Wafer pre-alignment mechanism

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, in particular to a wafer pre-alignment mechanism. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism comprises a rack, and a rotary lifting device, a clamping centering assembly and a microscope assembly which are arranged on the rack; the driving end of the rotary lifting assembly is provided with a supporting piece to support the wafer, and the rotary lifting assembly can drive the wafer to reciprocate in the first direction and can also drive the wafer to rotate. The clamping and centering assembly is provided with a first station, the microscope assembly is provided with a second station, and a wafer can be moved to the first station and the second station in sequence so as to be centered at the first station by utilizing the clamping and centering assembly and rotated at the second station so as to be oriented by utilizing the microscope assembly. Therefore, centering and orientation of the wafer are efficiently and accurately completed through cooperation of the lifting assembly, the rotating assembly, the clamping centering assembly and the microscope assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a wafer pre-alignment mechanism. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the consumer electronics industry, the importance of semiconductor manufacturing has gradually become prominent. The components of various semiconductor manufacturing equipment are increasingly developing towards the characteristics of high precision, high efficiency, low cost, and easy operation.

[0003] As far as the photolithography process in the semiconductor device manufacturing process is concerned, the wafer needs to be pre-aligned, that is, the wafer needs to be centered and the notch on the edge of the wafer needs to be oriented. Therefore, a wafer pre-alignment mechanism is needed that can meet the high-precision and high-efficiency production needs. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a wafer pre-alignment mechanism to solve the technical problems in the prior art to a certain extent.

[0005] The present invention provides a wafer pre-alignment mechanism, comprising a frame and a rotating lifting component, a clamping centering component and a microscope component arranged on the frame;

[0006] A support is provided at the driving end of the rotary lifting assembly for supporting the wafer, and the rotary lifting assembly can drive the wafer to reciprocate along a first direction, and drive the wafer to rotate around an axis along the first direction;

[0007] The clamping and centering assembly has a first workstation, and the microscope assembly has a second workstation. The wafer can be moved to the first workstation and the second workstation successively along a first direction, so that the wafer can be centered at the first workstation using the clamping and centering assembly, and the wafer can be orientated at the second workstation using the microscope assembly.

[0008] Further, the rotary lifting assembly includes a first driving device and a second driving device;

[0009] The support member is arranged at the driving end of the second driving device and is connected to the driving end of the first driving device through the second driving device, so that the support member can reciprocate along the first direction under the drive of the first driving device and can rotate under the drive of the second driving device.

[0010] Further, the second driving device has a second output shaft arranged along the first direction and rotatable;

[0011] The supporting member is a suction cup, the second output shaft is a hollow shaft, the suction cup is arranged at one end of the second output shaft and is connected to the second output shaft, and the other end of the second output shaft is used to connect to a vacuum device.

[0012] Furthermore, the rotary lifting assembly also includes a transmission screw and a transmission nut seat;

[0013] The transmission screw is arranged along the first direction and is rotatably mounted on the frame, and the driving end of the first driving device is connected to the transmission screw to drive the transmission screw to rotate;

[0014] The frame is provided with a slide rail, the slide rail is arranged along the first direction, the transmission nut seat is slidably arranged on the slide rail and is screwed with the transmission screw, and the second driving device is connected to the transmission nut seat through a bracket.

[0015] Furthermore, a driving pulley is provided at the driving end of the first driving device, and the first driving device can drive the driving pulley to rotate. A driven pulley is coaxially provided on the transmission screw, and the driven pulley is connected to the driving pulley through a belt.

[0016] Furthermore, a first limit switch and a second limit switch are provided on the slide rail, and the first limit switch and the second limit switch are arranged at intervals along the first direction;

[0017] The first limit switch and the second limit switch are both communicatively connected to the first drive device, and a sensing sheet is provided on the nut seat for triggering the first limit switch or the second limit switch.

[0018] Further, the frame is provided with a first platform, the rotating lifting assembly is provided below the first platform, and the first platform is provided with an opening for the support member to extend above the first platform;

[0019] The clamping and centering assembly includes an air gripper, a wafer holder and a mandrel assembly;

[0020] The air gripper is fixed on the stage, and the two wafer holders are relatively arranged on both sides of the opening in a second direction and are respectively mounted on the grippers, so that the two wafer holders are driven by the air gripper to move closer to or farther from each other along the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction;

[0021] The two wafer holders are both provided with the spindle assembly. When the wafer moves to the first workstation, the wafer is located between the spindle assemblies of the two wafer holders. The spindle assembly of each wafer holder includes a plurality of spindles spaced apart along the circumference of the wafer.

[0022] Further, the wafer bracket is formed with a first supporting surface and a second supporting surface, the second supporting surface is higher than the first supporting surface, and the second supporting surface is located on a side of the first supporting surface away from the supporting member in the second direction;

[0023] The core shaft assembly is disposed on both the first supporting surface and the second supporting surface.

[0024] Further, the microscope assembly includes a microscope;

[0025] The frame includes a second stage, which is spaced apart from one side of the first stage. The microscope is mounted on the second stage via a support so as to be suspended above the wafer.

[0026] Further, the microscope assembly also includes a light source;

[0027] The light source is installed on the first stage, and the light source and the microscope are arranged relative to each other and spaced apart along the first direction.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] The wafer pre-alignment mechanism provided by the present invention comprises a frame and a rotating lifting device, a clamping centering component and a microscope component arranged on the frame; the driving end of the rotating lifting component is provided with a support member, so as to support the wafer to be pre-aligned by using the support member, and the rotating lifting component can drive the wafer to reciprocate along the first direction, and the rotating lifting component can also drive the wafer to rotate around the axis along the first direction. The clamping centering component has a first station, and the microscope component has a second station. Under the drive of the rotating lifting component, the wafer can move to the first station and the second station along the first direction; in the pre-alignment process of the wafer, the wafer first moves to the first station, so as to clamp the wafer at the first station by using the clamping centering component to realize the centering of the wafer; the wafer then moves to the second station and rotates, so as to image the edge of the wafer by using the microscope component. It should be noted that after the wafer is centered, the axis of the wafer is in line with the rotation axis, and when the microscope component observes the notch at the edge of the wafer, the wafer stops rotating, that is, the orientation of the wafer is completed. Therefore, the centering and orientation of the wafer can be completed efficiently and accurately by utilizing the cooperation of the lifting assembly, the rotating assembly, the clamping and centering assembly and the microscope assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer pre-alignment mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a rotating lifting assembly of a wafer pre-alignment mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a clamping and centering assembly of a wafer pre-alignment mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Reference numerals:

[0035] 1-first stage, 2-second stage, 3-rotating lifting assembly, 31-first driving device, 32-second driving device, 33-driving screw, 34-driving nut seat, 35-slide rail, 36-sensing sheet, 37-first limit switch, 38-second limit switch, 39-support, 4-clamping and centering assembly, 41-air claw, 42-wafer bracket, 43-mandrel, 5-microscope assembly, 6-light source;

[0036] a-first direction, b-second direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0038] The components of the embodiments of the present invention generally described and shown in the drawings herein may be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention.

[0039] Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making any creative work shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0042] Refer to the following Figures 1 to 3 A wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to some embodiments of the present application is described.

[0043] The present application provides a wafer pre-alignment mechanism, such as Figure 1 As shown, the wafer pre-alignment mechanism includes a frame and a rotating lifting device, a clamping and centering component 4 and a microscope component 5 arranged on the frame; the driving end of the rotating lifting component 3 is provided with a support member 39, so as to use the support member 39 to support the wafer that needs to be pre-aligned, and the rotating lifting component 3 can drive the wafer to reciprocate along the first direction a, and the rotating lifting component 3 can also drive the wafer to rotate around an axis along the first direction a.

[0044] The clamping and centering component 4 has a first station, and the microscope component 5 has a second station. Driven by the rotating lifting component 3, the wafer can move to the first station and the second station along the first direction a. During the pre-alignment of the wafer, the wafer first moves to the first station, and the wafer is clamped by the clamping and centering component 4 at the first station to achieve centering of the wafer. The wafer then moves to the second station and rotates, so that the edge of the wafer is imaged by the microscope component 5. It should be noted that after the wafer is centered, the axis of the wafer is colinear with the axis of rotation. When the microscope component 5 observes the notch on the edge of the wafer, the wafer stops rotating, and the orientation of the wafer is completed. Thus, the centering and orientation of the wafer are completed efficiently and accurately by utilizing the cooperation of the lifting component, the rotating component, the clamping and centering component 4, and the microscope component 5.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present application, preferably, Figure 2As shown, the rotating lifting assembly includes a first driving device 31 and a second driving device 32, and a support member 39 is arranged at the driving end of the second driving device 32. At the same time, the second driving device 32 is connected to the driving end of the first driving device 31, so that the second driving device 32 and the support member 39 can synchronously reciprocate along the first direction a under the drive of the first driving device 31, so as to utilize the support member 39 to drive the wafer to reciprocate along the first direction a, and at the same time, the support member 39 can rotate under the drive of the second driving device 32 to drive the wafer to rotate.

[0046] In this embodiment, preferably, the second driving device 32 has a second output shaft, the second output shaft is arranged along the first direction a, and the support member 39 is arranged at one end of the second output shaft; when the second driving device 32 is started, the second output shaft can rotate around its own axis to drive the support member 39 and the wafer on the support member 39 to rotate.

[0047] Preferably, the support member 39 is a suction cup and the second output shaft is a hollow shaft, so that the suction cup is connected to the hollow second output shaft. At the same time, a joint is provided at the other end of the second output shaft away from the suction cup for connecting with an external vacuum device, so that the suction cup can vacuum adsorb the wafer to stably drive the wafer to move and rotate.

[0048] In this embodiment, preferably, Figure 2 As shown, the rotary lifting assembly 3 also includes a transmission screw 33 and a transmission nut seat 34. The transmission screw 33 is arranged along the first direction a, and the transmission screw 33 is rotatably installed on the frame around its own axis. One end of the transmission screw 33 is connected to the driving end of the first driving device 31, so that the transmission screw 33 can rotate under the drive of the first driving device 31; a slide rail 35 is provided on the frame, and the slide rail 35 is arranged along the first direction a. The transmission nut seat 34 is slidably arranged on the slide rail 35 so that it can reciprocate along the first direction a on the slide rail 35. Sliding, and at the same time, the transmission nut seat 34 is threadedly connected to the transmission screw 33, and the second driving device 32 is connected to the transmission nut seat 34 through the bracket, so that when the first driving device 31 drives the transmission screw 33 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, the transmission nut seat 34 can slide back and forth along the length direction of the transmission screw 33, that is, the first direction a, to drive the second driving device 32 connected thereto to reciprocate along the first direction a, thereby realizing the driving of the support member 39, so that the support member 39 can drive the wafer to slide back and forth along the first direction a.

[0049] In this embodiment, preferably, the driving end of the first drive device 31 is provided with a first output shaft, and the first output shaft is arranged along the first direction a. When the first drive device 31 is started, the first output shaft can rotate around its own axis; a driving pulley is coaxially provided on the first output shaft, and a driven pulley is coaxially provided on the transmission screw 33, and the driving pulley and the driven pulley are connected by a belt, so that when the first drive device 31 is started, the first drive device 31 can drive the driving pulley to rotate, and rely on the transmission of the belt to make the driven pulley rotate, thereby rotating the transmission screw 33.

[0050] In this embodiment, preferably, Figure 2 As shown, a sensing plate 36 is provided on the transmission nut seat 34, and a first limit switch 37 and a second limit switch 38 are provided on the slide rail 35. The first limit switch 37 and the second limit switch 38 are spaced apart along the first direction a. When the transmission nut seat 34 reciprocates along the first direction a to drive the support member 39 to reciprocate along the first direction a, the sensing plate 36 can move to the first limit switch 37 or the second limit switch 38 to trigger the first limit switch 37 or the second limit switch 38, and the first limit switch 37 and the second limit switch 38 are both communicatively connected with the first drive device 31. When either of the first limit switch 37 and the second limit switch 38 is triggered, the first drive device 31 can stop working to stop the transmission nut seat 34 and the support member 39 from moving.

[0051] Specifically, the first direction a is the vertical direction, that is, under the drive of the first driving device 31, the transmission nut seat 34, the induction sheet 36 and the support member 39 can be lifted and lowered reciprocatingly in the vertical direction, and the support member 39 is used to drive the wafer to lift and lower in the vertical direction. During the wafer pre-alignment process, the wafer can be transported to the top of the support member 39 by the robot, and the position of the wafer is recorded as the third station. First, the first driving device 31 is started to move the transmission nut seat 34 and the support member 39 upward. When the induction sheet 36 moves upward with the transmission nut seat 34 and triggers the first limit switch 37, the first driving device 31 stops working. At this time, the support member 39 rises to a position that can just support the wafer so as to receive the wafer from the robot. Then the first drive device 31 is started again to move the transmission nut seat 34 and the support member 39 downward. When the sensor sheet 36 moves downward with the transmission nut seat 34 and triggers the second limit switch 38, the first drive device 31 stops working again. At this time, the support member 39 drives the wafer to descend to the first station, so that the wafer can be centered under the action of the clamping and centering assembly 4. After the wafer is centered, the first drive device 31 is started again to drive the support member 39 to move upward to lift the clamping and centering assembly 4. The first drive device 31 stops working again. At this time, the wafer is located at the second station, and the second drive device 32 is started here to rotate the wafer so as to orient the wafer using the microscope assembly 5. After the wafer is centered and oriented, the first drive device 31 is restarted to make the wafer rise until the sensor sheet 36 triggers the first limit switch 37 again. At this time, the wafer returns to the third station for the robot to take away the wafer that has been centered and oriented.

[0052] In one embodiment of the present application, preferably, the first direction a is a vertical direction, a first platform 1 is provided on the top of the frame, the rotating lifting assembly 3 is provided below the first platform 1, and the first platform 1 is provided with an opening so that the support member 39 can extend to the top of the first platform 1 through the opening.

[0053] like Figure 3As shown, the clamping and centering assembly 4 is installed on the first carrier 1, and the clamping and centering assembly 4 includes an air gripper 41, a wafer holder 42 and a core shaft assembly. The air gripper 41 is fixed on the carrier, and the two wafer holders 42 are relatively arranged on both sides of the second direction b of the opening and are respectively installed on the air gripper 41, so that the two wafer holders 42 can approach or move away from each other along the first direction a under the drive of the air gripper 41, and the second direction b is perpendicular to the first direction a; the two wafer holders 42 are each provided with a core shaft assembly, and the support member 39 can pass through between the two wafer holders 42. When the support member 39 drives the wafer to move to the first workstation, the wafer is located between the core shaft assemblies of the two wafer holders 42, and the core shaft assembly of each wafer holder 42 includes a plurality of (at least two) core shafts 43 arranged at intervals along the circumference of the wafer. When centering the wafer, the two wafer holders 42 can be moved away from each other first, so that the wafer can be moved between the spindle assemblies of the two wafer holders 42, and then the two wafer holders 42 can be moved closer to each other, so that the wafer can be clamped by the multiple spindles 43 on the two wafer holders 42, and the centering of the wafer can be completed. During the centering process, the wafer only needs to be supported on the support member 39, and no adsorption fixation is required.

[0054] In this embodiment, the spindles 43 are rotatably connected to the wafer holder 42 so that the spindles 43 will not damage the wafers during the process of pushing the wafers.

[0055] In this embodiment, preferably, Figure 3 As shown, the two wafer holders 42 are each formed with a first supporting surface and a second supporting surface, the second supporting surface is higher than the first supporting surface, and the second supporting surface is located on the side of the first supporting surface away from the support member 39 along the second direction b; a core shaft assembly is provided on the first supporting surface and the second supporting surface, so that the core shaft assembly on the first supporting surface can be used to center a small diameter wafer, and the core shaft assembly on the second supporting surface can be used to center a large diameter wafer.

[0056] In one embodiment of the present application, preferably, the microscope assembly 5 includes a light source 6 and a microscope, the frame includes a second stage 2, the second stage 2 is arranged on one side of the first stage 1, the microscope is mounted on the second stage 2, and the lens of the microscope is suspended above the first stage 1, the light source 6 is mounted on the first stage 1, and the light source 6 and the microscope are spaced apart relative to each other up and down, when the wafer moves to the second workstation, the edge of the wafer is located between the lens of the microscope and the light source 6, so that the microscope can be used to detect the notch on the edge of the wafer, and at the same time, by setting the light source 6, the image recognition capability of the microscope can be improved, the pre-alignment accuracy can be increased, and the suspension of the mechanism due to failure to recognize can be avoided, thereby improving the overall production efficiency.

[0057] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer pre-alignment mechanism, characterized in that: It comprises a frame and a rotating lifting assembly, a clamping centering assembly and a microscope assembly arranged on the frame; A support is provided at the driving end of the rotary lifting assembly for supporting the wafer, and the rotary lifting assembly can drive the wafer to reciprocate along a first direction, and drive the wafer to rotate around an axis along the first direction; The clamping and centering assembly has a first workstation, and the microscope assembly has a second workstation. The wafer can be moved to the first workstation and the second workstation successively along a first direction, so that the wafer can be centered at the first workstation using the clamping and centering assembly, and the wafer can be orientated at the second workstation using the microscope assembly.

2. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotary lifting assembly includes a first driving device and a second driving device; The support member is arranged at the driving end of the second driving device and is connected to the driving end of the first driving device through the second driving device, so that the support member can reciprocate along the first direction under the drive of the first driving device and can rotate under the drive of the second driving device.

3. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second driving device has a second output shaft arranged along a first direction and rotatable; The supporting member is a suction cup, the second output shaft is a hollow shaft, the suction cup is arranged at one end of the second output shaft and is connected to the second output shaft, and the other end of the second output shaft is used to connect to a vacuum device.

4. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rotary lifting assembly also includes a transmission screw and a transmission nut seat; The transmission screw is arranged along the first direction and rotatably mounted on the frame, and the driving end of the first driving device is connected to the transmission screw to drive the transmission screw to rotate; The frame is provided with a slide rail, the slide rail is arranged along the first direction, the transmission nut seat is slidably arranged on the slide rail and is screwed with the transmission screw, and the second driving device is connected to the transmission nut seat through a bracket.

5. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: A driving pulley is provided at the driving end of the first driving device, and the first driving device can drive the driving pulley to rotate. A driven pulley is coaxially provided on the transmission screw, and the driven pulley is connected to the driving pulley through a belt.

6. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The slide rail is provided with a first limit switch and a second limit switch, and the first limit switch and the second limit switch are arranged at intervals along the first direction; The first limit switch and the second limit switch are both communicatively connected to the first drive device, and a sensing sheet is provided on the nut seat for triggering the first limit switch or the second limit switch.

7. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frame is provided with a first platform, the rotating lifting assembly is provided below the first platform, and the first platform is provided with an opening for the support member to extend to the top of the first platform; The clamping and centering assembly includes an air gripper, a wafer holder and a mandrel assembly; The air gripper is fixed on the stage, and the two wafer holders are relatively arranged on both sides of the opening in a second direction and are respectively mounted on the grippers, so that the two wafer holders are driven by the air gripper to move closer to or farther from each other along the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; The two wafer holders are both provided with the spindle assembly. When the wafer moves to the first workstation, the wafer is located between the spindle assemblies of the two wafer holders. The spindle assembly of each wafer holder includes a plurality of spindles spaced apart along the circumference of the wafer.

8. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The wafer bracket is formed with a first supporting surface and a second supporting surface, the second supporting surface is higher than the first supporting surface, and the second supporting surface is located on a side of the first supporting surface away from the supporting member in the second direction; The core shaft assembly is disposed on both the first supporting surface and the second supporting surface.

9. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The microscope assembly includes a microscope; The frame includes a second stage, which is spaced apart from one side of the first stage. The microscope is mounted on the second stage via a support so as to be suspended above the wafer.

10. The wafer pre-alignment mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that: The microscope assembly also includes a light source; The light source is installed on the first stage, and the light source and the microscope are arranged relatively spaced apart along the first direction.

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