Wafer access assembly, wafer access device and wafer carrier thereof

Abstract

The application provides a wafer access assembly, a wafer access device and a wafer carrier. The wafer access device includes a base, a shaft, a plurality of linkage plates, a plurality of arms and a telescopic assembly. The base has a long slot, the shaft is slidably inserted into the long slot, the plurality of linkage plates are sleeved on the shaft, each linkage plate has a plate body and a through hole, the through hole is provided in the plate body for the shaft to pass through, each arm extends from one end of the plate body of the linkage plate, and the telescopic assembly includes a plurality of connecting side walls. Each connecting side wall is arranged on each linkage plate and connects adjacent linkage plates together. The plurality of connecting side walls can be telescoped to change the distance between adjacent linkage plates. Thus, the volume of the wafer carrier can be reduced by half, and the wafer access device can simultaneously vacuum adsorb a plurality of wafers to achieve higher wafer access efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a technology for accessing and transporting wafers, and in particular to a wafer access assembly and its wafer access device and wafer carrier that are both time-saving and reduce transport volume. Background Technology

[0002] Wafers are the primary substrate in semiconductor manufacturing processes. Because wafers are fragile, and the losses can be staggering if they become contaminated after exposure, development, etching, and dicing processes, even if the wafers are ready for dicing. Therefore, specially designed sealed containers are often used to protect wafers during transport. Current technology uses a wafer robot to pick up and place wafers between the wafer cassette and the wafer transport system. To accommodate the production line equipment, the spacing between the slits of existing wafer cassettes is approximately 10mm, resulting in a considerable volume for a 25-wafer cassette. Furthermore, the robot picks up only one wafer at a time when moving between the wafer cassette and the wafer transport system, which is clearly inefficient. When large quantities of wafers need to be transported across different facilities, the storage space, transport time, and transport costs are considerable. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, one of the objectives of this application is to provide a wafer access assembly and its wafer access device and wafer carrier, which has higher wafer access efficiency and can significantly reduce the volume occupied by the wafer carrier when transporting wafers.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application discloses a wafer access device comprising a base, a shaft, multiple connecting plates, multiple arms, and a telescopic assembly. The base has an elongated groove into which the shaft slidably extends. Multiple connecting plates are sleeved on the shaft, each connecting plate having a plate body and a through hole through which the shaft passes. Each arm extends from one end of the plate body of the connecting plate. The telescopic assembly includes multiple connecting sidewalls, each connecting sidewall being disposed on each connecting plate and connecting adjacent connecting plates together. The telescopic assembly can extend and retract to change the distance between adjacent connecting plates.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application further discloses a wafer carrier for the wafer access device of any of the above embodiments to remove or insert a wafer, the wafer carrier comprising a plurality of slots.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application also discloses a wafer access assembly, comprising a wafer access device according to any of the above embodiments and a wafer carrier according to any of the above embodiments, wherein the wafer access device removes or places a wafer into the wafer carrier.

[0007] In this way, the volume occupied by the wafer carrier for placing wafers can be reduced by half compared to the existing structure. Especially when a large number of wafers need to be transported across the factory, the storage volume it occupies is only half of that of the existing technology. On the other hand, since the wafer access device has multiple arms, it can vacuum pick up multiple wafers at the same time for transport. Compared with the existing structure where the robotic arm can only pick up one wafer at a time, the wafer access device of this application can save a lot of time for vacuum picking up and transporting wafers, achieving higher wafer access efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a wafer access device according to a preferred embodiment of this application;

[0009] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a wafer access device according to a preferred embodiment of this application;

[0010] Figure 3 This is a partial perspective view of a wafer access device according to a preferred embodiment of this application;

[0011] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of a wafer access assembly according to a preferred embodiment of this application;

[0012] Figure 5 A perspective view of an existing wafer carrier and a wafer access device according to a preferred embodiment of this application;

[0013] Figures 6 to 11 This is an operational diagram of a wafer access device according to a preferred embodiment of this application.

[0014] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0015] 10: Wafer access device;

[0016] 30: Base; 32: Long slot; 321: First end; 323: Second end;

[0017] 40: Shaft:

[0018] 50: Connecting plate; 52: Plate body; 54: Perforation;

[0019] 60: Arm;

[0020] 70: Telescopic component; 71: Connecting sidewall; 72: Drive block; 721: Bushing; 73: Elastic element; 74: Stud; 75: Ball bearing;

[0021] 80: Wafer access assembly;

[0022] 90: Wafer carrier; 97: Slot;

[0023] 100: Wafer carrier;

[0024] W: Wafer. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1 , 2 The wafer access device 10 provided in a preferred embodiment of this application has a base 30, a shaft 40, a plurality of connecting plates 50, a plurality of arms 60, and a telescopic assembly 70.

[0026] The base 30 has an elongated groove 32 with a first end 321 and a second end 323. The base 30 is capable of translation or rotation, and the shaft 40 can be slidably extended into the elongated groove 32.

[0027] Multiple connecting plates 50 are sleeved on the shaft 40. Each connecting plate 50 has a plate body 52 and a through hole 54. The through hole 54 passes through the plate body 52, and the shaft 40 passes through the through hole 54 so that each connecting plate 50 is sleeved on the shaft 40. In this embodiment, the number of multiple connecting plates 50 is 25. In other possible embodiments, the number of multiple connecting plates 50 can be changed as needed.

[0028] Each arm 60 extends from one end of the plate 52 of one of the connecting plates 50. Therefore, it is understood that the number of arms 60 should be the same as the number of connecting plates 50. In this embodiment, the number of arms 60 is also 25. Each arm 60 can be used to vacuum-adsorb a wafer W.

[0029] The telescopic assembly 70 includes: a plurality of connecting sidewalls 71 disposed on a plurality of connecting plates 50 and connecting adjacent connecting plates 50 together; a driving block 72 movably disposed on the shaft 40; an elastic member 73 disposed within the shaft 40 and abutting against the driving block 72; and a stud 74 housed within the shaft 40. The plurality of connecting sidewalls 71 can extend and retract to change the distance between adjacent connecting plates 50. When the plurality of connecting sidewalls 71 are in an extended state, the distance between two adjacent connecting plates 50 is at its maximum; when the plurality of connecting sidewalls 71 are in a compressed state, the distance between two adjacent connecting plates 50 is at its minimum. In this embodiment, as... Figure 3 As shown, the connecting sidewall 71 includes a first sidewall 711 and a second sidewall 712. The second sidewall 712 is pivotally connected to the first sidewall 711. The first sidewall 711 and the second sidewall 712 are pivotally mounted on the plate body 52 of the same connecting plate 50. The second sidewall 712 of each plate body 52 is simultaneously pivotally connected to the first sidewall 711 on the adjacent plate body 52. ​​When the multiple first sidewalls 711 and multiple second sidewalls 712 are adjusted from the extended state to the compressed state, the adjacent plates 52 of the two adjacent connecting plates 50 also shorten the distance between them.

[0030] The drive block 72 is connected to the top-level connecting plate 50 and can drive the connecting plate 50 to move upward or downward. The drive block 72 includes a bushing 721 that extends into the shaft 40 and is located between the shaft 40 and the stud 74. When the stud 74 rotates, it can drive the drive block 72 to move upward or downward. In addition, the telescopic assembly 70 also includes a plurality of balls 75, which are disposed between the bushing 721 and the stud 74. That is, the inner edge of the bushing 721 and the outer edge of the stud 74 are both recessed with internal grooves to accommodate and roll the balls 75. By telescoping the multiple connecting sidewalls 71, when the distance between two adjacent plates 52 increases, it can help to facilitate the loading and unloading of the supported object (such as a wafer). When the distance between two adjacent plates 52 decreases, the overall volume of the wafer access device 10 can be effectively reduced, thereby saving working space. The structure of the telescopic component 70 can be changed arbitrarily, as long as the distance between each plate 52 can be changed by telescoping.

[0031] The drive block 72 allows multiple connecting sidewalls 71 to extend and retract. In this embodiment, the stud 74 can be driven to rotate, and the stud 74 can be a ball screw. When the stud 74 rotates, it can drive the bushing 721 to move up and down, thereby causing the drive block 72 to move up and down accordingly. Since the drive block 72 is connected to the connecting plate 50 located at the top layer, when the stud 74 rotates (clockwise or counterclockwise) causing the drive block 72 to move upward, the drive block 72 can pull the connecting plate 50 at the top layer, thereby driving the multiple connecting sidewalls 71. The extension increases the distance between the connecting plates 50. Conversely, when the stud 74 rotates (clockwise or counterclockwise), causing the driving block 72 to move downward, the driving block 72 can press against the topmost connecting plate 50, thereby causing the multiple connecting sidewalls 71 to close, thus reducing the distance between the connecting plates 50. Since the driving block 72 is driven by the rotation of the stud 74, in this case, the elastic member 73 does not need to provide the driving block 72 with an upward or downward elastic restoring force, so the elastic member 73 can be omitted. It should be noted that the structure and principle of the stud 74 as a ball screw are not particularly different from the prior art, so they will not be described in detail here.

[0032] In other possible embodiments, the driving block 72 can move upward by itself or by other external forces. In this case, the elastic member 73 can be a tension spring, which can provide a restoring force for the driving block 72 to move downward when the external force weakens or disappears. In other words, the driving block 72 moves upward by itself or other external forces, thereby increasing the distance between each of the connecting plates 50, and can be moved downward by the elastic restoring force of the tension spring, thereby decreasing the distance between each of the connecting plates 50; or, the driving block 72 can move upward by itself or by other external forces. The force causes the block 72 to move downwards. In this case, the elastic element 73 can be a compression spring. When the external force weakens or disappears, it can provide a restoring force for the upward displacement of the driving block 72. In other words, the driving block 72 moves downwards under its own or other external force, thereby reducing the distance between each connecting plate 50. It can also be moved upwards by the elastic restoring force of the compression spring, thereby increasing the distance between each connecting plate 50. Since the driving block 72 is not driven by the ball screw, the stud 74 and the multiple balls 75 can be omitted in this embodiment.

[0033] On the other hand, in other possible embodiments, the driving block 72 may have its own upward and downward movement functions or be powered by other external forces. That is, the driving block 72 may move upward under its own power or other external forces, thereby increasing the distance between the connecting plates 50, and move downward under its own power or other external forces, thereby decreasing the distance between the connecting plates 50. Since the driving block 72 itself has both upward and downward movement functions, the elastic member 73 can be omitted in this embodiment, and since the driving block 72 is not driven by the ball screw, the stud 74 and the plurality of balls 75 can also be omitted.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 4 This is a preferred embodiment of the wafer access assembly 80 provided in this application, which has a wafer access device 10 and a wafer carrier 90 as described above. The wafer carrier 90 is used for the wafer access device 10 to take out or place a wafer W. The structure of the wafer carrier 90 is generally the same as the existing structure. The wafer carrier 90 has a plurality of slots 97, each slot 97 for placing and storing a wafer W. In this embodiment, the biggest difference between the wafer carrier 90 and the existing structure is that the distance between two adjacent slots 97 is 5mm. In other possible embodiments, the distance between two adjacent slots 97 can be in the range of 3mm or more (including the endpoint value of 3mm) and less than 10mm (including the endpoint value of 10mm).

[0035] Please refer to Figure 5The wafer carrier 100 on the left of the attached diagram is an existing wafer carrier, which can be a wafer cassette or a production line machine, etc. Therefore, its detailed structure will not be described in detail. The existing wafer carrier 100 can hold a total of 25 wafers, and the spacing between each wafer is 10mm. For ease of explanation and simplification of the attached diagram, the number of wafers in the attached diagram is 3 as an example. The following will further describe the process by which the wafer access device 10 removes the wafer W from the existing wafer carrier 100 and places it into the wafer carrier 90.

[0036] Please refer to the aforementioned attached diagrams and references. Figures 6-11 First, the wafer access device 10 is located between the existing wafer carrier 100 and the wafer carrier 90, and the first end 321 of the long slot 32 of the base 30 is closer to the existing wafer carrier 100, and the second end 323 is closer to the wafer carrier 90; the distance between each linkage plate 50 is 5mm. Next, the actuating block 72 can begin to move upward, pulling the topmost connecting plate 50 and causing multiple connecting sidewalls 71 to extend, increasing the distance between each connecting plate 50 to 10mm, which conforms to the structural specifications of the existing wafer carrier 100. At this time, the shaft 40 begins to slide along the long groove 32 toward the first end 321. While sliding, the shaft 40 drives multiple connecting plates 50 and multiple arms 60 to move toward the wafer carrier 100. Each arm 60 extends into the wafer carrier 100 and vacuum-adsorbs a wafer W. Then, the shaft 40 slides along the long groove 32 toward the second end 323. At this time, the multiple arms 60 and the adsorbed wafers W also retract from the wafer carrier 100. Then, the base 30 rotates in place, causing the wafers W adsorbed by the multiple arms 60 to move towards the wafer carrier 90. The driving block 72 can then move downwards to press against the topmost connecting plate 50, causing the multiple connecting sidewalls 71 to close, reducing the distance between the connecting plates 50 to 5mm, that is, the distance between the wafers W is 5mm. This allows the multiple arms 60 to extend into the wafer carrier 90 and place the vacuum-adsorbed wafers W into the corresponding slots 97. The base 30 can then move away from the wafer carrier 90, causing the multiple arms 60 to retract from the wafer carrier 90. This completes the process of the wafer retrieval device 10 taking the wafers W from the existing wafer carrier 100 and placing them into the wafer carrier 90.

[0037] Since the distance between two adjacent slots 97 of the wafer carrier 90 is 5mm, the distance between each wafer W placed in the wafer carrier 90 is only 5mm. Therefore, compared with the existing structure, the volume occupied by the wafer carrier 90 of this application for placing 25 wafers can be reduced by 50%. Especially when a large number of wafers need to be transported across the factory area, the storage volume occupied is only half of that of the prior art. This wafer access device 10 can quickly reduce the distance between wafers W from 10mm to 5mm in a simple and straightforward process, easily achieving the aforementioned effect of reducing the occupied volume. Furthermore, since the wafer access device 10 has multiple arms 60, more specifically, it can have 25 arms 60, thus enabling the simultaneous vacuum adsorption and transport of 25 wafers. Compared to existing technologies where robotic arms can only pick up one wafer at a time, the wafer access device 10 of this application saves considerable time on wafer vacuum adsorption and transport, achieving higher wafer access efficiency. Moreover, the wafer access device 10 can also be used to access objects other than semiconductor wafers or applied in other fields. For example, it can simultaneously access multiple wafer expanders, photomasks, or glass substrates in the panel industry, not just semiconductor wafers. All other easily conceivable structural variations should be covered by the patent scope of this application.

Claims

1. A wafer access device, characterized in that, Include: The base has a long groove; A shaft that can slidably extend into the long slot; Multiple connecting plates are sleeved on the shaft, each connecting plate having a plate body and a through hole, the through hole being provided in the plate body for the shaft to pass through; Multiple arms, each arm extending from one end of the plate of each linkage plate; as well as The scalable component includes: Multiple connecting sidewalls are provided on each of the connecting plates and connect adjacent connecting plates together. Each connecting sidewall can be extended or retracted to change the distance between adjacent connecting plates. A drive block is movably disposed on the shaft. The drive block is connected to the connecting plate located at the top layer and can drive the connecting plate located at the top layer to move upward or downward, thereby causing each connecting plate to extend or close to increase or decrease the distance between each connecting plate. as well as A stud is housed within the shaft. The drive block includes a bushing that extends into the shaft and is located between the shaft and the stud. When the stud rotates, it can drive the drive block to move up and down.

2. The wafer access device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The telescopic component further includes: An elastic element is disposed inside the shaft and abuts against the drive block.

3. The wafer access device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The elastic element is a compression spring, which provides a restoring force for the upward displacement of the driving block.

4. The wafer access device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The elastic element is a tension spring, which provides a restoring force for the downward displacement of the driving block.

5. The wafer access device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The telescopic assembly also includes an elastic element, which is disposed inside the shaft and abuts against the drive block.

6. The wafer access device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The telescopic assembly also includes a plurality of balls disposed between the bushing and the stud.

7. A wafer access assembly, characterized in that, The wafer access assembly is used for transporting wafers and includes: The wafer access device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6; and A wafer carrier containing multiple slots; The wafer access device removes or places the wafer into the wafer carrier.

8. The wafer access assembly as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The distance between two adjacent slots ranges from 3mm to 10mm.

9. The wafer access assembly as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The distance between two adjacent slots is 5mm.

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