A non-contact wafer cassette unloading apparatus

Abstract

A kind of non-contact wafer box opening equipment includes protective shell, workbench, discharge port, sliding groove, placing mechanism and material taking mechanism.The material taking mechanism includes material taking translation component and material taking clamping component.The material taking translation component includes material taking drive device and mounting bracket.The material taking clamping component includes mounting plate, clamping positioning device, rotary locking device and rotary locking drive device.Each clamping positioning device includes clamping positioning cylinder and clamping positioning rod.Each rotary locking device includes second rotating shaft, second positioning rod, drive rod and roller.The extension direction of the second positioning rod and the drive rod is perpendicular to the second rotating shaft.The rotary locking drive device includes locking drive cylinder, drive plate and sliding groove.The non-contact wafer box opening equipment is simple in operation, easy to use, realizes the automatic unloading of wafer box and improves the production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor processing equipment technology, and in particular to a contactless wafer box opening device. Background Technology

[0002] A wafer is a silicon wafer used to fabricate silicon semiconductor circuits; its raw material is silicon. High-purity polycrystalline silicon is dissolved, doped with silicon crystal seeds, and then slowly pulled out to form cylindrical single-crystal silicon. After grinding, polishing, and slicing, the silicon ingot forms a silicon wafer. Domestic wafer production lines mainly use 8-inch and 12-inch wafers. The main wafer processing methods are wafer fabrication and batch processing, which involves processing one or more wafers simultaneously. As semiconductor feature sizes shrink and processing and measurement equipment becomes more advanced, new data characteristics have emerged in wafer processing. Simultaneously, the reduction in feature size increases the impact of airborne particles on the quality and reliability of the processed wafer, and with improved cleanliness, new data characteristics regarding particle count have also emerged.

[0003] Currently, during wafer production, wafers need to be inspected to prevent damaged wafers from being transferred to subsequent workstations. For example, Chinese patent CN202310235579.9, titled "Wafer Inspection Mechanism and Wafer Loading Device," describes a wafer inspection mechanism that includes an inspection component for inspecting the condition of individual wafers. This mechanism also includes a lifting component that moves the inspection component up and down. However, in this wafer inspection mechanism, placing or unloading wafer cassettes requires manual operation, increasing the workload of workers and hindering production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a contactless wafer cassette opening device that can automatically load and unload wafer cassettes to meet industrial needs.

[0005] A contactless wafer cassette unpacking device includes a protective housing, a worktable disposed within the protective housing, a discharge port disposed on the protective housing, a sliding groove disposed on the worktable, the discharge port corresponding to the worktable, a placement mechanism disposed on the worktable for accommodating wafer cassettes, and a picking mechanism disposed on the protective housing corresponding to the discharge port. The picking mechanism includes a picking translation component disposed on the discharge port and a picking clamping component disposed on the picking translation component. The picking translation component includes a picking drive device disposed on the worktable and a mounting bracket disposed on the picking drive device. The picking drive device passes through the discharge port. The picking clamping component includes a mounting plate disposed on the picking translation component, at least one clamping and positioning device disposed on the mounting plate, two rotary locking devices disposed on the mounting plate, and a rotary locking drive device disposed on the mounting plate and connected to the rotary locking devices. Each clamping and positioning device includes a clamping and positioning cylinder disposed on the mounting plate, and a clamping and positioning rod disposed on the clamping and positioning cylinder. Each rotary locking device includes a second rotating shaft passing through the mounting plate, a second positioning rod disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft, a drive rod disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft opposite to the second positioning rod, and a roller disposed on the drive rod. The extension directions of the second positioning rod and the drive rod are both perpendicular to the second rotating shaft. The rotary locking drive device includes a locking drive cylinder disposed on the mounting plate, a drive plate disposed on the locking drive cylinder, and two sliding grooves disposed on the drive plate. The roller in each rotary locking device is accommodated in one of the sliding grooves of the rotary locking drive device, and the sliding groove is vertically arranged. The locking drive cylinder horizontally drives the drive plate to slide. When the locking drive cylinder drives the drive plate to slide, the roller in each rotary locking device slides along the sliding groove, thereby driving the drive plate to rotate the second rotating shaft and the second positioning rod.

[0006] Furthermore, the material handling mechanism also includes a material handling lifting assembly disposed on the side wall of the protective shell, wherein the transmission direction of the material handling lifting assembly is perpendicular to the transmission direction of the material handling translation assembly.

[0007] Furthermore, the material handling lifting assembly includes a material handling lifting drive device disposed on the protective shell, a drive rod disposed on the material handling lifting drive device, and a support platform disposed on the drive rod.

[0008] Furthermore, the placement mechanism includes a wafer cassette sliding device disposed on the worktable, a wafer cassette placement mechanism disposed on the sliding device for placing the wafer cassette, a wafer cassette positioning mechanism disposed on the wafer cassette placement mechanism, and at least one sensor disposed on the wafer cassette placement mechanism.

[0009] Furthermore, the wafer cassette sliding device includes a first sliding drive device disposed on the worktable and a mounting platform disposed on the first sliding drive device, wherein the transmission direction of the first sliding drive device is the same as that of the pick-up drive device.

[0010] Furthermore, the wafer cassette placement mechanism includes a rotating assembly disposed on the mounting platform, a placement stage disposed on the rotating assembly, and a plurality of positioning elements disposed on the placement stage.

[0011] Furthermore, the rotating assembly includes a rotating seat disposed on the mounting platform, a rotating platform rotatably connected within the rotating seat, and a drive motor disposed on the mounting platform and connected to the rotating seat.

[0012] Furthermore, the rotating assembly includes a rotating seat disposed on the mounting platform, a rotating platform rotatably connected within the rotating seat, and a drive motor disposed on the mounting platform and connected to the rotating seat.

[0013] Furthermore, the extension direction of the first positioning rod is perpendicular to the central axis of the rotary cylinder.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, the contactless wafer cassette unpacking device provided by this invention automatically clamps wafer cassettes from the placement mechanism using the picking mechanism. The picking translation component in the picking mechanism drives the picking clamping component to move horizontally. The picking clamping component is used to clamp the wafer cassettes on the placement mechanism. The picking drive device in the picking translation component extends through the discharge port, allowing the picking clamping component to enter and exit the discharge port. This enables the picking clamping component to transfer the wafer cassettes from the placement mechanism to the outside of the protective shell, achieving automatic wafer cassette unpacking. The clamping positioning device and the rotary locking device in the picking clamping component limit the position of the wafer cassettes. The rotary locking drive device drives the rotary locking device to rotate, locking the rotary locking device onto the wafer cassette. Each of the rotary locking devices includes a second rotating shaft passing through the mounting plate, a second positioning rod disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft, a drive rod disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft opposite to the second positioning rod, and a roller disposed on the drive rod. The rotary locking drive device includes a locking drive cylinder disposed on the mounting plate, a drive plate disposed on the locking drive cylinder, and two sliding grooves disposed on the mounting plate and two sliding grooves disposed on the drive plate. The roller in each rotary locking device is accommodated within one of the sliding grooves in the rotary locking drive device, and the sliding groove is vertically arranged. The locking drive cylinder horizontally drives the drive plate to slide. When the locking drive cylinder drives the drive plate to slide, the roller in each rotary locking device slides along the sliding groove, thereby driving the drive plate to rotate the second rotating shaft and the second positioning rod, thus locking the second positioning rod within the mounting hole of the wafer cassette, facilitating the movement of the wafer cassette by the material handling assembly. This demonstrates that the contactless wafer box opening device is simple to operate and easy to use, achieving automatic unloading of wafer boxes and improving production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the non-contact wafer box opening device provided by the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the material handling mechanism in a contactless wafer box opening device.

[0017] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partially enlarged structural diagram of the material handling mechanism at point A.

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the material handling mechanism in a contactless wafer box opening device from another perspective.

[0019] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the placement mechanism in a contactless wafer box opening device.

[0020] Figure 6 for Figure 4 An exploded view of the placement mechanism in a contactless wafer box opening device. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The following provides a more detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the description of the embodiments of the present invention herein is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] like Figures 1 to 6 The diagram shows a structural schematic of the contactless wafer cassette unpacking device provided by the present invention. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device includes a protective shell 1, a worktable 2 disposed within the protective shell 1, a discharge port 3 disposed on the protective shell 1, a sliding groove 4 disposed on the worktable 2, the discharge port 3 corresponding to the worktable 2, a placement mechanism 10 disposed on the worktable 2 for accommodating wafer cassettes (not shown), and a picking mechanism 20 disposed on the protective shell 1 and corresponding to the discharge port 3. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device also includes other functional modules, such as assembly components, electrical connection components, and testing equipment (not shown), etc., which should be known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0023] The protective shell 1 is used to protect the placement mechanism 10 and the material handling mechanism 20. The discharge port 3 is located on the side wall of the protective shell 1, and the material handling mechanism 20 is located at the discharge port 3.

[0024] The workbench 2 is used to mount the placement mechanism 10, and the sliding groove 4 on the workbench 2 is used to accommodate the placement mechanism 10, which can slide along the sliding groove 4. The workbench 2 and the sliding groove 4 are existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0025] The placement mechanism 10 includes a wafer cassette sliding device 11 mounted on the worktable 2, a wafer cassette placement mechanism 12 mounted on the wafer cassette sliding device 11 for placing wafer cassettes (not shown), a wafer cassette positioning mechanism 13 mounted on the wafer cassette placement mechanism 12, and a sensor 14 mounted on the wafer cassette placement mechanism 12. During operation, an external robotic arm places the wafer cassette onto the wafer cassette placement mechanism 12, and the wafer cassette positioning mechanism 13 restricts the position of the wafer cassette on the wafer cassette placement mechanism 12.

[0026] The wafer cassette sliding device 11 includes a first sliding drive device 111 disposed on the worktable 2 and a mounting platform 112 disposed on the first sliding drive device 111.

[0027] The wafer cassette placement mechanism 12 includes a rotating assembly 121 disposed on the mounting stage 112, a placement stage 122 disposed on the rotating assembly 121, and a plurality of positioning elements 123 disposed on the placement stage 122.

[0028] The rotating assembly 121 includes a rotating seat 1211 disposed on the mounting platform 112, a rotating platform 1212 disposed within the rotating seat 1211, and a drive motor 1213 disposed on the mounting platform 112 and connected to the rotating seat 1211. In this embodiment, the central axes of the rotating seat 1211 and the rotating platform 1212 coincide, the rotating platform 1212 is a gear disk, and the drive motor 1213 is connected to the rotating platform 1212, thereby causing the rotating platform 1212 to rotate.

[0029] The placement stage 122 is mounted on the rotating stage 1212. When the external transmission device 1211 in the rotating assembly 121 drives the rotating stage 1212 to rotate, the placement stage 122 rotates synchronously, thereby realizing the synchronous rotation of the wafer cassette on the placement stage 122 and enabling the detection of different positions of the wafer cassette.

[0030] The positioning element 123 is used to limit the position of the wafer cassette on the placement stage 122. When the wafer cassette is placed on the placement stage 122, the positioning element 123 is inserted into the positioning hole of the wafer cassette to stabilize the position of the wafer cassette on the placement stage 122.

[0031] The wafer cassette positioning mechanism 13 includes a lifting cylinder 131 mounted on the mounting platform 112, a rotating cylinder 132 mounted on the lifting cylinder, and a first positioning rod 133 mounted on the rotating cylinder 132.

[0032] The extension direction of the first positioning rod 133 is perpendicular to the central axis of the rotary cylinder 132. The rotary cylinder 132 drives the first positioning rod 133 to rotate, and adjusts the position of the first positioning rod 133 so as to lock the first positioning rod 133 into the positioning hole of the wafer cassette, thereby realizing the positioning of the wafer cassette on the wafer cassette placement mechanism 12.

[0033] The sensor 14 is disposed on the table surface of the placement stage 122. The sensor 14 is used to sense the wafer cassette on the placement stage 122. When the sensor 14 senses that the wafer cassette is placed on the mounting stage 112, the wafer cassette positioning mechanism 13 is activated to lock and fix the wafer cassette to the mounting stage 112.

[0034] The material handling mechanism 20 includes a material handling translation component 21 disposed on the discharge port 3, a material handling clamping component 22 disposed on the material handling translation component 21, and a material handling lifting component 23 disposed on the side wall of the protective shell 1.

[0035] The material handling translation assembly 21 includes a material handling drive device 211 mounted on the worktable 2 and a mounting bracket 212 mounted on the material handling drive device 211. Since the material handling drive device 211 passes through the discharge port 3, it is conceivable that the material handling translation assembly 21 can drive the material handling clamping assembly 22 to enter and exit the discharge port 3, thereby clamping the wafer cassette on the placement mechanism 10 to the outside of the protective shell 1. The first sliding drive device 111 has the same transmission direction as the material handling drive device 211, and the first sliding drive device 111 can drive the wafer cassette placement mechanism 12 to transport the wafer cassette to one side of the material handling mechanism 20, so that the material handling mechanism 20 can approach the wafer cassette for locking and clamping.

[0036] The material handling clamping assembly 22 includes a mounting plate 221 disposed on the material handling translation assembly 21, at least one clamping and positioning device 222 disposed on the mounting plate 221, two rotary locking devices 223 disposed on the mounting plate 221, and a rotary locking drive device 224 disposed on the mounting plate 221 and connected to the rotary locking devices 223.

[0037] The mounting plate 221 is fixedly connected to the mounting frame 212. The mounting plate 221 is vertically arranged so that the clamping and positioning device 222 and the rotating locking device 223 can be close to the wafer box and fix the wafer box to the clamping and positioning device 222 and the rotating locking device 223.

[0038] Each of the clamping and positioning devices 222 includes a clamping and positioning cylinder 2221 disposed on the mounting plate 221, and a clamping and positioning rod 2222 disposed on the clamping and positioning cylinder 2221. The clamping and positioning cylinder 2221 drives the clamping and positioning rod 2222 to extend and retract. When the material handling clamping assembly 22 abuts against the wafer cassette, the clamping and positioning cylinder 2221 drives the clamping and positioning rod 2222 to insert into the mounting hole of the wafer cassette to limit the position of the wafer cassette.

[0039] Each of the rotary locking devices 223 includes a second rotating shaft 2231 passing through the mounting plate 221, a second positioning rod 2232 disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft 2231, a drive rod 2233 disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft 2231 facing away from the second positioning rod 2232, and a roller 2234 disposed on the drive rod 2233.

[0040] The second positioning rod 2232 and the driving rod 2233 both extend perpendicularly to the second rotating shaft 2231. The second positioning rod 2232 is used to limit the position of the wafer cassette, and the driving rod 2233 is used to connect to the rotary locking drive device 224 to drive the second rotating shaft 2231 and the second positioning rod 2232 to rotate.

[0041] The rotary locking drive device 224 includes a locking drive cylinder 2241 disposed on the mounting plate 221, a drive plate 2242 disposed on the locking drive cylinder 2241, and two sliding grooves 2243 disposed on the drive plate 2242.

[0042] Each of the rollers 2234 in the rotary locking device 223 is housed in a sliding groove 2243 in the rotary locking drive device 224, and the sliding groove 2243 is vertically arranged. The locking drive cylinder 2241 horizontally drives the drive plate 2242 to slide. When the locking drive cylinder 2241 drives the drive plate 2242 to slide, the rollers 2234 in each of the rotary locking devices 223 slide along the sliding groove 2243, thereby driving the drive plate 2242 to drive the second rotating shaft 2231 and the second positioning rod 2232 to rotate.

[0043] The material handling lifting assembly 23 includes a material handling lifting drive device 231 mounted on the protective shell 1, a drive rod 232 mounted on the material handling lifting drive device 231, and a support platform 233 mounted on the drive rod. The transmission direction of the material handling lifting assembly 23 is perpendicular to the transmission direction of the material handling translation assembly 21. The material handling lifting assembly 23 intersects with the material handling translation assembly 21. The material handling lifting assembly 23 can drive the wafer cassette on the material handling clamping assembly 22 to lift and lower.

[0044] When the material handling clamping assembly 22 locks the wafer cassette on the placement mechanism 10, the material handling translation assembly 21 transfers the material handling clamping assembly 22 and the wafer cassette to the outside of the protective shell 1. When the material handling lifting assembly 23 corresponds to the wafer cassette, the material handling lifting drive device 231 drives the drive rod 232 to lift and lower, and the abutment platform 233 abuts against the wafer cassette, thereby driving the wafer cassette to lift and lower, so as to remove the wafer cassette.

[0045] Compared with the prior art, the contactless wafer cassette opening device provided by the present invention automatically clamps the wafer cassettes on the placement mechanism 10 through the picking mechanism 20. The picking translation component 21 in the picking mechanism 20 drives the picking clamping component 22 to move horizontally. The picking clamping component 22 is used to clamp the wafer cassettes on the placement mechanism 10. The picking drive device 211 in the picking translation component 21 extends through the discharge port 3. The picking translation component 21 drives the picking clamping component 22 to enter and exit the discharge port 3, so that the picking clamping component 22 can transfer the wafer cassettes on the placement mechanism 10 to the outside of the protective shell 1, realizing automatic wafer cassette unloading. The clamping positioning device 222 and the rotary locking device 223 in the picking clamping component 22 are used to limit the position of the wafer cassettes. The rotary locking drive device 224 drives the rotary locking device 223 to rotate, realizing the rotary locking device 223 locking onto the wafer cassettes. Each of the rotary locking devices 223 includes a second rotating shaft 2231 passing through the mounting plate 221, a second positioning rod 2232 disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft 2231, a drive rod 2233 disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft 2231 opposite to the second positioning rod 2232, and a roller 2234 disposed on the drive rod 2233. The rotary locking drive device 224 includes a locking drive cylinder 2241 disposed on the mounting plate 221, a drive plate 2242 disposed on the locking drive cylinder 2241, and two sliding grooves 2243 disposed on the mounting plate 221 and two sliding grooves disposed on the drive plate 2242. Each roller 2234 in the rotary locking device 223 is housed within a sliding groove 2243 in the rotary locking drive device 224, and the sliding groove 2243 is vertically arranged. The locking drive cylinder 2241 horizontally drives the drive plate 2242 to slide. When the locking drive cylinder 2241 drives the drive plate 2242 to slide, the roller 2234 in each rotary locking device 223 slides along the sliding groove 2243, thereby driving the drive plate 2242 to rotate the second rotating shaft 2231 and the second positioning rod 2232, thus locking the second positioning rod 2232 in the mounting hole of the wafer cassette, so that the material handling clamping assembly 22 can move the wafer cassette. It can be seen that this contactless wafer cassette opening device is simple to operate and convenient to use, realizes automatic unloading of wafer cassettes, and improves production efficiency.

[0046] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions or improvements within the spirit of the present invention are covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A contactless wafer cassette unpacking device, comprising a protective shell, a worktable disposed within the protective shell, a discharge port disposed on the protective shell, and a sliding groove disposed on the worktable, wherein the discharge port corresponds to the worktable, characterized in that: The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device includes a placement mechanism mounted on the worktable for accommodating wafer cassettes, and a picking mechanism mounted on the protective shell and corresponding to the discharge port. The picking mechanism includes a picking translation component mounted on the discharge port and a picking clamping component mounted on the picking translation component. The picking translation component includes a picking drive device mounted on the worktable and a mounting bracket mounted on the picking drive device, the picking drive device passing through the discharge port. The picking clamping component includes a mounting plate mounted on the picking translation component, at least one clamping positioning device mounted on the mounting plate, two rotary locking devices mounted on the mounting plate, and a rotary locking drive device mounted on the mounting plate and connected to the rotary locking devices. Each clamping positioning device includes a clamping positioning cylinder mounted on the mounting plate and a clamping positioning rod mounted on the clamping positioning cylinder. The rotary locking device includes a second rotating shaft passing through the mounting plate, a second positioning rod disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft, a drive rod disposed at one end of the second rotating shaft opposite to the second positioning rod, and a roller disposed on the drive rod. The extension directions of the second positioning rod and the drive rod are both perpendicular to the second rotating shaft. The rotary locking drive device includes a locking drive cylinder disposed on the mounting plate, a drive plate disposed on the locking drive cylinder, and two sliding grooves disposed on the drive plate. The roller in each rotary locking device is accommodated in one of the sliding grooves of the rotary locking drive device, and the sliding groove is vertically disposed. The locking drive cylinder horizontally drives the drive plate to slide. When the locking drive cylinder drives the drive plate to slide, the roller in each rotary locking device slides along the sliding groove, thereby driving the drive plate to rotate the second rotating shaft and the second positioning rod.

2. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The material handling mechanism also includes a material handling lifting component disposed on the side wall of the protective shell, wherein the transmission direction of the material handling lifting component is perpendicular to the transmission direction of the material handling translation component.

3. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The material handling lifting assembly includes a material handling lifting drive device disposed on the protective shell, a drive rod disposed on the material handling lifting drive device, and a support platform disposed on the drive rod.

4. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The placement mechanism includes a wafer cassette sliding device disposed on the worktable, a wafer cassette placement mechanism disposed on the sliding device for placing the wafer cassette, a wafer cassette positioning mechanism disposed on the wafer cassette placement mechanism, and at least one sensor disposed on the wafer cassette placement mechanism.

5. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The wafer cassette sliding device includes a first sliding drive device disposed on the worktable and a mounting platform disposed on the first sliding drive device. The transmission direction of the first sliding drive device is the same as that of the pick-up drive device.

6. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The wafer cassette placement mechanism includes a rotating assembly disposed on the mounting platform, a placement stage disposed on the rotating assembly, and a plurality of positioning elements disposed on the placement stage.

7. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The rotating assembly includes a rotating base disposed on the mounting platform, a rotating stage rotatably connected within the rotating base, and a drive motor disposed on the mounting platform and connected to the rotating base.

8. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The wafer cassette positioning mechanism includes a lifting cylinder mounted on the mounting platform, a rotating cylinder mounted on the lifting cylinder, and a first positioning rod mounted on the rotating cylinder.

9. The contactless wafer cassette unpacking device as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The extension direction of the first positioning rod is perpendicular to the central axis of the rotary cylinder.

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