A dust cleaning mechanism for a stacker and a high-cleanliness wafer storage library
By designing a dust cleaning structure in the stacker and using a combination of guide grooves, purification channels and exhaust fans, the problem of particulate matter contamination of wafers due to friction in the stacking structure is solved, and the effect of significantly reducing the risk of wafer pollution is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202311556977.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-21
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-22
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-11-21
AI Technical Summary
During operation, the stacking structure in the prior art generates a large amount of particulate matter due to friction, which leads to pollution of the wafer storage environment and increases the chance of wafer contamination.
A stacker dust cleaning structure is designed, including a guide groove, a first purification passage, a first exhaust fan, a cleaning chamber and a second exhaust fan. Through the cooperation of the first purification channel and the first exhaust fan opened on the side of the guide groove, particles generated by friction between the stacker and the guide rail can be absorbed and discharged in a timely manner, and the particles can be extracted from the storage bank through the second exhaust fan.
It significantly reduces the pollution to wafers during stacker operation and improves the safety and reliability of wafer storage.
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Figure CN117864645B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of wafer storage, and in particular to a dust cleaning mechanism for a stacker and a high-cleanliness wafer storage library. Background Art
[0002] In the semiconductor industry, wafers are an important part of it. Wafers refer to silicon wafers used to make silicon semiconductor circuits. High-purity polysilicon is dissolved and mixed with silicon crystal seeds, and then slowly pulled out to form cylindrical single crystal silicon. After grinding, polishing, and slicing, silicon crystal rods are formed into silicon wafers, that is, wafers.
[0003] Since wafers are easily contaminated during storage, the cleanliness of the wafer storage library needs to be controlled. During operation, the stacking structure in the prior art will produce a large amount of particulate matter due to friction, which affects the storage environment of the wafers and increases the probability of wafer contamination. Summary of the invention
[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to provide a stacking mechanism for a high-cleanliness semiconductor wafer mask storage system, which can significantly reduce the contamination of wafers during operation and improve the safety and reliability of wafer storage.
[0005] The present invention relates to a stacker dust cleaning structure, comprising a stacker, the stacker comprising a movable plate and a stacker body connected above the movable plate, two ends of the movable plate are connected with sliders, the sliders slide along slide rails arranged in guide grooves, a first purification channel is provided on the side of the guide groove, an air outlet of the first purification channel is connected with a first exhaust fan, the air outlet of the first exhaust fan is connected with a cleaning chamber, a second exhaust fan for extracting gas in the cleaning chamber is arranged at the bottom of the cleaning chamber, and the second exhaust fan is used to extract the gas in the cleaning chamber to the bottom of a storage bin;
[0006] Two guide grooves are symmetrically arranged along the central axis of the storage bin, the guide grooves extend along the moving direction of the stacker body, and a plurality of the first purification channels are sequentially opened on the sides of the guide grooves and communicated with the cleaning chamber through the air outlet;
[0007] The stacker body includes a horizontal motion module and a vertical motion module. The vertical motion module includes a belt installed in a rectangular frame and a vertical moving block connected to the belt. The belt is driven by a lifting drive motor. A guide channel is provided in the rectangular frame. A first guide fan is arranged in the guide channel. A second guide fan is arranged at the bottom of the guide channel. Dust or debris generated by belt friction follows the airflow and is transported to the bottom through the first guide fan and the second guide fan in sequence.
[0008] Furthermore, the vertical motion module is connected to the horizontal motion module, and the stacker body further comprises at least two addressing encoders, wherein at least one of the addressing encoders is used to detect the position of the horizontal motion module, and wherein at least another of the addressing encoders is used to detect the position of the vertical motion module.
[0009] Furthermore, a carrier plate is connected to the top of the stacker body, and wafer boxes are placed on the carrier plate for transportation. A visual recognition module for detecting wafer boxes on the carrier plate is connected above or on the side of the carrier plate.
[0010] Furthermore, a mounting groove is provided on the upper surface of the carrier plate, and a mechanical in-place sensor is provided in the mounting groove for contacting with the wafer box to detect the in-place status of the wafer box.
[0011] Furthermore, the visual recognition module is connected to the stacker body through a connecting frame, the connecting frame includes a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a third connecting rod, the third connecting rod is connected to the first connecting rod through the second connecting rod, the first connecting rod is connected to the stacker body, and the visual recognition module is connected to the third connecting rod.
[0012] Further, the number of the first connecting rods is 2, the two first connecting rods are parallel to each other, and the end of the first connecting rod is fixed to the first connecting block; the number of the second connecting rods is 2, the two second connecting rods are parallel to each other, one end of the second connecting rod is fixed to the first connecting block, and the other end of the second connecting rod is fixed to the second connecting block, the first connecting rod is perpendicular to the second connecting rod, and the second connecting rod is perpendicular to the third connecting rod.
[0013] Furthermore, the carrier plate is coated with an anti-slip coating.
[0014] The present invention also relates to a high-cleanliness semiconductor wafer mask storage library, comprising the above-mentioned stacker dust cleaning mechanism, characterized in that it also includes an FFU connected to the upper end of the storage library, the air outlet of the FFU is connected to the storage cavity in the storage library, and material racks are symmetrically arranged in the storage library, and a walking channel for the stacker to move is formed between two rows of the material racks, and the stacker is used to transfer wafers to the material racks or transfer wafers from the material racks, wherein FFU stands for fan filter unit.
[0015] The benefit of the present invention lies in that a first purification channel is opened on the side of the guide groove, and the air outlet of the first purification channel is connected to a first exhaust fan. When particles are generated by friction between the stacker and the guide rail, they can be discharged in time by the first exhaust fan and transported to the cleaning chamber, and then the second exhaust fan draws the particles out of the storage storage, which can significantly reduce the pollution caused to the wafers during the operation of the stacker, thereby improving the safety of wafer storage.
[0016] In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, preferred embodiments are specifically cited below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.
[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a high-clean semiconductor wafer mask storage library.
[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure.
[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the carrier plate.
[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the vertical motion module.
[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation position of the second guide fan. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0024] A stacking mechanism for a high-clean semiconductor wafer mask storage library including a stacker dust cleaning structure in a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a storage library 1, an FFU is connected to the upper end of the storage library 1, an air outlet of the FFU is communicated with a storage cavity in the storage library 1, racks 2 are symmetrically arranged in the storage library 1, and a walking channel 3 for a stacker 4 to move is formed between two rows of the racks 2, and the stacker 4 is used to transfer wafers to the racks 2 or transfer wafers out of the racks 2, wherein FFU represents a fan filter unit;
[0025] The stacker 4 includes a moving plate 41 and a stacker body 42 connected above the moving plate, sliders 411 are connected to both ends of the moving plate 41, and the sliders 411 slide along the slide rails provided in the guide groove 5, and a first purification channel is provided on the side of the guide groove 5, and the air outlet of the first purification channel is connected to a first exhaust fan 51, and the air outlet of the first exhaust fan 51 is connected to the cleaning chamber 6, and a second exhaust fan 61 for extracting the gas in the cleaning chamber is provided at the bottom of the cleaning chamber 6, and the second exhaust fan 61 is used to extract the gas in the cleaning chamber to the bottom of the storage 1;
[0026] Two guide grooves 5 are symmetrically arranged along the central axis of the storage 1, and the guide grooves 5 extend along the moving direction of the stacker body 42, and a plurality of the first purification channels are sequentially opened on the side of the guide grooves 5 and communicated with the cleaning chamber 6 through the air outlet;
[0027] The stacker body 42 includes a horizontal movement module and a vertical movement module. The vertical movement module includes a belt installed in a rectangular frame 421 and a vertical moving block connected to the belt. The belt is driven by a lifting drive motor. The rectangular frame 421 has a guide channel 422. A first guide fan 4221 is arranged in the guide channel 422. A second guide fan 4222 is arranged at the bottom of the guide channel 422. Dust or debris generated by the friction of the belt 422 follows the airflow and is transported to the bottom of the storage chamber through the first guide fan 4221 and the second guide fan 4222 in sequence, thereby further preventing dust or debris from rising to the storage position of the wafer and reducing the probability of wafer damage.
[0028] In the above embodiment, the vertical motion module is connected to the horizontal motion module, and the stacker body 42 also includes at least two addressing encoders, at least one of which is used to detect the position of the horizontal motion module, and at least another of which is used to detect the position of the vertical motion module.
[0029] In the actual implementation process, the addressing encoder can be used to accurately determine the position of the horizontal motion module and the vertical motion module, and then the actual position of the wafer box can be accurately determined, and accurate position information can be fed back to the control system to achieve precise control of the wafer box transportation.
[0030] In at least one of the embodiments, in order to detect the wafer box in place, a carrier plate 7 is connected to the top of the stacker body 42, and the wafer box is placed on the carrier plate 7 for transportation. A visual recognition module 8 for detecting the wafer box on the carrier plate 7 is connected above or to the side of the carrier plate 7. The carrier plate 7 is connected to the vertical motion module.
[0031] In at least one embodiment, a mounting groove is provided on the upper surface of the carrier plate 7, and a mechanical in-place sensor is provided in the mounting groove to contact the wafer box to detect the in-place status of the wafer box. The use of the mechanical in-place sensor can not only detect the in-place status of the wafer box on the carrier plate, but also avoid the use of a photoelectric sensor to introduce additional control circuits and generate more particulate matter, thereby further reducing the probability of wafer contamination.
[0032] In at least one of the embodiments, the visual recognition module 8 is connected to the stacker body through a connecting frame 9, the connecting frame includes a first connecting rod 91, a second connecting rod 92 and a third connecting rod 93, the third connecting rod 93 is connected to the first connecting rod 91 through the second connecting rod 92, the first connecting rod 91 is connected to the stacker body 42, and the visual recognition module 8 is connected to the third connecting rod 93.
[0033] In at least one embodiment, the number of the first connecting rods 91 is two, the two first connecting rods 91 are parallel to each other, and the end of the first connecting rod 91 is fixed to the first connecting block. The number of the second connecting rods 92 is two, the two second connecting rods 92 are parallel to each other, one end of the second connecting rod 92 is fixed to the first connecting block, and the other end of the second connecting rod 92 is fixed to the second connecting block. The first connecting rod 91 is perpendicular to the second connecting rod 92, the second connecting rod 92 is perpendicular to the third connecting rod 93, and the third connecting rod 93 is fixed to the second connecting block.
[0034] By adopting two parallel first connecting rods 91 and second connecting rods 92, compared with the connecting plates generally used, the probability of turbulence caused by air entering the storage warehouse 1 can be significantly reduced, and the purification of the air in the storage warehouse 1 can be accelerated, so that the storage warehouse 1 can quickly reach the storage environment of the wafer.
[0035] In at least one embodiment, an anti-skid coating is plated on the carrier plate 7. In the actual implementation process, a coating that is not easy to generate particles is used to reduce the probability of contaminating the storage reservoir 1 while ensuring the anti-skid performance.
[0036] The present invention uses specific embodiments to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there will be changes in the scope of the specific implementation methods. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.
Claims
1. A dust cleaning structure for a stacker, characterized in that: The stacker comprises a movable plate and a stacker body connected above the movable plate, two ends of the movable plate are connected with sliders, the sliders slide along the slide rails arranged in the guide groove, a first purification channel is provided on the side of the guide groove, an air outlet of the first purification channel is connected with a first exhaust fan, the air outlet of the first exhaust fan is connected with a cleaning chamber, a second exhaust fan for extracting gas in the cleaning chamber is arranged at the bottom of the cleaning chamber, and the second exhaust fan is used to extract the gas in the cleaning chamber to the bottom of the storage bin; Two guide grooves are symmetrically arranged along the central axis of the storage bin, the guide grooves extend along the moving direction of the stacker body, and a plurality of the first purification channels are sequentially opened on the sides of the guide grooves and communicated with the cleaning chamber through the air outlet; The stacker body includes a horizontal motion module and a vertical motion module. The vertical motion module includes a belt installed in a rectangular frame and a vertical moving block connected to the belt. The belt is driven by a lifting drive motor. A guide channel is provided in the rectangular frame. A first guide fan is arranged in the guide channel. A second guide fan is arranged at the bottom of the guide channel. Dust or debris generated by belt friction follows the airflow and is transported to the bottom through the first guide fan and the second guide fan in sequence.
2. The stacker dust cleaning structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical motion module is connected to the horizontal motion module, and the stacker body further comprises at least two addressing encoders, wherein at least one of the addressing encoders is used to detect the position of the horizontal motion module, and wherein at least another of the addressing encoders is used to detect the position of the vertical motion module.
3. The stacker dust cleaning structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A carrier plate is connected to the top of the stacker body, and wafer boxes are placed on the carrier plate for transportation. A visual recognition module for detecting wafer boxes on the carrier plate is connected above or on the side of the carrier plate.
4. The stacker dust cleaning structure according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The upper surface of the carrier plate is provided with a mounting groove, and a mechanical in-place sensor is arranged in the mounting groove for contacting with the wafer box to detect the in-place status of the wafer box.
5. The stacker dust cleaning structure according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The visual recognition module is connected to the stacker body through a connecting frame, the connecting frame includes a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a third connecting rod, the third connecting rod is connected to the first connecting rod through the second connecting rod, the first connecting rod is connected to the stacker body, and the visual recognition module is connected to the third connecting rod.
6. The stacker dust cleaning structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: There are two first connecting rods, which are parallel to each other. An end of the first connecting rod is fixed to the first connecting block. There are two second connecting rods, which are parallel to each other. One end of the second connecting rod is fixed to the first connecting block, and the other end of the second connecting rod is fixed to the second connecting block. The first connecting rod is perpendicular to the second connecting rod, and the second connecting rod is perpendicular to the third connecting rod.
7. The stacker dust cleaning structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The carrying plate is plated with an anti-skid coating.
8. A high-cleanliness semiconductor wafer mask storage library, comprising the stacker dust cleaning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: It also includes an FFU connected to the upper end of the storage warehouse, the air outlet of the FFU is connected to the storage cavity in the storage warehouse, and the storage warehouse is symmetrically provided with racks, and a walking channel for the movement of a stacker is formed between two rows of the racks. The stacker is used to transfer wafers to the racks or transfer wafers from the racks, wherein FFU stands for fan filter unit.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Article storage facility
JP2018039657A
Article storage facility
JP2018039658A