Wafer box loading device providing nitrogen protection environment and use method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more particularly to a wafer box loading device that provides a nitrogen protection environment and a method of using the same, wherein the wafer box loading device is composed of a back plate, an electrical control module, a drive module, a cover opening module, a nitrogen protection chamber, a positioning component, an unlocking component, a pressure cover component, a sealing ring, and a sealing package. The present application sets a nitrogen protection chamber, and the nitrogen protection chamber can form a protection cavity between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate. Under the synergistic effect of the pressure block, the sealing ring, the sealing package, the air intake and exhaust component, and the nitrogen source, the sealing performance of the protection cavity formed between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate can be effectively improved, and the nitrogen content in the protection cavity can be guaranteed, so that the protection cavity can achieve a clean effect, so as to provide a nitrogen protection environment for the wafer after the cover is opened, and avoid the wafer after the cover is opened from being affected by the external environment, thereby improving safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer box loading device providing a nitrogen protection environment and a use method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor industry's standard 8-inch (200mm) or 12-inch (300mm) SMIF wafer fab (SMIF: Standard Mechanical Interface), the front end of the process equipment host is equipped with a standard SMIF box opener, which serves as the host's SMIF box (SMIF Pod) loading port for loading and unloading wafer boxes and realizing the wafer box opening function. However, the transportation of wafers or wafer cassettes in the box still needs to be done by robots. Conventional applications will install an independent robot at the back end of the SMIF box opener to be responsible for the transportation of wafers, which is the EFEM equipment familiar to the industry.

[0003] The defects of existing SMIF box loading ports are:

[0004] 1. The Chinese patent with application number CN202410645928.9 discloses a simple manual Smif box opening and closing device. Before use, the operator needs to place the Smif box on the upper surface of the carrier, use the holes on the Smif box to match and dock with the Smif box shell fixed column and the Smif box internal fixed column, and then move the metal push rod to drive the rotating rod to move, so that the rotating rod drives the circumferential column to move, thereby driving the rotating column to rotate. When the rotating column rotates, the fixed column will drive the internal switch of the Smif box to rotate, thereby realizing the opening of the Smif box cover. However, this traditional device is not perfect. After the Smif box cover is opened, the wafer inside it will be exposed to the environment. There is no facility to prevent the wafer from being affected by external factors, and the safety is low.

[0005] 2. The Chinese patent with application number CN201611192640.2 discloses a semiconductor manufacturing device and a cleaning method for a SMIF box and a wafer transfer box. The SMIF box includes: a box body; an air inlet and an exhaust duct arranged on the box body, and both ends of the air inlet and the exhaust duct are connected to the atmosphere. By filling the air inlet of the SMIF box with pure gas, the gas can flow into the inner cavity from the air inlet of the wafer transfer box to drive away the impurities in the wafer transfer box, and then be discharged from the exhaust port of the wafer transfer box and the exhaust duct of the SMIF box in turn, ensuring that the inner cavity of the wafer transfer box is always a pure wafer storage environment, avoiding the problem of wafer contamination when transferring wafers between the wafer transfer box and the wafer processing equipment, and the problem of contaminated wafers bringing contaminants into the wafer processing equipment or the wafer transfer box. However, the traditional device is not perfect enough, there is no facility to open the cover of the wafer box, and the operation is inconvenient.

[0006] 3. The Chinese patent with application number CN202211238661.9 discloses a SMIF box loading device, which realizes preliminary loading of the SMIF box by arranging an opening and closing device in front of the equipment frame, the opening and closing device is used to carry and open and close the SMIF box; by arranging a robot arm inside the equipment frame, the end of the robot arm is provided with an end effector, the robot arm is used to drive the end effector to move vertically and horizontally, so as to enter and exit the SMIF box and take and place the wafer basket, so as to realize SMIF box loading, and multi-layer wafer basket can be taken and placed in a limited space. However, this traditional device is not perfect, there is no pressure capping facility to fix the wafer box, which may cause external air to enter the equipment frame and contact the wafer, and due to the lack of pressure capping facilities, the stability of the vertical guide rail carrying the box cover is poor during the upward movement.

[0007] To this end, the present invention provides a wafer box loading device that provides a nitrogen protection environment and a method for using the same. Summary of the invention

[0008] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a wafer box loading device and a method of using the device to provide a nitrogen protection environment in order to solve the problems raised in the above background technology.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wafer box loading device for providing a nitrogen protection environment, the wafer box loading device comprising a back plate, an operation window for robot operation is provided on the back plate, an electrical control module is provided at the front lower end of the back plate, a driving module is provided inside the electrical control module, an output end of the driving module is connected to an opening module, the opening module comprises a lifting cover body connected to the output end of the driving module and slidably connected to the front of the back plate, the driving module is used to drive the lifting cover body to perform vertical lifting and movement, a nitrogen protection chamber is provided inside the lifting cover body, an opening is provided on the side of the nitrogen protection chamber close to the back plate, the size of the opening matches the size of the operation window, during the vertical lifting of the lifting cover body, a protection cavity is formed between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate, a loading platform for placing a wafer box is provided on the lifting cover body, the loading platform passes through the lifting cover body and is slidably connected to the lifting cover body, and moves with the vertical movement of the lifting cover body The lifting cover body is provided with a baffle, which moves vertically up and down with the lifting cover body, and is used to stay away from or cover the operation window. The position of the operation window corresponds to the position of the loading platform, which is used to facilitate the wafer after the cover is opened. A positioning component for positioning the wafer box and an unlocking component for separating the box cover and the base of the wafer box are provided on the loading platform. A pressing cover component for pressing and fixing the box cover of the wafer box and a sealing ring arranged on the four sides of the outer side of the loading platform are provided on the lifting cover body. As the pressing cover component is pressed and fixed, the sealing ring is used to fit the bottom of the box cover, and seal the nitrogen protection chamber during the process of the nitrogen protection chamber storing the loading platform. An air intake and exhaust component connected to the nitrogen protection chamber is provided at the lower end of the lifting cover body, and the driving module, the unlocking component, the pressing cover component, and the air intake and exhaust component are electrically connected to the electrical control module respectively.

[0010] Optionally, the electrical control module includes a shell and a control processing device arranged inside the shell. The lower end of the lifting cover body is provided with a shielding outer cover, which is sleeved on the outside of the shell and slidably connected to the shell. With the vertical lifting and lowering movement of the lifting cover body, the shielding outer cover is used to move away from or cover the shell.

[0011] Optionally, the driving module includes a vertical guide rail and a motor 1, the vertical guide rail is fixedly mounted on the inner wall of the shell, the motor 1 is fixedly mounted on one side of the vertical guide rail, the end of the output shaft of the motor 1 is connected to a screw rod through a coupling, the screw rod is rotatably connected to the inside of the vertical guide rail, a threaded block is threadedly connected to the screw rod, a sliding block is fixedly mounted on the threaded block, the sliding block is slidably connected to the vertical guide rail, a support frame is fixedly mounted on the sliding block, and the support frame is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lifting cover body.

[0012] Optionally, a moving block is provided on one side of the lifting cover body close to the back plate, and a vertical sliding groove slidably matched with the moving block is provided on the front of the back plate.

[0013] Optionally, a sealing package body is further provided between the lifting cover body and the back plate to surround the opening, and the sealing package body is provided on four inner sides of the opening to increase the sealing between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate.

[0014] Optionally, the positioning assembly includes a plurality of positioning pins, and the base of the wafer box is provided with positioning grooves matching the positioning pins.

[0015] Optionally, the unlocking assembly includes a second motor, a first rotating shaft and a turntable, the second motor is fixedly connected to the bottom of the loading platform, an installation cavity is provided inside the loading platform, an arc-shaped slide groove connected to the installation cavity is provided on the top of the loading platform, one end of the first rotating shaft is connected to the output end of the second motor through a coupling, and the other end passes through the loading platform and is rotatably connected to the inside of the installation cavity, the turntable is rotatably connected to the first rotating shaft, and a key compatible with the base lock core of the wafer box is fixedly installed on the turntable, the key is arranged through the arc-shaped slide groove, and under the drive of the second motor, the key drives the base lock core of the wafer box to rotate, so as to separate the cover and the base of the wafer box.

[0016] Optionally, the pressure cover assembly includes a shell, a motor three, a rotating shaft two, a gear, a rack and a pressure block, the motor three is fixedly installed inside the shell, the output end of the motor three is connected to the rotating shaft two through a coupling, the gear is fixedly sleeved on the rotating shaft two, the gear is meshed with the rack, a guide groove is provided inside the shell, the rack is slidably connected with the guide groove, the rack is fixedly installed with the pressure block on one side of the through groove, a through groove is provided on the shell at a position corresponding to the pressure block, and under the drive of the motor three, the gear drives the rack and the pressure block to reciprocate along the length extension direction of the guide groove, so as to pass through or move away from the through groove, so as to realize the compression and fixing of the box cover of the wafer box, the pressure block has a rectangular structure, and the lower end face of the pressure block is provided with an inclined surface adapted to the contact end face of the box cover, and after the positioning assembly and the unlocking assembly have completed the positioning of the wafer box, during the movement of the pressure block, the inclined surface of the pressure block just contacts and squeezes the contact end face of the box cover.

[0017] Optionally, the air inlet and exhaust assembly includes an air inlet interface and an air outlet interface, the input end of the air inlet interface is connected to a nitrogen gas source through a pipeline, the output end of the air outlet interface is connected to an oxygen content detection device through a pipeline, and solenoid valves are provided on the pipelines close to the air inlet interface and the air outlet interface.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for using a wafer box loading device that provides a nitrogen protection environment is provided, comprising the following steps: Step 1: first, the wafer box loading device is firmly installed at the front end of the robot workstation of the EFEM equipment, and the wafer box loading device is powered on; Step 2: The operator places the wafer box on the loading platform manually or by an overhead crane or an AGV trolley, and the positioning pin on the loading platform is inserted into the positioning groove of the wafer box base and the key on the loading platform is inserted into the lock core of the wafer box base, thereby fixing the wafer box on the loading platform; Step 3: By turning on the nitrogen gas source, the nitrogen enters the interior of the nitrogen protection chamber through the air inlet interface, and passes through The oxygen is transported to the oxygen content detection device through the air outlet interface, and the oxygen content data detected by the oxygen content detection device is obtained in real time. When the oxygen content data reaches the preset oxygen content threshold, the motor three is started to drive the gear to rotate, and the driving gear drives the rack and the pressure block to move along the length extension direction of the guide groove. After the pressure block on the rack passes through the through groove, the inclined surface on the pressure block will contact and squeeze the contact end surface of the box cover, so that the sealing ring abuts against the bottom of the box cover, thereby improving the stability of the box cover carrying the lifting cover body during the upward movement; Step 4: Nitrogen is continuously introduced into the nitrogen protection chamber, and the rotating shaft one is driven to rotate by starting the motor two, and the rotating shaft one drives the turntable and the key along the arc-shaped slide groove The key drives the base lock cylinder of the wafer box to rotate, thereby separating the cover and the base of the wafer box; Step 5: Continue to introduce nitrogen into the nitrogen protection chamber, and start the motor to drive the screw to rotate, which drives the screw to drive the threaded block and the sliding block to move upward along the vertical guide rail, and the support frame on the sliding block drives the lifting cover to move upward, thereby realizing the opening operation of the wafer box. At this time, a protective cavity is formed between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate. During the movement of the lifting cover, a fitting gap is formed between the lifting cover and the back plate, and external air can enter the protective cavity through the fitting gap. By improving the fit between the sealing package and the back plate and adjusting the nitrogen introduction The amount of gas is increased to ensure the nitrogen content in the protection chamber, so as to provide a nitrogen protection environment for the wafers; at the same time, as the lifting cover moves upward, the nitrogen protection chamber receives the loading platform, and the box cover is fixed by the pressing block, and the sealing ring is fitted with the bottom of the box cover to prevent external air from entering the protection chamber through the gap between the box cover and the lifting cover and contacting the wafers; Step six: Nitrogen is continuously introduced into the nitrogen protection chamber. When the lifting cover drives the box cover to move upward to the working position, the baffle is away from the operation window at this time, and the position of the operation window corresponds to the position of the opening. The robot of the EFEM equipment enters and exits the nitrogen protection chamber through the operation window and the opening to take the wafer after the cover is opened.

[0019] The advantages and beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention provides a wafer box loading device that provides a nitrogen protection environment and a method of using the same. The wafer box loading device is provided with a nitrogen protection chamber, and the nitrogen protection chamber can form a protection cavity between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate. Under the synergistic effect of the pressing block, the sealing ring, the sealing package, the air intake and exhaust components and the nitrogen gas source, not only can the sealing of the protection cavity formed between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate be effectively improved, but also the nitrogen content in the protection cavity can be guaranteed, so that the protection cavity can achieve a clean effect, so as to provide a nitrogen protection environment for the wafer after the cover is opened, and avoid the wafer after the cover is opened from being affected by the external environment, thereby improving safety; by providing a positioning component and an unlocking component, there is no need to additionally set up a positioning detection device, that is, The wafer box can be positioned and fixed, has a simple structure, and is easy to use. After the wafer box is positioned and fixed, during the movement of the pressing block, the inclined surface of the pressing block just contacts and squeezes the contact end surface of the box cover, so as to improve the degree of pressing and fixing of the box cover by the pressing block, thereby improving the fit between the sealing ring and the bottom of the box cover, thereby preventing external air from entering the protective cavity through the gap between the box cover and the lifting cover body and contacting the wafer. At the same time, with the coordinated use of the driving module and the lifting cover body, the wafer box can be opened until the lifting cover body drives the box cover to move upward to the working position, so that the position of the operating window corresponds to the opening, so that the robot of the EFEM equipment enters and exits the nitrogen protection chamber through the operating window and the opening to take the wafer after the cover is opened. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the lifting cover body of the present invention in the initial position.

[0022] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the lifting cover body of the present invention in the process of moving upward.

[0023] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of another angle when the lifting cover body of the present invention is in the process of moving upward.

[0024] Figure 5 It is a top view of the loading platform of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the gland assembly of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the driving module of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the box cover of the present invention.

[0028] Fig. 9 It is a bottom view of the base of the present invention.

[0029] Fig.10 It is a schematic structural diagram of the unlocking assembly of the present invention.

[0030] Reference numerals: back plate 1, wafer box 2, lifting cover 3, shielding cover 4, nitrogen protection chamber 5, shell 6, baffle 7, operation window 8, sealing package 9, air inlet interface 10, air outlet interface 11, solenoid valve 12, gland assembly 13, support frame 14, nitrogen gas source 15, oxygen content detection device 16, opening 17, control processing device 18, box cover 19, wafer 20, base 21, loading platform 22, positioning pin 23, Key 24, arc-shaped slide groove 25, rotating shaft 1 26, turntable 27, installation cavity 28, motor 2 29, rotating shaft 2 30, gear 31, rack 32, guide groove 33, pressure block 34, motor 1 35, vertical guide rail 36, motor 37, moving block 38, vertical slide groove 39, threaded block 40, sliding block 41, screw rod 42, sealing ring 43, inclined surface 44, contact end surface 45, positioning groove 46, lock core 47. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as limitations on the present application. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0032] In the description of this application, 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 this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0033] Reference Figure 1-10 A wafer box loading device that provides a nitrogen protection environment, the wafer box loading device is composed of a backplane 1, an electrical control module, a drive module, a cover opening module, a positioning component, an unlocking component, a cover pressing component 13, a sealing ring 43 and a sealing package 9.

[0034] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 2-4 An operation window 8 for robot operation is provided on the back plate 1. The operation window 8 is used to take the wafer 20 after the cover is opened. Before the wafer box 2 is opened, the baffle 7 covers the operation window 8, so that the operation window 8 is in a closed state under the action of the baffle 7. When the wafer box 2 is opened, the motor 35 drives the screw rod 42 to rotate, and the drive screw rod 42 drives the threaded block 40 and the sliding block 41 to move upward along the vertical guide rail 36. The support frame 14 on the sliding block 41 drives the lifting cover 3 to move upward, and then drives the baffle 7 to move upward together. In the process, the baffle 7 gradually moves away from the operation window. 8, until the lifting cover 3 drives the box cover 19 to move upward to the working position, the operation window 8 and the opening 17 are connected to each other, so that the robot of the EFEM equipment can enter and exit the nitrogen protection chamber 5 through the operation window 8 and the opening 17 to pick up the wafer 20 after the cover is opened; in addition, it should be noted that before using the wafer box loading device, the wafer box loading device needs to be firmly installed at the front end of the robot working position of the EFEM equipment, that is, by fixing (for example, threading) the back plate 1 on the mounting plate at the front end of the robot working position of the EFEM equipment, so as to realize the wafer 20 handling process.

[0035] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 3 An electrical control module is provided at the lower front end of the back plate 1, and the electrical control module includes a shell 6 and a control processing device 18 arranged inside the shell 6. A shielding outer cover 4 is provided at the lower end of the lifting cover body 3, and the shielding outer cover 4 is sleeved on the outer side of the shell 6 and is slidably connected to the shell 6. With the vertical lifting and lowering movement of the lifting cover body 3, the shielding outer cover 4 is used to move away from or cover the shell 6; by setting up the control processing device 18 (i.e., the controller), it is electrically connected to the drive module, the unlocking component, the pressure cover component 13, and the air intake and exhaust component respectively, so as to realize the control function of the overall electrical components of the wafer box loading device; in addition, by setting up the shielding outer cover 4, the shielding outer cover 4 is sleeved on the outer side of the shell 6 and is slidably connected to the shell 6, so that during the lifting and lowering process of the lifting cover body 3, its internal components can be prevented from being exposed to the external environment, thereby protecting and storing the shell 6.

[0036] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 7, a driving module is arranged inside the electrical control module, and the driving module includes a vertical guide rail 36 and a motor 35, the vertical guide rail 36 is fixedly mounted on the inner wall of the housing 6, a motor 35 is fixedly mounted on one side of the vertical guide rail 36, a screw rod 42 is connected to the end of the output shaft of the motor 35 through a coupling, the screw rod 42 is rotatably connected to the inside of the vertical guide rail 36, a threaded block 40 is threadedly connected to the screw rod 42, a sliding block 41 is fixedly mounted on the threaded block 40, the sliding block 41 is slidably connected to the vertical guide rail 36, a support frame 14 is fixedly mounted on the sliding block 41, and the support frame 14 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lifting cover body 3; by arranging the vertical guide rail 36, the motor 35, the screw rod 42 ... The pattern block 40, the sliding block 41 and the support frame 14 together constitute a driving module, which can drive the lifting cover body 3 to perform vertical lifting and movement. Under the action of the motor 35, the screw rod 42 can perform forward or reverse rotation movement in the vertical guide rail 36, and by utilizing the threaded connection between the threaded block 40 and the screw rod 42 and the sliding connection between the sliding block 41 arranged on the threaded block 40 and the vertical guide rail 36, the threaded block 40 can drive the sliding block 41 to perform vertical lifting and movement along the length extension direction of the vertical guide rail 36, and then the sliding block 41 can drive the support frame 14 and the lifting cover body 3 to perform vertical lifting and movement together, so as to realize the subsequent wafer 20 picking operation after the cover is opened.

[0037] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 1-2 The output end of the driving module is connected to the cover opening module, and the cover opening module includes a lifting cover body 3 connected to the output end of the driving module and slidably connected to the front of the back plate 1. The driving module is used to drive the lifting cover body 3 to perform vertical lifting and movement. A moving block 38 is provided on the side of the lifting cover body 3 close to the back plate 1, and a vertical slide groove 39 is provided on the front of the back plate 1 to slide with the moving block 38. By providing the moving block 38 and the vertical slide groove 39, the lifting cover body 3 can be guided during the lifting process of the lifting cover body 3, thereby improving the stability of the lifting cover body 3 during the movement process.

[0038] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 2-4, a nitrogen protection chamber 5 is arranged inside the lifting cover body 3, and an opening 17 is arranged on one side of the nitrogen protection chamber 5 close to the back plate 1, and the size of the opening 17 matches the size of the operation window 8. During the vertical lifting of the lifting cover body 3, a protection chamber is formed between the nitrogen protection chamber 5 and the back plate 1. In addition, a sealing package 9 for surrounding the opening 17 is arranged between the lifting cover body 3 and the back plate 1. The sealing package 9 is arranged on the four inner sides of the opening 17 to increase the sealing between the nitrogen protection chamber 5 and the back plate 1; by setting the opening 17, during the upward movement of the lifting cover body 3, when the operation window 8 and the opening 17 are connected, the robot of the EFEM equipment can then enter and exit the nitrogen protection chamber 5 through the operation window 8 and the opening 17 to take the wafer 20 after the cover is opened; by setting the nitrogen protection chamber 5, A protective cavity is formed between the nitrogen protection chamber 5 and the back plate 1, which can provide a nitrogen protection environment for the wafer 20 after the cover is opened, and prevent the wafer 20 after the cover is opened from being affected by the external environment, thereby improving safety; in addition, during the movement of the lifting cover body 3, a fitting gap will be formed between the lifting cover body 3 and the back plate 1, and external air can enter the protective cavity through the fitting gap, thereby affecting the wafer 20 after the cover is opened. Therefore, in order to ensure the nitrogen content in the protective cavity, the fitting degree between the sealing package 9 and the back plate 1 can be further improved, and the amount of nitrogen introduced can be combined to not only effectively reduce the fitting gap at the connection between the nitrogen protection chamber 5 and the back plate 1, but also increase the nitrogen content in the protective cavity, so as to achieve the purpose of ensuring the nitrogen content in the protective cavity and providing a nitrogen protection environment for the wafer 20.

[0039] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 3 and attached Figure 5 A loading platform 22 for placing the wafer box 2 is provided on the lifting cover body 3. The loading platform 22 penetrates the lifting cover body 3 and is slidably connected to the lifting cover body 3. It moves with the vertical lifting and lowering of the lifting cover body 3. The nitrogen protection chamber 5 is used to store or move away from the loading platform 22, and provide nitrogen protection for the wafers 20 after the box is opened. A positioning component for positioning the wafer box 2 and an unlocking component for separating the box cover 19 and the base 21 of the wafer box 2 are provided on the loading platform 22; by setting the loading platform 22, it is used to place the wafer box 2, and the positioning and unlocking functions of the wafer box 2 can be realized.

[0040] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 5 and attached Fig. 9 The positioning component includes a plurality of positioning pins 23, and a positioning groove 46 matching the positioning pins 23 is provided on the base 21 of the wafer box 2. By setting the positioning pins 23 and the positioning grooves 46, the positioning function of the wafer box 2 can be realized. The structure is simple and the operation is convenient. At the same time, there is no need to add additional positioning detection equipment to realize the positioning and fixing of the wafer box 2, which effectively reduces the production cost.

[0041] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 5 and attached Fig.10 The unlocking assembly includes a second motor 29, a rotating shaft 26 and a turntable 27. The second motor 29 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the loading platform 22. The interior of the loading platform 22 is provided with a mounting cavity 28. The top of the loading platform 22 is provided with an arc-shaped slideway 25 connected to the mounting cavity 28. One end of the rotating shaft 26 is connected to the output end of the second motor through a coupling, and the other end passes through the loading platform 22 and is rotatably connected to the interior of the mounting cavity 28. The turntable 27 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 26. A crystal The base 21 of the wafer box 2 is matched with the lock core 47, and the key 24 is arranged through the arc-shaped slide groove 25. When driven by the second motor 29, the key 24 drives the lock core 47 of the base 21 of the wafer box 2 to rotate, so as to separate the cover 19 and the base 21 of the wafer box 2. The second motor 29, the rotating shaft 1 26, the turntable 27 and the key 24 together constitute an unlocking component, which can drive the lock core 47 of the base 21 of the wafer box 2 to rotate, thereby realizing the unlocking function of the wafer box 2. The rotating shaft 1 26 is driven by the second motor 29. Under the action of the key 24, the turntable 27 can be driven to rotate forward or reversely, so that the turntable 27 drives the key 24 thereon to rotate forward or reversely along the length extension direction of the arc-shaped slide groove 25, so that the key 24 drives the lock cylinder 47 of the base 21 of the wafer box 2 to rotate, so as to achieve the purpose of separating the box cover 19 and the base 21 of the wafer box 2; it should be noted that in the production process of the wafer 20, it is often necessary to use a standard closed box, that is, the wafer box 2 to store the wafer 20, and the bottom of the wafer box 2 is provided with a locking structure The structure is a prior art, and an unlocking component is used to unlock or unlock it when in use, so as to facilitate the subsequent operation of taking out the wafer 20 after opening the cover. The commonly used unlocking component is inconvenient to unlock and has a complex structure. The present application aims to optimize the structure of the existing wafer box 2 unlocking device. At the same time, the synergistic effect of the key 24 and the positioning pin 23 of the present application can not only further improve the positioning and fixing accuracy of the wafer box 2, but also can realize the high-precision unlocking function of the lock core 47 of the base 21 of the wafer box 2 under the premise of high positioning accuracy, so as to improve the unlocking work efficiency.

[0042] In this embodiment, a cover pressing assembly 13 for pressing and fixing the box cover 19 of the wafer box 2 and a sealing ring 43 are arranged on the four outer sides of the loading platform 22 on the lifting cover body 3. As the cover pressing assembly 13 is pressed and fixed, the sealing ring 43 is used to fit the bottom of the box cover 19 and seal the nitrogen protection chamber 5 when the nitrogen protection chamber 5 receives the loading platform 22.

[0043] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 2-4and attached Figure 6 The pressure cover assembly 13 includes a shell, a motor 37, a rotating shaft 30, a gear 31, a rack 32 and a pressure block 34. The motor 37 is fixedly installed inside the shell. The output end of the motor 37 is connected to the rotating shaft 30 through a coupling. The gear 31 is fixedly sleeved on the rotating shaft 30. The gear 31 is meshed with the rack 32. A guide groove 33 is provided inside the shell. The rack 32 is slidably connected with the guide groove 33. The rack 32 is fixedly installed with a pressure block 34 on one side of the through groove. A through groove is opened on the shell at a position corresponding to the pressure block 34. When the motor 37 is driven, the gear 31 is meshed with the rack 32. The wheel 31 drives the rack 32 and the pressure block 34 to reciprocate along the length extension direction of the guide groove 33, and is used to penetrate or move away from the through groove to realize the box cover 19 of the wafer box 2 being pressed and fixed. The pressure block 34 is in a rectangular structure, and the lower end face of the pressure block 34 is provided with an inclined surface 44 adapted to the contact end face 45 of the box cover 19. After the positioning component and the unlocking component have positioned the wafer box 2, during the movement of the pressure block 34, the inclined surface 44 of the pressure block 34 will just contact and squeeze the contact end face 45 of the box cover 19; the rotating shaft 2 30 can drive the gear 31 to move forward or reverse under the action of the motor 37. The driving gear 31 drives the rack 32 and the pressure block 34 to move through or away from the through groove along the length extension direction of the guide groove 33, and then uses the pressure block 34 to fix the box cover 19 of the wafer box 2. In order to improve the pressing and fixing effect of the pressure block 34, the present application sets the lower end surface of the pressure block 34 as an inclined surface 44, and the inclined surface 44 is adapted to the contact end surface 45 of the box cover 19, so as to improve the pressing and fixing degree of the box cover 19 by the pressure block 34. After the inclined surface 44 of the pressure block 34 is just able to contact and squeeze the contact end surface 45 of the box cover 19, the use of the sealing ring 43 can further improve The high fit between the sealing ring 43 and the bottom of the box cover 19 prevents external air from entering the protective cavity through the gap between the box cover 19 and the lifting cover body 3 and contacting the wafer 20 after the wafer box 2 is opened, thereby further improving the safety of the wafer 20 after the cover is opened; in addition, by adding a pressure cover assembly 13, the lifting cover body 3 and the box cover 19 can move upward together, which can further improve the stability of the two during movement, and prevent external air from entering the protective cavity through the gap between the box cover 19 and the lifting cover body 3 and contacting the wafer 20 due to poor stability during the movement of the two, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the protective cavity.

[0044] In this embodiment, refer to the attached Figure 2The lower end of the lifting cover body 3 is provided with an air inlet and exhaust assembly connected to the nitrogen protection chamber 5, and the air inlet and exhaust assembly includes an air inlet interface 10 and an air outlet interface 11. The input end of the air inlet interface 10 is connected to a nitrogen gas source 15 through a pipeline, and the output end of the air outlet interface 11 is connected to an oxygen content detection device 16 through a pipeline. At the same time, a solenoid valve 12 is provided at the pipeline near the air inlet interface 10 and the air outlet interface 11 to adjust the gas amount and air intake speed of the nitrogen gas introduced; by providing a nitrogen gas source 15, it is used to introduce nitrogen into the protection cavity to provide a nitrogen protection environment for the wafer 20; by providing an oxygen content detection device 16 (for example: an oxygen content detector), it is used to monitor the oxygen content in the gas discharged from the protection cavity in real time, so as to timely adjust the gas amount of the nitrogen gas introduced according to the actual situation on the basis of a certain degree of fit between the sealing package 9 and the back plate 1, thereby ensuring the nitrogen content in the protection cavity.

[0045] In an embodiment, the present application also provides a method for using a wafer box loading device that provides a nitrogen protection environment, comprising the following steps.

[0046] Step 1: First, the wafer box loading device is firmly installed at the front end of the robot working position of the EFEM equipment, and the wafer box loading device is powered on.

[0047] Step 2: The operator places the wafer box 2 on the loading platform 22 manually or by an overhead crane or an AGV, and the wafer box 2 is fixed on the loading platform 22 by inserting the positioning pin 23 on the loading platform 22 into the positioning groove 46 of the base 21 of the wafer box 2 and inserting the key 24 on the loading platform 22 into the lock core 47 of the base 21 of the wafer box 2.

[0048] Step three: by turning on the nitrogen gas source 15, the nitrogen enters the nitrogen protection chamber 5 through the air inlet interface 10, and is transported to the oxygen content detection device 16 through the air outlet interface 11. By acquiring the oxygen content data detected by the oxygen content detection device 16 in real time, when the oxygen content data reaches the preset oxygen content threshold, the motor 37 is started to drive the gear 31 to rotate, and the driving gear 31 drives the rack 32 and the pressure block 34 to move along the length extension direction of the guide groove 33. After the pressure block 34 on the rack 32 passes through the through groove, the inclined surface 44 on the pressure block 34 will contact and squeeze the contact end surface 45 of the box cover 19, so that the sealing ring 43 abuts against the bottom of the box cover 19, thereby improving the stability of the box cover 19 carrying the lifting cover body 3 during the upward movement.

[0049] Step 4: Continue to introduce nitrogen into the nitrogen protection chamber 5, start the motor 29 to drive the rotating shaft 26 to rotate, drive the rotating shaft 26 to drive the turntable 27 and the key 24 to rotate along the length extension direction of the arc-shaped slide 25, and the key 24 drives the lock core 47 of the base 21 of the wafer box 2 to rotate, thereby separating the box cover 19 and the base 21 of the wafer box 2.

[0050] Step 5: Continue to introduce nitrogen into the nitrogen protection chamber 5, start the motor 35 to drive the screw 42 to rotate, drive the screw 42 to drive the threaded block 40 and the sliding block 41 to move upward along the vertical guide rail 36, and the support frame 14 on the sliding block 41 drives the lifting cover 3 to move upward, thereby realizing the opening operation of the wafer box 2. At this time, a protective cavity is formed between the nitrogen protection chamber 5 and the back plate 1. During the movement of the lifting cover 3, a fitting gap is formed between the lifting cover 3 and the back plate 1, and external air can pass through the fitting gap. The wafer 20 is provided with a nitrogen protective environment by the nitrogen protective chamber 5. ...

[0051] Step six: Continue to introduce nitrogen into the nitrogen protection chamber 5. When the lifting cover 3 drives the box cover 19 to move upward to the working position, the baffle 7 is now away from the operation window 8, and the position of the operation window 8 corresponds to the position of the opening 17. The robot of the EFEM equipment enters and exits the nitrogen protection chamber 5 through the operation window 8 and the opening 17 to take the wafer 20 after the cover is opened.

[0052] The above contents are further detailed descriptions of the present invention in combination with specific implementation methods, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which should be regarded as falling within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer box loading device providing a nitrogen protection environment, characterized in that: The invention comprises a back plate, an operation window for manipulator operation is provided on the back plate, an electrical control module is provided at the front lower end of the back plate, a driving module is provided inside the electrical control module, an output end of the driving module is connected to a cover opening module, the cover opening module comprises a lifting cover body connected to the output end of the driving module and slidably connected to the front of the back plate, the driving module is used to drive the lifting cover body to perform vertical lifting and movement, a nitrogen protection chamber is provided inside the lifting cover body, an opening is provided on the side of the nitrogen protection chamber close to the back plate, the size of the opening matches the size of the operation window, during the vertical lifting process of the lifting cover body, a protection chamber is formed between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate, a loading platform for placing a wafer box is provided on the lifting cover body, the loading platform passes through the lifting cover body and is slidably connected to the lifting cover body, and moves with the vertical lifting of the lifting cover body, the nitrogen protection chamber is used to store or move away from the loading platform, and provide nitrogen protection for the wafer after the box is opened, and a baffle is provided on the lifting cover body, As the lifting cover body moves vertically up and down, the baffle is used to move away from or cover the operation window. The position of the operation window corresponds to the position of the loading platform, which is used to facilitate the removal of the wafer after the cover is opened. A positioning component for positioning the wafer box and an unlocking component for separating the box cover and the base of the wafer box are arranged on the loading platform. A pressing cover component for pressing and fixing the box cover of the wafer box and a sealing ring arranged on the four sides of the outer side of the loading platform are arranged on the lifting cover body. As the pressing and fixing of the pressing cover component, the sealing ring is used to fit the bottom of the box cover, and seal the nitrogen protection chamber during the process of the nitrogen protection chamber receiving the loading platform. An air intake and exhaust component connected to the nitrogen protection chamber is arranged at the lower end of the lifting cover body, and the drive module, the unlocking component, the pressing cover component, and the air intake and exhaust component are electrically connected to the electrical control module respectively; a sealing package for surrounding the opening is also arranged between the lifting cover body and the back plate, and the sealing package is arranged on the four inner sides of the opening to increase the sealing between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate.

2. A wafer box loading device for providing a nitrogen protection environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrical control module includes a shell and a control processing device arranged inside the shell. The lower end of the lifting cover body is provided with a shielding outer cover, which is sleeved on the outer side of the shell and slidably connected with the shell. It moves with the vertical lifting of the lifting cover body, and the shielding outer cover is used to stay away from or cover the shell.

3. A wafer box loading device for providing a nitrogen protection environment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving module includes a vertical guide rail and a motor 1, the vertical guide rail is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the shell, the motor 1 is fixedly installed on one side of the vertical guide rail, the end of the output shaft of the motor 1 is connected to a screw rod through a coupling, the screw rod is rotatably connected to the inside of the vertical guide rail, a threaded block is threadedly connected to the screw rod, a sliding block is fixedly installed on the threaded block, the sliding block is slidably connected to the vertical guide rail, a support frame is fixedly installed on the sliding block, and the support frame is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lifting cover body.

4. A wafer box loading device for providing a nitrogen protection environment according to claim 3, characterized in that: A moving block is arranged on one side of the lifting cover body close to the back plate, and a vertical sliding groove which is slidably matched with the moving block is arranged on the front of the back plate.

5. The wafer box loading device for providing a nitrogen protection environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning assembly includes a plurality of positioning pins, and the base of the wafer box is provided with positioning grooves matching the positioning pins.

6. The wafer box loading device for providing a nitrogen protection environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unlocking assembly includes a second motor, a first rotating shaft and a turntable, wherein the second motor is fixedly connected to the bottom of the loading platform, a mounting cavity is provided inside the loading platform, and an arc-shaped slide groove connected to the mounting cavity is provided on the top of the loading platform. One end of the first rotating shaft is connected to the output end of the second motor through a coupling, and the other end passes through the loading platform and is rotatably connected to the inside of the mounting cavity. The turntable is rotatably connected to the first rotating shaft, and a key compatible with the base lock core of the wafer box is fixedly installed on the turntable. The key is arranged through the arc-shaped slide groove. When driven by the second motor, the key drives the base lock core of the wafer box to rotate, so as to separate the cover and the base of the wafer box.

7. The wafer box loading device for providing a nitrogen protection environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cover pressing assembly includes a shell, a motor three, a rotating shaft two, a gear, a rack and a pressure block. The motor three is fixedly installed inside the shell, and the output end of the motor three is connected to the rotating shaft two through a coupling. The gear is fixedly sleeved on the rotating shaft two, and the gear is meshed with the rack. A guide groove is provided inside the shell, and the rack is slidably connected with the guide groove. The rack is fixedly installed with the pressure block on one side of the through groove. A through groove is provided on the shell at a position corresponding to the pressure block. With the drive of the motor three, the gear drives the rack and the pressure block to reciprocate along the length extension direction of the guide groove, so as to pass through or move away from the through groove, so as to realize the box cover of the wafer box being pressed and fixed. The pressure block has a rectangular structure, and the lower end face of the pressure block is provided with an inclined surface adapted to the contact end face of the box cover, and after the positioning assembly and the unlocking assembly have completed the positioning of the wafer box, during the movement of the pressure block, the inclined surface of the pressure block just contacts and squeezes the contact end face of the box cover.

8. The wafer box loading device for providing a nitrogen protection environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air inlet and exhaust assembly includes an air inlet interface and an air outlet interface. The input end of the air inlet interface is connected to a nitrogen gas source through a pipeline, and the output end of the air outlet interface is connected to an oxygen content detection device through a pipeline. Solenoid valves are provided on the pipelines close to the air inlet interface and the air outlet interface.

9. A method for using a wafer box loading device providing a nitrogen protection environment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The steps include: Step 1: First, the wafer box loading device is firmly installed at the front end of the robot working position of the EFEM equipment, and the wafer box loading device is powered on; Step 2: The operator places the wafer box on the loading platform manually or by an overhead crane or AGV, and the wafer box is fixed on the loading platform by inserting the positioning pin on the loading platform into the positioning groove of the wafer box base and the key on the loading platform into the lock core of the wafer box base; Step 3: By turning on the nitrogen gas source, the nitrogen enters the nitrogen protection chamber through the air inlet interface and is transported to the oxygen content detection device through the air outlet interface. By acquiring the oxygen content data detected by the oxygen content detection device in real time, when the oxygen content data reaches the preset oxygen content threshold, the motor 3 is started to drive the gear to rotate, and the driving gear drives the rack and the pressing block to move along the length extension direction of the guide groove. After the pressing block on the rack passes through the through groove, the inclined surface on the pressing block will contact and squeeze the contact end surface of the box cover, so that the sealing ring abuts against the bottom of the box cover, thereby improving the stability of the box cover in the process of carrying the lifting cover body to move upward; Step 4: Nitrogen is continuously introduced into the nitrogen protection chamber, and the rotating shaft 1 is driven to rotate by starting the motor 2, and the rotating shaft 1 drives the turntable and the key to rotate along the length extension direction of the arc-shaped slide slot, and the key drives the base lock core of the wafer box to rotate, so that the cover and the base of the wafer box are separated; Step 5: Continue to introduce nitrogen into the nitrogen protection chamber, start the motor to drive the screw to rotate, drive the screw to drive the threaded block and the sliding block to move upward along the vertical guide rail, and the support frame on the sliding block drives the lifting cover to move upward, thereby realizing the opening operation of the wafer box. At this time, a protection chamber is formed between the nitrogen protection chamber and the back plate. During the movement of the lifting cover, a fitting gap is formed between the lifting cover and the back plate, and external air can enter the protection chamber through the fitting gap. By improving the fit between the sealing package and the back plate and adjusting the amount of nitrogen introduced, the nitrogen content in the protection chamber is guaranteed to provide a nitrogen protection environment for the wafers. At the same time, as the lifting cover moves upward, the nitrogen protection chamber receives the loading platform, and the box cover is fixed by the pressing block, and the sealing ring and the bottom of the box cover are fitted to prevent external air from entering the protection chamber through the gap between the box cover and the lifting cover to contact the wafers. Step 6: Continue to introduce nitrogen into the nitrogen protection chamber. When the lifting cover drives the box cover to move upward to the working position, the baffle is away from the operation window, and the position of the operation window corresponds to the position of the opening. The robot of the EFEM equipment enters and exits the nitrogen protection chamber through the operation window and the opening to take the wafer after the cover is opened.

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