Automatic lifting and rotating mechanism and wafer feeding equipment

Abstract

The application provides an automatic lifting and rotary mechanism, which comprises a rotary element, a lifting mechanism, a connecting rod mechanism, a track groove, a first elastic element and a second elastic element; the lifting mechanism comprises a first lifting part and a second lifting part, and the second lifting part vertically lifts; the rotary element is hinged to the first lifting part; the connecting rod mechanism comprises a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod which are hinged to each other; one end of the first connecting rod is hingedly and slidingly connected to the rotary element in the track groove; the other end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the first lifting part; the second lifting part is fixedly connected to the middle part of the second connecting rod; the first elastic element is used for providing a buffering action when the second lifting part moves; the rotary element is lifted and rotated through a power mechanism, and the lifting height and the rotation angle thereof can be flexibly adjusted. The application further provides a wafer feeding device which can automatically open a cover and move the cover downward.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor testing technology, specifically relating to an automatic lifting and swinging mechanism and a wafer feeding device including the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Wafers are a crucial semiconductor material used in the fabrication of integrated circuits, and their quality directly determines the quality of the final integrated circuit product. To prevent contamination from environmental impurities such as dust and moisture, wafers must be stored in sealed wafer storage containers. During the wafer manufacturing process, multiple inspections are required. Before each inspection, the wafer must be removed from the wafer storage container, and after inspection, it must be returned to the container and the lid closed.

[0003] In previous production processes, opening and closing the lid was typically done manually by workers, which was inefficient and costly in terms of labor. With the development of automation technology, existing production processes are beginning to use automatic lid-opening mechanisms to replace manual labor and improve efficiency. However, current automatic lid-opening mechanisms generally require two sets of power mechanisms to complete the opening and lowering of the lid, resulting in a large space requirement, multiple power units, and high maintenance and repair costs. Furthermore, the sequential operation of the two sets of power mechanisms must meet certain requirements, necessitating the use of software-based error-proofing, which further increases the manufacturing cost of the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, one object of the present invention is to provide an automatic lifting and swinging mechanism, which only requires one power mechanism to complete the two actions of lifting and swinging, and the lifting distance and swinging angle can be adjusted as needed; another object of the present invention is to provide a wafer feeding device, wherein the cover opening module of the wafer feeding device is connected to the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism, which can automatically complete the actions of opening the cover and moving the material box cover down during wafer inspection.

[0005] To achieve all or part of the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: This invention provides an automatic lifting and swinging mechanism, including a swinging element, a lifting mechanism, a linkage mechanism, and a track groove; wherein, the lifting mechanism includes a first lifting part and a second lifting part, the second lifting part being vertically lifting; the swinging element is hinged to the first lifting part to form a first hinge point; the linkage mechanism includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod hinged together, one end of the first connecting rod being hinged to the swinging element to form a second hinge point, and the second hinge point being located below the first hinge point and slidingly situated in the track groove; the other end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the first lifting part, and the second lifting part is fixedly connected to the second connecting rod; the track groove includes a connected straight groove and an open end; The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism may further include a first elastic element, one end of which is connected to the first lifting part and the other end of which is connected to the second lifting part. The first elastic element plays a buffering role during the rising process of the second lifting part, so that the second hinge point slides smoothly along the opening end of the track groove.

[0006] The first elastic element can be, for example, a support spring. One end of the support spring is connected to the first lifting part, and the other end is connected to the second lifting part. The support spring can be arranged parallel to the moving axis of the second lifting part. When the first lifting part stops moving due to the action of the upper limit element, the second lifting part continues to rise, and the support spring is compressed until the second lifting part stops due to the action of the rotation limit element. When the second lifting part descends, the support spring first returns from the compressed state, so the first lifting part first stops until the second hinge point returns to the linear slot, and then slides down along the linear slot under the drive of the second lifting part.

[0007] The beneficial effect of the above technical solution is that the vertical lifting of the second lifting part is sufficient to drive the up-down movement and swing of the pendulum element. Specifically, since the first lifting part and the second lifting part are connected by a linkage mechanism, in the first rising stage of the second lifting part, the second lifting part drives the first lifting part to rise, and the pendulum element connected to the first lifting part rises accordingly. At this time, the second hinge point slides in the linear slot. In the second rising stage of the second lifting part, the second connecting rod connected to the second lifting part is subjected to upward force. Since the second hinge point is constrained by the track groove, it cannot continue to move upward and can only move towards the open end. This causes the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod to rotate relative to each other about their hinge point, thereby opening the angle between the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod and pushing the pendulum element to swing.

[0008] The second lifting part can be a power mechanism with vertical lifting function; or the second lifting part is connected to the power mechanism, and the power mechanism drives the second lifting part to lift vertically.

[0009] The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism may further include an upper limit element located directly above the first lifting part. When the first lifting part stops rising due to the obstruction of the upper limit element, the second hinge point slides to the junction of the open end and the linear slot. The swinging element is connected to the first lifting part; therefore, the upper limit element limits the upper height of the swinging element by limiting the upper height of the first lifting part. The beneficial effect of the above technical solution is that the upper limit element can control the second hinge point to accurately stop at the junction of the open end and the linear slot.

[0010] The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism may further include a rotation limiting element located above the second lifting part to limit the upper height of the second lifting part, thereby limiting the swing angle of the swinging element. The second lifting part drives the connected second connecting rod upwards, opening the angle between the second connecting rod and the first connecting rod, pushing the second hinge point to slide along the open end, causing the swinging element to rotate around the first hinge point until the second lifting part stops rising under the action of the rotation limiting element, at which point the swinging element stops rotating. The beneficial effect of the above technical solution is that, when the open end is sufficiently long, the rotation angle of the swinging element can be conveniently adjusted by controlling the height of the rotation limiting element, making it suitable for different rotation angle requirements.

[0011] The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism may further include a lower limit element, which is installed below the track groove to limit the downward movement distance of the swinging element. The advantage of the above technical solution is that the lower height of the swinging element can be controlled by adjusting the height of the lower limit element.

[0012] The upper limit element, rotation limit element, and lower limit element can be, for example, limit screws, and the lifting distance and / or rotation angle of the pendulum element can be conveniently adjusted by adjusting the height of the limit screws.

[0013] The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism may further include a second elastic element, one end of which is connected to the swinging element and the other end of which is connected to the first lifting part. This second elastic element provides tension to the swinging element to ensure that the second hinge point can return from the opening end of the track groove to the straight groove. The second elastic element may be, for example, a tension spring.

[0014] The track groove may include multiple open ends, which are located at different positions on the same side of the linear slot. When the track groove has multiple open ends, the second hinge point can be controlled to move to any one of the open ends by adjusting the height of the first lifting part and / or the limiting height of the upper limit element, thereby controlling the rotation of the pendulum element at different height positions.

[0015] The present invention also provides a wafer feeding device, which includes an opening module for opening the wafer cassette cover and an automatic lifting and swinging mechanism as described above. The opening module is connected to the swinging element. The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism in the above-described technical solution controls the up-and-down movement and swinging of the opening module, enabling the opening module to complete the actions of opening the cover and lowering the cassette cover.

[0016] The wafer feeding equipment includes a gripping device for picking up wafers. The gripping device is equipped with a sensor, which enables the gripping device to position the wafer before gripping it. The advantage of this technical solution is that the sensor is located on the gripping device rather than on the cap-opening module, eliminating the sensing time required when opening the cap and thus reducing the cap-opening time.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism provided by the present invention can complete lifting and rotation by setting only one power mechanism (the second lifting part or the power mechanism driving the second lifting part), which reduces the number of power mechanisms and is economical; The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism provided by the present invention can adjust the lifting distance and rotation angle of the swinging element by adjusting the height of the limiting mechanism, making it suitable for different needs and having universality; The wafer feeding equipment provided by the present invention, because it uses the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism in the above technical solution to control the opening module, can achieve rapid opening and lowering of the cover, and has high efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the trajectory groove in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the wafer feeding device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0023] Reference numerals: 1-Swing element, 101-First hinge point, 102-Second hinge point, 2-Lifting mechanism, 201-First lifting part, 2011-First connecting block, 2012-Second connecting block, 2013-Third connecting block, 2014-Fourth connecting block, 2015-Fifth connecting block, 202-Second lifting part, 3-First elastic element, 4-Linkage mechanism, 401-First connecting rod, 402-Second connecting rod, 5-Upper limit element, 6-Rotation limit element, 7-Second elastic element, 8-Trajectory groove, 801-Open end, 802-Linear slot, 9-Lower limit element, 10-Bracket, 1001-Platform, 1002-Vertical plate, 11-Opening module. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions in specific embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] Example 1 Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism in this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism in this embodiment. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the trajectory groove in this embodiment. Please refer to the reference. Figure 1-3The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism includes a swinging element 1, a lifting mechanism 2, a linkage mechanism 4, a first elastic element 3, an upper limit element 5, a rotation limit element 6, and a track groove 8; wherein, the lifting structure 2 includes a first lifting part 201 and a second lifting part 202, the second lifting part 202 being capable of vertical lifting; a fourth connecting block 2014 is mounted on the first lifting part 201, one end of a fifth connecting block 2015 is fixedly connected to the swinging element 1, and the other end is hinged to the fourth connecting block 2014 to form a first hinge point 101, so that... The initial included angle between the pendulum element 1 and the first lifting part 201 is X; the linkage mechanism 4 includes a first link 401 and a second link 402. One end of the first link 401 is hinged to the bottom of the pendulum element 1 via a pin to form a second hinge point 102, and the other end is hinged to one end of the second link 402. The second hinge point 102 is located below the first hinge point 101 and slides in the track groove 8. The other end of the second link 402 passes through a through hole on the first lifting part 201 and connects to a third connecting block 2 installed on the first lifting part 201. 013 Hinged, the middle part of the second connecting rod 402 (i.e., the part not hinged at both ends) is fixedly connected to the second lifting part 202 to form a support point; the track groove 8 includes a straight groove 802 and an open end 801 that communicates with the straight groove 802 and is located above the straight groove 802; a second connecting block 2012 is also installed on the side of the first lifting part 201 away from the swing element 1, one end of the first elastic element 3 is connected to the second connecting block 2012, and the other end is connected to the first connecting block 2011, the first connecting block 2011 is installed on the side of the first lifting part 201 away from the swing element 1. On the second lifting part 202; the upper limit element 5 is located directly above the first lifting part 201, used to limit the upper height of the first lifting part 201, thereby limiting the upper height of the swing element 1, and when the first lifting part 201 stops rising due to the action of the upper limit element 5, the second hinge point 102 moves exactly to the junction of the opening end 801 and the straight groove 802; the rotation limit element 6 is fixedly installed on the first lifting part 201, used to limit the rising height of the second lifting part 202, thereby limiting the rotation angle of the swing element 1.

[0026] In this embodiment, the second lifting part 202 is a cylinder. In other embodiments, the second lifting part 202 may also be other power mechanisms with lifting functions, or the second lifting part 202 may be connected to a power mechanism, and the power mechanism drives the second lifting part 202 to lift vertically.

[0027] In this embodiment, the pendulum element 1 and the first lifting part 201 are plate-shaped structures, but the pendulum element 1 and the first lifting part 201 can also be other structures.

[0028] The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism provided in this embodiment can realize the up-and-down movement and swinging of the swinging element 1 through the up-and-down movement of a power mechanism. Specifically, in the first stage of the second lifting part 202 rising, the second lifting part 202 drives the first lifting part 201 connected to it to rise until the first lifting part 201 stops moving under the action of the upper limit element 5. At this time, the second hinge point 102 slides from bottom to top in the linear slot 802 through the linkage mechanism 4, sliding to the junction of the opening end 801 and the linear slot 802. When the second hinge point 102 slides in the linear slot 802, the first link 401 and the second link 402 always maintain a constant angle, and the included angle between the swinging element 1 and the first lifting part 201 always maintains the initial angle X. In the second stage of the ascent, the first lifting part 201 is stopped by the upper limit element 5. At this time, the second lifting part 202 continues to rise, driving the second connecting rod 402 connected to it to rotate around the hinge point of the first connecting rod 401 and the second connecting rod 402, so that the angle between the first connecting rod 401 and the second connecting rod 402 increases. Under the buffering effect of the first elastic element 3, the second hinge point 102 is pushed to slide smoothly along the opening end 801 of the track groove 8, so that the pendulum element 1 rotates around the first hinge point 101, and the angle X gradually decreases until the second lifting part 202 stops rising under the action of the rotation limit element 6, and the pendulum element 1 stops rotating. When the second lifting section 202 descends, the first elastic element 3 first returns from its compressed state. At this time, the first lifting section 201 remains stationary, and the second hinge point 102 is pulled by the linkage mechanism 4 from the opening end 801 of the track groove 8 back into the linear slot 802. The pendulum element 1 resets, and the angle between it and the first lifting section 201 returns to the initial angle X. Subsequently, the second lifting section 202 continues to descend, and the second hinge point 102 slides downward in the linear slot 802, thereby driving the pendulum element 1 to move downward. The automatic lifting and pendulum mechanism provided by the present invention realizes the lifting and swinging of the pendulum element 1 through a single power mechanism, reducing the installation of the power mechanism and lowering equipment costs.

[0029] The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism may also include a lower limit element 9, which is fixedly installed below the track groove 8 to limit the downward movement distance of the lifting mechanism 2, thereby limiting the lower height of the swinging element 1.

[0030] In this embodiment, the upper limit element 5, the rotation limit element 6, and the lower limit element 9 are all limit screws, and the limit height can be adjusted by adjusting the limit screws. However, in other embodiments, the limit elements can also be other elements or mechanisms with limit functions. In this embodiment, the upper limit element 5 is fixedly installed directly above the first lifting part 201. The installation height of the upper limit element 5 should ensure that when the first lifting part 201 stops rising, the second hinge point 102 moves exactly to the junction of the opening end 801 and the linear slot 802. In this embodiment, the rotation limit element 6 is installed on the first lifting part 201 to limit the upper height of the second lifting part 202. However, it should be conceivable that the rotation limit element 6 can also be installed elsewhere, such as fixedly installed above the track groove 8. The installation height of the rotation limiting element 6 should meet the following requirements: after the first lifting part 201 stops moving and before the second lifting part 202 reaches the rotation limiting element 6, the second hinge point 102 slides along the opening end 801 of the track groove 8, so that the pendulum element 1 rotates around the first hinge point 101 at the required angle. The rotation angle of the pendulum element 1 can be adjusted by adjusting the height of the limiting screw to meet different angle requirements.

[0031] The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism further includes a second elastic element 7, one end of which is connected to the swinging element 1, and the other end is connected to the first lifting part 201. When the second lifting part 202 descends, the angle between the first connecting rod 401 and the second connecting rod 402 gradually decreases, causing the second hinge point 102 to return from the opening end 801 of the track groove 8 to the straight groove 802. The second elastic element 7 provides a pulling force to the swinging element 1, causing the second hinge point 102 to quickly return to the straight groove 802. In this embodiment, the second elastic element 7 is a tension spring; however, in other embodiments, the second elastic element 7 can also be other elements with similar or identical functions.

[0032] In this embodiment, the track groove 8 includes an open end 801. However, in other embodiments, multiple open ends 801 can be provided at different positions on the same side of the straight groove 802. By adjusting the limiting height of the upper limit element 5, the second hinge point 102 can be controlled to stop at the open ends 801 at different heights, thereby controlling the pendulum element 1 to swing at a suitable height.

[0033] Example 2 Figure 4The diagram shown is a partial structural schematic of the wafer feeding device provided by the present invention. The wafer feeding device includes a support 10, on which a platform 1001 for carrying wafer cassettes and a vertical plate 1002 are provided. A through hole (not shown) is provided on the vertical plate 1002, through which the wafer cassette cover can pass. The wafer feeding device also includes the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism described above. The cover opening module 11 is connected to the swinging element 1 and is used to open the wafer cassette cover. The wafer feeding device also includes a gripping device for picking up wafers and a sensor for sensing the wafer position. The working range of the gripping device covers the wafer cassette, and the sensor is mounted on the gripping device.

[0034] In this embodiment, the wafer feeding device operates as follows: the wafer cassette is placed on the stage 1001 with the cassette cover corresponding to the through hole; the second lifting part 202 in the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism first rises to the first section, driving the first lifting part 201 connected to the second lifting part 202 to rise, so that the second hinge point 102 moves to the junction of the opening end 801 and the straight slot 802, at which time the cover opening module 11 is exactly located at the through hole on the vertical plate 1002; then the first lifting part 201 is blocked by the upper limit element 5 and stops rising, and the second lifting part 202 continues to rise to the second section. During this process, the second hinge point 102 slides along the opening end 801, causing the opening module 11 to swing towards the wafer cassette until it adheres to the cassette lid, at which point the second lifting part 202 stops rising; then the second lifting part 202 descends, and the cassette lid swings away from the cassette along with the opening module 11 and passes through the through hole. At this time, the wafer cassette opens, and the cassette lid moves down with the swinging element 1; the gripping device moves to the opening of the cassette, the sensor on the gripping device positions the target wafer and feeds back the position information to the gripping device, the gripping device grips the target wafer according to the position information, and transfers the target wafer to the downstream equipment.

[0035] The above provides a detailed description of the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism and wafer feeding equipment provided by the present invention. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the inventive principle of the present invention. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core idea of ​​the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications to the present invention without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic lifting and swinging mechanism, characterized in that, The system includes a pendulum element (1), a lifting mechanism (2), a linkage mechanism (4), and a track groove (8); wherein, the lifting mechanism (2) includes a first lifting part (201) and a second lifting part (202), the second lifting part (202) being vertically lifted; the pendulum element (1) is hinged to the first lifting part (201) to form a first hinge point (101), the linkage mechanism (4) includes a first connecting rod (401) and a second connecting rod (402) hinged together, one end of the first connecting rod (401) being hinged to the pendulum element (1) to form a second hinge point (102), and the first connecting rod (401) being hinged to the first lifting part (20 ... The second hinge point (102) is located below the first hinge point (101) and slides in the track groove (8); the other end of the second connecting rod (402) is hinged to the first lifting part (201), and the second lifting part (202) is fixedly connected to the middle part of the second connecting rod (402); the track groove (8) includes a connected straight groove (802) and an open end (801), the open end (801) is a groove that allows the second hinge point (102) to slide along the open end (801), thereby allowing the pendulum element (1) to rotate around the first hinge point (101); The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism further includes a first elastic element (3), one end of which is connected to the first lifting part (201) and the other end is connected to the second lifting part (202), for providing a buffering effect when the second lifting part (202) moves.

2. The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an upper limit element (5), which is located directly above the first lifting part (201). When the first lifting part (201) stops rising under the blocking action of the upper limit element (5), the second hinge point (102) slides to the junction of the opening end (801) and the straight groove (802).

3. The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a rotation limiting element (6), which is located above the second lifting part (202) and is used to limit the upper height of the second lifting part (202), thereby limiting the swing angle of the pendulum element (1).

4. The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a lower limit element (9), which is installed below the track groove (8) to limit the downward movement distance of the pendulum element (1).

5. The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a second elastic element (7), one end of which is connected to the pendulum element (1) and the other end is connected to the first lifting part (201), for providing a pulling force when the pendulum element (1) returns from the open end (801) to the straight groove (802).

6. The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second lifting part (202) is connected to a power mechanism, which is used to drive the second lifting part (202) to rise and fall vertically.

7. The automatic lifting and swinging mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple opening ends (801), and the multiple opening ends (801) are set at different positions on the same side of the straight groove (802) to make the pendulum element (1) swing at different heights.

8. A wafer feeding device, comprising an opening module (11) for opening the cover of a wafer cassette, characterized in that, It also includes the automatic lifting and swinging mechanism according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the opening module (11) is connected to the swinging element (1).

9. The wafer feeding equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes a gripping device for picking up materials, the gripping device being equipped with a sensor for positioning the wafer before gripping it.

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