Automatic loading and unloading equipment for a hollowed-out carrier plate

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of automatic loading and unloading equipment of hollow carrier plate, including silicon wafer loading transmission section and silicon wafer unloading transmission section;The silicon wafer loading transmission section includes loading section rack, flower basket loading mechanism, piece mechanism, first step belt transmission mechanism, first gantry jaw mechanism and first carrier plate transmission mechanism:The silicon wafer unloading transmission section includes unloading section rack, flower basket unloading mechanism, inserts piece mechanism, second step belt transmission mechanism, second gantry jaw mechanism and second carrier plate transmission mechanism;Through the transmission mode of carrier plate loading and unloading, realize automatic loading and unloading, reduce manual input, reduce labor intensity, improve production efficiency, improve production yield, adopt whole line scheme, its advantage is in significantly shorten GW level production line length, reduce occupied space, solve factory resources.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of automation equipment, in particular to an automatic feeding and discharging equipment of a hollowed-out carrier plate. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the increasingly prominent problems of global energy shortage and environmental pollution, solar energy as a renewable and environmentally friendly energy has been increasingly concerned by people. In recent years, the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry has continuously upgraded the production capacity of the photovoltaic cell production line, and improving the production capacity of the whole line equipment and reducing the equipment size and production cost has been an unchanging topic throughout the history of the photovoltaic industry. Among them, the speed of automatic feeding and discharging of silicon wafers is positively correlated with the production capacity of the whole line.

[0003] With the increasing demand for large-size solar cell wafers in new markets, the overall size of the production line equipment gradually increases, and the hardware cost also increases with the market, which has encountered resistance in reducing the cost of cell wafers. Most of the existing silicon wafer production processes are semi-automated or fully manual, which has a complex and disorganized production line layout, a complex and non-optimized product logistics line, low efficiency, and other problems; the structure of the traditional silicon wafer feeding and discharging production equipment is too large, the whole line is too long, and the land occupation is large, which increases the energy consumption of the factory, and in addition, the complex transmission has an increasingly prominent impact on the damage and breakage of the surface of the silicon wafer, which is not conducive to adapting to the development of the industry market. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present application provides an automatic feeding and discharging equipment of a hollowed-out carrier plate, which solves the problems of the existing silicon wafer production process, which is mostly semi-automated or fully manual, and the production line layout is disorganized, the product logistics line is complex and not optimized, the land demand is large, the efficiency and yield are low, and other problems.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the inventors provide an automatic feeding and discharging equipment of a hollowed-out carrier plate, which comprises a silicon wafer feeding transmission section and a silicon wafer discharging transmission section.

[0006] The silicon wafer feeding transmission section comprises a feeding section rack, a flower basket feeding mechanism, a wafer picking mechanism, a first step belt transmission mechanism, a first gantry jaw mechanism, and a first carrier plate transmission mechanism.

[0007] The flower basket feeding mechanism, the wafer picking mechanism, and the first step belt transmission mechanism are arranged on one side of the feeding section rack, and the flower basket feeding mechanism and the first step belt transmission mechanism are arranged side by side.

[0008] The flower basket feeding mechanism is used for transmitting a flower basket in which a silicon wafer to be processed is placed.

[0009] The wafer picking mechanism is used for picking out the silicon wafer to be processed in the flower basket on the flower basket feeding mechanism and placing it on the first step belt transmission mechanism.

[0010] The first step belt transmission mechanism is used for transmitting the to-be-processed wafer to the first gantry gripper mechanism;

[0011] The first gantry gripper mechanism is movably arranged above the first step belt transmission mechanism and the wafer feeding section rack, and the first carrier plate transmission mechanism is arranged in the wafer feeding section rack;

[0012] The first gantry gripper mechanism is used for clamping the to-be-processed wafer on the first step belt transmission mechanism and placing the wafer on the hollow carrier plate on the first carrier plate transmission mechanism;

[0013] The first carrier plate transmission mechanism is used for transmitting the hollow carrier plate into the vacuum cavity;

[0014] The wafer unloading transmission section includes a wafer unloading section rack, a flower basket unloading mechanism, a wafer inserting mechanism, a second step belt transmission mechanism, a second gantry gripper mechanism and a second carrier plate transmission mechanism;

[0015] The second carrier plate transmission mechanism is arranged on the wafer unloading section rack, and the second carrier plate transmission mechanism is used for transmitting the hollow carrier plate sent out from the vacuum cavity;

[0016] The second gantry gripper mechanism is movably arranged above the wafer unloading section rack and the second step belt transmission mechanism, and the second gantry gripper mechanism is used for clamping the wafer on the hollow carrier plate on the second carrier plate transmission mechanism to the second step belt transmission mechanism;

[0017] The flower basket unloading mechanism, the wafer inserting mechanism and the second step belt transmission mechanism are arranged on one side of the wafer unloading section rack, and the flower basket unloading mechanism and the second step belt transmission mechanism are arranged side by side;

[0018] The second step belt transmission mechanism is used for transmitting the processed wafer to the flower basket unloading mechanism;

[0019] The wafer inserting mechanism is used for inserting the wafer on the second step belt transmission mechanism into the flower basket on the flower basket unloading mechanism;

[0020] The flower basket unloading mechanism is used for transmitting the flower basket in which the processed wafer is placed.

[0021] In some embodiments, the wafer unloading transmission section further includes a deviation rectifying module and a visual detection module;

[0022] The deviation rectifying module is movably arranged in the wafer feeding section rack, and the deviation rectifying module is used for rectifying the position of the to-be-processed wafer through the hollow part of the hollow carrier plate on the first carrier plate transmission mechanism, and then placing the rectified to-be-processed wafer on the hollow carrier plate;

[0023] The visual detection module is used for detecting the position of the to-be-processed silicon wafer placed on the deviation rectifying module.

[0024] In some embodiments, both sides of the upper feeding section frame are provided with a flower basket feeding mechanism, a wafer picking mechanism and a first stepped belt conveying mechanism.

[0025] In some embodiments, the wafer picking mechanism is arranged between the flower basket feeding mechanism and the first stepped belt conveying mechanism.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first stepped belt conveying mechanism is a plurality of groups, and the first gantry jaw mechanism is a plurality of groups.

[0027] The second stepped belt conveying mechanism is a plurality of groups, and the second gantry jaw mechanism is a plurality of groups.

[0028] In some embodiments, the silicon wafer feeding and conveying section further comprises a first carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism and a first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism.

[0029] The first carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism and the first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism are arranged in the upper feeding section frame.

[0030] The first carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism is arranged at the carrier plate backflow outlet of the vacuum cavity, and is used for conveying the hollowed-out carrier plate backflowed from the carrier plate backflow outlet of the vacuum cavity to the first carrier plate buffer station and feeding into the first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism.

[0031] The first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism is used for placing the hollowed-out carrier plate on the carrier plate wafer placing station of the first carrier plate conveying mechanism.

[0032] The silicon wafer feeding and conveying section further comprises a second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism and a second carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism.

[0033] The second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism and the second carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism are arranged in the lower feeding section frame.

[0034] The second carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism is used for conveying the hollowed-out carrier plate on the second carrier plate conveying mechanism to the second carrier plate buffer station and feeding into the second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism.

[0035] The second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism is used for feeding the hollowed-out carrier plate into the carrier plate backflow inlet of the vacuum cavity.

[0036] In some embodiments, a jacking and pitch changing mechanism is further included, and the jacking and pitch changing mechanism is arranged at the bottom of the second carrier plate conveying mechanism.

[0037] The jacking and pitch changing mechanism is used for lifting and changing the pitch of the silicon wafer in the hollowed-out carrier plate on the second carrier plate conveying mechanism.

[0038] In some embodiments, the second stepped belt conveying mechanism, the insert piece mechanism and the flower basket unloading mechanism are arranged on both sides of the unloading section frame.

[0039] In some embodiments, the insert piece mechanism is arranged between the second stepped belt conveying mechanism and the flower basket unloading mechanism.

[0040] In some embodiments, the silicon wafer loading conveying section and the silicon wafer unloading conveying section are multiple.

[0041] Compared with the prior art, the above technical solution puts the to-be-processed silicon wafer into the flower basket, and then the flower basket loading mechanism conveying the flower basket with the to-be-processed silicon wafer is arranged side by side with the first stepped belt conveying mechanism. The to-be-processed silicon wafer is taken out from the flower basket on the flower basket loading mechanism by the pick piece mechanism and placed on the first stepped belt conveying mechanism. The first gantry jaw mechanism above the first stepped belt conveying mechanism clamps the to-be-processed silicon wafer and moves to above the wafer loading work station. Then the to-be-processed silicon wafer is put into the hollow wafer plate. When the hollow wafer plate is full of to-be-processed silicon wafers, the full hollow wafer plate is conveyed to the vacuum cavity by the first wafer plate conveying mechanism for subsequent process flow processing. After being processed in the vacuum cavity, the hollow wafer plate carrying the processed silicon wafers is sent to the silicon wafer unloading conveying section. The hollow wafer plate is conveyed to the wafer unloading work station by the second wafer plate conveying mechanism. Then the second gantry jaw mechanism moves to above the wafer unloading work station to clamp the processed silicon wafers on the hollow wafer plate, moves to above the second stepped belt conveying mechanism, and then places the silicon wafers on the second stepped belt conveying mechanism. The second stepped belt conveying mechanism conveys the silicon wafers to the flower basket unloading mechanism. Then the silicon wafers are taken out from the second stepped belt conveying mechanism by the insert piece mechanism and inserted into the empty flower basket on the flower basket unloading mechanism one by one until the silicon wafers on the hollow wafer plate are taken out. Through the transmission mode of wafer plate loading and unloading, automatic loading and unloading is realized, labor input is reduced, labor intensity is reduced, production efficiency is improved, production yield is improved, and the whole line scheme is adopted. The advantage is that the GW level production line length is significantly shortened, the occupied space is reduced, and the factory resources are solved.

[0042] The above invention content is only a summary of the technical solution of the present application. In order to enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand the technical solution of the present application, and then implement the content recorded in the specification and drawings, and in order to enable the above and other purposes, characteristics and advantages of the present application to be more easily understood, the following describes the specific embodiments of the present application and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0043] The drawings are only used to show the principles, implementation modes, applications, characteristics and effects of the specific embodiments of the present application and other related contents, and cannot be considered as a limitation of the present application.

[0044] In the drawings:

[0045] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of the automatic loading and unloading equipment of the hollow carrier plate according to the specific embodiment;

[0046] Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of the wafer loading and conveying section according to the specific embodiment;

[0047] Figure 3 A structural schematic diagram of the wafer loading and conveying section according to the specific embodiment;

[0048] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of the hollow carrier plate according to the specific embodiment;

[0049] Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of the hollow carrier plate according to the specific embodiment;

[0050] The reference signs involved in the above drawings are explained as follows:

[0051] 1, wafer loading and conveying section;

[0052] 101, loading section frame, 102, flower basket loading mechanism, 103, first step belt conveying mechanism, 104, wafer picking mechanism, 105, first gantry jaw mechanism, 106, visual detection module, 107, wafer deviation correction module, 108, first carrier plate low position lifting mechanism, 109, first carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism, 110, first carrier plate conveying mechanism;

[0053] 2, wafer loading and conveying section;

[0054] 201, loading section frame, 202, flower basket loading mechanism, 203, first step belt conveying mechanism, 204, wafer picking mechanism, 205, first gantry jaw mechanism, 206, lifting and distance changing mechanism, 207, second carrier plate low position lifting mechanism, 208, second carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism, 209, second carrier plate conveying mechanism;

[0055] 3, vacuum cavity;

[0056] 4, hollow carrier plate

[0057] 401, hollow part. Specific embodiment

[0058] To explain possible application scenarios, technical principles, specific implementation schemes, and the purposes and effects of the present application in detail, the following embodiments are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described herein are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and therefore only serve as examples, and cannot limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0059] In this paper, the term "embodiment" means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The term "embodiment" appearing at various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and does not particularly limit its independence or association with other embodiments. In principle, in the present application, as long as there is no technical contradiction or conflict, each technical feature mentioned in each embodiment can be combined in any way to form a corresponding implementable technical solution.

[0060] Unless otherwise defined, the meaning of the technical terms used herein is the same as that generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs; the use of related terms herein is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present application.

[0061] In the description of the present application, the phrase "and / or" is a description of the logical relationship between the objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which means that there are three cases: A exists, B exists, and A and B exist at the same time. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents that the associated objects before and after are a "or" logical relationship.

[0062] In the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual quantity, primary and secondary or order relationship between the entities or operations.

[0063] Without more limitations, in the present application, the phrases "include", "contain", "have" or other similar expressions used in the sentence are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, and these expressions do not exclude the presence of other elements in the process, method or product including the described elements, so that the process, method or product including a series of elements can not only include those limited elements, but also include other elements not explicitly listed, or also include elements inherent to such process, method or product.

[0064] As the same understanding in the "Examination Guidelines", in this application, "greater than", "less than", "exceed" and so on are understood as not including the number; "above", "below", "within" and so on are understood as including the number. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is more than two (including two), and similar expressions related to "multiple" are also understood in this way, for example, "multiple groups", "multiple times" and the like, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0065] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the spatially-related expressions used, such as "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "vertical", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", and the like, indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the specific embodiments or the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the specific embodiments of the present application or for the reader to understand, and do not indicate or imply that the indicated device or component must have a particular position, a particular orientation, or be constructed or operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0066] Unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "mount", "connect", "connect", "fix", "set", and the like should be broadly understood. For example, the "connection" can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integrated setting; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection, or communication connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication or interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0067] Please refer to Figures 1-3 The automatic feeding and discharging equipment of the hollow carrier plate 4 comprises a wafer feeding transmission section 1 and a wafer discharging transmission section 2.

[0068] The wafer feeding transmission section 1 comprises a feeding section rack, a flower basket feeding mechanism 102, a wafer picking mechanism 104, a first step belt transmission mechanism 103, a first gantry jaw mechanism 105 and a first carrier plate transmission mechanism 110:

[0069] The flower basket feeding mechanism 102, the wafer picking mechanism 104 and the first step belt transmission mechanism 103 are arranged on one side of the feeding section rack, and the flower basket feeding mechanism 102 and the first step belt transmission mechanism 103 are arranged side by side.

[0070] The flower basket feeding mechanism 102 is used to transmit the flower basket in which the wafer to be processed is placed;

[0071] The picking mechanism 104 is used to pick out the silicon wafer to be processed in the flower basket on the flower basket feeding mechanism 102, and place it on the first step belt transmission mechanism 103;

[0072] The first step belt transmission mechanism 103 is used to transmit the silicon wafer to be processed to the first gantry jaw mechanism 105;

[0073] The first gantry jaw mechanism 105 is movably arranged above the first step belt transmission mechanism 103 and the feeding section rack, and the first carrier plate transmission mechanism is arranged in the feeding section rack;

[0074] The first gantry jaw mechanism 105 is used to pick up the silicon wafer to be processed on the first step belt transmission mechanism 103 and place it on the hollow carrier plate 4 on the first carrier plate transmission mechanism;

[0075] The first carrier plate transmission mechanism 110 is used to transmit the hollow carrier plate 4 into the vacuum cavity 3;

[0076] The silicon wafer unloading transmission section 2 includes a unloading section rack 201, a flower basket unloading mechanism 202, a piece inserting mechanism 204, a second step belt transmission mechanism 203, a second gantry jaw mechanism, and a second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209;

[0077] The second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209 is arranged on the unloading section rack 201, and the second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209 is used to transmit the hollow carrier plate 4 sent out from the vacuum cavity 3;

[0078] The second gantry jaw mechanism 205 is movably arranged above the unloading section rack 201 and the second step belt transmission mechanism 203, and the second gantry jaw mechanism 205 is used to pick up the silicon wafer on the hollow carrier plate 4 on the second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209 to the second step belt transmission mechanism 203;

[0079] The flower basket unloading mechanism 202, the piece inserting mechanism 204, and the second step belt transmission mechanism 203 are arranged on one side of the unloading section rack 201, and the flower basket unloading mechanism 202 and the second step belt transmission mechanism 203 are arranged side by side;

[0080] The second step belt transmission mechanism 203 is used to transmit the processed silicon wafer to the flower basket unloading mechanism 202;

[0081] The piece inserting mechanism 204 is used to insert the silicon wafer on the second step belt transmission mechanism 203 into the flower basket on the flower basket unloading mechanism 202;

[0082] The flower basket unloading mechanism 202 is used to transmit the flower basket containing the processed silicon wafer.

[0083] The silicon wafers to be processed are placed into a basket, and the basket loading mechanism 102 carrying the silicon wafers is used for transport. The basket loading mechanism 102 is parallel to the first step belt conveyor mechanism 103. The wafer removal mechanism 104 removes the silicon wafers to be processed from the basket on the basket loading mechanism 102 and places them onto the first step belt conveyor mechanism 103. Then, the first gantry gripper mechanism 105 above the first step belt conveyor mechanism 103 picks up the silicon wafers to be processed and moves them above the carrier plate placement station. The silicon wafers to be processed are then placed into the hollow carrier plate 4. When the hollow carrier plate 4 is full of silicon wafers to be processed, the first carrier plate conveyor mechanism 110 transports the full hollow carrier plate 4 to the vacuum chamber 3 for subsequent process flow processing. After processing, the perforated carrier plate 4 carrying the processed silicon wafers is fed into the silicon wafer unloading conveyor section 2. The second carrier plate conveyor mechanism transports the perforated carrier plate 4 to the carrier plate unloading station. Then, the second gantry gripper mechanism 205 moves above the carrier plate unloading station and grips the processed silicon wafers on the perforated carrier plate 4, moving them above the second step belt conveyor mechanism 203 and placing them onto it. The second step belt conveyor mechanism 203 then transports the silicon wafers towards the basket unloading mechanism 202. Finally, the wafer insertion mechanism 204 removes the silicon wafers from the second step belt conveyor mechanism 203 and inserts them one by one into the empty baskets on the basket unloading mechanism 202 until all the silicon wafers on the perforated carrier plate 4 have been removed. This carrier plate loading and unloading transmission method achieves automated loading and unloading, reduces manual labor, lowers labor intensity, and improves production efficiency. The integrated line solution significantly shortens the production line length, reduces space occupation, and solves plant resource issues.

[0084] like Figure 4 The cutout carrier plate 4 shown has several cutouts 401 on it. The cutouts 401 are used to place the silicon wafers to be processed. The shape of the cutouts 401 matches the shape of the silicon wafers so that the silicon wafers will not slip when placed on the cutout carrier plate 4.

[0085] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 5 In some embodiments, the silicon wafer unloading and transmission section 2 further includes a correction module and a vision inspection module 106;

[0086] The correction module is movably installed in the loading section frame 101. The correction module is used to correct the position of the silicon wafer to be processed by passing through the cutout of the cutout of the cutout of the cutout of the first carrier plate transfer mechanism 110, and then place the corrected silicon wafer to be processed on the cutout of the cutout of the carrier plate 4.

[0087] The visual inspection module 106 is used to detect the position of the silicon wafer to be processed placed on the correction module.

[0088] In order to ensure that the silicon wafer to be processed can be accurately placed in the hollow position of the hollow silicon wafer, the silicon wafer is clamped to avoid problems such as wafer running during transmission. When the first gantry clamping jaw mechanism 105 clamps the silicon wafer from the first step belt transmission mechanism 103 and places it on the hollow carrier plate 4, the correction module first lifts a certain height from the hollow position of the hollow carrier plate 4. The first gantry clamping jaw mechanism 105 places the clamped silicon wafer on the tray of the correction module, and the vision detection module 106 cooperates with the correction module to correct the silicon wafer. When the correction is completed, the silicon wafer is placed on the hollow carrier plate 4, and the operation is repeated until the hollow carrier plate 4 is full. Among them, the correction module is multiple, the vision detection module 106 is also multiple, the vision detection module 106 corresponds to the correction module one by one, and the vision detection module cooperates with the corresponding correction module to correct the corresponding silicon wafer.

[0089] Please refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments, the upper section rack 101 is provided with a flower basket loading mechanism 102, a wafer picking mechanism 104 and a first step belt transmission mechanism 103 on both sides.

[0090] Among them, by providing the flower basket loading mechanism 102, the wafer picking mechanism 104 and the first step belt transmission mechanism 103 on both sides of the upper section rack 101, the advantages are compact structure, reasonable layout, full play of space utilization, significant shortening of the whole line length, reduction of floor area, and improvement of transmission efficiency.

[0091] In some embodiments, the wafer picking mechanism 104 is arranged between the flower basket loading mechanism 102 and the first step belt transmission mechanism 103.

[0092] By arranging the wafer picking mechanism 104 between the flower basket loading mechanism 102 and the first step belt transmission mechanism 103, the wafer picking mechanism 104 connects the flower basket loading mechanism 102 and the first step belt transmission mechanism 103.

[0093] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2, the first step belt conveying mechanism 103 is multiple, and the first gantry clamping jaw mechanism 105 is multiple groups; the wafer basket unloading mechanism 202 is arranged on the two sides of the unloading section rack 201, and the second step belt conveying mechanism 203 and the second gantry clamping jaw mechanism 205 are arranged on the two sides of the wafer basket unloading mechanism 202.

[0094] Please refer to Figure 3 , the second step belt conveying mechanism 203 is multiple groups, the second gantry clamping jaw mechanism 205 is multiple groups, and the second step belt conveying mechanism 203 corresponds to the second gantry clamping jaw mechanism 205 one by one. Through the multiple groups of second step belt conveying mechanism 203, the wafer is transmitted to the wafer basket unloading mechanism 202 direction, and then inserted into the wafer basket on the wafer basket unloading mechanism 202 by the inserting mechanism 204, which improves the wafer grabbing and taking efficiency. Wherein, when the two sides of the unloading section rack are provided with the wafer basket unloading mechanism 202, the inserting mechanism 204 and the second step belt conveying mechanism 203, the second gantry clamping jaw mechanism 205 is multiple groups, and is arranged in a staggered manner, and the second step belt conveying mechanism on the two sides of the unloading section rack is also arranged in a staggered manner. Among them, one group of second gantry clamping jaw mechanism can correspond to multiple groups of second step belt conveying mechanism, or one group of second gantry clamping jaw mechanism corresponds to one group of second step belt conveying mechanism.

[0095] Please refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments, the wafer loading conveying section 1 further comprises a first carrier plate low position lifting mechanism 108 and a first carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism 109.

[0096] The first carrier plate low position lifting mechanism 108 and the first carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism are arranged in the loading section rack 101;

[0097] The first carrier plate conveying mechanism is distributed in the lower reflow station, the middle buffer station and the upper wafer placing station; wherein the carrier plate conveying mechanism at the lower reflow station is connected with the reflow outlet at the bottom of the vacuum cavity 3; the carrier plate conveying mechanism at the middle buffer station is located above the middle lifting mechanism; the carrier plate conveying mechanism at the upper wafer placing station is connected with the cavity inlet of the vacuum cavity 3;

[0098] The lower layer reflow station's carrier plate transmission mechanism transmits the hollow carrier plate 4 from the carrier plate reflow outlet of the vacuum cavity 3 to the position to be lifted;

[0099] The first carrier plate low position lifting mechanism 108 is arranged at the carrier plate reflow outlet of the vacuum cavity 3, and is used for transmitting the hollow carrier plate 4 reflowed from the carrier plate reflow outlet of the vacuum cavity 3 to the first carrier plate buffer station;

[0100] The first carrier plate transmission mechanism at the intermediate buffer station has an automatic opening and closing function, and is used for receiving the carrier plate lifted by the first carrier plate low position lifting mechanism 108 and transmitting the carrier plate to the position to be lifted of the intermediate buffer station;

[0101] The first carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism 109 lifts the hollow carrier plate at the position to be lifted;

[0102] The first carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism 109 is used for placing the hollow carrier plate 4 on the carrier plate placing station of the first carrier plate transmission mechanism 110;

[0103] The carrier plate transmission mechanism at the upper layer placing station has an opening and closing function, and is used for receiving the carrier plate lifted by the first carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism 109;

[0104] The first carrier plate transmission mechanism at the upper layer placing station sends the carrier plate from the upper layer placing station into the vacuum cavity 3 for next processing;

[0105] The silicon wafer unloading transmission section further comprises a second carrier plate low position lifting mechanism 207 and a second carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism 208;

[0106] The second carrier plate low position lifting mechanism 207 and the second carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism are arranged in the unloading section rack;

[0107] The second carrier plate transmission mechanism is distributed at the lower layer reflow station, the intermediate buffer station and the upper layer wafer taking station; the carrier plate transmission mechanism at the lower layer reflow station is connected with the reflow inlet at the bottom of the vacuum cavity 3; the carrier plate transmission mechanism at the intermediate buffer station is located above the middle position lifting mechanism; and the carrier plate transmission mechanism at the upper layer wafer taking station is connected with the cavity outlet of the vacuum cavity 3;

[0108] The carrier plate transmission mechanism at the upper layer wafer taking station transmits the hollow carrier plate 4 from the cavity outlet of the vacuum cavity 3 to the position to be taken;

[0109] After the wafer is taken, the second carrier plate middle position lifting mechanism 208 receives the empty carrier plate; the second carrier plate transmission mechanism at the upper layer wafer taking station has an opening and closing function, and the second carrier plate transmission mechanism is separated outward to be separated from the carrier plate;

[0110] The second carrier plate middle lifting mechanism 208 lowers the hollow carrier plate 4 of the wafer taking station;

[0111] The second carrier plate transmission mechanism at the intermediate cache station receives the carrier plate lowered by the second carrier plate middle lifting mechanism 208 and then transmits the carrier plate to the waiting lowering station;

[0112] The second carrier plate low lifting mechanism 207 receives the carrier plate from the intermediate cache station, and the second carrier plate transmission mechanism at the intermediate cache station has an automatic opening and closing function. The carrier plate transmission mechanism is separated from the carrier plate.

[0113] The second carrier plate low lifting mechanism 207 lowers the carrier plate to the lower reflow station.

[0114] The second carrier plate transmission mechanism at the lower reflow station is used to transmit the empty carrier plate into the reflow inlet at the bottom of the vacuum cavity 3.

[0115] The empty carrier plate is reflowed from the bottom of the vacuum cavity 3 to the first carrier plate transmission mechanism of the loading transmission section for the next cycle.

[0116] When the silicon wafer on the hollow carrier plate 4 on the second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209 is taken, the second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209 is transmitted to the second carrier plate cache station by the second carrier plate middle lifting mechanism 208, and then sent to the second carrier plate low lifting mechanism 207. The hollow carrier plate 4 is then sent to the carrier plate reflow inlet of the vacuum cavity 3 by the second carrier plate low lifting mechanism 207 for empty carrier plate reflow. There are multiple cache stations to improve the efficiency of empty carrier plate reflow and reduce standby time. After the empty hollow carrier plate 4 is reflowed to the carrier plate reflow outlet in the vacuum cavity 3, the reflowed hollow carrier plate 4 is transmitted to the first carrier plate cache station by the first carrier plate low lifting mechanism 108, and then sent to the first carrier plate middle lifting mechanism 109. The first carrier plate middle lifting mechanism 109 then transmits the hollow carrier plate 4 to the wafer placing station of the first carrier plate transmission mechanism 110. This reduces the standby time and improves the transmission efficiency.

[0117] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 5 In some embodiments, a top lifting and distance changing mechanism 206 is further included, which is arranged at the bottom of the second carrier plate transmission mechanism.

[0118] The top lifting and distance changing mechanism 206 is used to lift and change the distance of the silicon wafer in the hollow carrier plate 4 on the second carrier plate transmission mechanism.

[0119] In order to facilitate the second gantry clamping jaw mechanism 205 to clamp the silicon wafer on the hollowed-out carrier plate 4, the silicon wafer in the hollowed-out carrier plate 4 on the second transmission mechanism is lifted and changed in distance by the jacking distance changing mechanism 206, and then the silicon wafer lifted by the second gantry clamping jaw mechanism 205 is clamped, so as to avoid clamping of the silicon wafer and damage to the silicon wafer in the clamping process.

[0120] Referring to Figure 3 In some embodiments, the second stepped belt transmission mechanism 203, the plug-in mechanism 204 and the flower basket unloading mechanism 202 are arranged on both sides of the unloading section rack. The flower basket unloading mechanism 202 is arranged on both sides of the unloading section rack and is arranged in parallel with the second stepped belt transmission mechanism 203. The advantage is that the structure is compact, the layout is reasonable, the space utilization rate is fully utilized, the whole line length is significantly shortened, the floor area is reduced, and the wafer transmission efficiency is improved.

[0121] Referring to Figure 3 In some embodiments, the plug-in mechanism 204 is arranged between the second stepped belt transmission mechanism 203 and the flower basket unloading mechanism 202. The plug-in mechanism 204 is arranged between the flower basket unloading mechanism 202 and the second stepped belt transmission mechanism 203.

[0122] In some embodiments, the silicon wafer loading transmission section 1 and the silicon wafer unloading transmission section 2 are multiple. The number of the silicon wafer loading transmission section 1 and the silicon wafer unloading transmission section 2 can be increased or reduced according to the actual process flow, and the silicon wafer loading transmission section 1, the vacuum cavity 3 and the unloading transmission section can be arranged in combination.

[0123] In another embodiment, referring to Figures 1-5 An automatic loading and unloading equipment for a hollowed-out carrier plate 4 is disclosed, which comprises a silicon wafer loading transmission section 1, a silicon wafer unloading transmission section 2, etc.

[0124] The silicon wafer loading transmission section 1 comprises a loading section rack, a flower basket loading mechanism 102, a first stepped belt transmission mechanism 103, a plug-in mechanism 104, a first gantry clamping jaw mechanism 105, a visual detection module 106, a silicon wafer deviation correction module 107, a first carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism 108, a first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism 109 and a first carrier plate transmission mechanism 110.

[0125] The silicon wafer unloading transmission section 2 comprises an unloading section rack 201, a flower basket unloading mechanism 202, a second stepped belt transmission mechanism 203, a plug-in mechanism 204, a second gantry clamping jaw mechanism 205, a jacking distance changing mechanism 206, a second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism 207, a second carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism 208 and a second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209.

[0126] Wherein, the silicon wafer loading transmission section 1 is at the front end of the whole device and connected with the first vacuum cavity 3 of the first unit; the silicon wafer unloading transmission section 2 is at the end of the whole device and connected with the last vacuum cavity 3 of the last unit.

[0127] Wherein, the silicon wafer to be processed is processed by the flower basket through the silicon wafer loading transmission section 1, and the silicon wafer is placed on the hollow carrier plate 4, and the silicon wafer flows into the vacuum cavity 3 for process flow processing by relying on the hollow carrier plate 4, and after the process flow is completed, the hollow carrier plate 4 flows out of the vacuum cavity 3, and finally is processed through the silicon wafer unloading transmission section 2 to transmit the silicon wafer back to the flower basket. After the process is completed, the unloaded empty carrier plate flows back to the loading transmission section through the lower carrier plate transmission mechanism, realizing the cyclic use of the carrier plate. The carrier plate flow direction is shown in the schematic diagram as Figure 5 .

[0128] Wherein, it needs to be particularly pointed out that: in order to better and clearly explain the design, the device arrangement mode shown in the present example is the simplest arrangement mode; according to the actual process flow needs, the present example can correspondingly increase or reduce the number of loading transmission sections and unloading transmission sections, and the loading transmission section, the vacuum cavity 3 and the unloading transmission section can be arranged in combination; therefore, all improvements or changes using the device to complete the process requirements shall belong to the protection scope of the claims attached to the present application.

[0129] Wherein, the silicon wafer to be processed in the silicon wafer loading transmission section 1 is first transmitted by the flower basket loading mechanism 102, the flower basket loading mechanism 102 is parallel to the first stepped belt transmission mechanism 103, and the silicon wafer is taken out from the flower basket one by one by the picking mechanism 104 and placed on the first stepped belt transmission mechanism 103; after the first stepped belt transmission mechanism 103 is full, the silicon wafer is clamped by the first gantry jaw mechanism 105 above the first stepped belt transmission mechanism 103 and moved to above the carrier plate wafer placing station; the deviation correction module below the carrier plate wafer placing station is lifted to a certain height, the silicon wafer is placed on the supporting plate of the deviation correction module by the first gantry jaw mechanism 105, the deviation correction module cooperates with the visual detection module 106 to correct the deviation of the silicon wafer, and after the correction is completed, the silicon wafer is placed on the carrier plate; the operation is repeated until the hollow carrier plate 4 is full, and then the full carrier plate is transmitted to the vacuum cavity 3 by the first carrier plate transmission mechanism 110 for subsequent process flow processing;

[0130] Preferably, the flower basket loading mechanism 102 is distributed on both sides of the silicon wafer loading transmission section 1 and arranged in parallel with the first stepped belt transmission mechanism 103, which has the advantages of compact structure, reasonable layout, full utilization of space, significant reduction of the overall line length, reduction of the floor area, and improvement of the wafer transmission efficiency;

[0131] Preferably, the picking mechanism 104 is located at the middle of the flower basket loading mechanism 102 and the first stepped belt transmission mechanism 103, connecting the flower basket loading mechanism 102 and the first stepped belt transmission mechanism 103.

[0132] Preferably, the two-side flower basket loading mechanism 102 takes out the silicon wafer in the flower basket by the wafer taking mechanism 104 and places it on the first step belt transmission mechanism 103; the first step belt transmission mechanism 103 transports the silicon wafer from the two sides to the middle, and then the first gantry jaw mechanism 105 takes it;

[0133] Preferably, the first carrier plate transmission mechanism 110, the first carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism 108 and the first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism 109 cooperate to realize the transmission of the carrier plate; when the empty carrier plate flows back to the silicon wafer loading and transmission section 1 from the bottom of the vacuum cavity 3, the empty carrier plate is transmitted to the backflow station, the first carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism 108 lifts the empty carrier plate to the carrier plate buffer station, after the full wafer carrier plate in the wafer loading station is transmitted away, the carrier plate buffer station immediately transmits the empty carrier plate to the first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism 109, and the first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism 109 supplements the empty carrier plate into the wafer loading station, so as to reduce the standby time and improve the transmission efficiency;

[0134] Preferably, the deviation correction module is based on the first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism 109, when the first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism 109 lifts the empty carrier plate to supplement it into the wafer loading station, the deviation correction module immediately lifts the carrier plate to the wafer loading height, waits for the first gantry jaw mechanism 105 to place the silicon wafer on the carrier plate, and then cooperates with the visual detection module 106 to perform the deviation correction action;

[0135] Preferably, after the deviation correction is completed, the silicon wafer is placed into the carrier plate, and after the carrier plate is full, the first carrier plate transmission mechanism 110 transmits the full carrier plate into the vacuum cavity 3 for subsequent process treatment;

[0136] In the silicon wafer unloading and transmission section 2, the silicon wafer processed by the vacuum cavity 3 is transmitted to the carrier plate wafer taking station, the carrier plate of the jacking variable-distance mechanism 206 under the carrier plate wafer taking station lifts the silicon wafer to a certain height, the second gantry jaw mechanism 205 moves above the carrier plate wafer taking station, clamps the silicon wafer, and moves to place it on the second step belt transmission mechanism 203; the second step belt transmission mechanism 203 is parallel to the flower basket unloading mechanism 202, inserts the silicon wafer from the step belt into the empty flower basket of the flower basket unloading mechanism 202 through the wafer inserting mechanism 204; the action is repeated until the carrier plate is empty, and then the empty carrier plate is transmitted to the bottom of the vacuum cavity 3 for backflow of the empty carrier plate through the cooperation of the second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209, the second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism 207 and the carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism;

[0137] Preferably, the silicon wafer processed by the vacuum cavity 3 is transmitted to the carrier plate wafer taking station, the carrier plate of the jacking variable-distance mechanism 206 lifts the silicon wafer to a certain height, and performs variable-distance, then the second gantry jaw mechanism 205 clamps it and moves to place it on the second step belt transmission mechanism 203;

[0138] Preferably, the flower basket unloading mechanism 202 is distributed on both sides of the silicon wafer unloading transmission section 2 and arranged in parallel with the second step belt transmission mechanism 203, which has the advantages of compact structure, reasonable layout, full use of space, significant reduction of the overall line length, reduction of the floor area, and improvement of the wafer transmission efficiency;

[0139] Preferably, the wafer inserting mechanism 204 is located at the middle of the flower basket loading mechanism 102 and the second step belt transmission mechanism 203, and connects the flower basket loading mechanism 102 and the second step belt transmission mechanism 203;

[0140] Preferably, the multiple sets of second step belt transmission mechanisms 203 transmit the silicon wafers from the middle to both sides, and the silicon wafers on the step belts are inserted into the flower baskets of the flower basket unloading mechanism 202 one by one through the wafer inserting mechanism 204;

[0141] Preferably, the lifting and distance changing mechanism 206 is supported on the middle lifting mechanism of the carrier plate, and after all the silicon wafers on the carrier plate are clamped, the middle lifting mechanism cooperates with the second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209 to transmit the empty carrier plate from the carrier plate wafer taking station to the carrier plate buffer station;

[0142] Preferably, the second carrier plate transmission mechanism 209 and the second carrier plate low position lifting mechanism 207 cooperate to transmit the empty carrier plate from the buffer station to the bottom of the vacuum cavity 3 for reflow of the empty carrier plate, which has the advantages of setting multiple buffer stations, improving the reflow efficiency of the empty carrier plate, and reducing the standby time;

[0143] The scheme has the following advantages:

[0144] 1. The transmission form of the carrier plate loading and unloading realizes automatic loading and unloading, reduces the labor input, and reduces the labor intensity; the functions and layout of each part of the equipment are realized;

[0145] 2. The overall line scheme has the advantages of significantly shortening the production line length, reducing the occupied space, and saving factory resources;

[0146] 3. The overall line scheme can effectively balance the equipment layout, avoid resource waste, better adapt to the equipment upgrading process, and be conducive to adapting to the future market demand of the heterojunction solar cell industry.

[0147] 4. Under the same production capacity, the equipment size is greatly reduced, the floor area is reduced, the structure is simpler to manufacture, and it is also important to reduce the floor area resources and reduce the cost of the solar cell in the future;

[0148] The number of columns and rows of the first step belt conveying mechanism 103, the second step belt conveying mechanism 203, the first gantry clamping jaw mechanism 105, the second gantry clamping jaw mechanism 205, the flower basket feeding mechanism 102 and the flower basket discharging mechanism 202 in the example are only for the purpose of making the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiment of the application more clear. The described embodiment is a part of the embodiments of the application, not all the embodiments, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the protection scope of the application.

[0149] The flower basket advancing form, the carrier plate lifting form and the silicon wafer feeding form in the example include but are not limited to the implementation modes of motor driving, air pressure driving and hydraulic driving. Since this content is the prior art known to those skilled in the art, the implementation is not specifically described in the application, but this cannot be understood as a limitation on the protection scope of the application.

[0150] The application can be applied in the photovoltaic industry including but not limited to the silicon wafer process section. All improvements or changes that can be completed by the device processing mode to meet the process requirements shall belong to the protection scope of the appended claims of the application.

[0151] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the application, and are only for the purpose of describing the application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the protection scope of the application.

[0152] Finally, it should be noted that although the above embodiments have been described in the specification and drawings of the application, the patent protection scope of the application is not limited. Any equivalent structure or equivalent flow replacement or modification based on the essential concept of the application, using the content described in the specification and drawings, directly or indirectly implementing the technical solutions of the above embodiments in other related technical fields, etc., are all included in the patent protection scope of the application.

Claims

1. An automatic loading and unloading device for a perforated carrier plate, characterized in that, Includes a silicon wafer loading conveyor section and a silicon wafer unloading conveyor section; The silicon wafer loading and conveying section includes a loading section frame, a basket loading mechanism, a wafer removal mechanism, a first step belt conveyor mechanism, a first gantry gripper mechanism, and a first carrier plate conveyor mechanism. The basket feeding mechanism, the piece-scooping mechanism, and the first step belt transmission mechanism are located on one side of the feeding section frame, with the basket feeding mechanism and the first step belt transmission mechanism arranged side by side. The basket feeding mechanism is used to transport baskets containing silicon wafers to be processed; The wafer removal mechanism is used to remove the silicon wafers to be processed from the basket in the basket feeding mechanism and place them in the first step belt transmission mechanism. The first step belt conveyor mechanism is used to convey the silicon wafer to be processed to the first gantry gripper mechanism; The first gantry gripper mechanism is movably disposed above the first step belt transmission mechanism and the loading section frame, and the first carrier plate transmission mechanism is disposed inside the loading section frame; The first gantry gripper mechanism is used to grip the silicon wafer to be processed on the first step belt conveyor mechanism and place it on the hollow carrier plate on the first carrier plate conveyor mechanism. The first carrier plate transfer mechanism is used to transfer the hollowed-out carrier plate into the vacuum cavity; The silicon wafer unloading and conveying section includes an unloading section frame, a basket unloading mechanism, a wafer insertion mechanism, a second step belt conveying mechanism, a second gantry gripper mechanism, and a second carrier board conveying mechanism; The second carrier plate conveying mechanism is installed on the unloading section frame and is used to convey the hollow carrier plate sent out from the vacuum chamber; The second gantry gripper mechanism is movably disposed above the unloading section frame and the second step belt transmission mechanism. The second gantry gripper mechanism is used to grip the silicon wafers on the hollowed-out carrier plate on the second carrier plate transmission mechanism and transfer them to the second step belt transmission mechanism. The basket feeding mechanism, the insert mechanism, and the second step belt transmission mechanism are located on one side of the feeding section frame, and the basket feeding mechanism and the second step belt transmission mechanism are arranged side by side. The second step belt conveyor mechanism is used to convey the processed silicon wafers toward the basket unloading mechanism; The insertion mechanism is used to insert the silicon wafers on the second step belt transmission mechanism into the basket on the basket feeding mechanism; The basket feeding mechanism is used to transport baskets containing processed silicon wafers; The silicon wafer loading and conveying section also includes a first carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism and a first carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism. Both the first low-position lifting mechanism and the first mid-position lifting mechanism of the first carrier plate are installed inside the frame of the feeding section; The first low-position lifting mechanism is located at the carrier plate return outlet of the vacuum chamber. The first low-position lifting mechanism is used to transfer the hollow carrier plate returning from the carrier plate return outlet of the vacuum chamber to the first carrier plate buffer station and send it into the first middle-position lifting mechanism. The first carrier plate mid-position lifting mechanism is used to place the hollowed-out carrier plate onto the carrier plate placement station of the first carrier plate transfer mechanism; The silicon wafer unloading and conveying section also includes a second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism and a second carrier plate middle-position lifting mechanism. Both the second low-position lifting mechanism and the second mid-position lifting mechanism of the carrier plate are installed inside the unloading section frame; The second carrier plate mid-position lifting mechanism is used to transfer the hollow carrier plate on the second carrier plate transmission mechanism to the second carrier plate buffer station and send it into the second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism. The second carrier plate low-position lifting mechanism is used to send the hollow carrier plate into the carrier plate return inlet of the vacuum chamber; It also includes a lifting and pitch-changing mechanism, which is disposed at the bottom of the second carrier plate transmission mechanism; The lifting and pitch-changing mechanism is used to lift and change the pitch of the silicon wafer in the hollowed-out carrier plate on the second carrier plate transmission mechanism. The first carrier board transfer mechanism at the intermediate buffer station, the first carrier board transfer mechanism at the upper wafer placement station, the second carrier board transfer mechanism at the upper wafer retrieval station, and the second carrier board transfer mechanism at the intermediate buffer station all have automatic opening and closing functions.

2. The automatic loading and unloading equipment for the hollowed-out carrier plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The silicon wafer unloading and transmission section also includes a correction module and a vision inspection module; The correction module is movably installed in the loading section frame. The correction module is used to correct the position of the silicon wafer to be processed by passing through the cutout of the cutout carrier plate on the first carrier plate transfer mechanism, and then place the corrected silicon wafer to be processed onto the cutout carrier plate. The visual inspection module is used to detect the position of the silicon wafer to be processed placed on the correction module.

3. The automatic loading and unloading equipment for the hollowed-out carrier plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both sides of the feeding section frame are equipped with a basket feeding mechanism, a sheet removal mechanism, and a first step belt transmission mechanism.

4. The automatic loading and unloading equipment for the hollowed-out carrier plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The chip-scooping mechanism is located between the basket feeding mechanism and the first step belt transmission mechanism.

5. The automatic loading and unloading equipment for the hollowed-out carrier plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first step belt transmission mechanism is in multiple sets, and the first gantry gripper mechanism is in multiple sets; The second step belt transmission mechanism consists of multiple sets, and the second gantry gripper mechanism consists of multiple sets.

6. The automatic loading and unloading equipment for the hollowed-out carrier plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two sides of the unloading section frame are equipped with a second step belt transmission mechanism, an insert mechanism, and a basket unloading mechanism.

7. The automatic loading and unloading equipment for the hollowed-out carrier plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insert mechanism is located between the second step belt transmission mechanism and the basket unloading mechanism.

8. The automatic loading and unloading equipment for the hollowed-out carrier plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple silicon wafer loading and unloading transport sections.

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