Method and apparatus for adjusting adsorption force

Abstract

This invention provides an adsorption force adjustment method and apparatus. The method includes: identifying a wafer placed in a wafer cassette based on an image recognition algorithm, determining the wafer's thickness value, and determining the wafer's mass based on the thickness value; constructing a gas control model for the wafer based on various parameters during wafer movement; and adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model while controlling wafer movement. The adsorption force adjustment method and apparatus provided by this invention identify the wafer and determine its mass using an image recognition algorithm, and construct a gas control model for wafer movement based on the force parameters during wafer movement. This allows for the adjustment of the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model constructed from the wafer's force parameters during wafer movement, reducing the potential for wafer misalignment, vibration, or slippage due to inertia during wafer movement, and improving the stability of the wafer movement process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for adjusting adsorption force. Background Technology

[0002] Wafer transfer is an indispensable part of semiconductor manufacturing. Wafer robots, as one of the core components of the transfer system, mainly include micro-contact robots, vacuum robots, gripping robots, and hovering robots. Micro-contact robots, vacuum robots, and gripping robots all come into contact with the wafer, potentially leading to wafer contamination and scrapping. Hovering robots, utilizing Bernoulli's principle, enable non-contact, levitated wafer transport, solving the problem of wafer contamination leading to scrapping.

[0003] Existing non-contact levitation transfer processes for wafers based on levitation manipulators and Bernoulli's principle suffer from inertia during wafer transfer, leading to wafer shifting, vibration, or slippage, thus failing to achieve stable wafer transfer. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides an adsorption force adjustment method and apparatus to solve the technical problem in the prior art that, due to inertia, wafer movement in non-contact levitation conveying processes can lead to offset, vibration, or slippage, making it impossible to achieve stable wafer conveying.

[0005] This invention provides a method for adjusting adsorption force, comprising:

[0006] Based on image recognition algorithms, the wafers placed in the wafer cassette are identified, the thickness value of the wafers is determined, and the quality of the wafers is determined based on the thickness value.

[0007] Based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the rotational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during the wafer's movement, and the pressure of the blower filter unit (FFU) during the wafer's movement, a gas control model for the wafer is constructed.

[0008] While controlling the movement of the wafer, the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model.

[0009] According to an adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention, the gas control model of the wafer is constructed based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during wafer movement, the rotational inertial force during wafer movement, the horizontal deviation parameter during wafer movement, and the FFU pressure during wafer movement, including:

[0010] Based on the wafer's mass, the FFU pressure, and the horizontal deviation parameter, the force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axis direction are determined.

[0011] Based on the translational inertial force, the rotational inertial force, and the horizontal deviation parameter, the inertial force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axis directions in space are determined;

[0012] The gas control model of the wafer is constructed by superimposing the force component and the inertial force component.

[0013] According to the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention, the step of identifying a wafer placed in a wafer cassette based on an image recognition algorithm and determining the thickness value of the wafer includes:

[0014] An image of a wafer placed in a wafer cassette is acquired, and the image is recognized based on an image recognition algorithm to determine the image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette.

[0015] The thickness value of the wafer is determined based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer.

[0016] According to the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention, determining the thickness value of the wafer based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer includes:

[0017] The ratio of the standard wafer image thickness value to the actual image thickness value is determined, and the product of the ratio and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer is taken as the thickness value of the wafer.

[0018] According to the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention, the step of recognizing the image based on the image recognition algorithm and determining the image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette includes:

[0019] Based on the Sobel gradient operator, edge calculation is performed on the image to determine the edge contours of multiple wafers in the wafer box;

[0020] Based on the edge contours of the plurality of wafers, the average thickness of the plurality of wafers is determined, and the average thickness is used as the image thickness value of the wafer.

[0021] According to the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention, the step of adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model while controlling the movement of the wafer includes:

[0022] The wafer movement is controlled by a dual-channel flow meter, and the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model.

[0023] According to the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention, after adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model, the method further includes:

[0024] The distance between the wafer and the substrate is obtained, and the distance is controlled to remain constant based on the dual-channel flow meter.

[0025] The present invention also provides an adsorption force regulating device, comprising:

[0026] The wafer quality determination module is used to identify wafers placed in a wafer cassette based on an image recognition algorithm, determine the thickness value of the wafer, and determine the quality of the wafer based on the thickness value.

[0027] The gas control model determination module is used to construct a gas control model for the wafer based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the rotational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during the wafer's movement, and the pressure of the blower filter unit (FFU) during the wafer's movement.

[0028] A control module is used to adjust the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model while controlling the movement of the wafer.

[0029] The present invention also provides an electronic device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the adsorption force adjustment method as described above.

[0030] The present invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements any of the above-described adsorption force adjustment methods.

[0031] The adsorption force adjustment method and apparatus provided by this invention identify the wafer using an image recognition algorithm to determine its quality, and construct a gas control model to control wafer movement based on the force parameters applied during wafer movement. This enables adaptive adjustment of the wafer's adsorption force using the gas control model built upon the wafer's force parameters during wafer movement, reducing potential issues such as wafer misalignment, vibration, or slippage caused by inertia during movement, and improving the stability of the wafer movement process. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of wafer image acquisition provided by the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the image recognition process provided by the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer movement control device provided by the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the suspended robotic arm provided by the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the device structure applying the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention;

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart of the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention;

[0040] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the adsorption force adjustment device provided by the present invention;

[0041] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device provided by the present invention.

[0042] Figure label:

[0043] 501: Substrate; 502: Air duct; 503: Cyclone suction cup;

[0044] 504: Offset monitoring sensor; 505: Offset reflector. Detailed Implementation

[0045] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0046] A wafer is a silicon wafer used in the fabrication of silicon semiconductor integrated circuits. It is called a wafer because of its circular shape. Wafers are the carrier used in the production of integrated circuits and are the most commonly used semiconductor material. They are available in various diameters, such as 6 inches and 8 inches. To meet the needs of semiconductor manufacturing, 12-inch and even larger wafers have been developed. As wafer sizes continue to increase, the requirements for wafer manufacturing processes also become increasingly stringent.

[0047] A wafer cassette is an essential device in the wafer manufacturing process, used for storing and transferring wafers. During wafer manufacturing, wafers need to be removed from the cassette multiple times and sent to processing stations, and then returned to the cassette for storage or transfer after processing. A robotic arm is a device used to remove wafers from the cassette, send wafers from processing stations into the cassette, and transfer wafers between different processing stations.

[0048] Wafer robotic arms are one of the most critical components in wafer transfer. One type of robotic arm, which transfers wafers by suspending itself on a non-contact surface, is called a levitation robotic arm. Levitation robotic arms use applied positive pressure to attract and hold wafers.

[0049] The wafer transfer process based on a hovering robotic arm has the following drawbacks:

[0050] 1. The wafer transfer process based on a levitating robotic arm typically uses a fixed adsorption force to hold the wafer in place. However, a fixed adsorption force cannot adapt to wafers of varying masses; changes in wafer mass necessitate readjusting the adsorption force, which is both inaccurate and cumbersome.

[0051] 2. Unstable adsorption cannot be achieved. During the transfer process, due to inertia, the wafer will deviate and vibrate when the robot accelerates or decelerates.

[0052] 3. Fixed adsorption force: When the wafer is transported in different states, such as angle changes, acceleration and deceleration, or FFU (Fan Filter Unit) pressure changes, the distance between the wafer and the substrate cannot remain relatively constant, resulting in an unstable state.

[0053] 4. In open-loop conveying, the adsorption force is usually controlled to be greater than the required maximum adsorption force value, which will result in a waste of compressed air.

[0054] To address the shortcomings of related methods, this invention provides a method for adjusting adsorption force. Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention. (Refer to...) Figure 1 The adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention may include:

[0055] Step 110: Based on an image recognition algorithm, identify the wafer placed in the wafer cassette, determine the thickness value of the wafer, and determine the quality of the wafer based on the thickness value;

[0056] Step 120: Based on the mass of the wafer, the translational inertial force during the wafer movement process, the rotational inertial force during the wafer movement process, the horizontal deviation parameter during the wafer movement process, and the FFU pressure during the wafer movement process, construct a gas control model for the wafer.

[0057] Step 130: While controlling the movement of the wafer, adjust the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model.

[0058] The adsorption force adjustment method provided by this invention can be implemented by an electronic device, a component within an electronic device, an integrated circuit, or a chip. The electronic device can be a mobile electronic device or a non-mobile electronic device. For example, a mobile electronic device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), netbook, or personal digital assistant (PDA), etc., while a non-mobile electronic device can be a server, network attached storage (NAS), or personal computer (PC), etc. This invention does not impose specific limitations.

[0059] The following describes the technical solution of the present invention in detail using a computer executing the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the present invention as an example.

[0060] In step 110, an image of the wafer inside the wafer cassette is acquired. Based on an image recognition algorithm, the acquired image is recognized to determine the thickness value of the wafer, and the quality of the wafer is determined based on the thickness value of the wafer.

[0061] The wafer image inside the wafer cassette is acquired, and the wafer thickness is calculated based on an image recognition algorithm to determine the wafer thickness value.

[0062] Optionally, multiple wafers are typically placed in a wafer cassette. During the process of recognizing the wafer image, edge calculation can be used to determine the edge contours of the multiple wafers placed in the wafer cassette, extract the thickness value of each wafer, and take the average value to determine the thickness value of the wafer.

[0063] After determining the wafer thickness, the wafer quality can be obtained by looking up a predefined wafer thickness-quality correspondence table.

[0064] Understandably, when using a hovering robotic arm to transfer wafers with a fixed suction force, the suction force needs to be readjusted according to changes in wafer mass, resulting in low precision and cumbersome processes. However, by using image recognition algorithms to identify wafer thickness and determine wafer weight, automatic adjustment of the suction force can be achieved in response to changes in wafer mass.

[0065] In step 120, after obtaining the wafer quality in step 110, the wafer quality, translational inertial force during wafer movement, rotational inertial force during wafer movement, horizontal deviation parameters during wafer movement, and FFU pressure during wafer movement are used as the basis for the wafer quality, translational inertial force during wafer movement, rotational inertial force during wafer movement, horizontal deviation parameters during wafer movement, and FFU pressure during wafer movement.

[0066] In positive pressure levitation transport of wafers, the magnitude of the levitation adsorption force is directly related not only to the wafer's mass but also to the translational inertial force, rotational inertial force, horizontal deviation parameter, and FFU pressure during wafer movement. These factors all affect the wafer's levitation stability to varying degrees. The magnitudes of the rotational and translational inertial forces can be obtained from the motion control program, the horizontal deviation parameter can be measured using an electronic level, and the FFU pressure value can be detected using a differential pressure gauge.

[0067] The wafer's attitude during transport includes lifting, translation, rotation, and a combination of these three actions. When transporting the wafer, the effects of translational and rotational inertial forces in each state, as well as the wafer's quality, horizontal deviation parameters during wafer movement, and FFU pressure during wafer movement are considered to establish a gas control model for the wafer.

[0068] In step 130, after constructing the gas control model, the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model while controlling the wafer movement.

[0069] Understandably, after constructing a gas control model for wafer movement, the adsorption force of the levitation robot can be adjusted based on the gas control model and the force state of the wafer during transport, making the wafer transport process more stable.

[0070] The adsorption force adjustment method provided in this invention uses an image recognition algorithm to identify the wafer, determine the wafer's quality, and construct a gas control model to control the wafer's movement based on the force parameters during wafer movement. This enables adaptive adjustment of the wafer's adsorption force during wafer movement using the gas control model constructed based on the wafer's force parameters, reducing potential defects such as wafer shift, vibration, or slippage caused by inertia during wafer movement, and improving the stability of the wafer movement process.

[0071] In one embodiment, a gas control model for the wafer is constructed based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during wafer movement, the rotational inertial force during wafer movement, the horizontal deviation parameter during wafer movement, and the FFU pressure during wafer movement. This includes: determining the force components of the wafer along the three-dimensional coordinate axes in space based on the wafer's mass, the FFU pressure, and the horizontal deviation parameter; determining the inertial force components of the wafer along the three-dimensional coordinate axes in space based on the translational inertial force, the rotational inertial force, and the horizontal deviation parameter; and superimposing the force components and the inertial force components to construct the gas control model for the wafer.

[0072] In constructing the gas control model for the wafer, based on the wafer mass, FFU pressure, and horizontal deviation parameters during wafer movement, the force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axes are determined. The force components in the XYZ directions of the three-dimensional coordinate axes are as follows:

[0073]

[0074] Among them, F Z Let M be the force components of the wafer's mass in the X, Y, and Z directions, θ be the horizontal deviation angle in the horizontal deviation parameter, M be the wafer's mass, g be the acceleration due to gravity, and P be the force components of the wafer's mass in the X, Y, and Z directions. f The pressure F is the FFU pressure, and K1 is the weighting parameter for weighting the FFU pressure. The pressure F is obtained by weighting the FFU pressure by K1. ffu The force components of the FFU pressure in the X, Y, and Z directions are given.

[0075] During wafer movement, the inertial force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axis directions are determined based on the translational inertial force, the rotational inertial force, and the horizontal deviation parameter. The inertial force includes the translational inertial force caused by the translational acceleration during wafer handling, and the rotational inertial force caused by the rotational motion during wafer transfer between the wafer calibration station and the stage station.

[0076] During wafer handling, translational acceleration and deceleration occur, primarily including horizontal and vertical translation. Acceleration and deceleration are pre-set during trajectory planning, thus generating a horizontal translational inertial force F. p and vertical translational inertial force F C Based on the trajectory state angle β and horizontal deviation angle θ, the accelerations and decelerations a1 and a2, and the horizontal translational inertial force F p and vertical translational inertial force F C Decomposed into:

[0077]

[0078] During wafer transport, rotational motion occurs when the wafer is transferred between the wafer calibration station and the stage station. The rotational angular velocity w, rotational acceleration a3, acceleration angle γ1, and centrifugal angle γ2 can be obtained through the motion control program. At this time, a rotational inertial force F is generated. x and centrifugal force F l :

[0079]

[0080] By vectoring and adding the obtained horizontal translational inertial force, vertical translational inertial force, rotational inertial force, and centrifugal force of the wafer, the inertial force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axis directions in space can be obtained.

[0081] To ensure stable and reliable wafer delivery, the force obtained by superimposing the aforementioned force components and inertial force components, along with the suspended gas pressure P, needs to be considered. q The decomposition forces remain in balance, and the distance between the wafer and the substrate remains constant. The pressure direction of the suspended gas is related to the mechanical structure, with an angle of α. Once the balance is broken, the state is restored to equilibrium by adjusting the suspended gas pressure. The pressure difference ΔP is calculated using the following formula:

[0082]

[0083] Expanded to:

[0084]

[0085] Among them, F 合 The force is obtained by superimposing the force components and the inertial force components;

[0086]

[0087] Based on the equilibrium achieved by controlling the pressure difference ΔP, a gas control model for controlling the force balance of the wafer can be obtained.

[0088] The adsorption force adjustment method provided in this invention uses a gas control model constructed based on the force parameters of the wafer to adaptively adjust the adsorption force of the wafer. This reduces the potential for wafer displacement, vibration, or slippage due to inertia during wafer movement, thereby improving the stability of the wafer movement process.

[0089] In one embodiment, identifying a wafer placed in a wafer cassette based on an image recognition algorithm and determining the thickness value of the wafer includes: acquiring an image of the wafer placed in the wafer cassette; identifying the image based on the image recognition algorithm to determine the image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette; and determining the thickness value of the wafer based on the image thickness value, a standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of a standard wafer.

[0090] like Figure 2 As shown in the schematic diagram of wafer image acquisition provided by the present invention, when identifying wafers placed in a wafer cassette, the wafer side image can be acquired based on an industrial camera placed on the side of the wafer cassette, and the light source can make the acquired image clearer.

[0091] After acquiring the wafer image, the wafer thickness is calculated based on an image recognition algorithm to determine the wafer thickness value. The image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette is then determined. Based on the image thickness value determined by the image recognition algorithm, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer, the final wafer thickness value is determined.

[0092] The standard wafer image thickness value represents the thickness of a standard quality wafer as shown in the image. The actual standard wafer thickness value corresponds to the standard wafer image thickness value and is the thickness value measured in practice.

[0093] The adsorption force adjustment method provided in this invention is based on an image recognition algorithm to identify the image and determine the image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette. Based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer, the thickness value of the wafer is determined, providing a basis for subsequent determination of the wafer's quality.

[0094] In one embodiment, determining the thickness value of the wafer based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the standard wafer actual thickness value includes: determining the ratio of the standard wafer image thickness value to the image thickness value, and using the product of the ratio and the standard wafer actual thickness value as the thickness value of the wafer.

[0095] After determining the image thickness value of the wafer based on the image recognition algorithm, the thickness value of the wafer is determined based on the image thickness value of the standard wafer and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer.

[0096] By determining the image thickness value L of the wafer A Compared with the standard wafer image thickness value L P And the actual thickness value L of the standard wafer S The calculation is performed to determine the wafer thickness value L. R :

[0097]

[0098] In obtaining the wafer thickness value L R Next, you can refer to the wafer thickness and quality correspondence table, and determine the wafer thickness value L based on the value L. R Then, look up the corresponding table to determine the actual quality of the wafer.

[0099] The adsorption force adjustment method provided in this embodiment of the invention determines the thickness value of the wafer based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer, thus providing a basis for subsequent determination of the wafer quality.

[0100] In a real-time example, based on an image recognition algorithm, the image is identified to determine the image thickness value of the wafers in the wafer cassette, including: performing edge calculation on the image based on the Sobel gradient operator to determine the edge contours of multiple wafers in the wafer cassette; determining the average thickness of the multiple wafers based on the edge contours of the multiple wafers, and using the average thickness as the image thickness value of the wafer.

[0101] After acquiring the wafer image, edge calculation is performed on the ROI (Region of Interest) in the image of the wafers in the wafer cassette based on the Sobel gradient operator. A wafer cassette typically holds multiple wafers. By performing edge calculation on the wafer image, the edge contours of the multiple wafers placed in the wafer cassette can be determined. The thickness value of each wafer can be extracted and averaged to obtain the average thickness of the multiple wafers. This average thickness value is then used as the final wafer thickness.

[0102] Optionally, the process of performing image recognition on the acquired wafer image to determine the wafer's image thickness value can be as follows: Figure 3 The image recognition process provided by this invention is illustrated in the diagram.

[0103] Step 310: Preprocess the acquired image. This mainly involves weighted average grayscale processing and Gaussian filtering to reduce camera noise and the influence of ambient light within a certain range. Then, based on the system's prior parameters, the edge region (ROI) of the measurement object is set to identify the edge region of the wafer.

[0104] Step 320, Image Recognition. After acquiring the edge contours of multiple wafers, image morphology operators can be used to reduce the influence of other interfering factors in the image. The Sobel gradient operator is an edge detection operator based on the first derivative. It is a discrete difference operator that has a smoothing effect on noise and can effectively eliminate the influence of noise.

[0105] Step 330, Thickness Value Calculation. Before extracting the thickness value of each wafer and averaging it, an exclusion method can be used to identify and remove thickness values ​​that are obviously inconsistent with reality from multiple wafers, further improving the accuracy of wafer image thickness value calculation.

[0106] The adsorption force adjustment method provided in this invention uses the Sobel gradient operator to perform edge calculation on an image to determine the edge contours of multiple wafers in a wafer cassette. Based on the edge contours of the multiple wafers, the average thickness of the multiple wafers is determined, and this average thickness is used as the image thickness value of the wafer, thus achieving accurate acquisition of the image thickness value of the wafer.

[0107] In one embodiment, adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model while controlling the wafer movement includes: controlling the wafer movement based on a dual-channel flow meter and adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model.

[0108] When controlling the wafer, the wafer's movement can be controlled based on a dual-channel flow meter, and the adsorption force on the wafer can be adjusted based on a gas control model. For example... Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the wafer movement control device provided by this invention is shown.

[0109] The device includes a coupling force PID controller 410, a distance PID controller 420, an industrial controller 430, a distance sensor 440, and a dual-channel flow meter 450.

[0110] The coupling force PID controller 410 can adjust the adsorption force on the wafer based on a gas control model.

[0111] The distance sensor 440 can determine the distance between the wafer and the substrate, and the distance PID controller 420 can control the wafer distance to ensure a constant distance between the wafer and the substrate, thus achieving stable and constant-distance wafer transfer during high-speed transfer.

[0112] The dual-channel flow meter 450 can generate flow in two channels, denoted as flow meter 1 and flow meter 2. Control parameters obtained from the coupling force PID controller 410 and the distance PID controller 420 are input to the industrial controller 430, which then feeds back the magnitude of the wafer's left-right deviation relative to the substrate. Based on the direction of the deviation, the flow rate of flow meter 1 is increased and the flow rate of flow meter 2 is decreased, or vice versa. Furthermore, the control of the Y-axis and Z-axis is consistent with the flow meter control direction.

[0113] The dual-channel flow meter 450, from a hardware design perspective, allows for adjustment of left-right deviations that may occur during wafer transport. The dual-channel flow meter 450's bipolar control enables higher and faster control accuracy.

[0114] The adsorption force adjustment method provided in this embodiment of the invention controls the movement of the wafer based on a dual-channel flow meter and adjusts the adsorption force on the wafer based on a gas control model, thereby achieving high-precision control of the wafer movement process.

[0115] In one embodiment, after adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model, the method further includes: obtaining the distance between the wafer and the substrate, and controlling the distance to remain constant based on the dual-channel flow meter.

[0116] Controlling the wafer also includes controlling the distance between the wafer and the substrate. The substrate is the substrate held in the wafer robotic arm.

[0117] The wafer transport robot is one of the most crucial components in wafer transfer. It achieves non-contact, suspended above the wafer, enabling its transport. The suspended robot utilizes applied positive pressure to attract and hold the wafer, such as... Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the levitation robot provided by the present invention shows that it typically includes a substrate 501, a cyclone suction cup 503 fixed on the substrate, an offset monitoring sensor 504, an offset reflector 505, and an air channel 502. When the robot grips the wafer, compressed air is introduced into the air channel in the substrate and connects to the cyclone suction cup. The cyclone suction cup generates an adsorption force, and at the same time, the rotating airflow maintains a small gap between the wafer and the suction cup, so that the wafer is in a levitation state.

[0118] After determining the distance between the wafer and the substrate, the distance between the wafer and the substrate is kept constant based on a dual-channel flow meter.

[0119] The adsorption force adjustment method provided in this embodiment of the invention is based on a dual-channel flow meter to control the distance between the wafer and the substrate to remain constant, thereby achieving constant-distance and stable wafer transport during high-speed transport.

[0120] The following is a schematic diagram of a device that applies the adsorption force adjustment method provided by this invention. Figure 6 For example, the technical solution provided by this invention will be explained:

[0121] like Figure 6 As shown, the device includes: an industrial camera 610, an electronic level 620, a differential pressure gauge 630, a motion controller 640, an industrial PC 650, a distance sensor 660, an industrial controller 670, and a dual-channel flow meter 680.

[0122] The industrial camera 610, placed on the side of the wafer box, is used to acquire images of the wafer side.

[0123] The motion controller 640 acquires the magnitudes of rotational and translational inertial forces during wafer movement. An electronic level 620 acquires the wafer's horizontal deviation parameters. A differential pressure gauge 630 acquires the FFU pressure during wafer movement.

[0124] Distance sensor 660 is used to determine the distance between the wafer and the substrate.

[0125] The acquired data, including the distance between the wafer and the substrate, wafer image, rotational inertia force during wafer movement, translational inertia force during wafer movement, horizontal deviation parameters of the wafer, and FFU pressure during wafer movement, are transmitted to a PC industrial computer 650. The PC industrial computer 650 uses an image recognition algorithm to calculate the wafer thickness, determine the wafer thickness value, and determine the wafer mass. Based on the wafer mass, translational inertia force during wafer movement, rotational inertia force during wafer movement, horizontal deviation parameters during wafer movement, and FFU pressure during wafer movement, a gas control model for the wafer is constructed. The PC industrial computer 650 determines control parameters to keep the distance between the wafer and the substrate constant based on the distance between them.

[0126] The PC industrial control computer 650 controls the adsorption force of the wafer based on the control parameters that keep the distance between the wafer and the substrate constant and the gas control model of the wafer. It determines the output value of the gas control and sends the gas control output value to the dual-channel flow meter 680 to realize the control of the wafer movement.

[0127] The following is a flowchart illustrating the adsorption force adjustment method provided by this invention. Figure 7 For example, the technical solution provided by this invention will be explained:

[0128] Step 710, wafer image acquisition, the wafer side image is acquired based on the industrial camera placed on the side of the wafer box;

[0129] Step 720, Wafer Image Preprocessing. The acquired wafer image undergoes weighted average grayscale processing and Gaussian filtering to reduce camera noise and the influence of ambient light within a certain range. Then, based on the system's prior parameters, the edge region ROI of the measurement object is set to identify the wafer's edge regions.

[0130] Step 730, Image Recognition. After acquiring the edge contours of multiple wafers, the influence of other interfering factors in the image can be reduced based on image morphology operators. The Sobel gradient operator is an edge detection operator based on the first derivative. It is a discrete difference operator. This operator has a smoothing effect on noise and can effectively eliminate the influence of noise.

[0131] Step 740: Calculate the thickness value and determine the wafer quality. Before extracting the thickness value of each wafer and averaging it, an exclusion method can be used to identify and remove thickness values ​​that are clearly inconsistent with the actual thickness from multiple wafers, further improving the accuracy of the wafer image thickness value calculation. Based on the determined wafer thickness values, the wafer quality can be determined by looking up a table.

[0132] Step 750: Construct a gas control model. Based on the wafer mass, translational inertial force during wafer movement, rotational inertial force during wafer movement, horizontal deviation parameters during wafer movement, and FFU pressure during wafer movement, construct a gas control model for the wafer.

[0133] Step 760: Based on the gas control model and the distance between the wafer and the substrate, implement bipolar PID control for the wafer;

[0134] Step 770: Control the wafer movement based on the output of the dual-channel flow meter.

[0135] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the adsorption force regulating device provided by the present invention, as shown below. Figure 8 As shown, the device includes:

[0136] The wafer quality determination module 810 is used to identify the wafer placed in the wafer cassette based on an image recognition algorithm, determine the thickness value of the wafer, and determine the quality of the wafer based on the thickness value.

[0137] The gas control model determination module 820 is used to construct a gas control model for the wafer based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the rotational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during the wafer's movement, and the fan filter unit (FFU) pressure during the wafer's movement.

[0138] The control module 830 is used to adjust the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model while controlling the movement of the wafer.

[0139] The adsorption force adjustment device provided in this invention uses an image recognition algorithm to identify the wafer, determine its quality, and construct a gas control model to control wafer movement based on the force parameters during wafer movement. This allows the gas control model, based on the force parameters of the wafer, to adaptively adjust the adsorption force of the wafer during movement, reducing potential issues such as wafer misalignment, vibration, or slippage caused by inertia, and improving the stability of the wafer movement process.

[0140] In one embodiment, the gas control model determination module 820 is specifically used for:

[0141] Based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during wafer movement, the rotational inertial force during wafer movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during wafer movement, and the FFU pressure of the blower filter unit during wafer movement, a gas control model for the wafer is constructed, including:

[0142] Based on the wafer's mass, the FFU pressure, and the horizontal deviation parameter, the force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axis direction are determined.

[0143] Based on the translational inertial force, the rotational inertial force, and the horizontal deviation parameter, the inertial force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axis directions in space are determined;

[0144] The gas control model of the wafer is constructed by superimposing the force component and the inertial force component.

[0145] In one embodiment, the wafer quality determination module 810 is specifically used for:

[0146] Based on image recognition algorithms, the wafers placed in the wafer cassette are identified, and the thickness value of the wafers is determined, including:

[0147] An image of a wafer placed in a wafer cassette is acquired, and the image is recognized based on an image recognition algorithm to determine the image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette.

[0148] The thickness value of the wafer is determined based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer.

[0149] In one embodiment, the wafer quality determination module 810 is further configured to:

[0150] The thickness value of the wafer is determined based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer, including:

[0151] The ratio of the standard wafer image thickness value to the actual image thickness value is determined, and the product of the ratio and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer is taken as the thickness value of the wafer.

[0152] In one embodiment, the wafer quality determination module 810 is further configured to:

[0153] Based on an image recognition algorithm, the image is identified to determine the image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette, including:

[0154] Based on the Sobel gradient operator, edge calculation is performed on the image to determine the edge contours of multiple wafers in the wafer box;

[0155] Based on the edge contours of the plurality of wafers, the average thickness of the plurality of wafers is determined, and the average thickness is used as the image thickness value of the wafer.

[0156] In one embodiment, the control module 830 is specifically used for:

[0157] While controlling the movement of the wafer, the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model, including:

[0158] The wafer movement is controlled by a dual-channel flow meter, and the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model.

[0159] In one embodiment, the control module 830 is further configured to:

[0160] Based on the gas control model, after adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer, the method further includes:

[0161] The distance between the wafer and the substrate is obtained, and the distance is controlled to remain constant based on the dual-channel flow meter.

[0162] Figure 9 An example is a schematic diagram of the physical structure of an electronic device, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the electronic device may include: a processor 910, a communication interface 920, a memory 930, and a communication bus 940, wherein the processor 910, the communication interface 920, and the memory 930 communicate with each other via the communication bus 940. The processor 910 can call logical instructions in the memory 930 to execute an adsorption force adjustment method, which includes:

[0163] Based on image recognition algorithms, the wafers placed in the wafer cassette are identified, the thickness value of the wafers is determined, and the quality of the wafers is determined based on the thickness value.

[0164] Based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the rotational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during the wafer's movement, and the pressure of the blower filter unit (FFU) during the wafer's movement, a gas control model for the wafer is constructed.

[0165] While controlling the movement of the wafer, the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model.

[0166] Furthermore, the logical instructions in the aforementioned memory 930 can be implemented as software functional units and, when sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, essentially, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0167] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions, wherein when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is able to execute the adsorption force adjustment method provided by the above methods, the method comprising:

[0168] Based on image recognition algorithms, the wafers placed in the wafer cassette are identified, the thickness value of the wafers is determined, and the quality of the wafers is determined based on the thickness value.

[0169] Based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the rotational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during the wafer's movement, and the pressure of the blower filter unit (FFU) during the wafer's movement, a gas control model for the wafer is constructed.

[0170] While controlling the movement of the wafer, the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model.

[0171] In another aspect, the present invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, is implemented to perform the aforementioned adsorption force adjustment methods, the method comprising:

[0172] Based on image recognition algorithms, the wafers placed in the wafer cassette are identified, the thickness value of the wafers is determined, and the quality of the wafers is determined based on the thickness value.

[0173] Based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the rotational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during the wafer's movement, and the pressure of the blower filter unit (FFU) during the wafer's movement, a gas control model for the wafer is constructed.

[0174] While controlling the movement of the wafer, the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model.

[0175] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without any creative effort.

[0176] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms, and of course, it can also be implemented by hardware. Based on this understanding, the above technical solutions, in essence or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments or some parts of the embodiments.

[0177] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting the adsorptive force, characterized by, include: Based on image recognition algorithms, the wafers placed in the wafer cassette are identified, the thickness value of the wafers is determined, and the quality of the wafers is determined based on the thickness value. Based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the rotational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during the wafer's movement, and the pressure of the blower filter unit (FFU) during the wafer's movement, a gas control model for the wafer is constructed. While controlling the movement of the wafer, the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model.

2. The adsorption force adjusting method according to claim 1, wherein The gas control model for the wafer is constructed based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during wafer movement, the rotational inertial force during wafer movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during wafer movement, and the FFU pressure during wafer movement. This includes: Based on the wafer's mass, the FFU pressure, and the horizontal deviation parameter, the force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axis direction are determined. Based on the translational inertial force, the rotational inertial force, and the horizontal deviation parameter, the inertial force components of the wafer in the three-dimensional coordinate axis directions in space are determined; The gas control model of the wafer is constructed by superimposing the force component and the inertial force component.

3. The method of adjusting the adsorbing force according to claim 1, wherein The image recognition algorithm is used to identify the wafers placed in the wafer cassette and determine the thickness value of the wafers, including: An image of a wafer placed in a wafer cassette is acquired, and the image is recognized based on an image recognition algorithm to determine the image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette. The thickness value of the wafer is determined based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer.

4. The adsorption force adjustment method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the thickness value of the wafer based on the image thickness value, the standard wafer image thickness value, and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer includes: The ratio of the standard wafer image thickness value to the actual image thickness value is determined, and the product of the ratio and the actual thickness value of the standard wafer is taken as the thickness value of the wafer.

5. The adsorption force adjustment method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of identifying the image based on the image recognition algorithm and determining the image thickness value of the wafer in the wafer cassette includes: Based on the Sobel gradient operator, edge calculation is performed on the image to determine the edge contours of multiple wafers in the wafer box; Based on the edge contours of the plurality of wafers, the average thickness of the plurality of wafers is determined, and the average thickness is used as the image thickness value of the wafer.

6. The adsorption force adjustment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model while controlling the wafer movement includes: The wafer movement is controlled by a dual-channel flow meter, and the adsorption force on the wafer is adjusted based on the gas control model.

7. The adsorption force adjustment method according to claim 6, characterized in that, After adjusting the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model, the method further includes: The distance between the wafer and the substrate is obtained, and the distance is controlled to remain constant based on the dual-channel flow meter.

8. An adsorption force regulating device, characterized in that, include: The wafer quality determination module is used to identify wafers placed in a wafer cassette based on an image recognition algorithm, determine the thickness value of the wafer, and determine the quality of the wafer based on the thickness value. The gas control model determination module is used to construct a gas control model for the wafer based on the wafer's mass, the translational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the rotational inertial force during the wafer's movement, the horizontal deviation parameters during the wafer's movement, and the pressure of the blower filter unit (FFU) during the wafer's movement. A control module is used to adjust the adsorption force on the wafer based on the gas control model while controlling the movement of the wafer.

9. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the adsorption force adjustment method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the adsorption force adjustment method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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