High temperature resistant robotic end effector, wafer handling device and method

Abstract

The application discloses a high-temperature-resistant robot end effector, a wafer conveying device and a method, wherein the robot end effector comprises an arm and a finger, the end of the arm is connected to the finger, the arm comprises a groove, a heat insulation chamber, a vacuum air path valve and a normal pressure air path valve are arranged in the groove, the vacuum air path valve and the normal pressure air path valve are connected to the heat insulation chamber, the finger comprises a vacuum air duct and a vacuum chuck, one end of the vacuum air duct is connected to the heat insulation chamber, and the other end of the vacuum air duct is connected to the vacuum chuck, when wafer adsorption is needed, the vacuum air path valve is opened, the normal pressure air path valve is closed, so that the heat insulation chamber, the vacuum air duct and the vacuum chuck form a vacuum, and when wafer release is needed, the vacuum air path valve is closed, the normal pressure air path valve is opened, so that the heat insulation chamber, the vacuum air duct and the vacuum chuck form normal pressure. The application is used for solving the problem that a vacuum adsorption type end effector cannot resist higher temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer handling, and more particularly to a high-temperature resistant robotic end effector, wafer handling device, and method. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of high-end integrated circuit wafer manufacturing and the huge market demand, high-temperature process equipment for wafer manufacturing has placed higher demands on improving production efficiency.

[0003] Traditional wafer handling methods mainly include clamping, passive friction, and vacuum adsorption. Clamping is not suitable for high-temperature wafers. Passive friction has inherent disadvantages such as slow movement speed and low production efficiency. Vacuum adsorption has become the main development direction for improving the efficiency of high-temperature wafer handling. However, when using vacuum adsorption, high-temperature gases inside the high-temperature process equipment are drawn into the vacuum pipeline and dissipate heat to the end effector, which can affect other electronic components inside the end effector. To avoid this impact, the heat insulation of the high-temperature pipeline and the parts through which the high-temperature pipeline passes must be properly insulated and heat-resistant. These factors greatly limit the temperature that the vacuum adsorption end effector can withstand. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to at least partially address one of the problems in related technologies. Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a high-temperature resistant robotic end effector, wafer handling device, and method to solve the problem that vacuum-adhesive end effectors cannot withstand higher temperatures.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution: a high-temperature resistant robotic end effector, comprising an arm and fingers, wherein the end of the arm is connected to the fingers, and the arm includes a groove, wherein a heat insulation chamber, a vacuum circuit valve and an atmospheric pressure circuit valve are disposed within the groove; both the vacuum circuit valve and the atmospheric pressure circuit valve are connected to the heat insulation chamber;

[0006] The finger includes a vacuum channel and a vacuum suction cup, with one end of the vacuum channel connected to a heat insulation chamber and the other end connected to the vacuum suction cup;

[0007] When wafers need to be adsorbed, the vacuum air passage valve is opened and the atmospheric pressure air passage valve is closed, so that the heat insulation chamber, the vacuum passage and the vacuum suction cup form a vacuum.

[0008] When it is necessary to release the wafer, the vacuum passage valve closes and the atmospheric pressure passage valve opens, so that the heat insulation chamber, vacuum passage and vacuum chuck are at atmospheric pressure.

[0009] Furthermore, the arm also includes a cover plate that covers the groove.

[0010] Furthermore, the internal volume of the heat insulation chamber is larger than the internal volume of the vacuum duct.

[0011] Furthermore, one end of the vacuum circuit valve is connected to the heat insulation chamber, and the other end is connected to the vacuum pump.

[0012] Furthermore, one end of the atmospheric pressure gas valve is connected to the heat insulation chamber, and the other end is connected to the atmospheric pressure gas source.

[0013] Furthermore, the vacuum suction cup includes three adsorption points, and the three adsorption points are distributed in a triangle within the vacuum suction cup.

[0014] Furthermore, the vacuum channel is embedded inside the finger.

[0015] Furthermore, the heat-insulating chamber is made of heat-resistant insulating material.

[0016] A high-temperature resistant wafer handling device includes a high-temperature resistant robotic end effector as described above.

[0017] A method for wafer handling using a high-temperature resistant robotic end effector as described above, comprising:

[0018] When wafers need to be adsorbed, the vacuum air passage valve is opened and the atmospheric pressure air passage valve is closed, so that the heat insulation chamber, the vacuum passage and the vacuum suction cup form a vacuum.

[0019] When it is necessary to release the wafer, the vacuum passage valve closes and the atmospheric pressure passage valve opens, so that the heat insulation chamber, vacuum passage and vacuum chuck are at atmospheric pressure.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided in this application has the following advantages: The end effector of this application includes an arm and a finger, the end of the arm is connected to the finger, the arm includes a groove, and the groove is provided with a heat insulation chamber, a vacuum circuit valve and an atmospheric pressure circuit valve; the vacuum circuit valve and the atmospheric pressure circuit valve are both connected to the heat insulation chamber, wherein when the vacuum circuit valve is opened, a vacuum environment is formed in the heat insulation chamber, and when the atmospheric pressure circuit valve is opened, an atmospheric pressure environment is formed in the heat insulation chamber; the finger includes a vacuum channel and a vacuum suction cup, one end of the vacuum channel is connected to the heat insulation chamber and the other end is connected to the vacuum suction cup. When wafers need to be adsorbed, the vacuum air path valve opens and the atmospheric pressure air path valve closes, creating a vacuum in the insulated chamber, vacuum passage, and vacuum suction cup, thus adsorbing the wafers in the vacuum suction cup. When wafers need to be released, the vacuum air path valve closes and the atmospheric pressure air path valve opens, creating atmospheric pressure in the insulated chamber, vacuum passage, and vacuum suction cup, thus releasing the wafers and enabling wafer handling. When the wafers are high-temperature wafers, the high-temperature gases drawn in by the vacuum adsorption end effector when handling wafers in high-temperature process equipment are isolated by setting up an insulated chamber, preventing other components of the end effector from being damaged by high temperatures, thereby greatly improving the temperature resistance of the vacuum adsorption end effector. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] In the attached image:

[0024] Appendix Figure 1 This is a top view of the robot end effector of this application;

[0025] Appendix Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the heat-insulating chamber in the robot end effector of this application;

[0026] Appendix Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum passage of the robot end effector of this application;

[0027] Appendix Figure 4 This is the pneumatic circuit diagram of the robot end effector of this application;

[0028] Reference numerals: 1. Arm; 2. Insulated chamber; 3. Vacuum air passage valve; 4. Atmospheric pressure air passage valve; 5. Cover plate; 6. Finger; 7. Adsorption point; 8. Vacuum air passage; 9. Wafer. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To provide a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives, and effects of this invention, specific embodiments are now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, it should be understood that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "longitudinal," "horizontal," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "head," and "tail" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are constructed and operated in a specific orientation. They are only for the convenience of describing this technical solution and do not indicate that the referred mechanism or element must have a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0030] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, terms such as "installation," "connection," "linking," "fixing," and "setting" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. When an component is referred to as being "on" or "below" another component, the component can be located "directly" or "indirectly" on the other component, or there may be one or more intermediary components. The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are only for the convenience of describing this technical solution and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, features defined with "first," "second," "third," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] In the following description, specific details such as particular system structures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention can be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, mechanisms, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the invention with unnecessary detail.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] Please see Figures 1-4This application provides a high-temperature resistant robotic end effector, including an arm 1 and a finger 6. The end of the arm 1 is connected to the finger 6. The arm 1 includes a groove, and the groove is provided with a heat insulation chamber 2, a vacuum circuit valve 3 and a normal pressure air circuit valve 4. Both the vacuum circuit valve 3 and the normal pressure air circuit valve 4 are connected to the heat insulation chamber 2. The finger 6 includes a vacuum channel 8 and a vacuum suction cup. One end of the vacuum channel 8 is connected to the heat insulation chamber 2, and the other end is connected to the vacuum suction cup.

[0034] When vacuum valve 3 is opened, a vacuum environment is created in the heat-insulated chamber 2; when atmospheric pressure valve 4 is opened, an atmospheric pressure environment is created in the heat-insulated chamber 2. When wafer 9 needs to be adsorbed, vacuum valve 3 is opened and atmospheric pressure valve 4 is closed, creating a vacuum in the heat-insulated chamber 2, vacuum channel 8, and vacuum suction cup, thus adsorbing wafer 9 in the vacuum suction cup. When wafer 9 needs to be released, vacuum valve 3 is closed and atmospheric pressure valve 4 is opened, creating atmospheric pressure in the heat-insulated chamber 2, vacuum channel 8, and vacuum suction cup, thus releasing the adsorption of wafer 9 and enabling wafer 9 transport. When the wafer is a high-temperature wafer, the heat-insulated chamber 2 isolates the high-temperature gas drawn in when the vacuum adsorption end effector picks up and places wafer 9 inside the high-temperature process equipment, preventing other components of the end effector from being damaged by high temperatures, thereby greatly improving the temperature resistance of the vacuum adsorption end effector.

[0035] Example 2

[0036] Please see Figures 1-4 The robot end effector provided in this application includes an arm 1 and a finger 6. The end of the arm 1 is connected to the finger 6. The arm 1 includes a groove, and the groove is provided with a heat insulation chamber 2, a vacuum circuit valve 3 and an atmospheric pressure circuit valve 4. Both the vacuum circuit valve 3 and the atmospheric pressure circuit valve 4 are connected to the heat insulation chamber 2. When the vacuum circuit valve 3 is open, a vacuum environment is formed in the heat insulation chamber 2. When the atmospheric pressure circuit valve 4 is open, an atmospheric pressure environment is formed in the heat insulation chamber 2. The finger 6 includes a vacuum channel 8 and a vacuum suction cup. One end of the vacuum channel 8 is connected to the heat insulation chamber 2 and the other end is connected to the vacuum suction cup. When wafer 9 needs to be adsorbed, vacuum valve 3 opens and atmospheric pressure valve 4 closes, creating a vacuum in the heat-insulated chamber 2, vacuum channel 8, and vacuum suction cup, thus adsorbing wafer 9 in the vacuum suction cup. When wafer 9 needs to be released, vacuum valve 3 closes and atmospheric pressure valve 4 opens, creating atmospheric pressure in the heat-insulated chamber 2, vacuum channel 8, and vacuum suction cup, thus releasing the adsorption of wafer 9 and enabling wafer 9 to be transported. When the wafer is a high-temperature wafer, the heat-insulated chamber 2 isolates the high-temperature gas drawn in when the vacuum adsorption end effector picks up and places wafer 9 inside the high-temperature process equipment, preventing other components of the end effector from being damaged by high temperatures, thereby greatly improving the temperature resistance of the vacuum adsorption end effector.

[0037] Specifically, in this application, one end of the vacuum circuit valve 3 is connected to the heat insulation chamber 2, and the other end is connected to a vacuum pump. One end of the atmospheric pressure gas circuit valve 4 is connected to the heat insulation chamber 2, and the other end is connected to an atmospheric pressure gas source. Preferably, the vacuum circuit valve 3 and the atmospheric pressure gas circuit valve 4 are located at one end of the heat insulation chamber 2, and the other end of the heat insulation chamber 2 is connected to the vacuum channel 8. One of the vacuum circuit valve 3 and the atmospheric pressure gas circuit valve 4 remains closed, and the other remains open. When the vacuum circuit valve 3 is open and the atmospheric pressure gas circuit valve 4 is closed, the vacuum pump evacuates the heat insulation chamber 2, creating a vacuum state in the heat insulation chamber 2, the vacuum channel 8, and the vacuum suction cup. When the atmospheric pressure gas circuit valve 4 is open and the vacuum circuit valve 3 is closed, the atmospheric pressure gas source blows air or other atmospheric pressure gas into the heat insulation chamber 2, creating an atmospheric pressure state in the heat insulation chamber 2, the vacuum channel 8, and the vacuum suction cup.

[0038] To achieve better thermal insulation, the internal volume of the thermal insulation chamber 2 in this application is larger than the internal volume of the vacuum channel 8. One end of the vacuum channel is connected to the thermal insulation chamber 2, and the other end is connected to a vacuum chuck. The vacuum chuck is essentially composed of multiple adsorption points 7. Different adsorption points 7 are used to adsorb different positions of the wafer 9, thereby achieving the adsorption and fixation of the wafer 9. It can also be understood that the vacuum chuck is composed of adsorption points 7, and the adsorption points 7 are the ends of the vacuum channel 8. This application limits the internal volume of the thermal insulation chamber 2 to be much larger than the internal volume of the vacuum channel 8. Here, internal volume refers to the internal volume of the thermal insulation chamber 2 and the vacuum channel 8. This can achieve heat insulation during the handling of high-temperature wafers.

[0039] When finger 6 enters the high-temperature process equipment chamber to adsorb wafer 9, the atmospheric pressure gas valve 4 closes and the vacuum gas valve 3 opens. The vacuum pump draws a vacuum, creating a negative pressure in the heat insulation chamber 2, the vacuum channel 8, and the vacuum suction cup, thus adsorbing wafer 9. When the vacuum occurs, because the volume of the heat insulation chamber 2 is much larger than that of the vacuum channel 8, the high-temperature gas drawn from the high-temperature process equipment will remain in the heat insulation chamber 2 and will not enter other parts of the end effector, thereby protecting other components from damage by the high-temperature gas. When the end effector removes wafer 9 from the high-temperature process equipment and places it in a normal temperature environment, the vacuum gas valve 3 closes and the atmospheric pressure gas valve 4 opens. The atmospheric pressure gas source blows normal temperature gas into the heat insulation chamber 2. At this time, the vacuum state is broken, the vacuum adsorption fails, and wafer 9 is put down. Afterward, the atmospheric pressure gas valve 4 remains open for a period of time until the high-temperature gas inside the heat insulation chamber 2 is completely discharged, ensuring that the high-temperature gas drawn in can still be isolated inside the heat insulation chamber 2 when working inside the high-temperature process equipment again.

[0040] It should be noted that the vacuum pump connected to the vacuum circuit valve 3 in this application is used to evacuate the heat insulation chamber 2 to form a vacuum adsorption environment in the heat insulation chamber and the vacuum channel; the atmospheric pressure gas source connected to the atmospheric pressure gas circuit valve 4 is used to blow air into the heat insulation chamber 2 to discharge the high-temperature gas stored in the heat insulation chamber, thereby forming an atmospheric pressure state in the heat insulation chamber and the vacuum channel.

[0041] The arm 1 of this application also includes a cover plate 5 that covers the groove, for shielding the groove where the heat insulation chamber 2 is located when the robot end effector is in operation.

[0042] The vacuum chuck of this application may include three adsorption points 7, which are arranged in a triangle within the vacuum chuck for adsorption at different locations on the wafer 9, thereby achieving stable adsorption and handling of the wafer 9. The number of adsorption points 7 in the vacuum chuck of this application can be arbitrarily set and is applicable to the adsorption of wafers 9 of different specifications.

[0043] In this application, the vacuum channel 8 is embedded inside the finger 6. The inside of the finger 6 is provided with a sealed groove or channel to form the vacuum channel 8, which no longer occupies the external space of the end effector, making the overall structure neat and beautiful.

[0044] In this application, the heat insulation chamber 2 is made of heat-resistant insulation material, and the inner wall of the vacuum duct 8 is also made of heat-resistant insulation material. The specific heat-resistant insulation material can be ceramic, quartz, etc.

[0045] In this application, the inner walls of the heat insulation chamber 2 and the vacuum duct 8 can be made of corrosion-resistant material, thus making them suitable for unconventional gas environments such as corrosive gases, and also suitable for wafer handling in the wafer processing chamber 9 where corrosive gases are present.

[0046] This application also provides a high-temperature resistant wafer handling device, including the high-temperature resistant robotic end effector as described above.

[0047] Example 3

[0048] This application provides a wafer handling method applicable to the handling of wafer 9 in a high-temperature process equipment chamber, specifically including the following steps:

[0049] When the finger 6 enters the high-temperature process equipment chamber to adsorb the wafer 9, the atmospheric pressure gas valve 4 is closed and the vacuum gas valve 3 is opened. The vacuum pump evacuates the heat insulation chamber 2, creating a vacuum negative pressure in the heat insulation chamber 2, the vacuum channel 8, and the vacuum suction cup, which adsorbs the wafer 9. When the vacuum occurs, because the volume of the heat insulation chamber 2 is much larger than the volume of the vacuum channel 8, the high-temperature gas drawn in from the high-temperature process equipment will remain in the heat insulation chamber 2 and will not enter other parts of the end effector, thus protecting other components from being damaged by the high-temperature gas.

[0050] When the end effector removes wafer 9 from the high-temperature process equipment and places it in a normal temperature environment, vacuum air passage valve 3 is closed and atmospheric pressure air passage valve 4 is opened. Atmospheric pressure gas source blows room temperature and atmospheric pressure gas into the heat insulation chamber 2. At this time, the vacuum state is broken and vacuum adsorption fails. Atmospheric pressure gas source fills the heat insulation chamber 2 and vacuum passage 8 and is discharged from adsorption point 7, so that wafer 9 is released.

[0051] The atmospheric pressure gas valve 4 remains open for a period of time until the high-temperature gas inside the insulation chamber 2 is completely discharged, so as to ensure that the inhaled high-temperature gas can still be isolated inside the insulation chamber 2 when working inside the high-temperature process equipment next time.

[0052] This application isolates the high-temperature gas drawn in by the vacuum adsorption end effector when picking up and placing wafers 9 inside the high-temperature process equipment by setting up a heat insulation chamber 2, thereby preventing other components of the end effector from being damaged by high temperature and greatly improving the temperature resistance of the vacuum adsorption end effector.

[0053] It is understood that the above embodiments only illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can freely combine the above technical features without departing from the concept of the present invention, and can also make several modifications and improvements, all of which fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent transformations and modifications made with respect to the scope of the claims of the present invention should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-temperature resistant robotic end effector, characterized in that, The device includes an arm and fingers, with the fingers connected to the ends of the arm. The arm includes a groove containing a heat-insulating chamber, a vacuum valve, and a normal-pressure valve. Both the vacuum valve and the normal-pressure valve are connected to the heat-insulating chamber. The fingers include a vacuum channel and a vacuum suction cup. One end of the vacuum channel is connected to the heat-insulating chamber, and the other end is connected to the vacuum suction cup. The internal volume of the heat-insulating chamber is larger than the internal volume of the vacuum channel. When a wafer needs to be adsorbed, the vacuum valve opens and the normal-pressure valve closes, using the heat-insulating chamber to isolate the inhaled high-temperature gas and creating a vacuum in the heat-insulating chamber, vacuum channel, and vacuum suction cup. When the wafer needs to be released, the vacuum valve closes and the normal-pressure valve opens, blowing air into the heat-insulating chamber to expel the high-temperature gas and creating normal pressure in the heat-insulating chamber, vacuum channel, and vacuum suction cup.

2. The high-temperature resistant robotic end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The arm also includes a cover plate that covers the groove.

3. The high-temperature resistant robotic end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the vacuum circuit valve is connected to the heat insulation chamber, and the other end is connected to the vacuum pump.

4. The high-temperature resistant robotic end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the atmospheric pressure gas valve is connected to the heat insulation chamber, and the other end is connected to the atmospheric pressure gas source.

5. A high-temperature resistant robotic end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum suction cup includes three adsorption points, which are arranged in a triangle within the vacuum suction cup.

6. A high-temperature resistant robotic end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum channel is embedded inside the finger.

7. A high-temperature resistant robotic end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat-insulating chamber is made of heat-resistant and heat-insulating material.

8. A high-temperature resistant wafer handling device, characterized in that, Including the high-temperature resistant robot end effector as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. A method for wafer handling using a high-temperature resistant robotic end effector as described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, include: When wafers need to be adsorbed, the vacuum air passage valve is opened and the atmospheric pressure air passage valve is closed, so that the heat insulation chamber, the vacuum passage and the vacuum suction cup form a vacuum. When it is necessary to release the wafer, the vacuum passage valve closes and the atmospheric pressure passage valve opens, so that the heat insulation chamber, vacuum passage and vacuum chuck are at atmospheric pressure.

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