A pre-sorting method for a semiconductor sorter

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of pre-classification methods of semiconductor sorting machine, a kind of feeding method of semiconductor pre-classification equipment belongs to automatic sorting technical field, the carrier of being sorted as a whole, when feeding, first take two carriers from it respectively to feeding port one and feeding port two feeding, subsequent every time feeding is replaced by the carrier of being sorted completion from the corresponding number of carrier of taking in all remaining carriers of being sorted when feeding.The application changes the original feeding rule to all carriers of being sorted as a whole under the condition of not changing machine automatic stop logic, then when there is feeding demand, corresponding number is taken from all remaining carriers of being sorted to feed, which can avoid the situation that "one feeding port has no carrier of being sorted while the other feeding port has carrier of being sorted", and can reduce the number of machine downtime.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates primarily to the field of automated sorting technology, specifically a pre-grading method for a semiconductor sorting machine. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most mainstream sorter machines have two loading ports and N unloading ports. The MES (Manufacturing Execution System) pre-defines the wafer sorting rules, and the machine moves the wafers to the corresponding carriers according to these rules. Existing sorting rules generally involve first evenly distributing the carriers to be sorted to the two loading ports based on quantity, then directly calculating the quantity according to wafer grade, and finally allocating them to the target carriers.

[0003] Currently, most sorter machines support automatically removing the carrier when the loading carrier is empty or the unloading carrier is full. Operators need to replace the carrier regularly, which results in frequent machine downtime and frequent carrier replacements by the operator.

[0004] Some sorter machines automatically exit when all loading carriers are empty or when a loading carrier is full, then replaces all empty carriers. Compared to the previous scenario, this significantly reduces the number of machine shutdowns. However, because the carriers waiting to be sorted are evenly distributed between the two loading ports, situations can arise where "one loading port has no carriers waiting to be sorted while the other has carriers waiting to be sorted." To avoid this, the existing loading rules need to be improved without changing the automatic shutdown logic of the machine. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention addresses the problem of overly simplistic solutions in existing technologies by providing a significantly different solution. It primarily offers a pre-grading method for semiconductor sorting machines, which solves the technical problem mentioned in the background section regarding improved feeding rules to avoid situations where "one feeding port has no carrier waiting to be sorted while another feeding port has a carrier waiting to be sorted."

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows:

[0007] A pre-sorting method for a semiconductor sorting machine treats the carriers to be sorted as a whole. During loading, two carriers are first taken from the carriers to feed the first and second loading ports respectively. Subsequently, each time the carriers are loaded, a corresponding number of carriers are taken from all the remaining carriers to be sorted to replace the carriers that have been sorted.

[0008] Furthermore, when both loading ports 1 and 2 are empty, two of the remaining loading ports are selected to replace the two empty loading ports.

[0009] Furthermore, if a carrier at the lower feed port is full and a carrier at feed port one or feed port two is empty, then one of the remaining carriers waiting to be distributed is selected to replace the empty carrier at the feed port.

[0010] Specifically, a pre-grading method for a semiconductor sorting machine includes:

[0011] (1) Take two from all the carriers to be sorted and place them on the first and second loading ports respectively. Take one empty carrier of each grade from the empty carriers and place it on the corresponding unloading port.

[0012] (2) After each piece transfer operation, determine whether the loading port is empty or the unloading port is full. If all the loading ports are empty, take two from all the remaining unloading ports and replace the two empty ports. If the unloading port is full, take one from the empty ports of that level and replace the full port. Then determine whether the loading port is empty. If it is empty, take one from all the remaining unloading ports and replace the empty port.

[0013] As an improvement to the above scheme, before loading, it is first determined whether each carrier to be sorted contains only one grade of wafers. If not, it is used as a carrier to be loaded. If so, it is then determined whether the carrier is already full. If so, it does not participate in the sorting work. If not, the carrier is used as a carrier to be received or the wafers in the carrier are directly transferred to an empty carrier to be received.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0015] (1) This invention addresses machine carriers whose automatic exit logic is "stopping and replacing carriers when all loading carriers are empty or when a loading carrier is full." The loading rule is changed from "first, evenly distributing the carriers to be sorted to two loading ports, then loading from each port sequentially" to treating all carriers as a whole. When there is a need for loading (regardless of whether it's loading port one or loading port two), the corresponding quantity is taken from all remaining carriers. Through specific implementation, it can be seen that by adopting this invention, without changing the machine's automatic shutdown logic, the situation of "one loading port having no carriers to be sorted while another loading port has carriers waiting to be sorted" can be avoided. This reduces the number of machine shutdowns. When applied to multi-batch production, it significantly reduces production delays and improves production efficiency. Simultaneously, it reduces the number of machine restarts, which helps extend the machine's lifespan when applied to multi-batch production.

[0016] (2) In the optimized solution of the present invention, the carriers to be sorted are screened, and sorting is only performed on carriers containing wafers of mixed grades. This can reduce the workload of the sorting machine, further reduce the number of downtimes on the basis of Example 1, and reduce multiple steps, thereby further improving production efficiency.

[0017] The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the main fragmentation rules in this invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the screening process of the material carrier to be sorted in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more comprehensive description of the present invention will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described in the text. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and complete.

[0021] Example 1: A pre-grading method for a semiconductor sorting machine, comprising:

[0022] 1. First, calculate the quantity of wafers for each grade. Based on the quantity of wafers fully loaded in a carrier (e.g., 25 wafers), calculate the number of empty carriers required for each grade. The operator then inputs the corresponding number of empty carrier numbers into the interface.

[0023] 2. Please refer to the attached document carefully. Figure 1 First, take two from all the carriers to be sorted and place them on feeding port one and feeding port two respectively. Then, take one empty carrier of each grade from the empty carriers and place it on the corresponding unloading port. After each piece transfer operation, check whether all carriers at the feeding port are empty or whether any carriers at the unloading port are full. If all carriers at the feeding port are empty, take two from all the remaining carriers to be sorted and replace the two empty carriers. If any carrier at the unloading port is full, take one from the empty carriers of that grade and replace the full carrier. Then, check whether any carriers at the feeding port are empty. If any carriers are empty, take one from all the remaining carriers to be sorted and replace the empty carrier. When feeding from feeding port one and feeding port two at the same time, the carriers at feeding port one will be sorted first.

[0024] The following example illustrates this:

[0025] There are currently 6 carriers awaiting material distribution:

[0026] Vehicle 1: Tier A 20, Tier B 5;

[0027] Vehicle 2: Tier A 15, Tier B 10;

[0028] Vehicle 3: Class A 10, Class B 5, Class C 10;

[0029] Vehicle 4: Tier A 20, Tier C 5;

[0030] Vehicle 5: Class C 5;

[0031] Vehicle 6: Grade A 25.

[0032] When loading begins, loading port one (Grade A 20, Grade B 5) is loaded onto vehicle 1, and loading port two (Grade A 15, Grade B 10) is loaded onto vehicle 2.

[0033] Step 1: When the vehicle reaches 1 point:

[0034] Loading port: Carrier 1 empty, Carrier 2: Grade A 15, Grade B 10;

[0035] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 5.

[0036] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0037] Step 2: When Grade A material is fully loaded:

[0038] Loading port: Carrier 1 empty, Carrier 2: Grade A 10, Grade B 10;

[0039] Feed port: Grade A 25, Grade B 5.

[0040] At this point, if the feed inlet is full of carriers, the machine will pause and the carrier can be replaced.

[0041] Step 3: After changing vehicles (replace the fully loaded Class A vehicle with an empty vehicle, and remove vehicle 1 and replace it with vehicle 3):

[0042] Loading port: Carrier 3: Grade A 10, Grade B 5, Grade C 10; Carrier 2: Grade A 10, Grade B 10;

[0043] Feed port: Grade A 0, Grade B 5.

[0044] Step 4: When the vehicle is out of 2 points:

[0045] Loading point: Vehicle 3: Grade A 10, Grade B 5, Grade C 10, Vehicle 2 empty

[0046] Feed port: Grade A 10, Grade B 15.

[0047] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0048] Step 5: When the vehicle is out of 3 minutes:

[0049] Feeding port: Carrier 3 empty, Carrier 2 empty;

[0050] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 20, Grade C 10.

[0051] At this point, all the loading ports are empty, the machine is paused, and the loading ports can be replaced.

[0052] Step 6: After changing vehicles (take vehicle 2 and replace it with vehicle 4, take vehicle 3 and replace it with vehicle 5):

[0053] Loading port: Carrier 5: Class C 5, Carrier 4: Class A 20, Class C 5;

[0054] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 20, Grade C 10.

[0055] Step 7: When the vehicle has 5 minutes remaining:

[0056] Loading port: 5 empty vehicles, 4 vehicles: Grade A 20, Grade C 5;

[0057] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0058] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0059] Step 8: After Grade A material is filled:

[0060] Loading port: 5 empty vehicles, 4 vehicles: Class A 15, Class C 5;

[0061] Feed port: Grade A 25, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0062] At this point, if the feed inlet is full of carriers, the machine will pause and the carrier can be replaced.

[0063] Step 9: Change vehicles (replace the fully loaded Class A vehicle with an empty vehicle, and remove vehicle 5 and replace it with vehicle 6).

[0064] Loading port: Carrier 6: Grade A 25, Carrier 4: Grade A 15, Grade C 5;

[0065] Feed port: Grade A 0, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0066] Step 10: When the vehicle is out of 4 minutes:

[0067] Loading point: Vehicle 6: Grade A 25, Vehicle 4: Empty;

[0068] Feed port: Grade A 15, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0069] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0070] Step 11: After the Grade A material is filled:

[0071] Loading point: Vehicle 6: Grade A 15, Vehicle 4: Empty;

[0072] Feed port: Grade A 25, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0073] At this point, if the feed inlet is full of carriers, the machine will pause and the carrier can be replaced.

[0074] Step 12: After changing vehicles (replacing the fully loaded Class A vehicle with an empty one):

[0075] Loading point: Vehicle 6: Grade A 15, Vehicle 4: Empty;

[0076] Feed port: Grade A 0, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0077] Step 13: When the vehicle has 6 minutes remaining:

[0078] Feeding port: Carrier 6: Empty, Carrier 4: Empty;

[0079] Feed port: Grade A 15, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0080] To complete the material distribution to all vehicles, a total of 4 machine shutdowns are required.

[0081] Comparative example: There are 6 carriers waiting to be distributed:

[0082] Vehicle 1: Tier A 20, Tier B 5;

[0083] Vehicle 2: Tier A 15, Tier B 10;

[0084] Vehicle 3: Class A 10, Class B 5, Class C 10;

[0085] Vehicle 4: Tier A 20, Tier C 5;

[0086] Vehicle 5: Class C 5;

[0087] Vehicle 6: Grade A 25.

[0088] The fragmentation rules are as follows:

[0089] 1. Distribute the 6 carriers to be distributed evenly to the two loading ports according to their quantity; carriers

[0090] 1. Carriers 3 and 5 are assigned to feed port one, and carriers 2, 4, and 6 are assigned to feed port two.

[0091] 2. First, calculate the number of wafers for each grade. Assuming one carrier holds 25 wafers, calculate the number of empty carriers required for each grade. The operator inputs the corresponding carrier numbers into the interface; Grade A wafers total 90, requiring 4 empty carriers; Grade B wafers total 20, requiring 1 empty carrier; Grade C wafers total 20, requiring 1 empty carrier.

[0092] 3. First, place carrier 1 and carrier 2 on loading port 1 and loading port 2 respectively. Take one empty carrier of each grade from the empty carriers and place it on the corresponding unloading port. Then, after each piece transfer operation, check whether all carriers at the loading port are empty or whether any carriers at the unloading port are full. If all carriers at the loading port are empty, take one carrier from each of the carriers waiting to be loaded and replace the empty carrier. If any carrier at the unloading port is full, take one empty carrier from the empty carrier of that grade and replace the full carrier. Then check whether any carriers at the loading port are empty. If any carriers are empty, take one carrier from the carriers waiting to be loaded and replace the empty carrier. When loading ports 1 and 2 are loading simultaneously, the carriers at loading port 1 will be prioritized for material distribution. Specifically:

[0093] When loading begins, loading port one (Grade A 20, Grade B 5) is loaded onto vehicle 1, and loading port two (Grade A 15, Grade B 10) is loaded onto vehicle 2.

[0094] Step 1: When the vehicle reaches 1 point:

[0095] Loading port: Carrier 1 empty, Carrier 2: Grade A 15, Grade B 10;

[0096] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 5.

[0097] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0098] Step 2: When Grade A material is fully loaded:

[0099] Loading port: Carrier 1 empty, Carrier 2: Grade A 10, Grade B 10;

[0100] Feed port: Grade A 25, Grade B 5.

[0101] At this point, if the feed inlet is full of carriers, the machine will pause and the carrier can be replaced.

[0102] Step 3: After changing vehicles (replace the fully loaded Class A vehicle with an empty vehicle, and remove vehicle 1 and replace it with vehicle 3):

[0103] Loading port: Carrier 3: Grade A 10, Grade B 5, Grade C 10; Carrier 2: Grade A 10, Grade B 10;

[0104] Feed port: Grade A 0, Grade B 5.

[0105] Step 4: When the vehicle is out of 2 points:

[0106] Loading point: Vehicle 3: Grade A 10, Grade B 5, Grade C 10, Vehicle 2 empty

[0107] Feed port: Grade A 10, Grade B 15.

[0108] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0109] Step 5: When the vehicle is out of 3 minutes:

[0110] Feeding port: Carrier 3 empty, Carrier 2 empty;

[0111] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 20, Grade C 10.

[0112] At this point, all the loading ports are empty, the machine is paused, and the loading ports can be replaced.

[0113] Step 6: After changing vehicles (take vehicle 2 and replace it with vehicle 4, take vehicle 3 and replace it with vehicle 5):

[0114] Loading port: Carrier 5: Class C 5, Carrier 4: Class A 20, Class C 5;

[0115] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 20, Grade C 10.

[0116] Step 7: When the vehicle has 5 minutes remaining:

[0117] Loading port: 5 empty vehicles, 4 vehicles: Grade A 20, Grade C 5;

[0118] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0119] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0120] Step 8: After Grade A material is filled:

[0121] Loading port: 5 empty vehicles, 4 vehicles: Class A 15, Class C 5;

[0122] Feed port: Grade A 25, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0123] At this point, if the feed inlet is full of carriers, the machine will pause and the carrier can be replaced.

[0124] However, according to the above segmentation rules, if the loading port 1 and loading port 2 are equally distributed, then the three carriers of loading port 1 have already been segmented. If the carrier is changed at this time, there will be no carrier to replace the one at loading port 1. Meanwhile, loading port 2 needs to wait for carrier 4 to be segmented before it can continue to load carrier 6 for segmentation. This results in a waste of resources at loading port 1.

[0125] Step 9: After changing vehicles (replacing a fully loaded Class A vehicle with an empty one):

[0126] Loading port: 5 empty vehicles, 4 vehicles: Class A 15, Class C 5;

[0127] Feed port: Grade A 0, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0128] Step 10: When the vehicle is out of 4 minutes:

[0129] Feeding port: Carrier 5: Empty, Carrier 4: Empty;

[0130] Feed port: Grade A 15, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0131] At this point, all the loading ports are empty, the machine is paused, and the loading ports can be replaced.

[0132] Step 11: After changing vehicles (taking vehicle 4 and replacing it with vehicle 6):

[0133] Loading port: Carrier 5 empty, Carrier 6: Grade A 25;

[0134] Feed port: Grade A 15, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0135] Step 12: After the Grade A material is filled:

[0136] Loading port: Carrier 5 empty, Carrier 6: Grade A 15;

[0137] Feed port: Grade A 25, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0138] At this point, if the feed inlet is full of carriers, the machine will pause and the carrier can be replaced.

[0139] Step 13: After changing vehicles (replacing the fully loaded Class A vehicle with an empty one):

[0140] Loading port: Carrier 5 empty, Carrier 6: Grade A 15;

[0141] Feed port: Grade A 0, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0142] Step 14: When the vehicle has 6 minutes remaining:

[0143] Feeding port: Carrier 5 empty, Carrier 6 empty;

[0144] Feed port: Grade A 15, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0145] To complete the material distribution to all vehicles, a total of 5 machine shutdowns are required.

[0146] Comparing Example 1 and the comparative example, it can be seen that the present invention eliminates the operation of evenly distributing all carriers to the two loading ports. During subsequent loading, the carriers to be divided are loaded one by one into the empty loading ports. Steps 1-8 are the same in both examples, but after step 8, the embodiment can reduce one machine stop and one step. Therefore, the present invention, without changing the automatic machine stop logic, avoids the situation where "one loading port has no carriers to be divided while the other loading port has carriers waiting to be divided" by improving the slicing rules. It also reduces the number of machine stops, reduces production delays, and improves production efficiency. Simultaneously, reducing the number of machine restarts, when applied to multi-batch production, helps extend the machine's service life.

[0147] Example 2: The difference from Example 1 is that:

[0148] Please refer to the attached document carefully. Figure 2 Before loading, during the calculation of the quantity of wafers of each grade, the wafer grade and quantity in each carrier are first identified. It is then determined whether each carrier contains only one grade of wafers. If so, no further sorting is required; the remaining carriers are then used for sorting. Next, it is determined whether the carriers containing only one grade of wafers are full. If so, they do not participate in the sorting process and can be directly transferred for later use; otherwise, they need to be integrated with other wafers of the same grade.

[0149] When the carrier containing wafers and the carrier waiting to be loaded are interchangeable, the aforementioned carrier that is not fully loaded and only contains one grade of wafers can be used as a carrier waiting to be loaded.

[0150] The following example illustrates this:

[0151] There are currently 6 carriers awaiting material distribution:

[0152] Vehicle 1: Tier A 20, Tier B 5;

[0153] Vehicle 2: Tier A 15, Tier B 10;

[0154] Vehicle 3: Class A 10, Class B 5, Class C 10;

[0155] Vehicle 4: Tier A 20, Tier C 5;

[0156] Vehicle 5: Class C 5;

[0157] Vehicle 6: Grade A 25.

[0158] Since carrier 6 contains only Grade A wafers and is exactly full, it is considered to have completed the material sorting process; carrier 5 contains only Grade C wafers and is not full, so it is considered as a carrier waiting to be loaded.

[0159] Count the number of wafers in each level of carriers 1-5, and calculate the number of carriers required for each level of wafers: Level A has a total of 65 wafers and requires 3 empty carriers; Level B has a total of 20 wafers and requires 1 empty carrier; Level C has a total of 20 wafers and requires 1 carrier (i.e., carrier 5).

[0160] When loading begins, loading port one (Grade A 20, Grade B 5) is loaded onto vehicle 1, and loading port two (Grade A 15, Grade B 10) is loaded onto vehicle 2.

[0161] Step 1: When the vehicle reaches 1 point:

[0162] Loading port: Carrier 1 empty, Carrier 2: Grade A 15, Grade B 10;

[0163] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 5.

[0164] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0165] Step 2: When Grade A material is fully loaded:

[0166] Loading port: Carrier 1 empty, Carrier 2: Grade A 10, Grade B 10;

[0167] Feed port: Grade A 25, Grade B 5.

[0168] At this point, if the feed inlet is full of carriers, the machine will pause and the carrier can be replaced.

[0169] Step 3: After changing vehicles (replace the fully loaded Class A vehicle with an empty vehicle, and remove vehicle 1 and replace it with vehicle 3):

[0170] Loading port: Carrier 3: Grade A 10, Grade B 5, Grade C 10; Carrier 2: Grade A 10, Grade B 10;

[0171] Feed port: Grade A 0, Grade B 5.

[0172] Step 4: When the vehicle is out of 2 points:

[0173] Loading point: Vehicle 3: Grade A 10, Grade B 5, Grade C 10, Vehicle 2 empty

[0174] Feed port: Grade A 10, Grade B 15.

[0175] If the loading port carriers are not completely empty, or the unloading port carriers are full, the slicing can continue.

[0176] Step 5: When the vehicle is out of 3 minutes:

[0177] Feeding port: Carrier 3 empty, Carrier 2 empty;

[0178] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0179] At this point, all the loading ports are empty, the machine is paused, and the loading ports can be replaced.

[0180] Step 6: Change vehicles (take vehicle 3 and change to vehicle 4; take vehicle 2) After:

[0181] Feeding port: Carrier 4: Grade A 20, Grade C 5; Carriers without material to be distributed;

[0182] Feed port: Grade A 20, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0183] Step 7: When Grade A material is fully loaded:

[0184] Feeding port: Carrier 4: Grade A 15, Grade C 5; Carriers without material to be distributed;

[0185] Feed port: Grade A 25, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0186] At this point, if the feed inlet is full of carriers, the machine will pause and the carrier can be replaced.

[0187] Step 8: After changing vehicles (replacing a fully loaded Class A vehicle with an empty one):

[0188] Feeding port: Carrier 4: Grade A 15, Grade C 5; Carriers without material to be distributed;

[0189] Feed port: Grade A 0, Grade B 20, Grade C 15.

[0190] Step 9: When the vehicle is out of 4 minutes:

[0191] Feeding port: Carrier 4: Empty; No carriers awaiting material distribution;

[0192] Feed port: Grade A 15, Grade B 20, Grade C 20.

[0193] To complete the material distribution to all vehicles, a total of 3 machine shutdowns are required.

[0194] In this embodiment, sorting is performed only on carriers containing wafers of mixed grades, which can reduce the workload of the sorting machine and further reduce the number of downtimes compared to Embodiment 1. It also reduces multiple steps and can further improve production efficiency.

[0195] Everything else is the same as in Example 1.

[0196] Example 3: The difference between this example and Example 2 is that:

[0197] When the carrier containing wafers and the carrier waiting to be loaded are not interchangeable, for carriers that are not full and contain only one type of wafers, the wafers can be directly transferred to the carrier waiting to be loaded without going through a sorting machine.

[0198] The rest is the same as in Example 2.

[0199] The present invention has been described by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-described manner. Any non-substantial improvement made by adopting the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention, or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention to other occasions without modification, shall be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pre-grading method for a semiconductor sorting machine, characterized in that: Treat the carriers to be sorted as a whole. When loading, first take two carriers from it to load the first and second loading ports respectively. Then, each time you load, take the corresponding number of carriers from all the remaining carriers to be sorted to replace the carriers that have been sorted. When both loading ports 1 and 2 are empty, two of the remaining loading ports to be distributed are taken and replaced with the two empty loading ports. If a carrier at the lower feeding port is full and a carrier at feeding port one or feeding port two is empty, then one of the remaining carriers waiting to be distributed will be taken to replace the empty carrier at the feeding port. include: (1) Take two from all the carriers to be sorted and place them on the first and second loading ports respectively. Take one empty carrier of each grade from the empty carriers and place it on the corresponding unloading port. (2) After each piece transfer operation, determine whether the loading port is empty or the unloading port is full. If all the loading ports are empty, take two from all the remaining unloading ports and replace the two empty ports. If the unloading port is full, take one from the empty ports of that level and replace the full port. Then determine whether the loading port is empty. If it is empty, take one from all the remaining unloading ports and replace the empty port.

2. The pre-grading method for a semiconductor sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before loading, first determine whether each carrier to be sorted contains only one grade of wafers. If not, it is used as a carrier to be loaded. If so, then determine whether the carrier is already full. If so, it will not participate in the sorting work. If not, the carrier is used as a carrier to be received or the wafers in the carrier are directly transferred to an empty carrier to be received.

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