Wafer horizontal scrubbing device, wafer detection mechanism and wafer state detection method

Abstract

The invention provides a wafer horizontal scrubbing device, a wafer detection mechanism and a wafer state detection method. The wafer horizontal scrubbing device comprises a wafer holding mechanism which is used for holding a wafer at a to-be-scrubbed position and comprises a driving part and a movable clamping part, the movable clamping part can move between a first position for horizontally clamping the wafer and a second position for releasing the wafer, and the wafer holding mechanism is used for holding the wafer at the to-be-scrubbed position; the driving part is used for driving the movable clamping part between a first position and a second position; the displacement detection device is used for detecting relative displacement data of the movable clamping part relative to the driving part; and the data processing module is used for detecting the wafer state of the wafer horizontal scrubbing device based on the relative displacement data and outputting a detection result. According to the invention, the displacement detection device is used for detecting the in-place and clamping positions of the wafer, especially a large-warpage wafer, and the problem that the clamping position and in-place information of the wafer cannot be accurately measured due to wafer liquid accumulation and diameter change is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology; more specifically, the present invention relates to a wafer horizontal scrubbing device, a wafer detection mechanism and a wafer status detection method. Background Art

[0002] The existing horizontal brushing device for wafers comprises a brushing module and a robot. The robot is used to take and place the sheet wafers from the horizontal brushing device and brush the wafers at the brushing module.

[0003] In the horizontal scrubbing device for wafers, real-time monitoring and feedback of whether there are wafers in the scrubbing module is a prerequisite for the scrubbing module to work and the robot to pick up and place wafers. The horizontal scrubbing detection includes two types: cylinder clamping detection and wafer in-place detection. The cylinder clamping detection is used to detect whether the stroke of the cylinder meets the contact requirements between the cleaning brush and the wafer, thereby ensuring that the rotation and speed measurement of the wafer are in good condition; the wafer in-place detection is used to detect whether there are wafers in the box, and detect and track the information of the wafer in the machine.

[0004] The wafer in-situ detection of existing horizontal scrubbing devices usually uses a through-beam sensor, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in , the wafer is blocked by the light to determine whether the wafer is in place. When detecting a warped wafer, due to the influence of the warping, water will accumulate on the wafer surface or the side wall of the transmitting end, affecting the normal reception of light and causing an alarm.

[0005] The existing horizontal scrubbing device usually uses a magnetic switch installed on the cylinder to detect whether the cylinder is clamped in place. This switch has a limited detection range. When facing a large warped wafer, the diameter of the wafer becomes smaller due to the warping of the wafer, such as Figure 3 As shown in , at this time, it is necessary to readjust the installation position of the magnetic switch, but the warpage of the wafer cannot be fixed. Therefore, it is obviously unreasonable to repeatedly adjust the position of the magnetic switch when processing wafers with different warpage amounts. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of this, the present invention provides a wafer horizontal scrubbing device, a wafer detection mechanism and a wafer status detection method, so as to solve or at least alleviate one or more of the above-mentioned problems and other problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a wafer horizontal brush cleaning device, wherein the wafer horizontal brush cleaning device comprises: A wafer holding mechanism, the wafer holding mechanism is used to hold the wafer at a position to be scrubbed, the wafer holding mechanism comprises a driving part and a movable clamping part, the movable clamping part can move between a first position for horizontally clamping the wafer and a second position for releasing the wafer, and the driving part is used to drive the movable clamping part between the first position and the second position; a displacement detection device, the displacement detection device being used to detect relative displacement data of the movable clamping portion relative to the driving portion; and A data processing module is provided, wherein the data processing module performs wafer status detection of the wafer horizontal scrubbing device based on the relative displacement data and outputs the detection result.

[0008] In the wafer horizontal scrubbing device as described above, optionally, the wafer status detection includes wafer clamping in place detection and wafer in place detection.

[0009] In the aforementioned horizontal wafer brushing device, optionally, the horizontal wafer brushing device has a box body, the wafer holding mechanism is located inside the box body, and the driving part and the displacement detection device are located outside the box body.

[0010] In the horizontal wafer brushing device as described above, optionally, the driving part is a cylinder, which drives a plurality of horizontally extending connecting rods with sliders through a gear mechanism, and a support shaft is upright mounted on each of the sliders through a support sleeve, and a clamping wheel is arranged on the support shaft, and the wheel rim of the clamping wheel clamps the outer periphery of the wafer, and one or more of the clamping wheels are driving wheels, and the other clamping wheels are driven wheels.

[0011] In the wafer horizontal brushing device as described above, optionally, the cylinder provides isotropically symmetrical movements for the plurality of sliders, and a ball and needle bearing is provided between the support sleeve and the support shaft so that the support sleeve and the support shaft can rotate freely.

[0012] In the wafer horizontal brushing device as described above, optionally, the displacement detection device includes a ruler and a reading head, one of the ruler and the reading head is fixed relative to the slider or the supporting sleeve, and the other of the ruler and the reading head is fixed relative to the bottom plate of the box.

[0013] In the wafer horizontal brushing device as described above, optionally, the ruler is a grating ruler.

[0014] In order to achieve the aforementioned object, the second aspect of the present invention provides a wafer detection mechanism for a wafer horizontal brushing device, wherein the wafer horizontal brushing device comprises a wafer holding mechanism, wherein the wafer holding mechanism is used to hold the wafer in a position to be brushed, wherein the wafer holding mechanism comprises a driving part and a movable clamping part, wherein the movable clamping part can move between a first position for horizontally clamping the wafer and a second position for releasing the wafer, wherein the driving part is used to drive the movable clamping part between the first position and the second position, wherein the wafer detection mechanism comprises: a displacement detection device, the displacement detection device being used to detect relative displacement data of the movable clamping portion relative to the driving portion; and A data processing module is provided, wherein the data processing module performs wafer status detection of the wafer horizontal scrubbing device based on the relative displacement data and outputs the detection result.

[0015] In the wafer inspection mechanism as described above, optionally, the wafer horizontal scrubbing device has a box body, the wafer holding mechanism is located inside the box body, and the wafer inspection mechanism is installed on the wafer horizontal scrubbing device outside the box body.

[0016] In the wafer detection mechanism as described above, optionally, the driving part is a cylinder, which drives a plurality of horizontally extending connecting rods with sliders through a gear mechanism, and a support shaft is vertically installed on each of the sliders through a support sleeve, and a clamping wheel is arranged on the support shaft, and the rim of the clamping wheel is used to clamp the wafer at the outer periphery of the wafer, and one or more of the clamping wheels are driving wheels, and the other clamping wheels are driven wheels, and the displacement detection device includes a scale and a reading head. When the wafer detection mechanism is installed on the wafer horizontal brushing device, one of the scale and the reading head is fixed relative to the slider or the support sleeve, and the other of the scale and the reading head is fixed relative to the bottom plate of the box, and the scale is a grating scale.

[0017] In the wafer detection mechanism as described above, optionally, the wafer status detection includes wafer clamping in place detection and wafer in place detection.

[0018] In order to achieve the aforementioned object, the third aspect of the present invention provides a wafer status detection method, which is performed using the wafer horizontal brushing device as described in any one of the aforementioned first aspects or using the wafer detection mechanism as described in any one of the aforementioned second aspects, wherein the method comprises the following steps: The displacement detection device acquires the real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping part in real time; After the clamping or releasing action of the movable clamping part starts, when the real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping part does not change within a predetermined time interval, it is determined that the clamping or releasing action is stopped, and the real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping part is output as the relative displacement data; The wafer state in the wafer horizontal scrubbing device is determined based on the relative displacement data.

[0019] In the method as described above, optionally, the wafer status includes a wafer-free status, a wafer-in-place status and a wafer-abnormal status.

[0020] In the method as described above, optionally, the method includes a step of determining whether the relative displacement data falls within a release state threshold, a wafer clamping state threshold or an over-clamping state threshold, wherein: When the relative displacement data falls within the release state threshold, it is determined to be a wafer-free state; When the relative displacement data falls within the wafer clamping state threshold, it is determined that the wafer is in position; and When the relative displacement data falls within the over-clamping state threshold, it is determined to be a wafer abnormal state.

[0021] In the method as described above, optionally, the threshold ranges of the release state threshold, the wafer clamping state threshold and the over-clamping state threshold vary by 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

[0022] The present invention provides a wafer horizontal brushing device, a wafer detection mechanism and a wafer status detection method for detecting the in-situ and clamping position of a wafer, especially a large warped wafer, by a displacement detection device, thereby solving the problem that the wafer clamping position and in-situ information cannot be accurately measured due to wafer liquid accumulation and diameter change. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The disclosure of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the false alarm principle of the wafer horizontal brushing device when there is no wafer in the wafer in-place detection of the opposing sensor.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the false alarm principle of the wafer horizontal brushing device when there is a wafer in the wafer in-place detection of the through-beam sensor.

[0025] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the influence of wafer warpage on the cylinder clamping position detection of the wafer horizontal brush cleaning device.

[0026] Figure 44 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wafer horizontal brush cleaning device according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a displacement detection device of a wafer horizontal brushing device according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 Three wafer states within the wafer level scrubbing device are shown.

[0029] Figure 7 State thresholds within a wafer level scrubbing device are shown.

[0030] Figure 8 A schematic flow chart of a wafer state detection method of a wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to the present invention or a wafer state detection method performed using the wafer detection mechanism of the present invention is shown.

[0031] Figure numerals: 1- wafer horizontal brushing device; 2- wafer holding mechanism; 3- wafer; 4- driving part; 5- movable clamping part; 6- displacement detection device; 7- housing; 8- slider; 9- connecting rod; 10- supporting sleeve; 11- supporting shaft; 12- clamping wheel; 13- ball and needle bearing; 14- scale; 15- reading head; 16- wafer detection mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] With reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, the structure, composition, characteristics and advantages of the wafer horizontal brushing device, wafer detection mechanism and wafer status detection method of the present invention will be explained in an illustrative manner below. However, all descriptions should not be used to form any limitations on the present invention.

[0033] For any single technical feature described or implied in the embodiments mentioned in this document, or any single technical feature displayed or implied in the accompanying drawings, the present invention still allows any combination or deletion between these technical features (or their equivalents) without any technical obstacles, and thus it should be considered that these more embodiments according to the present invention are also within the scope of the description of this document.

[0034] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

[0035] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the false alarm principle of the wafer horizontal brushing device when there is no wafer in the wafer in-place detection of the opposing sensor.

[0036] As can be seen from the figure, the through-beam sensor includes a transmitter and a receiver. It monitors and feedbacks whether there is a wafer in the wafer horizontal scrubbing device in real time. This is the premise for the module to work and the robot to pick up and place wafers. When there is no wafer, under normal circumstances, the transmitter transmits a signal such as light that reaches the receiver unaffected, as shown by the dotted arrow in the figure, and it is determined that there is no wafer; when the transmitter is contaminated with droplets, the emitted light deviates from the original trajectory and cannot be received by the receiver, as shown by the solid arrow in the figure, and it is determined that a false alarm is issued. In the figure, the small circle at the transmitter is indicated as a droplet.

[0037] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the false alarm principle of the wafer horizontal brushing device when there is a wafer in the wafer in-place detection of the through-beam sensor.

[0038] As can be seen from the figure, the through-beam sensor includes a transmitter and a receiver. It actually monitors and feedbacks whether there is a wafer in the wafer horizontal scrubbing device in real time. This is the premise for the module to work and the robot to pick up and place the wafer. When there is a wafer, under normal circumstances, the light emitted by the transmitter is reflected by the wafer and reaches the receiver, as shown by the dotted arrow in the figure, and it is determined that there is a wafer; when the wafer is contaminated with droplets, the emitted light is refracted by the droplets and deviates from the original trajectory and cannot reach the receiver, as shown by the solid arrow in the figure, and it is determined that a false alarm is issued. The small circle in the middle of the wafer in the figure represents a droplet. Figure 2 A warped wafer 3 is shown in FIG.

[0039] in accordance with Figure 1 and Figure 2 It is understood that the wafer in-place detection in the wafer horizontal scrubbing device usually uses a through-beam sensor. The through-beam sensor is arranged inside the wafer horizontal scrubbing device, including a transmitting end and a receiving end. It determines whether the wafer is in place by the light emitted from the transmitting end and to be received by the receiving end by the wafer blocking. When detecting a warped wafer, such as Figure 1 As shown in the figure, water is retained at the receiving end, or due to the influence of warping, such as Figure 2 As shown, water will accumulate on the wafer surface or the side wall of the transmitting end, affecting the normal reception of light and causing an alarm. The wafer in-situ detection can be used to detect whether there is a wafer in the box of the wafer horizontal brushing device and detect and track the information of the wafer in the machine.

[0040] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the influence of wafer warpage on the cylinder clamping position detection of the wafer horizontal brush cleaning device.

[0041] from Figure 3 As can be seen from the figure, the wafer horizontal scrubbing device 1 has a wafer holding mechanism 2 and a driving unit 4, and the figure also shows a wafer 3 held by the wafer holding mechanism 2 through a clamping wheel 12. It can be understood from the figure that when the wafer 3 is warped, the diameter of the wafer will become smaller.

[0042] Wafer clamping detection is used to detect whether the stroke of the driving part, such as the clamping cylinder or the clamping claws, meets the contact requirements between the cleaning brush and the wafer, thereby ensuring that the rotation and speed measurement of the wafer are in good condition.

[0043] exist Figure 3 In the wafer clamping detection of the example wafer horizontal scrubbing device shown, a magnetic switch (not shown) installed on the driving unit 4 is used for detection. When the wafer is clamped in place, the magnetic switch will be triggered, indicating that the wafer is clamped in place. This switch has a limited detection range. When facing a large warped wafer, the diameter of the wafer becomes smaller due to the warping of the wafer, such as Figure 3 As shown in , at this time, it is necessary to readjust the installation position of the magnetic switch, but the warpage of the wafer cannot be fixed, so the magnetic switch position is repeatedly adjusted when processing wafers with different warpage amounts.

[0044] Figure 4 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wafer horizontal brushing device according to the present invention.

[0045] from Figure 4 As can be seen in the figure, the wafer horizontal scrubbing device 1 includes a wafer holding mechanism 2 and a displacement detection device 6. It should be noted that the wafer horizontal scrubbing device 1 may also include a data processing module (not shown).

[0046] According to the illustrated embodiment, the wafer holding mechanism 2 is used to hold the wafer 3 in a position to be scrubbed. In this example, the wafer holding mechanism 2 includes a driving unit 4 and a movable clamping unit 5, the movable clamping unit 5 can move between a first position for horizontally clamping the wafer 3 and a second position for releasing the wafer 3, and the driving unit 4 is used to drive the movable clamping unit 5 between the first position and the second position. In the first position, the distance of the movable clamping unit 5 changes so that the top clamping wheel 12 can jointly hold the wafer 3 in place; in the second position, the distance between the top clamping wheels 12 increases, so that the wafer 3 is released from the clamping of the clamping wheel 12.

[0047] In some embodiments, the driving unit 4 of the wafer holding mechanism 2 may be fixed relative to the frame of the wafer holding mechanism 2. In an optional example, when the wafer horizontal scrubbing device 1 is used in a wafer thinning and polishing machine, the driving unit 4 may be fixed to the frame of the wafer thinning machine.

[0048] The displacement detection device 6 may include, for example, a displacement sensor for detecting the relative displacement data of the movable clamping part 5 relative to the driving part 4. Through the relative position data, the presence of the wafer between each movable clamping part 5 and the wafer clamping state can be determined to prepare for further operations of wafer cleaning.

[0049] The data processing module can perform wafer state detection of the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 based on the relative displacement data, and output the detection result. It should be understood that the wafer state detection here may include wafer clamping detection and wafer in-situ detection. The data processing module can be set at an appropriate position of the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 as needed, for example, integrated into the wafer horizontal brushing device 1, or independent of the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 and then externally connected to the wafer horizontal brushing device 1. For example, when the wafer horizontal brushing device is used in a wafer thinning and polishing all-in-one machine, the data processing module can be shared with other operating mechanisms of the wafer thinning and polishing all-in-one machine.

[0050] Furthermore, from Figure 4 It can be seen that according to this embodiment, the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 may have a box body 7, a wafer holding mechanism 2 and a driving unit 4, and the wafer holding mechanism 2 is driven by the driving unit 4 to clamp or release the wafer 3. The driving unit 4 remains stationary relative to the box body 7, and when the driving unit 4 drives the wafer holding mechanism 2 to operate, the movable clamping unit 5 moves. In an optional embodiment, the driving unit 4 may be a clamping cylinder or a clamping air claw. As shown in the figure, the wafer holding mechanism 2 is composed of a plurality of movable clamping units 5, and only two movable clamping units 5 are schematically shown in the figure. It can be understood that it may also include movable clamping units 5 that are not shown in the figure due to the viewing angle. Figure 4 The other movable clamping parts 5 which are not shown in the plan view of the embodiment of the present invention are provided with clamping wheels 12 at the top of the movable clamping parts 5. The figure also shows that the wafer 3 held by the wafer holding mechanism 2 through the clamping wheels 12 is brushed inside the box 7.

[0051] In this example, the wafer holding mechanism 2 is located inside the box 7, while the driving part 4 is outside the box 7. In an optional embodiment, it can also be arranged that only a part of the wafer holding mechanism 2 is located inside the box 7, so as to realize brushing of the wafer 3 inside the box 7. A clamping wheel 12 is provided at the top of the wafer holding mechanism 2, specifically the top of the movable clamping part 5, and the wheel rim of the clamping wheel 12 clamps the outer periphery of the wafer 3. Only two clamping wheels 12 are shown in the figure; in a specific embodiment, three, four or more clamping wheels 12 may be included. For example, the top of each of the two movable clamping parts 5 is provided with two clamping wheels 12 distributed along the vertical paper surface, that is, a total of 4 clamping wheels 12 in a rectangular array (see Figure 6 ). One or more of the clamping wheels 12 may be driving wheels, and the others may be driven wheels. For example, among the four clamping wheels 12 in a rectangular array, two driving wheels and two driven wheels are arranged diagonally. While the wafer is being scrubbed, the wafer 3 rotates to cooperate with the scrubbing of the cleaning brush.

[0052] exist Figure 4The displacement detection device 6 in the wafer detection mechanism 16 can also belong to an independent wafer detection mechanism 16. The independent wafer detection mechanism 16 can be independent of the wafer horizontal brushing device and can be installed on the wafer horizontal brushing device on site. In an optional embodiment, the wafer detection mechanism 16 can also be applicable to other wafer processing devices that clamp wafers horizontally, or after appropriate modification, be applicable to wafer cleaning devices or other wafer processing devices that clamp wafers vertically. The displacement detection device 6 of the wafer detection mechanism 16 can include a scale 14 and a reading head 15, and the reading head 15 moves with the slider 8, and the scale 14 is relatively fixed relative to the driving part 4. The scale 14 can have a slide rail, and the reading head 15 slides on the scale 14 along the slide rail.

[0053] The scale 14 may be a grating scale. The grating scale is a measurement feedback device that works on the optical principle of a grating and can be used to detect linear displacement. The measurement output signal is a digital pulse, which has the characteristics of a large detection range, high detection accuracy, and fast response speed. The grating scale is composed of a scale grating and a grating reading head, which corresponds to the scale 14 and the reading head 15 in the figure.

[0054] In addition, for Figure 4 In the embodiment, as described above, the one or more clamping wheels 12 of the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 can be a driving wheel and a driven wheel respectively, for example, two driving wheels and two driven wheels can be included. When brushing the wafer, the driving wheel can drive the wafer to rotate, and the driven wheel group can rotate drivenly, and the wafer rotates to cooperate with the cleaning brush. Figure 4 In this embodiment, these driving wheels, driven wheels and their supporting structures such as support shaft 11, support sleeve 10 (see Figure 5 ) etc. are inside the box 7 of the horizontal scrubbing device, and are the wafer clamping structure, and the slider 8 (or driving block), the driving unit 4 and the wafer detection mechanism 16 or the displacement detection device 6 etc. at the bottom are outside the box 7. In an optional embodiment, the slider 8, the driving unit 4 etc. may also be arranged inside the box 7, while the wafer detection mechanism 16 is still arranged outside the box 7.

[0055] As can be seen from the figure, the slider 8 drives the movable clamping part inside the box 7 to clamp the wafer 3 through the support shaft 11 and the like. The wafer detection mechanism 16 or the displacement detection device 6 may include a reading head 15 and a scale 14. One of the scale 14 and the reading head 15 is fixed relative to the slider 8 or the support sleeve 10, and the other of the scale 14 and the reading head 15 is fixed relative to the bottom plate of the box 7. The scale 14 may be a grating scale. Through the relative movement of the reading head 15 and the scale 14, the reading head 15 reads the position information of the scale 14 to feedback the clamping displacement, thereby inferring the wafer in-place state. Since the reading head 15 is smaller and lighter, fixing the scale 14 to the bottom plate of the box 7 and moving the reading head 15 can obtain a larger detection range.

[0056] It should be noted here that the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 may include a displacement detection device 6 that constitutes its component, or include a wafer detection mechanism 16 that is independent of the wafer horizontal brushing device 1. When in use, the wafer detection mechanism 16 can be installed on the wafer horizontal brushing device, and it is also convenient to replace when the wafer detection mechanism 16 fails. At this time, the wafer detection mechanism 16 may include a displacement detection device 6 and a data processing module, the displacement detection device 6 is used to detect the relative displacement data of the movable clamping part 5 relative to the driving part 4, and the data processing module performs wafer state detection of the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 based on the relative displacement data, and outputs the detection result. In this case, the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 may have a box body 7, the wafer holding mechanism 2 is located inside the box body 7, and the wafer detection mechanism 16 is installed on the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 outside the box body 7.

[0057] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a displacement detection device of a wafer horizontal brushing device according to the present invention.

[0058] The bottom clamping structure of the wafer holding mechanism 2 of the wafer horizontal scrubbing device 1 is shown in the attached figure. Figure 5 As shown, the tops of the two support shafts 11 outside the box body 7 (see Figure 4 ) extend to the interior of the box body 7 respectively, and the clamping power is provided by the driving part 4 (such as a clamping cylinder or an air claw) in the middle of the bottom.

[0059] In this embodiment, the driving part 4 is a cylinder, which can drive a plurality of connecting rods 9 with sliders 8 extending horizontally through a gear mechanism (not shown). A support shaft 11 is vertically mounted on each slider 8 through a support sleeve 10, and a clamping wheel 12 is arranged on the top of the support shaft 11 (see Figure 4 ), the rim of the clamping wheel 12 clamps the outer periphery of the wafer 3, and as mentioned above, one or more of the clamping wheels 12 are active wheels, and the other clamping wheels 12 are driven wheels.

[0060] The driving unit 4 provides the slider 8 with symmetrical movements in all directions to ensure the consistency of the clamping movements on each side. For example, the driving unit 4 is a bidirectional symmetrical movement to ensure the consistency of the clamping movements on both sides, and transmits the clamping movements to the supporting structures on both sides through the connecting rod 9. As shown in the figure, the slider 8 is partially connected to the supporting sleeve 10, and a ball and needle bearing 13 can be provided between the supporting sleeve 10 and the supporting shaft 11 on one side, so that the supporting sleeve 10 and the supporting shaft 11 can rotate freely and can be slightly swung according to the clamping situation to adapt to the edge of the wafer.

[0061] It can be understood that in this embodiment, Figure 5Similarly, the scale 14 can be fixed on the bottom plate of the box 7 and fixed in position. The reading head 15 can be installed on the support sleeve 10 through a fixing frame, or can be installed on the slide block, and move with the clamping action. The specific fixing method can be, but is not limited to, conventional bolt connection.

[0062] Figure 6 Three wafer states within the wafer level scrubbing device are shown.

[0063] The wafer detection principle proposed in the present invention can be specifically described as defining the wafer clamping action into three states, as shown in the figure, respectively: Figure 6 The wafer-free state (or loosened state) shown in the middle left figure: the movable clamping part is opened, and the clamping wheel 12 is located outside the wafer 3 at intervals; Figure 6 The wafer in-position state shown in the middle figure: the movable clamping part clamps the wafer, and the clamping displacement is limited by the outer edge of the wafer, and the clamping wheel 12 is located outside the outer circumference of the wafer 3; Figure 6 The abnormal state of the wafer (or over-clamping state) shown in the middle right figure: occurs when the wafer is broken or the clamping is offset. When clamped to the outer edge of the wafer, the wafer breakage cannot be limited, and the movable clamping part continues the clamping action until the maximum stroke position. The clamping wheel 12 enters the outer circumference of the wafer 3. At this time, the wafer abnormal alarm information needs to be fed back. For example, the abnormal alarm logo can be displayed on the human-computer interaction interface (such as a screen) of the wafer horizontal brushing device, or an abnormal alarm sound can be emitted.

[0064] Figure 7 State thresholds within a wafer level scrubbing device are shown.

[0065] The horizontal axis (x axis, unit: mm) in the figure defines the reading of the displacement detection device fed back by the action of the movable clamping part of the wafer, that is, the reading on the x axis can represent the relative displacement data of the movable clamping part 5 relative to the driving part obtained by the displacement detection device 6 in real time, and the threshold values ​​are set for the three clamping states as shown in the figure: the release state [a-Δx, a+Δx] mm, the distance between the clamping position of the movable clamping part 5 and the center of the wafer is greater than the wafer diameter; the wafer clamping state [b-Δx, b+Δx] mm, the distance between the clamping position of the movable clamping part 5 and the center of the wafer is basically equal to the wafer diameter; the over-clamping state [c-Δx, c+Δx] mm, the distance between the clamping position of the movable clamping part 5 and the center of the wafer is less than the wafer diameter. Δx is the variation amplitude of the preset threshold range. In an optional embodiment, Δx can take a value of 1 mm. When the x fed back by the displacement detection device remains below within the preset time range Δt. Figure 3 If the value is within a certain threshold in the three situations, it can be determined as one of the three states.

[0066] Figure 8A schematic flow chart of a wafer state detection method of a wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to the present invention or a wafer state detection method performed using the wafer detection mechanism of the present invention is shown.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the wafer state detection method of the aforementioned wafer horizontal brushing device 1 or the wafer state detection method performed using the aforementioned wafer detection mechanism 16, the method may include the following steps: the displacement detection device 6 acquires the real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping part 5 in real time; after the clamping or releasing action of the movable clamping part 5 starts, when the real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping part 5 does not change within a predetermined time interval, it is determined that the clamping or releasing action stops, and the real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping part 5 is output as relative displacement data; the wafer state in the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 is judged based on the relative displacement data.

[0068] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As described in, the wafer status may include a wafer-free status, a wafer-in-place status, and a wafer-abnormal status. When judging various wafer statuses, it is determined based on whether the relative displacement data detected by the displacement detection device 6 falls within a corresponding threshold.

[0069] For example, by respectively setting the wafer release state threshold to [a-Δx, a+Δx], setting the wafer clamping state threshold to [b-Δx, b+Δx], and setting the wafer over-clamping state threshold to [c-Δx, c+Δx]. At this time, the method may include the step of determining whether the relative displacement data falls into the release state threshold [a-Δx, a+Δx], the wafer clamping state threshold [b-Δx, b+Δx], or the over-clamping state threshold [c-Δx, c+Δx], wherein a, b, and c are preset values. When the relative displacement data falls into the release state threshold, it is determined to be a wafer-free state; when the relative displacement data falls into the wafer clamping state threshold, it is determined to be a wafer-in-place state; and when the relative displacement data falls into the over-clamping state threshold, it is determined to be a wafer abnormal state. The abnormal state of the wafer may include wafer breakage, skewness, and the like.

[0070] Here, according to specific needs, for example, considering the wafer size and operating space conditions, the value of Δx can be appropriately determined, for example, it can be selected from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, or selected to be equal to 1 mm.

[0071] As can be seen from the figure, the method includes steps I to VIII.

[0072] In step I, the displacement detection device acquires the displacement of the movable clamping part in real time.

[0073] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5In the illustrated embodiment, when the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 is in operation, the displacement detection device 6 detects the displacement of the movable clamping part 5 in real time. In a specific implementation form, the displacement detection device 6 can detect the movement of the slider 8, the support sleeve 10, the support shaft 11, etc. For example, when the movable clamping part 5 changes from a stationary state to a moving state, it can be determined that the clamping action has changed and the clamping or releasing action is starting; when the movable clamping part 5 changes from a moving state to a stationary state, it can be determined that the clamping action has changed and the clamping or releasing action is ending; when the movable clamping part 5 continues to move, it can be determined that the clamping or releasing action is in progress; when the movable clamping part 5 continues to be stationary, it can be determined that the clamping or releasing action has been completed.

[0074] In step II, when the clamping or releasing action begins, the reading head of the displacement detection device changes accordingly.

[0075] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the embodiment, the reading head 15 moves with the movable clamping part 5. Specifically, the reading head 15 moves with one of the multiple movable clamping parts 5. In a specific implementation form, it can move along the scale 14 with the slider 8, the support sleeve 10 or the support shaft 11, so that the number on the scale 14 can be measured to obtain the displacement of the movable clamping part 5.

[0076] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the embodiment, the scale 14 may be fixed relative to the entire wafer horizontal brushing device 1. For example, the wafer horizontal brushing device 1 may have a box body 7, and the scale 14 may be fixed to the box body 7 so as to be immovable relative to the box body 7, for example, fixed to the bottom plate of the box body 7. At the same time, the driving part 4 is also immovable relative to the box body 7, so when the driving part 4 drives the movable clamping part 5, the movable clamping part 5 will move relative to the box body 7. That is, when the driving part 4 drives the movable clamping part 5, the reading head 15 will move relative to the scale 14, and the reading head 15 can read different numbers from the scale 14, based on which the clamping condition of the movable clamping part 5 can be reflected.

[0077] In step III, in order to eliminate false alarms caused by displacement exceeding the threshold during clamping or releasing, it is necessary to add a time judgment condition. If the displacement does not change within a fixed time period, it is considered that the clamping or releasing action is completed. At this time, the displacement x0 can be used as the input condition for threshold judgment.

[0078] The setting of each threshold can be as follows Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown in . It can be understood that in the wafer horizontal brushing device, the wafer state can include a wafer-free state, a wafer-in-place state, and a wafer abnormal state. When judging various wafer states, it can be determined based on whether the above-mentioned displacement x0 falls into the corresponding threshold. For example, the wafer release state threshold can be set to [a-Δx, a+Δx], the wafer clamping state threshold can be set to [b-Δx, b+Δx], and the wafer over-clamping state threshold can be set to [c-Δx, c+Δx].

[0079] In steps IV to VI, threshold judgments are made for different clamping states in turn, and wafer status information is output in step VIII. If the displacement x0 does not fall within any of the above threshold ranges, a wafer abnormality alarm signal can be triggered in step VII.

[0080] For example, in the illustrated example, the wafer-free state, wafer-in-place state, and wafer-abnormal state can be determined in sequence. At this time, first determine whether the displacement x0 falls into the loose state threshold [a-Δx, a+Δx]. If so, determine that the wafer horizontal scrubbing device 1 is in a wafer-free state, and output the wafer state of wafer-free. Otherwise, continue to determine whether x0 falls into the wafer clamping state threshold [b-Δx, b+Δx]. When determining whether x0 falls into the wafer clamping state threshold [b-Δx, b+Δx], if so, determine that the wafer is in place, and output the wafer state of wafer in place. Otherwise, continue to determine whether x0 falls into the over-clamping state threshold [c-Δx, c+Δx]. When judging whether x0 falls into the over-clamping state threshold [c-Δx, c+Δx], if it does, the wafer is judged to be abnormal and the wafer abnormal state is output, otherwise a wafer abnormal alarm is issued (that is, in this case, the displacement x0 does not fall into any of the three threshold ranges, and there may be other abnormal conditions besides the wafer being over-clamped, so a wafer abnormal alarm can be set). Although not shown in the figure, in an optional embodiment, while judging the wafer abnormality and outputting the wafer abnormal state, a wafer abnormal alarm signal in the form of a graphic logo or an alarm sound can be synchronously issued. In some examples, the abnormal state of the wafer may include wafer breakage, skewness, etc. a, b, and c are preset values ​​corresponding to the wafer state positions, which serve as the center values ​​of the wafer state thresholds. In different embodiments, it can be set and adjusted according to the specific situation to achieve the optimal judgment result.

[0081] According to the present invention, a displacement detection device or a wafer detection mechanism is used to indirectly detect the wafer position and clamping state of the wafer, especially the wafer with large warpage, by setting a threshold value. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the sensing position of the displacement detection device is set outside the box to eliminate false alarms caused by liquid accumulation on the wafer with large warpage.

[0082] It can be seen that the present invention uses the detection of the displacement of the clamping action to comprehensively detect the wafer in-position information and the clamping action information. The movable clamping part can be driven by a driving part such as a clamping cylinder or a clamping air claw, and its interior can be connected by gears to ensure the consistency of the clamping action on both sides.

[0083] In a further embodiment, the movable clamping portion of the wafer holding mechanism may have an adaptive structure, such as but not limited to a ball and needle bearing, so that it can adapt to the edge of the wafer during clamping, and at the same time, by setting a threshold value of the clamping displacement to cover the diameter changes of wafers with different warping degrees, the clamping state can be detected.

[0084] As mentioned above, the present invention proposes a detection method for wafers, especially wafers with large warpage, which uses an external displacement detection device to comprehensively detect whether the wafer is in place and whether the cylinder is clamped in place, and it feeds back the wafer's position status through the displacement of the wafer clamping mechanism; by setting different thresholds, the wafer's position, clamping, loosening, and wafer breakage states are comprehensively detected; the wafer in-place detection and wafer clamping state detection are integrated and arranged outside the box of the wafer horizontal brushing device, which can not only eliminate the influence of liquid accumulation in the box, but also ensure that the wafer clamping detection can adapt to wafers with large warpage.

[0085] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above description. Those skilled in the art can make various deformations and modifications to the above implementation without departing from the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and these deformations and modifications should all fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer horizontal scrubbing device, characterized in that: The wafer horizontal scrubbing device (1) comprises: A wafer holding mechanism (2), the wafer holding mechanism (2) being used to hold a wafer (3) at a position to be scrubbed, the wafer holding mechanism (2) comprising a driving unit (4) and a movable clamping unit (5), the movable clamping unit (5) being capable of moving between a first position for horizontally clamping the wafer (3) and a second position for releasing the wafer (3), the driving unit (4) being used to drive the movable clamping unit (5) between the first position and the second position; A displacement detection device (6), the displacement detection device (6) being used to detect relative displacement data of the movable clamping portion (5) relative to the driving portion (4); and A data processing module, wherein the data processing module performs wafer status detection of the wafer horizontal scrubbing device (1) based on the relative displacement data and outputs a detection result.

2. The wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer status detection includes wafer clamping in place detection and wafer in place detection.

3. The wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The wafer horizontal scrubbing device (1) comprises a box (7), the wafer holding mechanism (2) is located inside the box (7), and the driving unit (4) and the displacement detection device (6) are located outside the box (7).

4. The wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving part (4) is a cylinder, which drives a plurality of horizontally extending connecting rods (9) with sliders (8) through a gear mechanism. A support shaft (11) is vertically mounted on each slider (8) through a support sleeve (10). A clamping wheel (12) is arranged on the support shaft (11). The wheel rim of the clamping wheel (12) clamps the outer periphery of the wafer (3), and one or more of the clamping wheels (12) are driving wheels, and the other clamping wheels (12) are driven wheels.

5. The wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cylinder provides symmetrical movements in all directions for the plurality of sliders (8), and a ball and needle bearing (13) is provided between the support sleeve (10) and the support shaft (11), so that the support sleeve (10) and the support shaft (11) can rotate freely.

6. The wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The displacement detection device (6) comprises a scale (14) and a reading head (15), one of the scale (14) and the reading head (15) is fixed relative to the slider (8) or the support sleeve (10), and the other of the scale (14) and the reading head (15) is fixed relative to the bottom plate of the box body (7).

7. The wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The scale (14) is a grating scale.

8. A wafer detection mechanism for a wafer horizontal brushing device, the wafer horizontal brushing device (1) comprising a wafer holding mechanism (2), the wafer holding mechanism (2) being used to hold a wafer (3) at a position to be brushed, the wafer holding mechanism (2) comprising a driving unit (4) and a movable clamping unit (5), the movable clamping unit (5) being able to move between a first position for horizontally clamping the wafer (3) and a second position for releasing the wafer (3), the driving unit (4) being used to drive the movable clamping unit (5) between the first position and the second position, characterized in that: The wafer detection mechanism (16) comprises: A displacement detection device (6), the displacement detection device (6) being used to detect relative displacement data of the movable clamping portion (5) relative to the driving portion (4); and A data processing module, wherein the data processing module performs wafer status detection of the wafer horizontal scrubbing device (1) based on the relative displacement data and outputs a detection result.

9. The wafer inspection mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The wafer horizontal scrubbing device (1) comprises a box (7), the wafer holding mechanism (2) is located inside the box (7), and the wafer detection mechanism (16) is installed on the wafer horizontal scrubbing device (1) outside the box (7).

10. The wafer inspection mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that: The driving part (4) is a cylinder, which drives a plurality of horizontally extending connecting rods (9) with sliders (8) through a gear mechanism, and a support shaft (11) is vertically mounted on each slider (8) through a support sleeve (10), and a clamping wheel (12) is arranged on the support shaft (11), and the wheel rim of the clamping wheel (12) is used to clamp the wafer (3) at the outer periphery of the wafer (3), and one or more of the clamping wheels (12) are driving wheels, and the clamping wheel The other clamping wheels in (12) are driven wheels, and the displacement detection device (6) includes a scale (14) and a reading head (15). When the wafer detection mechanism (16) is installed on the wafer horizontal brushing device (1), one of the scale (14) and the reading head (15) is fixed relative to the slider (8) or the supporting sleeve (10), and the other of the scale (14) and the reading head (15) is fixed relative to the bottom plate of the box (7), and the scale (14) is a grating scale.

11. The wafer inspection mechanism according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: The wafer status detection includes wafer clamping in place detection and wafer in place detection.

12. A wafer status detection method, which is performed using the wafer horizontal scrubbing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or using the wafer detection mechanism according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: The displacement detection device (6) acquires real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping portion (5); After the clamping or releasing action of the movable clamping part (5) begins, when the real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping part (5) remains unchanged within a predetermined time interval, it is determined that the clamping or releasing action has stopped, and the real-time relative displacement data of the movable clamping part (5) is output as the relative displacement data; The state of the wafer in the wafer horizontal scrubbing device (1) is determined based on the relative displacement data.

13. The wafer status detection method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The wafer status includes a wafer-out status, a wafer-in-place status and a wafer-abnormal status.

14. The wafer status detection method according to claim 13, characterized in that: The method comprises the steps of determining whether the relative displacement data falls within a release state threshold, a wafer clamping state threshold or an over-clamping state threshold, wherein: When the relative displacement data falls within the release state threshold, it is determined to be a wafer-free state; When the relative displacement data falls within the wafer clamping state threshold, it is determined that the wafer is in position; and When the relative displacement data falls within the over-clamping state threshold, it is determined to be a wafer abnormal state.

15. The wafer status detection method according to claim 14, characterized in that: The threshold ranges of the release state threshold, the wafer clamping state threshold and the over-clamping state threshold vary by 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

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