the airbag type, and the fourth is the vertical tension type. No matter which sealing method is used, during the wafer loading and unloading process, it is all manually carried out for loading and unloading, including the sealing or unsealing of the hanger, and the loading and unloading of the wafer. This manual method not only has low efficiency but also easily causes wafer breakage, thus unable to meet the production requirements.

[0004] For this reason, an automatic loading and unloading device has emerged, such as a plating loading and unloading device for wafer-like products in a patent (application number 2021107464543). This automatic loading and unloading device can only perform automated operations on hangers with airbag seals. For hangers with other sealing methods, additional equipment needs to be purchased or manual loading and unloading is required, and the versatility of the automated equipment cannot be achieved. Summary of the Invention:

[0005] Aiming at the deficiencies and shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a horizontal automatic wafer loader, which is a general-purpose wafer loader. By replacing different switch cover structures, unsealing operations of different sealing methods can be realized, so that the wafer loading is not restricted by the type of hanger.

[0006] A horizontal automatic wafer loader includes:

[0007] A main frame, on whose workbench surface there are a first avoidance hole and a second avoidance hole, and a gantry is provided at the second avoidance hole;

[0008] A hanger translation mechanism, installed on the workbench surface of the main frame, on both sides of the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole, to realize the position switching of the hanger between the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole;

[0009] A hanger flipping mechanism, installed on the hanger translation mechanism, to drive the hanger to flip between a vertical state and a horizontal state through a rotating motor;

[0010] The fixture clamping mechanism is installed on the fixture flipping mechanism and positions and clamps the fixture through the cooperation of the flipping plate and the positioning and clamping components. A third avoidance hole is provided on the flipping plate, and the center of the third avoidance hole is coaxially arranged with the center of the circular hole on the fixture.

[0011] The switch cover mechanism is installed on the gantry above the second avoidance hole and opens and closes the outer cover on the fixture through the cooperation of the lifting component and the switch cover component. The center of the switch cover component is coaxially arranged with the center of the outer cover and the center of the circular hole on the fixture.

[0012] The lifting type cleaning and detection mechanism is installed on the main frame below the second avoidance hole and includes a lifting and rotating component, a CCD camera and a cleaning component installed on the top of the lifting and rotating component. After the outer cover is opened, it passes through the circular hole on the fixture through the lifting and rotating component to clean the periphery of the circular hole and perform image detection.

[0013] The detection mechanism includes a flatness detection module installed around the second avoidance hole, a conductive probe and an air extraction detection module installed on the gantry through a detection cylinder, and an RFID detector installed on the back of the flipping plate corresponding to the RFID on the fixture.

[0014] Preferably, the fixture translation mechanism includes a translation module and a translation slide rail. The translation module is installed on one side of the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole on the cabinet, and the translation slide rail is installed on the other side of the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole on the cabinet. The translation slide rail is parallel to the translation module, and the translation module is driven by a translation motor at the end.

[0015] Preferably, the fixture flipping mechanism includes an active rotating platform installed on the slider of the translation module, a passive rotating platform installed on the slider of the translation slide rail, and a rotating motor connecting the active rotating platform. The fixture clamping mechanism is installed between the active rotating platform and the passive rotating platform and can be flipped 0 - 360° through the rotating motor.

[0016] Preferably, the flipping plate is installed between the active rotating platform and the passive rotating platform. One side of it is the fixture installation surface, with a third avoidance hole in the center. Side guide blocks are provided on both sides of the fixture installation surface, and a bottom guide block is provided at the bottom.

[0017] Preferably, the positioning and clamping components include a plurality of positioning pin cylinders and a plurality of rotating cylinders. The positioning pin cylinders are fixed at the four corners on the back of the flipping plate, and the positioning pins installed at their ends pass through the flipping plate and insert into the positioning holes of the fixture. The rotating cylinders are installed on both sides of the flipping plate, and a pressing block is fixed at their ends. The pressing block is controlled by the rotating cylinder to rotate and press the two sides of the fixture.

[0018] Preferably, the switch cover mechanism includes a lifting electric cylinder, a fixing plate and a switch cover assembly. The lifting electric cylinder is installed on the gantry, and its telescopic end is connected to the fixing plate. A plurality of guide rods are installed around the fixing plate, and the guide rods pass through the top plate of the gantry.

[0019] Preferably, the switch cover assembly is a screw locking type, including a plurality of vacuum components and a plurality of screwdrivers. The plurality of vacuum components are installed on the back of the fixing plate, and the outer cover is sucked by the suction cups at the ends. The plurality of screwdriver bits are installed at intervals in a circumferential manner on the back of the fixing plate, and their installation positions correspond to the fixing screws on the outer cover. The screwdriver bits are controlled by the servo motors at their ends to rotate forward and backward to loosen and tighten the screws.

[0020] Preferably, the switch cover assembly is a rotary type, including a fixing frame, a rotary outer cover motor and a rotary outer cover fixture. The fixing frame is installed on the back of the fixing plate, and the rotary outer cover motor is connected to the rotary outer cover fixture through a coupling. The bottom surface of the rotary outer cover fixture has a cavity for accommodating the outer cover. Cylinders are embedded on both opposite sides of the cavity, and the telescopic ends of the cylinders are equipped with damping blocks. When screwing, the outer cover is inserted into the cavity of the fixture, and the two sides of the cylinders extend to clamp the outer cover with the damping blocks. The rotary outer cover motor is controlled to drive the entire fixture to rotate, realizing the unsealing or sealing operation of the outer cover by rotation.

[0021] Preferably, the lifting type cleaning and detecting mechanism includes a mounting plate, a ball screw, a screw rotating motor, a screw lifting motor, a detecting mounting seat, a CCD camera and a blowing nozzle. The ball screw is inserted into the connecting piece on the surface of the mounting plate. The screw rotating motor is fixed on the mounting plate and is connected to the rotating motion bearing of the ball spline through a belt and a pulley to drive the spline shaft to rotate. The screw lifting motor is fixed on the mounting plate and is connected to the linear motion bearing of the ball screw through a belt and a pulley to drive the screw shaft to lift. The mounting seat is fixed at the end of the screw shaft, and the CCD camera and the blowing nozzle are installed on the detecting mounting seat.

[0022] Preferably, a wafer placing table for placing wafer sheets is provided above the detecting mounting seat, and the center of the wafer placing table, the center of the third avoidance hole and the center of the round hole on the hanging tool are on the same axis.

[0023] Advantages: The horizontal automatic wafer loader disclosed by the present invention has the following advantages:

[0024] Versatility: The switch cover assembly adopts a replaceable structural form, enabling the equipment to meet the requirements of opening and closing the cover and loading wafers for different types of hanging tools, thus meeting the versatility of the equipment;

[0025] Accuracy: The hanging tool clamping device uses guide blocks, positioning pins and rotating pressing blocks to achieve accurate positioning of the hanging tool, avoiding displacement during flipping and translation, and ensuring the accuracy of the subsequent wafer loading position;

[0026] The center of the cover opening assembly, the center of the outer cover, the center of the circular hole of the fixture, the center of the avoidance hole, and the center of the wafer placement table are coaxially arranged, which can ensure accurate opening and closing of the outer cover, accurate placement of the wafer, and ensure the accuracy of wafer loading.

[0027] A variety of detection components are set to comprehensively detect the position accuracy, conduction, and airtightness after wafer loading, ensuring the quality of wafer loading.

[0028] High efficiency: The entire device realizes automatic loading and unloading of the fixture, automatic wafer loading, and subsequent automatic detection, improving the wafer loading efficiency through an automated method. Description of the drawings:

[0029] Figure 1 The overall structure of the embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0030] Figure 2 The overall structure of the embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0031] Figure 3 The overall structure of the embodiment of the present invention Figure 3

[0032] Figure 4 The front view of the embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 The side view of the embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 is Figure 1 The partial enlarged view at A in

[0035] Figure 7 is Figure 2 The partial enlarged view at B in

[0036] Figure 8 is Figure 2 The partial enlarged view at C in

[0037] Figure 9 is Figure 3 The partial enlarged view at D in

[0038] Figure 10 The structural diagram of the lifting cleaning and detection mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 11 The structural diagram of the screw-locking type switch cover assembly in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 12 The structural diagram of the rotary switch cover assembly in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] In the figure: 1 - main frame, 2 - fixture clamping mechanism, 3 - fixture flipping mechanism, 4 - fixture translation mechanism, 5 - switch cover mechanism, 6 - lifting cleaning and detection mechanism, 7 - detection mechanism, 8 - electric control mechanism, 9 - fixture, 101 - cabinet, 102 - gantry, 103 - top plate, 104 - cabinet door, 105 - radiator, 106 - first avoidance hole, 107 - second avoidance hole, 201 - flipping plate, 202 - positioning pin cylinder, 203 - rotating cylinder, 204 - third avoidance hole, 205 - side guide block, 206 - bottom guide block, 207 - pressing block, 208 - positioning cylinder, 209 - second positioning pin, 210 - second positioning hole, 301 - active rotating platform, 302 - passive rotating platform, 303 - rotating motor, 401 - translation module, 402 - translation slide rail, 403 - translation motor, 501 - lifting electric cylinder, 502 - fixing plate, 503 - switch cover assembly, 504 - guide rod, 505 - bushing, 506 - vacuum assembly, 507 - screwdriver, 508 - suction cup, 509 - servo motor, 510 - fixing frame, 511 - outer cover rotating motor, 512 - outer cover rotating fixture, 513 - cavity, 514 - cylinder, 515 - damping block, 601 - mounting plate, 602 - ball screw, 603 - screw rotating motor, 604 - screw lifting motor, 605 - detection mounting seat, 606 - CCD camera, 607 - air blowing nozzle, 608 - connecting piece, 609 - wafer placement table, 701 - flatness detection module, 702 - conductive probe, 703 - air extraction detection module, 704 - detection cylinder, 705 - RFID detector, 801 - control box, 802 - industrial computer, 803 - operation panel, 901 - positioning hole. Detailed implementation manners:

[0042] To further understand the present invention, the preferred implementation manners of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are only for further explaining the features and advantages of the present invention, rather than limiting the claims of the invention.

[0043] A horizontal automatic wafer loader according to the present invention realizes automatic wafer loading onto a conductive fixture, and its structure is as Figures 1 - 9As described above, it includes a main frame 1, a fixture clamping mechanism 2, a fixture flipping mechanism 3, a fixture translation mechanism 4, a switch cover mechanism 5, a lifting cleaning and detection mechanism 6, a detection mechanism 7, and an electric control mechanism 8. The fixture clamping mechanism is installed on the fixture flipping mechanism to position and clamp the fixture 9. At the same time, the flipping mechanism flips the vertical fixture into a horizontal state, and the fixture translation mechanism transfers the horizontal fixture to the wafer loading position. The switch cover mechanism is installed on the main frame to perform the unsealing operation on the outer cover of the fixture transferred to the wafer loading position. The lifting cleaning and detection mechanism is installed on the main frame, directly below the switch cover mechanism, to clean and detect the fixture after the cover is opened. The detection mechanism is installed on the main frame to detect the sealing and conductivity of the fixture after the wafer is loaded, ensuring the quality of subsequent wafer chemical processing.

[0044] Specifically, the main frame includes a cabinet 101, a gantry 102, and a top plate 103. A cabinet door 104 is provided on the side of the cabinet, and a radiator 105 is embedded on the side wall. The upper surface of the cabinet is provided with a first avoidance hole 106 and a second avoidance hole 107. The first avoidance hole is located on one side of the upper surface of the cabinet and is used for the loading and unloading and flipping of the fixture, so its shape is set as a square. The second avoidance hole is located on the other side of the upper surface of the cabinet and is used for the telescoping of the lifting cleaning and detection mechanism, and its shape is set as a circle. The gantry is fixed on the cabinet at the position of the second avoidance hole, and the top plate is installed on the gantry directly above the second avoidance hole for installing the switch cover mechanism.

[0045] The fixture translation mechanism is installed on the cabinet and includes a translation module 401 and a translation slide rail 402. The translation module is installed on the cabinet on one side of the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole, and the translation slide rail is installed on the cabinet on the other side of the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole, and the translation slide rail is parallel to the translation module. The translation module is driven by a translation motor 403 at the end, and the fixture clamping mechanism is installed on the fixture translation mechanism through the fixture flipping mechanism to realize the switching between the loading and unloading position (fixture loading and unloading) and the wafer loading position (wafer loading).

[0046] The fixture flipping mechanism includes an active rotating platform 301 installed on the slider of the translation module, a passive rotating platform 302 installed on the slider of the translation slide rail, and a rotating motor 303 that drives the active rotating platform to flip. The fixture clamping mechanism is installed between the active rotating platform and the passive rotating platform and is driven by the rotating motor to perform a 0 - 360° flip.

[0047] The fixture clamping mechanism includes a turning plate 201, a plurality of positioning pin cylinders 202 and a plurality of rotating cylinders 203. The turning plate is fixed between the active rotating platform and the passive rotating platform. Its front surface is the fixture mounting surface, and a third avoidance hole 204 is provided at the center. Side guide blocks 205 are provided on both sides of the fixture mounting surface of the turning plate, and a bottom guide block 206 is provided at the bottom of the fixture mounting plate. The two sides mentioned here refer to the two sides where the turning plate is connected to the rotating platform, and the bottom mentioned here refers to the bottom of the turning plate when it is in a vertical state. The side guide blocks and the bottom guide block form the guiding and positioning of the fixture. The positioning pin cylinders are fixed at the four corners of the back surface of the turning plate, and a positioning pin (not shown in the figure) is installed at the end thereof and passes through the turning plate and inserts into the positioning hole 901 of the fixture. The rotating cylinders are installed on both sides of the turning plate, and a pressing block 207 is fixed at the end thereof. After the fixture is loaded, the rotating cylinder is controlled to rotate the pressing block to press both sides of the fixture, so that the fixture is closely attached to the turning plate and forms an integral body therewith, and there will be no displacement or loosening during subsequent turning or translation.

[0048] The fixture clamping mechanism, the fixture turning mechanism and the fixture translation mechanism constitute the automatic loading, unloading and transportation of the fixture. Its movement process is as follows: In the initial state, the fixture clamping mechanism is vertically arranged, the fixture mounting surface faces the wafer loading position, the fixture is sent to the turning plate by the overhead crane, guided along the side guide blocks, and preliminarily positioned by the bottom guide block. Then, the positioning pin cylinder cooperates with the positioning pin to perform secondary positioning on the fixture, and the rotating cylinder cooperates with the pressing block to perform pressing. The rotating motor of the fixture turning mechanism drives the turning plate to turn, changing it from a vertical state to a horizontal state. At this time, the fixture faces upward. Then, the horizontally placed fixture is transferred to the second avoidance hole of the cabinet by the translation module, waiting for the subsequent operation of opening the cover and detecting and loading the wafer. At this time, in order to prevent the transferred fixture from shifting when opening and closing the cover, a positioning cylinder 208 is installed on the cabinet. The positioning cylinder is located at the end of the second avoidance hole, and a second positioning pin 209 is installed at its telescopic end. When the fixture is transferred to the second avoidance hole, the positioning cylinder drives the second positioning pin to extend and insert into the second positioning hole 210 at the end of the turning plate, thus preventing the fixture from shifting when opening and closing the cover.

[0049] The switch cover mechanism is installed on the top plate above the gantry and is directly above the second avoidance hole. It includes a lifting electric cylinder 501, a fixing plate 502 and a switch cover assembly 503. The lifting electric cylinder is installed on the top plate, and its telescopic end passes through the top plate and is connected to the fixing plate. The lifting electric cylinder is controlled by a lifting motor at its end to move up and down. The fixing plate moves up and down under the drive of the lifting electric cylinder. To ensure the stability during the up and down movement, a plurality of guide rods 504 are installed around the fixing plate. The guide rods pass through the top plate, and bushings 505 are provided at the mating positions with the top plate. The guide rods play a role in assisting guidance and support when the fixing plate moves up and down, effectively preventing the fixing plate from shaking. The switch cover assembly is installed on the back of the fixing plate and performs opening / closing operations on the lower fixture outer cover. Its specific structure can be replaced according to the sealing type of the hanger. After opening the cover, a wafer is sent into the fixture by an additional manipulator, and then the cover is closed. To ensure the smoothness and accuracy of the switch cover of the wafer loader, the centers of the switch cover assembly, the fixture outer cover, the center of the circular hole on the fixture, and the center of the third avoidance hole on the turning plate are on the same axis, which can ensure the accuracy of the entire switch cover and wafer loading operation.

[0050] The lifting cleaning and detection mechanism is installed in the cabinet and is located at the second avoidance hole. Its structure is as Figure 10 shown, and it includes a mounting plate 601, a ball screw 602, a screw rotating motor 603, a screw lifting motor 604, a detection mounting seat 605, a CCD camera 606 and a blowing nozzle 607. The mounting plate is fixed in the cabinet, and its surface has a connecting piece 608. The ball screw is inserted into the connecting piece. The rotary motion bearing at the upper end of the ball screw is fixed to the upper end of the connecting piece, and the linear motion bearing at the lower end is fixed to the lower end of the connecting piece. The screw rotating motor is fixed on the mounting plate and is connected to the rotary motion bearing of the ball screw through a belt and a pulley to drive the spline shaft to rotate. The screw lifting motor is fixed on the mounting plate and is connected to the linear motion bearing of the ball screw through a belt and a pulley to drive the screw shaft to move up and down.

[0051] The detection mounting seat is fixed on the top of the screw shaft, and the CCD camera and the air blowing nozzle are installed on the detection mounting seat. The air blowing nozzle is connected to compressed gas, and the wafer loading position on the hanger is cleaned by blowing out gas. When the outer cover on the hanger is opened, the screw lifting motor drives the screw to rise, so that the CCD camera and the air blowing nozzle are located at the circular hole in the middle of the hanger, and the screw rotating motor drives the screw to rotate to realize image detection and air blowing cleaning around the hanger. A wafer placement table 609 is provided above the detection mounting seat. When the detection mounting seat rises, a wafer loading robot (extra equipment, not shown) moves the wafer to the wafer placement table. In this way, when the cleaning detection is completed and the wafer is lowered, the wafer is synchronously placed in the hanger to realize the wafer loading operation. In order to ensure the accuracy of the wafer loading position, it is necessary to ensure that the center of the wafer placement table is on the same axis as the center of the third avoidance hole and the center of the circular hole on the hanger.

[0052] The detection mechanism includes a flatness detection module 701, a conductive probe 702, an exhaust detection module 703 and an RFID detector 705. The flatness detection modules are multiple and are installed on the cabinet surface at equal intervals around the second avoidance hole. After the wafer is placed in place, the relative distance of the wafer is detected, and the wafer is compared with the set value to determine whether it is flat in place. If it is placed in place, the switch cover assembly closes the cover, and if not, an alarm is issued. The conductive probe and the exhaust detection module are fixed to the top plate through the detection cylinder 704. After the cover is closed, the detection cylinder descends, so that the conductive probe and the exhaust detection module are connected with the copper spring and the exhaust hole (the structure of the hanger) on the hanger, and corresponding detection is performed to determine whether the wafer is connected to the hanger after the cover is closed, and whether the hanger is airtight. The RFID detector is installed on the back of the flip plate, corresponding to the RFID on the hanger, and the identity of the hanger can be identified to facilitate tracking of production records.

[0053] The electric control mechanism includes a control box 801 installed in the cabinet, an industrial computer 802 and an operation panel 803 installed on the gantry. These electric control mechanisms are of conventional structures and their electric control forms are also conventional, so they are not described in detail and can refer to the prior art.

[0054] The present invention discloses a horizontal automatic wafer loading machine, which mainly realizes a process of rack loading, cover opening, wafer loading, cover closing, and rack unloading. It can realize the loading and unloading of racks of different sealing types. The difference lies in the replacement of the switch cover assembly. The specific structure of the switch cover assembly is described below:

[0055] If the lifting device is a screw-lock seal, use Figure 11This screw-locking switch cover assembly includes multiple vacuum components 506 and multiple screwdrivers 507. The multiple vacuum components are installed on the back of the fixed plate and suck the outer cover of the fixture through the suction cups 508 below. The multiple screwdriver bits are installed at circumferential intervals on the back of the fixed plate, and their installation positions correspond to the fixing screws on the outer cover of the fixture. The screwdriver bits are controlled by the servo motors 509 at their ends to rotate forward and backward, so as to loosen and tighten the screws, and then cooperate with the suction cups to achieve overall adsorption and opening.

[0056] If the sling is a rotary seal, then use Figure 12 The rotary switch cover assembly, which includes a fixed frame 510, a rotary outer cover motor 511, and a rotary outer cover fixture 512. The fixed frame is installed on the back of the fixed plate through a connecting plate (not shown in the figure). The rotary outer cover motor is connected to the rotary outer cover fixture through a coupling. The bottom surface of the rotary outer cover fixture has a cavity 513 for accommodating the outer cover, and the shape of the cavity is the same as that of the outer cover. Cylinders 514 are embedded on the opposite sides of the cavity, and damping blocks 515 are assembled at the telescopic ends of the cylinders. 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. Control the rotary outer cover motor to drive the entire fixture to rotate to achieve rotary unsealing or sealing operations. The damping block structures clamped on both sides are in the form of bionic human hands pinching to ensure the smoothness of the operation.

[0057] If the sling is an airbag seal or a vertical tension type, the corresponding switch cover structures in the prior art can be used. There are many switch cover structures for these two sealing forms in the prior art, so there will be no excessive description, and reference can be made to the prior art.

[0058] A horizontal automatic wafer loader disclosed by the present invention is connected to a vertical electroplating line on one side, and the loading and unloading of the fixture is realized through an overhead crane. It is connected to a wafer manipulator on the other side, and the loading of the wafer is realized through the manipulator. The specific wafer loading process is as follows (taking the screw lock type as an example for illustration):

[0059] The overhead crane of the vertical electroplating line vertically clamps the empty electroplating fixture and places it directly above the vertically placed fixture clamping mechanism. The overhead crane slowly lowers the electroplating fixture. The two edges of the electroplating fixture slide down along the side guide blocks to one side of the turning plate until it stops near the bottom guide block. The overhead crane releases the jaws of the electroplating fixture and moves away. The electroplating fixture is limited by gravity at the bottom guide block. Then the positioning pin cylinder ejects the pin at the end and inserts it into the positioning hole on the fixture. Subsequently, the pressing block rotates 90 degrees and then presses down to complete the secondary positioning of the electroplating fixture, completing the fixture clamping process. Immediately, the RFID detector reads and records the RFID code on the fixture.

[0060] The rotary motor rotates the flip plate 90 degrees to make the hanger face upward horizontally, and the translation motor rotates to move the hanger in the horizontal state toward the wafer robot arm. The hanger stops when it reaches the loading station. At this time, the center point of the switch cover assembly, the center of the circular cover of the electroplating hanger, the center of the circular hole of the hanger, the center of the third avoidance hole, and the center of the second avoidance hole coincide with each other axially. Then the positioning cylinder is lifted up, pushing the second positioning pin at the end upward to embed into the second positioning hole on the flip plate to achieve positioning after translation.

[0061] Then the lifting electric cylinder drives the switch cover assembly downward until the screwdriver head at the end reaches the screw hole on the circular cover of the electroplating hanger and stops. At this time, the suction cup extends downward and adheres to the circular cover of the electroplating hanger. The vacuum is turned on to adsorb the circular cover. Then the servo motors of all the screwdrivers are started to drive the screwdriver heads to loosen all the screws surrounding the circular cover. During the loosening process, the lifting electric cylinder rises synchronously, and the screwdriver stops rotating after reaching the set number of loosening circles. At this time, the circular cover of the electroplating hanger with the screws is still suspended in the air by the suction cup to achieve opening of the cover.

[0062] Then the screw rod lifting motor starts, driving the screw rod to rise to the operating position. At this time, the positions of the CCD camera and the air blowing nozzle are higher than the top of the second avoidance hole, and are respectively facing the wafer placement rubber ring position of the electroplating hanger at an oblique angle. The screw rod rotation motor starts, driving the screw rod to rotate, and the air blowing nozzle is opened synchronously, and the surrounding blowing action is stopped at the 360-degree position. The gas is generally nitrogen or dry filtered air, which can be used to clean the foreign matter around the wafer placement rubber ring position. Then the screw rod rotation motor is reversed, and the CCD camera is turned on synchronously to perform a surrounding appearance foreign matter detection action until it returns to the original point position of 0 degrees and stops. When the CCD detects foreign matter within the specified range, the equipment operation can be suspended, and the sound and light alarm prompts manual intervention to prevent high-priced wafers from being crushed by foreign matter.

[0063] The wafer robot grips the wafer that has been processed at the front end and places it on top of the wafer placement table. The center point of the wafer coincides with the center point of the wafer placement table. The screw lifting motor reverses and drives the screw down to the bottom original point. During the wafer's fall from the upper platform, the wafer's annular edge will first touch the wafer placement rubber ring of the electroplating hanger and then be positioned, and will no longer follow the upper platform to fall to the bottom original point. After the wafer is placed on the wafer placement rubber ring, multiple sets of flatness detection modules are activated to detect whether the wafer is placed flat in place. The lifting electric cylinder drives the switch cover assembly and the hanger circular cover plate to move down synchronously to realize the cover closing operation. After the cover is closed, the suction cup breaks the vacuum, and the lifting electric cylinder drives the switch cover assembly back to the original point.

[0064] The detection cylinder simultaneously pushes the electrical measurement probe and the air extraction detection module downward to dock with the copper elastic piece and the air extraction hole of the electroplating fixture, and detects whether the resistance value and the vacuum flow value are within the set values. When the detected values reach the set values, it indicates that the loading of the wafer is completed. The translation module sends the fixture back to the loading position, and at the same time, the rotating motor converts the fixture from the horizontal state to the vertical state to facilitate the unloading by the overhead crane.

[0065] The above are the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and there is no limitation on the present invention in any form. Any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A horizontal automatic sheet feeding machine, characterized in that Including: A main frame, on the workbench surface of which there are a first avoidance hole and a second avoidance hole, and a gantry is provided at the second avoidance hole; A hanger translation mechanism, installed on the workbench surface of the main frame, on both sides of the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole, to realize the position switching of the hanger between the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole; A hanger flipping mechanism, installed on the hanger translation mechanism, and drives the hanger to flip between a vertical state and a horizontal state through a rotating motor; A hanger clamping mechanism, installed on the hanger flipping mechanism, and positions and clamps the hanger through a flipping plate cooperating with a positioning and clamping component. A third avoidance hole is provided on the flipping plate, and the center of the third avoidance hole is coaxially arranged with the center of the circular hole on the hanger; A switch cover mechanism, installed on the top plate above the gantry above the second avoidance hole, and opens and closes the outer cover on the hanger through a lifting component cooperating with a switch cover component. The center of the switch cover component is coaxially arranged with the center of the outer cover and the center of the circular hole on the hanger; A lifting type cleaning and detection mechanism, installed on the main frame below the second avoidance hole, including a lifting and rotating component, a CCD camera and a cleaning component installed on the top of the lifting and rotating component. After the outer cover is opened, it passes through the circular hole on the hanger through the lifting and rotating component to clean and image detect the periphery of the circular hole; A detection mechanism, including a flatness detection module installed around the second avoidance hole, a conductive probe and an air extraction detection module installed on the gantry through a detection cylinder, and an RFID detector installed on the back of the flipping plate corresponding to the RFID on the hanger.

2. The horizontal automatic loading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hanger translation mechanism includes a translation module and a translation slide rail. The translation module is installed on one side of the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole on the cabinet, and the translation slide rail is installed on the other side of the first avoidance hole and the second avoidance hole on the cabinet, and the translation slide rail is parallel to the translation module. The translation module is driven by a translation motor at the end.

3. The horizontal automatic sheet feeding machine according to claim 2, wherein: The hanger flipping mechanism includes an active rotating platform installed on the slider of the translation module, a passive rotating platform installed on the slider of the translation slide rail, and a rotating motor connecting the active rotating platform. The hanger clamping mechanism is installed between the active rotating platform and the passive rotating platform and realizes 0~360° flipping through the rotating motor.

4. The horizontal automatic sheet feeding machine according to claim 3, wherein: The flipping plate is installed between the active rotating platform and the passive rotating platform. One side of it is a hanger installation surface, with a third avoidance hole in the center. Side guiding blocks are provided on both sides of the hanger installation surface, and a bottom guiding block is provided at the bottom.

5. The horizontal automatic sheet feeding machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The positioning and clamping component includes a plurality of positioning pin cylinders and a plurality of rotating cylinders. The positioning pin cylinders are fixed at the four corners on the back of the flipping plate, and the positioning pins installed at their ends pass through the flipping plate and insert into the positioning holes of the hanger. The rotating cylinders are installed on both sides of the flipping plate, and pressing blocks are fixed at their ends, and the pressing blocks are controlled by the rotating cylinders to rotate and press both sides of the hanger.

6. The horizontal automatic sheet feeding machine according to claim 1, wherein: The switch cover mechanism includes a lifting electric cylinder, a fixing plate and a switch cover component. The lifting electric cylinder is installed on the gantry, and its telescopic end is connected to the fixing plate. A plurality of guide rods are installed around the fixing plate, and the guide rods pass through the top plate of the gantry.

7. The horizontal automatic sheet feeding machine according to claim 6, wherein: The switch cover assembly is of the screw-locking type and includes a plurality of vacuum components and a plurality of screwdrivers. The plurality of vacuum components are installed on the back of the fixing plate and suck the outer cover through the suction cups at the ends. The plurality of screwdriver bits are installed at circumferential intervals on the back of the fixing plate, and their installation positions correspond to the fixing screws on the outer cover. The screwdriver bits are controlled by a servo motor at the end to rotate forward and backward, so as to loosen and tighten the screws.

8. The horizontal automatic sheet feeding machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The switch cover assembly is of the rotary type and includes a fixing frame, a rotary outer cover motor and a rotary outer cover jig. The fixing frame is installed on the back of the fixing plate. The rotary outer cover motor is connected to the rotary outer cover jig through a coupling. The bottom surface of the rotary outer cover jig has a cavity for accommodating the outer cover. Cylinders are embedded on the two opposite sides of the cavity, and damping blocks are assembled at the telescopic ends of the cylinders. When screwing, the outer cover is embedded in the cavity of the jig, and the two cylinders extend to clamp the outer cover with the damping blocks. The rotary outer cover motor is controlled to drive the whole jig to rotate, so as to realize the operations of rotating and unsealing or sealing the outer cover.

9. The horizontal automatic loading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting type cleaning and detecting mechanism includes a mounting plate, a ball screw, a screw rotating motor, a screw lifting motor, a detecting mounting seat, a CCD camera and a blowing nozzle. The ball screw is inserted into a connecting member on the surface of the mounting plate. The screw rotating motor is fixed on the mounting plate and is connected to the rotary motion bearing of the ball spline through a belt and a pulley to drive the screw shaft to rotate. The screw lifting motor is fixed on the mounting plate and is connected to the linear motion bearing of the ball screw through a belt and a pulley to drive the screw shaft to lift. The mounting seat is fixed at the end of the screw shaft, and the CCD camera and the blowing nozzle are installed on the detecting mounting seat.

10. The horizontal automatic sheet feeding machine according to claim 9, wherein: A wafer placing table for placing a wafer is provided above the detecting mounting seat. The center of the wafer placing table, the center of the third avoidance hole and the center of the round hole on the hanger are on the same axis.

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