Wafer processing apparatus and method

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of wafer processing, and discloses a wafer processing device and a processing method. The polishing module of the wafer processing device comprises multiple polishing modules; multiple sets of cleaning modules are arranged in a stacked mode along a first preset direction, the cleaning module comprises a scrubbing module and at least two drying modules; the conveying module comprises multiple mechanical hands, which are used for conveying wafers in the polishing module to the cleaning module and transferring the wafers in the cleaning module; a scheduling system acquires state information and a remaining processing time length of a first target module in real time, and controls the conveying module to be started in advance, so that the wafers are conveyed to a second target module; the first target module comprises the polishing module, the scrubbing module and the drying module, the second target module comprises the scrubbing module and the drying module, and the state information represents a working state of the first target module. The cleaning module is provided with the scrubbing module matched with the two drying modules, the scheduling system is matched, the function of assigning the drying module to the scrubbed wafers is realized, the problem of an excessively long drying process time is solved, and the efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer fabrication technology, and more specifically to a wafer fabrication equipment and method. Background Technology

[0002] Wafer processing equipment typically includes polishing modules and cleaning modules. The polishing module contains multiple polishing units, while the cleaning module includes brushing and drying modules. In the wafer processing process, multiple polishing modules process the wafer simultaneously, after which the wafer is transferred to the cleaning module for brushing and drying. Related technologies often use organic chemical reagents to treat the wafer during polishing and brushing, so the drying process involves many tedious steps to thoroughly remove these organic chemical reagents.

[0003] Most existing cleaning modules consist of a brushing module and a drying module. In the processing technology, the polishing module and the brushing module have similar processing times, but the drying module takes longer. Because the cleaning areas are arranged in a strict sequential manner, wafers in the brushing module can only enter after the drying module becomes idle. As a result, the long processing time of the drying module becomes a key factor restricting processing efficiency, causing wafers in the polishing module to wait, leading to low overall processing and wafer transfer efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a wafer processing equipment and processing method to solve the problem that in the existing wafer processing, the process time of each module varies greatly, resulting in long waiting time for individual modules and low overall processing efficiency.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus, comprising: a polishing module, multiple cleaning modules, a transport module, and a scheduling system. The polishing module includes multiple polishing modules; the multiple cleaning modules are stacked along a first preset direction, each cleaning module including a brushing module and at least two drying modules arranged sequentially; the transport module includes multiple robotic arms, which are used to transport wafers from the polishing module to the cleaning module and to transfer wafers within the cleaning module; the scheduling system is used to acquire the status information and remaining processing time of a first target module in real time, and to control the transport module to start in advance and transport wafers to a second target module based on the status information and remaining processing time; the first target module includes a polishing module, a brushing module, and a drying module, the second target module includes a brushing module and a drying module, and the status information is used to characterize the working status of the first target module.

[0006] Beneficial Effects: Multiple cleaning modules are combined with multiple polishing modules. The number of cleaning modules can be dynamically adjusted based on the number of polishing modules and the duration of the polishing process. This ensures that all wafers processed in the polishing modules can reach the moistened cleaning modules immediately, avoiding waiting time in the polishing area, improving processing efficiency, ensuring product safety, and increasing wafer yield. Each cleaning module includes one brushing module and two drying modules, with an intelligent scheduling system to assign drying modules to cleaned wafers. The scheduling system can read the working status of each module in real time, including polishing, brushing, and drying modules, such as whether they are idle or busy. For busy modules, the scheduling system can also calculate the remaining processing time in advance and control the robotic arms of the transport module to promptly transport wafers to the designated module based on the status information and remaining processing time. This allows multiple drying modules to work simultaneously, fundamentally solving the problem of excessively long drying process times, reducing waiting time, and improving efficiency.

[0007] In one optional implementation, the scheduling system is adapted to record the single transport time of the wafers transported by the multiple transport modules to calculate the empirical transport time; the status information of the second target module is busy, and the scheduling system is used to control the transport module to start when the sum of the remaining processing time of the drying module and the empirical transport time is less than or equal to the output time of the washing module.

[0008] In this invention, it is ensured that the wafer enters the next module for processing in the shortest possible time after the previous processing module is completed, while avoiding unnecessary damage to the wafer caused by the wafer from the previous module arriving at the next module too early.

[0009] In one optional implementation, the first preset direction is the longitudinal direction; along the first preset direction, the number of layers of multiple cleaning modules and multiple polishing modules are equal, and they are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence in the horizontal direction.

[0010] In this invention, the layout of multiple polishing modules and multiple cleaning modules is a stacked arrangement from top to bottom or from bottom to top, which does not require additional floor space and does not increase equipment maintenance costs. The cleaning module can be flexibly expanded vertically according to the number of polishing modules and the polishing process duration, ensuring that all polished wafers can be stored in the cleaning module, avoiding the situation where wafers wait in the polishing area, and improving the wafer yield.

[0011] In one optional implementation, any cleaning module includes a brushing module, a first drying module, a second drying module, a wet buffer station, and a dry buffer station. The wet buffer station corresponds to the first drying module in the longitudinal direction, and the dry buffer station corresponds to the second drying module in the longitudinal direction. The wet buffer station and the first drying module are located close to the brushing module.

[0012] In this invention, the drying modules are configured in two groups. The first drying module is located near the washing module and in the middle area, offering superior air pressure and other parameters. The second drying module is positioned closer to the outlet, allowing the processed wafers to be directly returned to the cassette, reducing the risk of post-processing contamination. A wet buffer module is designed below the first drying module, saving equipment space without increasing the footprint and facilitating the transfer of wafers from the washing module to the second drying module. The wet buffer station helps transfer wafers from the first drying module to the outlet, making it convenient for an external wafer-retrieving robot to pick them up, reducing contamination, improving wafer yield, and significantly increasing processing efficiency.

[0013] In one optional embodiment, the transport module includes: a first robotic arm and a second robotic arm. The first robotic arm is disposed between the polishing module and the cleaning module. The first robotic arm is adapted to transport wafers from the polishing module to the brushing module in any cleaning module, and / or to transport wafers from the brushing module in any cleaning module to a first drying module or a wet buffer station in the same cleaning module. The second robotic arm is disposed between the wet buffer station and the dry buffer station in the cleaning module. The second robotic arm is adapted to transport wafers from the first drying module to the dry buffer station in the same cleaning module, and / or to transport wafers from the wet buffer station to a second drying module in the same cleaning module.

[0014] In this invention, under the control of the scheduling system, two robotic arms can work simultaneously, avoiding the problems of long handling time and low efficiency of a single robotic arm.

[0015] In one optional embodiment, the conveying module further includes a first slide rail extending along a second preset direction and a second slide rail extending along the first preset direction;

[0016] Any robotic arm includes a base and two grippers spaced apart on the base along a first preset direction. The base is slidably disposed on a first slide rail and a second slide rail. The grippers are hinged to the base to extend and retract to grip a wafer in a third preset direction. On a plane perpendicular to the first preset direction, the second preset direction and the third preset direction form a preset angle.

[0017] In one optional embodiment, the first robotic arm includes a first base, a first gripper, and a second gripper. The second gripper is relatively far away from the first base in a first preset direction. The first gripper is used to transport the wafer in the polishing module to the brushing module in a cleaning module. The second gripper is used to remove the wafer from the brushing module and transport it to the first drying module or wet buffer station of the same cleaning module.

[0018] The second robotic arm includes a second base, a third gripper, and a fourth gripper. In a first preset direction, the fourth gripper is relatively far away from the second base. The third gripper is used to transport the wafers in the wet buffer station to the second drying module in the same cleaning module. The fourth gripper is used to remove the wafers in the first drying module and transport them to the dry buffer station in the same cleaning module.

[0019] In this invention, the two grippers of the first robotic arm are each responsible for one transfer process. The lower first gripper handles polished but uncleaned wafers, while the upper second gripper handles cleaned wafers. This avoids contamination of cleaned wafers by grippers that have handled polished wafers, thus improving wafer yield. The two grippers of the second robotic arm are each responsible for one transfer process. The lower third gripper handles wet wafers, while the upper fourth gripper handles dry wafers. This avoids the influence of wet wafers on dry wafers, further ensuring wafer yield.

[0020] In one optional embodiment, the polishing module is positioned near the inlet of the equipment, and the dry buffer station and the second drying module in the cleaning module are positioned near the outlet of the equipment relative to the brushing module; the wafer processing equipment also includes:

[0021] An external wafer loading robot is located at the inlet and is suitable for placing external wafers into the polishing module.

[0022] An external wafer pick-up robot is located at the exit point. The external wafer pick-up robot is suitable for picking up wafers from the dry buffer station and the second drying module.

[0023] Secondly, the present invention provides a wafer processing method applied to the aforementioned wafer processing equipment, comprising:

[0024] The scheduling system obtains the status information and remaining processing time of the first target module, which includes a polishing module, a brushing module, and a drying module.

[0025] Based on the status information of the first target module and the remaining processing time, the scheduling system controls the robotic arm of the handling module to start in advance;

[0026] The transport module transports wafers from the first target module to the second target module, including: transporting wafers from the polishing module to the brushing module, and transporting wafers from the brushing module to the drying module.

[0027] Beneficial effects: Multiple polishing modules plus multiple cleaning modules, each of which includes a brushing module and two drying modules, enable fully automated transfer paths in wafer processing and transfer, as well as specifying the transfer path of a particular cleaning module or a specific drying module within a cleaning module. This overturns the traditional solidification approach, enriches the transfer paths, improves the processing efficiency of wafers in the cleaning modules, and thus improves the overall processing efficiency of the machine.

[0028] In one optional implementation, the scheduling system includes a memory; the scheduling system acquires the status information and remaining processing time of the first target module, and further includes:

[0029] The scheduling system records the single transport time of the robot arm transferring wafers multiple times and stores it in the memory. It calculates the empirical transport time. Then, based on the obtained status information of the first target module, the remaining processing time, and the empirical transport time of the robot arm, the scheduling system controls the robot arm of the handling module to start in advance.

[0030] When the status information of the second target module is busy, the scheduling system controls the handling module to start when the sum of the remaining processing time of the drying module and the experienced transport time of the robot arm is less than or equal to the output time of the washing module. Attached Figure Description

[0031] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a front view of the wafer processing equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a rear view of the handling module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a left view of the transport module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a top view of the transport module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0037] a. Polishing area; b. Cleaning area; c. Wafer;

[0038] 10. Polishing module; 101. Polishing module;

[0039] 20. Cleaning module; 201. Brushing module; 202. First drying module; 203. Second drying module; 204. Wet buffer station; 205. Dry buffer station;

[0040] 30. Handling module; 31. Robotic arm; 311. Base; 312. First gripper; 313. Second gripper; 32. First slide rail; 33. Second slide rail; 301. First robotic arm; 302. Second robotic arm;

[0041] 40. Imports;

[0042] 50. Exports. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the invention are shown in the drawings, not all structures. In the following description, descriptions of well-known structures and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concept of the invention. Various structural schematic diagrams according to embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. These figures are not drawn to scale, and some details are enlarged for clarity, and some details may be omitted. The shapes of the various regions and layers shown in the figures, as well as their relative sizes and positional relationships, are merely exemplary and may deviate from actual practices due to manufacturing tolerances or technical limitations. Furthermore, those skilled in the art can design regions / layers with different shapes, sizes, and relative positions as needed. In the context of the present invention, when a layer / element is referred to as being "on" another layer / element, the layer / element may be directly on the other layer / element, or there may be an intermediate layer / element between them. Additionally, if one layer / component is "above" another layer / component in one orientation, then when the orientation is reversed, that layer / component can be "below" that other layer / component.

[0044] refer to Figure 1This embodiment provides a wafer processing equipment, including: a polishing module 10, multiple cleaning modules 20, a transport module 30, and a scheduling system. The polishing module 10 includes multiple polishing modules 101; the multiple cleaning modules 20 are stacked along a first preset direction, and each cleaning module 20 includes a brushing module 201 and at least two drying modules arranged sequentially; the transport module 30 includes multiple robotic arms 31, used to transport wafers c from the polishing module 10 to the cleaning module 20, and to transfer wafers c within the cleaning module 20; the scheduling system is used to acquire the status information and remaining processing time of a first target module in real time, and to control the transport module 30 to start in advance based on the status information and remaining processing time, transporting wafers c to a second target module; the first target module includes the polishing module 101, the brushing module 201, and the drying module, and the second target module includes the brushing module 201 and the drying module. The status information is used to characterize the working status of the first target module.

[0045] In this embodiment, multiple cleaning modules 20 are configured in conjunction with multiple polishing modules 101. The number of cleaning modules 20 can be dynamically adjusted according to the number of polishing modules 101 and the duration of the polishing process, so that all wafers c processed in polishing modules 101 can reach the moist cleaning modules 20 as soon as possible. This avoids the polished wafers c waiting in polishing area a, improves processing efficiency, ensures the safety of processed products, and increases the yield of wafers c. Each cleaning module 20 is equipped with one brushing module 201 and two drying modules, and is coordinated with intelligent scheduling. The system assigns drying modules to the washed wafers (c). The scheduling system can first read the working status of each module in real time, including the polishing module 101, the washing module 201, and the drying module, such as whether they are idle or busy. For modules that are busy, the scheduling system can also calculate the remaining processing time in advance. Based on the obtained status information and the remaining processing time, the system controls the robotic arm 31 of the transport module to transport the wafers (c) to the specific module in a timely manner, enabling multiple drying modules to work simultaneously. This fundamentally solves the problem of ultra-long drying process time, reduces waiting time, and improves efficiency.

[0046] Of course, each cleaning module 20 can also be equipped with more drying modules according to specific process requirements. In this embodiment, two drying modules are set up to avoid the wafers c after brushing not being able to enter the drying modules in time, thereby improving efficiency and wafer c yield. At the same time, the processing load of the scheduling system can be reduced, thereby improving the orderliness and efficiency of the whole machine processing.

[0047] The aforementioned wafer processing equipment, the scheduling system can also calculate the experience transport time by recording the single transport time of the wafer c transferred by the multiple transport modules 30; the status information of the second target module is busy, and the scheduling system is used to control the transport module 30 to start when the sum of the remaining processing time of the drying module and the experience transport time is less than or equal to the remaining processing time and experience transport time of the washing module 201; it is worth noting that the experience transport time corresponding to each module, that is, the transport time of the robot arm, is different.

[0048] Taking the scheduling system between the washing module 201 and the drying module as an example, when the scheduling system detects that the washing of a certain washing module 201 has ended and that the washing module 201 is in an idle state, the first scenario is that both drying modules in the same cleaning module 20 as the washing module are simultaneously detected as idle. In this case, the scheduling system immediately controls the transfer module 30 to start, and the transfer module 30 removes the wafer c from the washing module 201 and then transfers it to any of the drying modules for drying. The second scenario is that the scheduling system detects that one of the two drying modules is idle and the other is busy. In this case, the scheduling system controls the transfer module to start, and places the wafer c obtained from the washing module 201 onto the idle drying module. In other words, in both of these scenarios, as long as the scheduling system detects an idle drying module, it can directly control the transfer module. If the transport module 30 is activated, then the third scenario is that the scheduling system detects that both drying modules are busy. In this case, the scheduling system selects the drying module with the shorter remaining processing time and controls the transport module 30 to activate in advance. This ensures that the wafers on the drying module will enter the drying module for drying in the shortest possible time after the washing module 201 is finished. The specific advance activation time depends on the remaining processing time of the two preceding and following processing modules and the experienced transport time. That is, when the sum of the remaining processing time of the next drying module and the experienced transport time of the corresponding robotic arm, such as the second robotic arm 302, for the dried wafers c is less than or equal to the remaining processing time of the current washing module 201 and the experienced transport time of the corresponding robotic arm, such as the first robotic arm 301, the scheduling system controls the transport module 30 to activate. This prevents the wafers c on the washing module 201 from arriving at the drying module too early and causing unnecessary damage to the wafers c. It should be understood that the transport time varies depending on the experience of different robotic arms in handling different modules, depending on the specific equipment settings and transport distance of each module. When the processing of the previous module has ended, the remaining processing time of the previous module is zero. Of course, starting the transport module 30 in advance can ensure that the wafer c is transported to the drying module as quickly as possible before the washing module 201 has finished.

[0049] In summary, the transport priority of wafer c by the handling module 30 is as follows: the idle state has the highest priority, followed by the remaining processing time. The brushing module 201 and drying module in each cleaning module 20 are allocated accordingly. This means that the user can achieve automatic processing path for the entire machine through the scheduling system. Multiple cleaning modules 20 can work simultaneously. The scheduling system determines the status information of all brushing modules 201, obtains the brushing modules 201 that are idle, pre-calculates the remaining processing time of the two drying modules and the experienced transport time of the robotic arm 31, and allocates cleaning modules 20 according to the principle that the idle state has the highest priority, followed by the processing time. After wafer c enters any brushing module 201, the subsequent path calculation method is as described above to achieve automatic processing path within the equipment, realizing the most efficient wafer c transfer and processing.

[0050] Of course, the possibility of prioritizing a particular cleaning module 20 or a particular drying module due to differences in specific processes and requirements cannot be ruled out. For example, among multiple cleaning modules 20, a scheduling system may select one cleaning module 20 to complete the entire process. All wafers c polished on polishing modules 101 in polishing module 10 will then enter the brushing module 201 of this cleaning module 20. Afterward, a suitable drying module will be selected based on the remaining processing time of the two drying modules within this cleaning module 20. Alternatively, it may be required that wafer c must pass through a specific drying module, leading to the prioritization of that particular drying module.

[0051] The scheduling system is a computer software system with storage and data processing functions. It can read the busy and idle status of each module in real time, calculate the remaining processing time of each module in advance, record the time of a single robot action, and allocate robots to transfer wafers according to the set transfer method.

[0052] Specifically, the scheduling system includes a memory and a processor. The memory, as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, can be used to store non-transitory software programs, non-transitory computer-executable programs, and modules, such as the corresponding status information / processing time of each module in the embodiments of this invention. The processor executes various functional applications and data processing by running the non-transitory software programs, instructions, and modules stored in the memory. For example, it calculates the remaining processing time based on the read status information of the modules and the current processing time, thereby realizing the scheduling of the wafer in the above method embodiments.

[0053] The memory may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and applications required for at least one function; the data storage area may store data created by the processor, etc. Furthermore, the memory may include high-speed random access memory and non-transitory memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid-state storage device. In some embodiments, the memory may optionally include memory remotely located relative to the processor, which can be connected to the processor via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, corporate intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0054] In one embodiment, the first preset direction is the longitudinal direction; the number of layers of multiple cleaning modules 20 and multiple polishing modules 101 are equal along the first preset direction, and they are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence in the horizontal direction.

[0055] The multiple polishing modules 101 and multiple cleaning modules 20 are arranged in a stacked manner from top to bottom or from bottom to top, which does not require additional floor space and does not increase equipment maintenance costs. The cleaning module 20 can be flexibly expanded vertically according to the number of polishing modules 101 and the polishing process duration, ensuring that all polished wafers c can be stored in the cleaning module 20, and also avoiding the situation where wafers c wait in the polishing area a, thereby improving the yield of wafers c.

[0056] For example, the number of layers of the cleaning module 20 is limited by the height of the industrial plant and the pressure of the liquid supply device. For example, it can be set to 3 or 4 layers. If the liquid supply pressure in the actual production plant is usually only enough for the height of the 5th layer, then this is the maximum number of stacked layers that the cleaning module 20 can achieve.

[0057] In this embodiment, any cleaning module 20 includes a brushing module 201, a first drying module 202, a second drying module 203, a wet buffer station 204, and a dry buffer station 205. The wet buffer station 204 corresponds to the first drying module 202 in the longitudinal direction, and the dry buffer station 205 corresponds to the second drying module 203 in the longitudinal direction. The wet buffer station 204 and the first drying module 202 are located close to the brushing module 201.

[0058] In this embodiment, the drying modules are configured in two groups. The first drying module 202 is located near the washing module 201 and in the middle area, providing better parameters such as air pressure. The second drying module 203 is located closer to the outlet 50, allowing the processed wafers c to be directly returned to the cassette, reducing the risk of post-processing contamination. A wet buffer module is designed below the first drying module 202, which saves equipment space without increasing the equipment's footprint and facilitates the transfer of wafers c from the washing module 201 to the second drying module 203. Similarly, the dry buffer station 205 facilitates the transfer of wafers c from the first drying module 202 to the outlet 50, allowing the external wafer-retrieving robot 31 to easily remove the wafers c, reducing contamination, improving wafer c yield, and achieving extremely high processing efficiency.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the transport module 30 includes two robotic arms, that is, the transport module 30 includes: a first robotic arm 301 and a second robotic arm 302. The first robotic arm 301 is disposed between the polishing module 10 and the cleaning module 20. The first robotic arm 301 is adapted to transport the wafer c of the polishing module 10 to the brushing module 201 in any cleaning module 20, and / or transport the wafer c of the brushing module 201 in any cleaning module 20 to the first drying module 202 or the wet buffer station 204 in the same cleaning module 20. The second robotic arm 302 is disposed between the wet buffer station 204 and the dry buffer station 205 in the cleaning module 20. The second robotic arm 302 is adapted to transport the wafer c in the first drying module 202 to the dry buffer station 205 in the same cleaning module 20, and / or transport the wafer c in the wet buffer station 204 to the second drying module 203 in the same cleaning module 20.

[0060] Under the control of the scheduling system, the first robotic arm 301 and the second robotic arm 302 can work simultaneously, avoiding the problems of long handling time and low efficiency of a single robotic arm.

[0061] In one embodiment, to achieve flexible handling by the first robotic arm 301 and the second robotic arm 302, such as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the handling module 30 also includes a first slide rail 32 extending along a second preset direction and a second slide rail 33 extending along a first preset direction; any robotic arm 31 includes a base 311 and two grippers spaced apart on the base 311 along a first preset direction. The base 311 is slidably disposed on the first slide rail 32 and the second slide rail 33, and the grippers are hinged to the base 311 to extend and retract to grip the wafer c in a third preset direction. On a plane perpendicular to the first preset direction, the second preset direction forms a preset angle with the third preset direction.

[0062] The first preset direction mentioned above is the longitudinal direction, that is... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The Z-axis direction shown; on a horizontal plane perpendicular to the first preset direction, the second preset direction and the third preset direction are two horizontal directions, the second preset direction being... Figure 2 and Figure 4 The X-axis direction shown is the third preset direction. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The Y-axis direction is shown in the figure. The two grippers on any one of the robotic arms 31 have a certain distance between them in the Z-axis direction. And because it includes a multi-link structure hinged to the base 311, the grippers can rotate and extend in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the first preset direction to pick up and put down pieces at different positions, which is highly flexible.

[0063] Specifically, the first robotic arm 301 includes a first base 311, a first gripper 312, and a second gripper 313. In a first preset direction, the second gripper 313 is relatively far away from the first base 311. The first gripper 312 is used to transport the wafer c in the polishing module 101 to the brushing module 201 in a cleaning module 20. The second gripper 313 is used to remove the wafer c from the brushing module 201 and transport it to the first drying module 202 or the wet buffer station 204 in the same cleaning module 20. The second robotic arm 302 includes a second base 311, a third gripper, and a fourth gripper. In a first preset direction, the fourth gripper is relatively far away from the second base 311. The third gripper is used to transport the wafer c in the wet buffer station 204 to the second drying module 203 in the same cleaning module 20. The fourth gripper is used to remove the wafer c in the first drying module 202 and transport it to the dry buffer station 205 in the same cleaning module 20.

[0064] Since the first robotic arm 301 includes transferring wafer c from polishing module 101 to brushing module 201 and transferring wafer c from brushing module 201 to first drying module 202 or wet buffer station 204, the two grippers of the first robotic arm 301 are each responsible for one transfer process. The lower first gripper 312 handles polished but not cleaned wafers, and the upper second gripper 313 handles brushed wafers. This avoids contamination of cleaned wafers by grippers that have handled polished wafers, thus improving the yield of wafer c. Similarly, the second robotic arm 302 includes transferring wafer c from wet buffer station 204 to second drying module 203 and transferring wafer c from first drying module 202 to dry buffer station 205. Therefore, the two grippers of the second robotic arm 302 are each responsible for one transfer process. The lower third gripper handles wet wafers, and the upper fourth gripper handles dry wafers. This avoids the influence of wet wafers on dry wafers, further ensuring the yield of wafers.

[0065] In one embodiment, the polishing module 10 is positioned near the inlet 40 of the equipment, and the dry buffer station 205 and the second drying module 203 in the cleaning module 20 are positioned relative to the brushing module 201 near the outlet 50 of the equipment. The wafer c processing equipment also includes an external wafer loading robot 31 and an external wafer picking robot 31. The external wafer loading robot 31 is positioned at the inlet 40 and is adapted to place the external wafer c into the polishing module 101. The external wafer picking robot 31 is positioned at the outlet 50 and is adapted to remove the wafer c from the dry buffer station 205 and the second drying module 203.

[0066] This embodiment also provides a wafer processing method applied to the above-mentioned wafer processing equipment, comprising the following steps:

[0067] In step S100, the scheduling system obtains the status information and remaining processing time of the first target module. The first target module includes a polishing module 101, a brushing module 201, and a drying module.

[0068] In this step, the scheduling system acquires the status information and remaining processing time of each polishing module 101, brushing module 201, and drying module within the wafer processing system.

[0069] In step S200, the scheduling system controls the robotic arm 31 of the handling module 30 to start in advance based on the obtained status information of the first target module and the remaining processing time.

[0070] For example, the priority order of the dispatching system controlling the handling module 30 is as follows: idle modules take precedence over busy modules, and modules with shorter remaining processing time take precedence over modules with longer remaining processing time. In other words, when a processing module completes, the dispatching system selects the next module based on whether it is idle. If all subsequent processing modules are busy, the system selects the module with the shorter remaining processing time and controls the handling module 30 to start in advance based on this selected module.

[0071] Of course, it is possible that a certain cleaning module 20 is designated because of a high level of trust in it, or a certain drying module within a certain cleaning module 20 is designated because of a high level of trust in it.

[0072] Step S300, the transport module 30 transports the wafer c of the first target module to the second target module, including: transporting the wafer c of the polishing module 101 to the brushing module 201, and transporting the wafer c of the brushing module 201 to the drying module.

[0073] Unless otherwise specified, the selection of the brushing module 201 is determined based on the status and remaining processing time of the brushing modules 201 in the multiple brushing modules. Priority is given to brushing modules 201 in the idle state, followed by brushing modules 201 with shorter remaining processing time. Similarly, the selection of the drying module is also determined based on the status and remaining processing time of the drying module. Unless otherwise specified, the wafer c of the brushing module 201 can be transferred to the drying module of the same cleaning module 20, or it can be transferred to the drying module of a different cleaning module 20.

[0074] Given a specific cleaning module 20, a suitable drying module can be flexibly selected within that cleaning module 20; similarly, given a specific drying module, that drying module can be selected for drying to complete the wafer c drying required by a specific process.

[0075] Specifically, step S300 includes a first robot arm 301 transporting the wafer c of the polishing module 10 to the brushing module 201 of a specific cleaning module 20, and / or the first robot arm 301 transporting the wafer c of the brushing module 201 to the first drying module 202 or the wet buffer station 204; a second robot arm 302 transporting the wafer c on the first drying module 202 to the dry buffer station 205 of the same cleaning module 20, and / or the second robot arm 302 transporting the wafer c on the wet buffer station 204 to the second drying module 203 of the same cleaning module 20.

[0076] In one embodiment, the scheduling system includes a memory and a processor, that is, a software-implemented scheduling system with storage and processing capabilities. The above-described step S100, where the scheduling system obtains the status information and remaining processing time of the first target module, further includes:

[0077] The scheduling system records the single transport time of the robot arm 31 for transporting wafer c multiple times and stores it in the memory to calculate the empirical transport time. Then, based on the obtained status information of the first target module, the remaining processing time, and the empirical transport time of the robot arm 31, the scheduling system controls the robot arm 31 of the handling module 30 to start in advance.

[0078] Furthermore, when the status information of the second target module is busy, the scheduling system controls the handling module 30 to start when the sum of the remaining processing time of the drying module and the experienced transport time of the corresponding robot is less than or equal to the remaining processing time of the washing module 201 and the experienced transport time of the corresponding robot.

[0079] When the sum of the remaining processing time of the next drying module and the experience transport time of the robot 31 to the dried wafer c is less than or equal to the output time of the current brushing module 201, the scheduling system controls the handling module 30 to start, so as to avoid the wafer c on the brushing module 201 arriving at the drying module too early and causing unnecessary damage to the wafer c.

[0080] Specifically, in this embodiment, multiple polishing modules 101 are set in the polishing area a of the wafer processing equipment to form a polishing module 10. For example, the polishing module 101 includes polishing module A, polishing module B, up to polishing module N. Correspondingly, N sets of cleaning modules are also set in the cleaning area b, including cleaning module A, cleaning module B, up to cleaning module N. Cleaning module A includes brushing module A, drying module A1, drying module A2, wet buffer station A, and dry buffer station A. Cleaning module B includes brushing module B, drying module B1, drying module B2, wet buffer station B, and dry buffer station B, and so on. Cleaning module N includes brushing module N, drying module N1, drying module N2, wet buffer station N, and dry buffer station N.

[0081] The wafer fabrication method of this embodiment includes three wafer transfer paths:

[0082] The first method involves a fixed transport path, specifying a particular brushing module 201 or drying module within a set of cleaning modules 20. This method is compatible with traditional wafer transport paths and offers good versatility. For example, if wafer c from polishing module A must pass through brushing module A and drying module A1, then after wafer c from polishing module A is transferred to cleaning area b, the first gripper 312 below the first robot arm 301 will transport wafer c to brushing module A. After brushing module A completes its processing, the second gripper 313 above the first robot arm 301 will transport wafer c to drying module A1. After drying module A1 completes its processing, the fourth gripper above the second robot arm 302 will transport wafer c to drying buffer station A1. Finally, an external wafer pick-up robot arm 31 will remove wafer c.

[0083] For example, if the wafer c from polishing module A must be processed by both brushing module A and drying module A2, then when wafer c from polishing module A is transferred to cleaning area b, the first gripper 312 below the first robot 301 will transport wafer c to brushing module A. After brushing module A finishes processing, the second gripper 313 above the first robot 301 will transport wafer c to wet buffer station A. The third gripper below the second robot 302 will transport wafer c to drying module A2. After drying module A2 finishes processing, wafer c will be picked up by external wafer pick-up robot 31.

[0084] The second method involves an automatic transfer path within the cleaning module 20, which means specifying a particular cleaning module 20 to improve its processing efficiency. For example, cleaning module B, located in the central area of ​​the equipment, has a high level of trust. It is set to run automatically. Each wafer c from polishing module 101 enters the B cleaning module. After processing, the scheduling system dynamically allocates wafers based on the idle status and remaining time of drying modules B1 and B2. If drying module B1 is idle, the first robot 301 transports the wafer c to it. If drying module B2 is idle, the first robot 301 transports the wafer c to the B wet buffer station, and then the second robot 302 transports it to drying module B2. If both drying modules B1 and B2 are busy, the current processing time of these two modules is read, and the remaining processing time is calculated. The scheduling system selects the module with less remaining processing time and calculates an advance timing for robot 31 to move the wafer c ahead of time. Once the condition is met, the wafer c is promptly transported to the corresponding drying module.

[0085] This advance timing occurs when the sum of the remaining processing time of the drying module and the experienced transport time of the robot 31 is less than or equal to the output time of the washing module 201, at which point the control transport module 30 is activated.

[0086] The third method is an automated transfer path, which involves multiple cleaning modules 20 operating simultaneously to achieve high-efficiency processing transfer. The wafer c transferred from the polishing module 10 is automatically assigned a path by the scheduling system. The scheduling system determines the idle status of the brushing modules 201 in all cleaning modules 20, pre-calculates the remaining time of the first drying module 202 and the second drying module 203, and the corresponding transfer time of the robotic arm 31. The idle status has the highest priority, followed by the remaining processing time. Cleaning modules 20 are allocated according to their priorities. After the wafer c enters any brushing module 201, the subsequent path calculation method is the same as the automated transfer path method within the cleaning module 20 described above.

[0087] The transmission path of each of the above will be reflected in the wafer c processing log, which facilitates the traceability of subsequent processes.

[0088] Multiple polishing modules 101 and multiple cleaning modules 20 are used. Each cleaning module 20 includes a brushing module 201 and two drying modules. In the wafer c processing and transfer path, the entire machine can achieve a fully automatic transfer path, as well as specify the transfer path of a certain cleaning module 20 or the transfer path of a certain drying module within the cleaning module 20. This overturns the traditional solidification approach, enriches the transfer path, improves the processing efficiency of wafer c in the cleaning module 20, and thus improves the overall processing efficiency of the machine.

[0089] Further functional descriptions of the above modules are the same as those in the corresponding embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0090] The above description does not provide detailed explanations of the technical aspects of each layer's patterning, etching, etc. However, those skilled in the art should understand that various technical means can be used to form layers and regions of the desired shape. Furthermore, to form the same structure, those skilled in the art can also design methods that are not entirely identical to those described above. Additionally, although various embodiments have been described above, this does not mean that the measures in the various embodiments cannot be used advantageously in combination.

[0091] Although embodiments of the invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and such modifications and variations all fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wafer processing equipment, characterized in that, include: Polishing module, comprising multiple polishing modules; Multiple sets of cleaning modules are stacked along a first preset direction; each of the cleaning modules includes a brushing module and at least two drying modules arranged sequentially. The transport module includes multiple robotic arms, which are used to transport wafers from the polishing module to the cleaning module and to transfer wafers within the cleaning module. A scheduling system is configured to record the single transport time of the wafer transfer module multiple times to calculate an experienced transport time, and to acquire the status information and remaining processing time of the first target module in real time. Based on the status information, the remaining processing time, and the experienced transport time, the system controls the transfer module to start in advance. When the status information of the second target module is busy, the scheduling system controls the transfer module to start and transport the wafer to the second target module when the sum of the remaining processing time and experienced transport time of the drying module is less than or equal to the output time of the brushing module. The first target module includes the polishing module, the brushing module, and the drying module; the second target module includes the brushing module and the drying module; and the status information characterizes the working status of the first target module.

2. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first preset direction is the vertical direction; along the first preset direction, the number of layers of the multiple sets of cleaning modules and the multiple sets of polishing modules are equal, and they are set one-to-one in the horizontal direction.

3. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the cleaning modules includes a brushing module, a first drying module, a second drying module, a wet buffer station, and a dry buffer station. The wet buffer station corresponds to the first drying module in the longitudinal direction, and the dry buffer station corresponds to the second drying module in the longitudinal direction. The wet buffer station and the first drying module are located close to the brushing module.

4. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transport module includes: A first robotic arm is disposed between the polishing module and the cleaning module. The first robotic arm is adapted to transport the wafers of the polishing module to the brushing module in any cleaning module, and / or transport the wafers of the brushing module in any cleaning module to the first drying module or wet buffer station in the same cleaning module. A second robotic arm is positioned between the wet buffer station and the dry buffer station of the cleaning module. The second robotic arm is adapted to transport wafers from the first drying module to the dry buffer station in the same cleaning module, and / or to transport wafers from the wet buffer station to the second drying module in the same cleaning module.

5. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The transport module further includes a first slide rail extending along a second preset direction and a second slide rail extending along the first preset direction; Each of the aforementioned robotic arms includes a base and two grippers spaced apart on the base along a first preset direction. The base is slidably disposed on a first slide rail and a second slide rail. The grippers are hinged to the base to extend and retract to grip a wafer in a third preset direction. In a plane perpendicular to the first preset direction, the second preset direction forms a preset angle with the third preset direction.

6. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first robotic arm includes a first base, a first gripper, and a second gripper. In a first preset direction, the second gripper is relatively far away from the first base. The first gripper is used to transport the wafer in the polishing module to the brushing module in a cleaning module. The second gripper is used to remove the wafer from the brushing module and transport it to the first drying module or wet buffer station of the same cleaning module. The second robotic arm includes a second base, a third gripper, and a fourth gripper. In a first preset direction, the fourth gripper is relatively far away from the second base. The third gripper is used to transport the wafers in the wet buffer station to the second drying module in the same cleaning module. The fourth gripper is used to remove the wafers in the first drying module and transport them to the dry buffer station in the same cleaning module.

7. The wafer processing equipment according to any one of claims 2-6, characterized in that, The polishing module is positioned near the inlet of the equipment, and the dry buffer station and the second drying module in the cleaning module are positioned relative to the brushing module near the outlet of the equipment; the wafer processing equipment also includes: An external wafer loading robot is located at the inlet, and the external wafer loading robot is adapted to place external wafers into the polishing module; An external wafer pick-up robot is located at the exit, and the external wafer pick-up robot is adapted to pick up wafers from the dry buffer station and the second drying module.

8. A wafer processing method, applied to the wafer processing equipment according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, include: The scheduling system obtains the status information and remaining processing time of the first target module, which includes a polishing module, a brushing module, and a drying module. Based on the status information of the first target module and the remaining processing time, the scheduling system controls the robotic arm of the handling module to start in advance; The transport module transports wafers from the first target module to the second target module, including: transporting wafers from the polishing module to the brushing module, and transporting wafers from the brushing module to the drying module.

9. The wafer fabrication method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The scheduling system includes a memory; the scheduling system acquires the status information and remaining processing time of the first target module, and also includes: The scheduling system records the single transport time of the robotic arm transferring wafers multiple times and stores it in the memory, and calculates the empirical transport time; then the scheduling system controls the robotic arm of the handling module to start in advance based on the obtained status information of the first target module, the remaining processing time and the empirical transport time of the robotic arm. When the status information of the second target module is busy, the scheduling system controls the handling module to start when the sum of the remaining processing time of the drying module and the experienced transport time of the robot arm is less than or equal to the output time of the washing module.

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