Wafer processing method and wafer processing device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wafer processing method and a wafer processing device. The wafer picking method is used to clamp a wafer from a vacuum suction cup, wherein the method comprises the following steps: Step I: using a manipulator to move the wafer parallel to the contact surface between the wafer and the vacuum suction cup to reduce the area of ​​the water film between the wafer and the vacuum suction cup; Step II: moving the wafer away from the vacuum suction cup to disconnect the water film; Step III: taking away the wafer. The present invention effectively reduces the tension of the water film when clamping the wafer from the vacuum suction cup, which helps to protect the polishing manipulator and the wafer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing; more specifically, the present invention relates to a wafer processing method and a wafer processing device. Background Art

[0002] The thinning process of the wafer in the thinning equipment is as follows: the wafer is transferred from the transmission component to the grinding module, and after the grinding and thinning is completed, it is then transferred to the next station by the transmission component and the robot. The transmission component can be a vacuum suction cup to absorb the wafer, and the robot can be a claw to clamp and transport it.

[0003] When the wafer is thinned and then transferred back, the back of the wafer is cleaned. A water film is attached to the back of the cleaned wafer, which creates tension between the wafer and the suction cup of the transmission component. When the robot grips and lifts the wafer, the water film tension is destroyed, causing vibration. The irregular vibration of the robot makes it easy to damage the contact part between the wafer and the claw, and has a great impact on the life of the robot claw. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a wafer retrieval method, a wafer conveying method, a wafer processing method, a wafer transmission device and a wafer processing device, so as to solve or at least alleviate one or more of the above-mentioned problems and other problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a wafer picking method for picking up a wafer from a vacuum chuck, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

[0006] Step I: using a robot to move the wafer parallel to the contact surface between the wafer and the vacuum chuck to reduce the area of ​​the water film between the wafer and the vacuum chuck;

[0007] Step II: moving the wafer away from the vacuum chuck to break the water film;

[0008] Step III: Take away the wafer;

[0009] In the step I, moving the wafer parallel to the contact surface between the wafer and the vacuum chuck includes: translating or swinging the wafer parallel to the contact surface between the wafer and the vacuum chuck.

[0010] In the method described above, optionally, during step I, it is detected whether the overlapping area or water film area between the wafer and the vacuum suction cup is less than a preset value: when it is less than the preset value, proceed to step II; when it is greater than or equal to the preset value, return to step I.

[0011] In the method described above, optionally, before step I, the wafer is moved by the robot so that the wafer is vertically away from the vacuum chuck by a distance of 200um to 400um.

[0012] In the method as described above, optionally, the distance is 300 um.

[0013] In the method described above, optionally, in the step I, moving the wafer parallel to the contact surface between the wafer and the vacuum chuck includes: rotating the wafer during the process of translating or swinging the wafer parallel to the contact surface between the wafer and the vacuum chuck.

[0014] In the method as described above, optionally, before step I or step II, gas is distributed to the wafer via the vacuum chuck to destroy the vacuum between the vacuum chuck and the wafer.

[0015] In the aforementioned method, optionally, the vacuum chuck is made of a porous ceramic material, and the gas distribution is performed by the porous ceramic material.

[0016] In the method described above, optionally, in step II, the wafer is translated, rotated or swung parallel to the contact surface between the wafer and the vacuum chuck, so that the wafer moves away from the vacuum chuck and the water film is broken.

[0017] In the method described above, optionally, the robot includes a first group of claws and a second group of claws, the first group of claws includes a first and a second claw placed in parallel, the second group of claws includes a third and a fourth claw placed in parallel, and the first group of claws and the second group of claws can move relative to each other to clamp and carry the wafer.

[0018] In the method as described above, optionally, the second group of jaws is controlled by a pressure cylinder, and the pressure cylinder is an oil cylinder or a gas cylinder.

[0019] In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the second aspect of the present invention provides a wafer conveying method used in a wafer processing device, wherein the wafer conveying method includes the step of using a robot to clamp the wafer from the vacuum suction cup, wherein the robot clamps the wafer from the vacuum suction cup using the method described in any one of the aforementioned first aspects.

[0020] In the method described above, optionally, the wafer processing device includes a grinding module, a polishing module and a transmission component between the grinding module and the polishing module, the transmission component includes the vacuum suction cup, the robot is a polishing robot of the polishing module, and the polishing robot is used to transport the wafer from the transmission component to the polishing module.

[0021] In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the third aspect of the present invention provides a wafer processing method, comprising: grinding a wafer using a grinding module of a wafer processing device; transferring the ground wafer to a polishing module of the wafer processing device using the wafer transfer method as described in the aforementioned aspect; and polishing the wafer using the polishing module.

[0022] In order to achieve the aforementioned object, another aspect of the present invention provides a wafer transmission device, wherein the wafer transmission device comprises:

[0023] a vacuum chuck configured to receive a wafer;

[0024] A transfer mechanism, wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to clamp a wafer from a vacuum chuck using the method described in any one of the first aspects.

[0025] In the wafer transfer device as described above, optionally, the wafer transfer device also includes a controller connected to the transfer mechanism, the controller has an execution program built in it, and the controller is configured to run the execution program to control the transfer mechanism to perform the method.

[0026] In order to achieve the aforementioned purpose, another aspect of the present invention provides a wafer processing device, wherein the wafer processing device includes a grinding module, a polishing module and a transmission component between the grinding module and the polishing module, the transmission component includes the vacuum suction cup, the polishing module includes a polishing robot, the polishing robot is used to transport the wafer from the transmission component to the polishing module, and the polishing robot clamps the wafer from the vacuum suction cup using the method described in any one of the first aspects above.

[0027] In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, another aspect of the present invention provides a computer storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the method as described in the aforementioned aspect is implemented.

[0028] Some technical solutions of the present invention effectively reduce the water film pulling force and alleviate the vibration and shaking of the end of the polishing robot claw.

[0029] Some technical solutions of the present invention can further effectively reduce scratches caused by relative movement between the wafer and the polishing robot.

[0030] Some technical solutions of the present invention can further effectively extend the life of the claws of the robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] 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:

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic plan view of a wafer processing apparatus is shown.

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic top view of the polishing robot gripper in a wafer processing device is shown, and a vacuum suction cup and a wafer of a transmission component in a first position relationship are also shown.

[0034] Figure 3 Schematically shows Figure 2 The water film between the wafer and the vacuum chuck of the transfer assembly.

[0035] Figure 4 A schematic top view of the polishing robot gripper in the wafer processing device is shown, and a vacuum suction cup and a wafer of the transmission component in a second position relationship are also shown.

[0036] Figure 5 Schematically shows Figure 4 Water film between the wafer and the transfer assembly suction cup.

[0037] Figure 6 A schematic top view of the polishing robot gripper in the wafer processing device is shown, and a vacuum suction cup and a wafer of the transmission component in a third position relationship are also shown.

[0038] Figure 7 A schematic flow chart of an embodiment of a wafer fetching method according to the present invention is shown.

[0039] Figure markings: 1-vacuum suction cup; 2-wafer; 3-water film; 4-robot; 5-first group of claws; 6-second group of claws; 7-first claw; 8-second claw; 9-third claw; 10-fourth claw; 20-wafer processing device; 21-grinding module; 22-polishing module; 23-CMP and cleaning module; 24-equipment front-end module; 25-wafer storage unit; 26-first transmission unit; 27-second transmission unit; 28-third transmission unit; 29-chemical mechanical polishing unit; 30-post-processing unit; 31-temporary storage unit; 32-mobile cache unit; 33-polishing robot; 34-grinding unit; 35-cleaning unit; 36-fourth transmission unit; 37-base; 38-workbench; 39-suction cup; 41-loading and unloading station; 42-grinding robot; 43-cleaning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] With reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, the structure, composition, characteristics and advantages of the wafer retrieval method, wafer conveying method, wafer transfer device and wafer processing device of the present invention will be explained in an exemplary manner below. However, all descriptions should not be used to form any limitations on the present invention.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] In this application, wafer may also be referred to as chip, silicon chip, substrate or base plate, etc., which have the same meaning and actual function.

[0044] The wafer processing device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is mainly used for thinning the back side of the wafer, such as a wafer thinning device or a wafer thinning and polishing machine. The back side here refers to the side of the wafer without devices, generally the substrate, and the substrate material can be silicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, sapphire, etc.

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic plan view of a wafer processing apparatus is shown.

[0046] As shown in the figure, the wafer processing device 20 includes an equipment front end module 24 (EFEM module), a CMP and cleaning module 23, a grinding module 21, etc. The CMP and cleaning module 23 specifically includes a polishing module 22, etc., wherein CMP stands for chemical mechanical polishing.

[0047] The equipment front-end module 24 is used to realize the entry and exit of wafers, and the equipment front-end module 24 is arranged at the front end of the wafer processing device 20. The equipment front-end module 24 is a transition module for transferring wafers from the outside to the inside of the equipment platform, and is used to realize the entry and exit of wafers to realize the "dry in and dry out" of wafers.

[0048] The grinding module 21 is used to grind and thin the wafer. The grinding may include rough grinding and fine grinding. The grinding module 21 is disposed at the end of the wafer processing device 20 .

[0049] The polishing module 22 is used to perform chemical mechanical polishing on the wafer after the grinding is completed, and also has the function of transferring the wafer between these three modules (equipment front-end module 24, grinding module 21 and polishing module 22). The polishing module 22 is arranged between the equipment front-end module 24 and the grinding module 21.

[0050] Understandably, Figure 1The wafer processing device shown is only an example. In other implementations, the polishing module 22 may be omitted, and only the equipment front-end module 24 and the grinding module 21 are retained. In addition, the grinding module 21 may also include multiple grinding passes, such as 3 passes, 4 passes, 5 passes, etc. Similar to these modified embodiments, as long as they can achieve wafer grinding and thinning, they should fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0051] The equipment front-end module 24 includes a wafer storage unit 25 and a first transmission unit 26. The wafer storage unit 25 is arranged at the front end side of the wafer processing device 20, and the first transmission unit 26 is arranged between the wafer storage unit 25 and the polishing module 22 to realize the transmission of the wafer between the wafer storage unit 25 and the polishing module 22.

[0052] The first transmission unit 26 may include a wafer pick-up and placement robot. The wafer pick-up and placement robot can rotate, extend, fold and shrink, and can also move along the transmission track. The wafer pick-up and placement robot here is a dry robot, which is used to pick up and place dry and clean wafers. The wafer pick-up and placement robot can take out the wafer to be processed from the wafer storage unit 25 and send it to the polishing module 22, and can also receive the processed wafer from the polishing module 22 and put it into the wafer storage unit 25.

[0053] The polishing module 22 may include a second transfer unit 27, a third transfer unit 28, a chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 and a post-processing unit 30. The second transfer unit 27, the chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 and the post-processing unit 30 occupy the edges of the polishing module 22 respectively, and the third transfer unit 28 is located in the center.

[0054] Specifically, the second transmission unit 27 is located on one side of the edge of the polishing module 22 and is distributed along the length direction of the device, and can connect the device front-end module 24 and the grinding module 21. The chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 is located on the other side edge of the polishing module 22, and is adjacent to the grinding module 21 and the second transmission unit 27 respectively. The post-processing unit 30 is located on another side edge of the polishing module 22, and is adjacent to the device front-end module 24, the second transmission unit 27 and the chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 respectively. The third transmission unit 28 is close to the center of the polishing module 22, surrounded by the second transmission unit 27, the chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 and the post-processing unit 30, and is used to realize the mutual transmission of wafers between the second transmission unit 27, the chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 and the post-processing unit 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the second transmission unit 27 may include a temporary storage unit 31 and a mobile cache unit 32 for temporarily storing wafers and shipping wafers. The temporary storage unit 31 is set at a position adjacent to the device front-end module 24, and is used to temporarily store or transfer wafers. The mobile buffer unit 32 is disposed along the direction from the equipment front-end module 24 to the grinding module 21 and can move in both directions.

[0055] In the illustrated embodiment, the third transfer unit 28 includes a polishing robot 33, which is used to transfer the ground wafer from the mobile cache unit 32 to the chemical mechanical polishing unit 29, transfer the polished wafer from the chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 to the post-processing unit 30, and transfer the cleaned wafer from the post-processing unit 30 to the temporary storage unit 31.

[0056] After the wafer is taken out from the equipment front-end module 24, it is transported to the grinding module 21 via the second transfer unit 27 for grinding; after the wafer is ground in the grinding module 21, it is transported to the chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 via the second transfer unit 27 and the third transfer unit 28 for polishing; after polishing and cleaning, the wafer is transferred back to the equipment front-end module 24 via the third transfer unit 28 and the second transfer unit 27.

[0057] The post-processing unit 30 is used to clean and dry the polished wafer, and may include a horizontal scrubbing device and a single-chamber cleaning device.

[0058] The grinding module 21 may include a grinding unit 34, a cleaning unit 35 and a fourth transmission unit 36. The grinding unit 34 is used to implement wafer grinding and thickness measurement. Figure 1 As shown, the grinding unit 34 includes a base 37, a workbench 38 mounted on the base 37, a suction cup 39 disposed on the workbench 38, and a grinding wheel corresponding to the position of the suction cup 39. The workbench 38 is used to carry the wafer and can rotate around its vertical center axis. Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment, three suction cups 39 are provided, which can rotate between the rough grinding station, the fine grinding station and the loading and unloading station 41.

[0059] The two grinding wheels perform rough grinding and fine grinding respectively. It can be understood that Figure 1 This is only an example, and the number of suction cups 39 and grinding wheels can also be other values. The cleaning unit 35 is used to clean, grind and clean the suction cup 39. The fourth transmission unit 36 ​​includes a grinding robot 42 for transmitting wafers. The grinding robot 42 refers to a robot used in the grinding module 21, which is used to transmit wafers between the grinding unit 34 and the second transmission unit 27, specifically, to transfer wafers between the suction cup 39 and the mobile cache 32 corresponding to the loading and unloading station 41. The grinding robot 42 takes the wafer from the mobile cache 32 of the second transmission unit 27 and sends it to the grinding unit 34 for grinding. After grinding and cleaning are completed, the grinding robot 42 takes the wafer from the grinding unit 34 and places it in the mobile cache 32 for subsequent transmission of the wafer. A pipeline that can be evacuated is provided inside the grinding robot 42 to achieve vacuum adsorption of the wafer. Alternatively, the grinding robot 42 can also be implemented by a mechanism with a clamping claw. In one embodiment, the grinding robot 42 can also drive the wafer to rotate.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the grinding module 21 also includes a cleaning device 43, which is installed on the base 37 of the grinding module 21, located next to the workbench 38 and on the moving track of the grinding robot 42, and is used to clean the bottom surface of the wafer after grinding when the grinding robot 42 is transferring the wafer.

[0061] Figure 2 A schematic top view of the polishing robot gripper in the wafer processing device is shown, and a vacuum suction cup 1 and a wafer 2 of the transmission component in a first position relationship are also shown.

[0062] The transmission component may be, for example, the second transmission unit 27. The vacuum suction cup 1 of the transmission component in the figure may be Figure 1 The suction cup on the second transfer unit 27 of the wafer processing device 20, the robot 4 can be Figure 1 The polishing robot 33 of the wafer processing device 20. Since the wafer 2 is cleaned by the cleaning device 43, a water film is attached to the surface of the wafer.

[0063] As shown in the figure, the two rectangles shown by the dotted lines below the wafer 2 represent two vacuum chucks, which are used to absorb the wafer 2. The waist drum-shaped part in the middle does not contact the wafer 2. In the figure, the vacuum chuck 1 is shown as a dotted line, indicating that it is located below the wafer 2; the robot 4 is shown as a solid line in the figure, indicating that it is located above the wafer 2.

[0064] The manipulator 4 includes a first group of claws 5 and a second group of claws 6. Optionally, the first group of claws may be fixed, and the second group of claws may be movable, or vice versa. The first group of claws 5 includes a first claw 7 and a second claw 8, and the second group of claws 6 includes a third claw 9 and a fourth claw 10. The first claw 7 and the second claw 8 are connected together at the proximal end, and the third claw 9 and the fourth claw 10 are connected together at the proximal end. The distal ends of the first claw 7, the second claw 8, the third claw 9, and the fourth claw 10 are respectively equipped with clamping wheels for clamping the wafer 2. The clamping wheels can be configured to be able to rotate respectively.

[0065] The first group of jaws 5 and the second group of jaws 6 can move relatively, so that the clamping wheels at the far ends of the first jaw 7 and the second jaw 8 and the clamping wheels at the far ends of the third jaw 9 and the fourth jaw 10 are moved closer to or farther away from each other, thereby clamping and releasing the wafer.

[0066] The relative movement of the first group of jaws 5 and the second group of jaws 6 can be achieved by a cylinder. For example, in one embodiment, one of the first group of jaws 5 and the second group of jaws 6 can be fixed on the arm of the polishing manipulator (not shown), and at the same time, a cylinder can be provided on the arm of the polishing manipulator, the cylinder body of the cylinder can be fixed to the arm of the polishing manipulator, and the piston rod connects the other of the first group of jaws 5 and the second group of jaws 6, thereby driving their relative movement. The arm of the polishing manipulator here is a frame relative to the first group of jaws 5 and the second group of jaws 6, and the relative movement of the two is limited by the cylinder. The cylinder can be replaced with an oil cylinder which is also a pressure cylinder.

[0067] Specifically, in one embodiment, a cylinder can be connected to the right end of the first group of claws 5, and the cylinder pushes the first group of claws 5 to move, and the cylinder body of the cylinder can be fixedly connected to the right end of the second group of claws 6. The first group of claws 5 and the second group of claws 6 form a wafer-taking robot 4, the second group of claws 6 are fixed ends, and the first group of claws 5 are movable ends. In one embodiment, when clamping the wafer 2, the robot 4 is inserted into the bottom of the wafer 2 and passes between the two vacuum suction cups 1. After it is in place, the first group of claws 5 is pushed forward, and the second group of claws 6 and the first group of claws 5 clamp the wafer 2.

[0068] In this figure, it can be seen that the wafer 2 is adsorbed on the vacuum chuck 1, and the wafer 2 is in a position that completely covers the vacuum chuck 1. At this position, the wafer 2 has completed the thinning at the grinding module 21 and the cleaning at the cleaning device 43. The wafer 2 is not dry, and there is a water film on the back of the wafer 2. The wafer 2 is transported from the grinding module 21 to the position to be taken away by the polishing robot 33 by the second transfer unit 27. The polishing robot 33 will transport it to the chemical mechanical polishing unit 29 of the polishing module 22 for polishing.

[0069] In the figure, the first group of claws 5 and the second group of claws 6 of the robot 4 (in this embodiment, the polishing robot 33) have clamped the wafer 2 through the first claw 7, the second claw 8, the third claw 9, and the fourth claw 10, and are in a state of being carried out. In this state, the robot 4 can take operations including but not limited to moving the wafer 2 vertically away from the vacuum chuck 1 and moving horizontally, vertically, swinging up and down, and rotating concentrically relative to the vacuum chuck 1 in the illustrated orientation.

[0070] It should be noted here that, although two vacuum suction cups 1 are shown in the illustrated example and their shape is square, in optional embodiments, as needed, the vacuum suction cup 1 may also have other shapes such as circle, other polygons, irregular shapes, etc., and the number of vacuum suction cups 1 may also be other numbers, and the arrangement may also be different from that shown in the figure.

[0071] Figure 3 Schematically shows Figure 2 The water film between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 of the transfer assembly.

[0072] The figure shows a wafer 2, a vacuum chuck 1, and a water film 3 therebetween. Since the wafer 2 covers the entire vacuum chuck 1, the water film 3 is distributed on the entire surface of the vacuum chuck 1, where the area of ​​the water film 3 is equal to the area of ​​the vacuum chuck 1. The figure also shows adjacent components below the vacuum chuck 1, which are used to connect it to the second transmission unit, and will not be described in detail here.

[0073] The figure also schematically shows the third clamping claw 9 and the first clamping claw 7. It can be understood that according to the actual needs of wafer operation, in addition to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In addition to the clamping method shown in the figure, the manipulator 4 can also be clamped by claws of a different number than shown in the figure, such as but not limited to 3 claws, 5 claws or other numbers of claws.

[0074] Before the robot 4 moves the wafer 2 from the vacuum suction cup 1 of the second transfer unit 27, the wafer 2 is adsorbed by the vacuum suction cup 1. Although the two are tightly fitted, since the wafer is transferred to the vacuum suction cup 1 without drying after the cleaning process, a thin water film is still formed between the wafer and the vacuum suction cup.

[0075] When the robot 4 starts the transporting action, the wafer can be moved by the robot 4 through the various claws. Figure 3 That is, as can be seen from the figure, when the robot 4 starts the transporting action, the wafer 2 is not along the suction cup. Figure 2 The figure shows that the wafer 2 is moved vertically away from the vacuum chuck 1, i.e., moved upward along the Z axis by a predetermined distance, such as 200um to 400um, more specifically, 300um. When the wafer 2 is moved upward by the robot 4 away from the vacuum chuck 1 by the distance shown in the figure, the water film between the two is not broken, and the water film 3 is still maintained. However, this upward movement can prevent the residual crystal slag in the previous process from causing scratches on the wafer when the wafer and the chuck are relatively translated, swung or rotated.

[0076] As can be seen from the figure, the wafer 2 is parallel to the vacuum chuck 1 as a whole, and has moved upwards for a distance from the position where it is attached to the vacuum chuck 1. Despite this, there is still a water film 3 between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1. Due to the tension of the water film, the thickness of the water film 3 has not yet reached the level of breaking. In this case, it is avoided that the wafer 2 suddenly breaks the liquid tension and leaves the vacuum chuck 1, causing the water film 3 to suddenly break; such sudden breakage is likely to cause the wafer and the end of the gripper of the robot 4 to vibrate, resulting in damage to the contact part between the wafer and the gripper of the robot 4 and affecting the service life of the polishing robot.

[0077] Figure 4 A schematic top view of the polishing robot gripper in the wafer processing device is shown, and a vacuum chuck 1 and a wafer 2 of the transmission component in a second position relationship are also shown. Figure 5 Schematically shows Figure 4 A water film 3 is formed between the wafer and the vacuum chuck 1 of the transfer assembly.

[0078] The robot 4 holds the wafer as follows Figure 3 When the distance between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 is as shown in FIG, the robot 4 does not further vertically move the wafer 2 away from the vacuum chuck 1, but translates the wafer 2 horizontally toward the right in the figure to gradually reach the distance as shown in FIG. Figure 4 The movement process can be parallel to the contact surface between the wafer and the vacuum chuck.

[0079] exist Figure 4 At the position shown, the wafer 2 only partially covers the two vacuum chucks 1, and at the position where the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 overlap, there is still a water film 3 between the two, and the water film 3 is not broken. The figure shows the distance H that the robot 4 moves upward away from the vacuum chuck 1. This is because, when the wafer 2 is gradually moved horizontally by the claws of the robot 4, as the overlapping area between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 gradually decreases, the area of ​​the water film 3 between the two also gradually decreases.

[0080] In this process, due to the liquid tension, although the area of ​​the water film 3 gradually decreases, it does not overcome the liquid tension of the water film and will not cause the water film 3 to rupture or break. However, as the area of ​​the water film 3 decreases, the pulling force of the water film 3 between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 gradually decreases, and the force of the water film 3 on the wafer 2 also gradually decreases. Figure 4 At the relative position shown, even if the robot 4 continues to vertically move the wafer 2 away from the vacuum chuck 1, causing the water film 3 to break, it will not cause severe vibration of the wafer 2 and the end of the robot 4 claw, thereby avoiding damage to the contact part of the two. Figure 2 The wafer 2 is vertically separated from the vacuum chuck 1 at the position shown, which can produce beneficial technical effects.

[0081] In the process of reducing the water film area, it can be detected whether the overlapping area or the water film area between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 is less than the preset value. If it is less than the preset value, it can proceed to the step of breaking the water film; if it is greater than or equal to the preset value, it returns to the step of reducing the water film area, that is, continue to reduce the water film until it is detected that the overlapping area or the water film area is less than the preset value. This detection step can be performed by visual inspection or sensor.

[0082] In the present invention, the preset value is 1 / 10 or 1 / 5 of the wafer area to limit the overlapping area between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1. It should be noted that the preset value may also be other values, such as 1 / 6 or 1 / 8 of the wafer area.

[0083] In another operation mode, the robot 4 drives the wafer 2 to swing to Figure 4 After the wafer 2 is at the position, the robot 4 can continue to drive the wafer 2 to move horizontally until the water film 3 between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 gradually becomes smaller and finally disappears completely. This method also overcomes the vibration damage to the wafer and the robot caused by the rupture of the water film to the greatest extent. The subsequent horizontal movement of the wafer can also be horizontal, vertical, swinging, rotating, etc.

[0084] In this Figure 4 In the example, relative to Figure 2 As for the position shown, the robot 4 has made the wafer 2 relative to the vacuum chuck 1 Figure 4 The wafer 2 moves horizontally in the horizontal direction, which has the effect of gradually reducing the area of ​​the water film 3. In other embodiments, the wafer 2 can also take other horizontal movements relative to the vacuum chuck 1, for example, the wafer 2 can move horizontally relative to the vacuum chuck 1. Figure 4 The wafer 2 can be moved horizontally along the vertical axis, and the wafer 2 can be swung or rotated horizontally relative to the vacuum chuck 1. These horizontal movements can also achieve the effect of gradually reducing the area of ​​the water film 3 and reducing the force of the water film 3 on the wafer 2. For example, Figure 6 FIG. 4 shows an example in which the robot 4 drives the wafer 2 to swing horizontally.

[0085] In the present invention, swinging refers to the manipulator 4 swinging with the wafer 2, and rotation is to rotate the wafer 2 around its own center. Swinging and translation can reduce the overlapping area between the wafer and the vacuum suction cup, and rotation can stretch the liquid layer in the middle and reduce the liquid layer area, which plays a certain role in reducing the tension of the water film. It can be understood that a drive module can be configured for the clamping wheel of the clamping claw to drive the clamping wheel to rotate around its own axis, and the friction between the clamping wheel and the edge of the wafer can drive the wafer 2 to rotate. That is, a drive module can be configured for the clamping wheels of the first clamping claw 7, the second clamping claw 8, the third clamping claw 9 and the fourth clamping claw 10 to realize the rotation of the wafer 2.

[0086] Figure 6 A schematic top view of the polishing robot gripper in the wafer processing device is shown, and a vacuum chuck 1 and a wafer 2 of the transmission component in a third position relationship are also shown.

[0087] The robot 4 holds the wafer 2 to achieve the following Figure 3 When the distance between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 is as shown in FIG, the robot 4 does not further vertically move the wafer 2 away from the vacuum chuck 1, but swings the wafer 2 horizontally to gradually reach the distance as shown in FIG. Figure 6 The position in.

[0088] exist Figure 6 At the position shown, the wafer 2 only partially covers one of the vacuum chucks 1 in the figure, and at the position where the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 overlap each other, there is still a water film 3 between the two, and the water film 3 is not broken. This is because, when the wafer 2 is gradually swung horizontally by the gripper of the robot 4, as the overlapping area between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 gradually decreases, the area of ​​the water film 3 between the two also gradually decreases.

[0089] In this process, although the area of ​​the water film 3 shown in the figure gradually decreases, the liquid tension of the water film is not overcome, and the water film 3 will not be broken or fractured. At this time, as the area of ​​the water film 3 decreases, the pulling force of the water film 3 between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 gradually decreases, and the force of the water film 3 on the wafer 2 also gradually decreases. Figure 6 At the relative position shown, even if the robot 4 moves the wafer 2 vertically away from the vacuum chuck 1 again, causing the water film 3 to break, it will not cause severe vibration of the wafer 2 and the robot 4, thereby avoiding damage to the contact part of the two. Figure 2 The wafer 2 is vertically separated from the vacuum chuck 1 at the position shown, which can produce beneficial technical effects.

[0090] In another operation mode, the robot 4 drives the wafer 2 to swing to Figure 6 After the wafer 2 is in the position, the robot 4 can continue to drive the wafer 2 to move horizontally until the water film 3 between the wafer 2 and the vacuum suction cup 1 gradually becomes smaller and finally disappears completely. This method also overcomes the vibration damage of the wafer and the robot caused by the rupture of the water film to the greatest extent.

[0091] In other embodiments, upon reaching Figure 6 After reaching the position shown, the subsequent horizontal movement of the wafer may also be lateral, vertical, swinging, rotating, etc., so that the water film 3 gradually disappears.

[0092] Here, return to combine Figure 1 The wafer processing device shown and the related description in this specification, in an optional embodiment of the present invention, Figures 2 to 6 The robot 4 in the embodiment can be Figure 1 The polishing robot 33 of the wafer processing device; in other embodiments, Figures 2 to 6 The robot 4 in the embodiment can also be Figure 1 The robots in other modules of the wafer processing device, for example but not limited to the grinding robot 42 in the grinding module 21, etc.

[0093] Figure 7 A schematic flow chart of an embodiment of a wafer fetching method according to the present invention is shown.

[0094] Combination Figures 1 to 6 ,from Figure 7 As can be seen from the flowchart, the wafer removal method of the present invention is used to clamp the wafer 2 from the vacuum suction cup 1, and the method includes the following steps I to III. Specifically, it includes: step I, reducing the area of ​​the water film 3 between the wafer 2 and the vacuum suction cup 1; step II, moving the wafer 2 away from the vacuum suction cup 1 to break the water film; step III, taking away the wafer 2.

[0095] Optionally, before step I, the wafer 2 can be moved vertically by a manipulator 4 so that the wafer 2 is a certain distance away from the vacuum chuck 1. Depending on the specific circumstances, the distance can be 200um~400um; more specifically, in a further optional embodiment, the distance can also be 300um. Before horizontally transporting the wafer, by first vertically moving the wafer a certain distance away from the vacuum chuck and then transporting it horizontally, it is possible to avoid particles such as debris, slag, etc. between the wafer and the vacuum chuck from scratching the wafer. It can be understood that in the cleaning process before the wafer is taken out, there may be debris, slag, etc. that have not been cleaned off, which may affect the wafer handling. The operation of this step avoids this unfavorable situation.

[0096] In step I, the area of ​​the water film 3 between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 is reduced.

[0097] In a specific embodiment, reducing the area of ​​the water film 3 can be achieved by using the manipulator 4 to horizontally transport the wafer 2. Specifically, it is moved parallel to the contact surface between the wafer 2 and the vacuum suction cup 1. By horizontally transporting the wafer 2 by the manipulator 4, the wafer 2 can be moved, rotated or swung horizontally relative to the vacuum suction cup 1, gradually changing the positional relationship between the wafer and the vacuum suction cup, reducing the overlapping area between the wafer 2 and the vacuum suction cup 1, and gradually reducing the water film area, thereby reducing the liquid tension of the water film between the wafer and the suction cup. After this process, after the liquid tension is reduced to a certain extent, disconnecting the water film will not cause severe vibration of the wafer and the manipulator, and can protect the wafer and the manipulator from damage.

[0098] As mentioned above, if the wafer 2 is moved vertically away from the vacuum suction cup 1 for a certain distance and then the wafer 2 is moved horizontally, rotated or swung using the robot 4 in step I, scratches on the wafer caused by debris, slag, etc. can be avoided.

[0099] In addition, in some embodiments, in order to reduce the water film more stably, in the step I, a certain amount of gas can be distributed to the wafer 2 via the vacuum chuck 1 to destroy the vacuum between the vacuum chuck 1 and the wafer 2. In this case, optionally, the vacuum chuck 1 can be made of a porous ceramic material, and the gas distribution is performed by the porous ceramic material. A gas channel can be provided under the vacuum chuck, and its interconnection with the wafer surface is achieved through porous ceramics to achieve the entry and exit of gas or other fluids and adjust the properties of the water film. When the clean gas is distributed between the wafer and the vacuum chuck, the gas can accelerate the evaporation of water and assist in reducing the area of ​​the water film; when the clean gas is distributed to the water film, according to the distribution amount and distribution speed of the gas, the liquid tension can also be appropriately decomposed, which is conducive to the uniform and gradual reduction of the water film area, and no violent vibration will occur.

[0100] In step II, the wafer 2 is moved away from the vacuum chuck 1 to break the water film.

[0101] In this step, the robot 4 can be used to carry the wafer 2 so that the wafer 2 is vertically away from the vacuum chuck 1, the tension is broken, and the water film is pulled apart. Alternatively, in an optional embodiment, the robot 4 can be used to carry the wafer 2 so that the wafer 2 continues to move, rotate or swing horizontally relative to the vacuum chuck 1, gradually away from the vacuum chuck, and finally the tension is broken and the water film is pulled apart.

[0102] Since the liquid pulling force has been reduced in the previous step I by reducing the water film area and / or distributing gas through the vacuum chuck, the breaking of the water film in step II will not cause severe vibration of the wafer and the robot, thus avoiding damage caused thereby. Optionally, in the process of breaking the water film, gas can be distributed to the wafer 2 through the vacuum chuck 1, which can help reduce undesirable component vibration.

[0103] During step I, it is also possible to detect whether the overlapping area or water film area between the wafer 2 and the vacuum chuck 1 is less than a preset value: if it is less than the preset value, proceed to step II of disconnecting the water film; if it is greater than or equal to the preset value, return to step I of reducing the water film, that is, continue to reduce the water film. This detection can be achieved by visual inspection or sensor.

[0104] In step III, the wafer 2 is removed. After the water film between the wafer and the vacuum chuck is broken, the robot can use an appropriate movement method to remove the wafer 2 and transport it to the next process.

[0105] The present invention further provides a wafer conveying method used in a wafer processing device 20. The wafer conveying method may include a step of using a robot 4 to clamp a wafer 2 from a vacuum chuck 1, wherein the robot 4 clamps the wafer 2 from the vacuum chuck 1 using a method as described in any of the above embodiments. The wafer processing device 20 may include a grinding module 21, a polishing module 22, and a transmission component between the grinding module 21 and the polishing module 22, such as Figure 1 The second transfer unit 27 in the wafer processing device 20 includes a transfer component including a vacuum chuck 1, and the robot 4 may be a polishing robot 33 at the polishing module 22, and the polishing robot 33 is used to carry the wafer 2 from the transfer component to the polishing module 22. In other optional embodiments, the robot 4 may be a robot in other transfer components or transfer units of the wafer processing device 20.

[0106] The present invention further provides a wafer processing method including the above-mentioned wafer transfer method, which may specifically include:

[0107] Grinding the wafer using the grinding module 21 of the wafer processing device 20;

[0108] The wafer transfer method is used to transfer the ground wafer to a polishing module of a wafer processing device;

[0109] The wafer is polished using the polishing module 22 .

[0110] The present invention further provides a computer storage medium on which a computer program is stored, and when the program is executed by a processor, the aforementioned wafer fetching method can be implemented. Specifically, a system or device equipped with a storage medium can be provided, on which a software program code for implementing the functions of any of the above embodiments is stored, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or device reads out and executes the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code read from the storage medium itself can implement the functions of any of the above embodiments, so the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute part of this application. Storage medium embodiments for providing program codes include floppy disks, hard disks, magneto-optical disks, optical disks (such as CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW), magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, and ROMs. Optionally, the program code can be downloaded from a server computer by a communication network.

[0111] The present invention further provides a wafer transfer device. The wafer transfer device may include a vacuum suction cup 1 and a transfer mechanism. For example, the transfer mechanism may include the aforementioned manipulator for clamping a wafer. The vacuum suction cup is configured to receive a wafer. The transfer mechanism is configured to clamp a wafer from the vacuum suction cup by a method as described in any one of the aforementioned embodiments. Optionally, the wafer transfer device may also include a controller connected to the transfer mechanism, and an execution program may be built into the controller, and the controller is configured to be able to run the execution program to control the transfer mechanism to execute the wafer fetching method.

[0112] The present invention further provides a wafer processing device 20. The wafer processing device 20 may include a grinding module 21, a polishing module 22, and a transmission component between the grinding module 21 and the polishing module 22. The wafer 2 will undergo a back cleaning operation during the return process after thinning in the grinding module 21, and a water film will be attached to the surface of the cleaned wafer. The transmission component includes the vacuum suction cup 1, and the manipulator 4 is a polishing manipulator of the polishing module 22. The polishing manipulator is used to transport the wafer 2 from the transmission component to the polishing module 22, and the polishing manipulator clamps the wafer 2 from the vacuum suction cup 1 in a method as described in any of the above embodiments to avoid damage to the wafer and / or the manipulator due to vibration caused by the destruction of liquid tension between the wafer and the vacuum suction cup.

[0113] Specifically, the thinning process of the wafer 2 in the thinning machine of the wafer processing device 20 can be: the wafer 2 is transferred to the grinding module 21 by the transmission component, and after the thinning of the grinding module 21 is completed, the wafer 2 is clamped by the robot 4 through the transmission component and transferred to the polishing module 22. The transmission component has a vacuum suction cup 1 for adsorbing the wafer 2, and the robot 4 can have a claw for clamping and transporting the wafer 2. The robot 4 in this example can be a polishing robot 33.

[0114] 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 removal method, characterized in that: The method utilizes the claws of a robot (4) to clamp a wafer (2) from a vacuum suction cup (1), and the method comprises the following steps: Step I: using a robot (4) to move the wafer (2) parallel to the contact surface between the wafer (2) and the vacuum chuck (1), so as to reduce the area of ​​the water film (3) between the wafer (2) and the vacuum chuck (1); Step II: moving the wafer (2) away from the vacuum chuck (1) to break the water film; Step III: Remove the wafer (2); In the step I, moving the wafer (2) parallel to the contact surface between the wafer (2) and the vacuum chuck (1) comprises: translating or swinging the wafer (2) parallel to the contact surface between the wafer (2) and the vacuum chuck (1); The method further comprises: before step I, using the robot (4) to move the wafer (2) so that the wafer (2) is vertically away from the vacuum chuck (1) by a distance of 200 um to 400 um, and the water film does not break within the distance.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that During step I, it is detected whether the overlapping area or water film area between the wafer (2) and the vacuum suction cup (1) is less than a preset value: when it is less than the preset value, proceed to step II; when it is greater than or equal to the preset value, return to step I.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The distance is 300um.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In the step I, moving the wafer (2) parallel to the contact surface between the wafer (2) and the vacuum chuck (1) comprises: rotating the wafer (2) in the process of translating or swinging the wafer (2) parallel to the contact surface between the wafer (2) and the vacuum chuck (1).

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before step I or step II, gas is distributed to the wafer (2) via the vacuum chuck (1) to destroy the vacuum between the vacuum chuck (1) and the wafer (2).

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The vacuum chuck (1) is made of a porous ceramic material, and gas distribution is performed by the porous ceramic material.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In step II, the wafer is translated, rotated or swung parallel to the contact surface between the wafer (2) and the vacuum suction cup (1), so that the wafer (2) moves away from the vacuum suction cup and the water film is broken.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The robot (4) comprises a first group of claws (5) and a second group of claws (6), wherein the first group of claws (5) comprises a first claw (7) and a second claw (8) which are arranged side by side, and the second group of claws (6) comprises a third claw (9) and a fourth claw (10) which are arranged side by side, and the first group of claws (5) and the second group of claws (6) are capable of relative movement so as to clamp and carry the wafer (2).

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The second group of claws (6) is controlled by a pressure cylinder, and the pressure cylinder is an oil cylinder or a gas cylinder.

10. A wafer conveying method used in a wafer processing device, characterized in that: The wafer conveying method comprises the step of using a robot arm (4) to clamp the wafer (2) from the vacuum chuck (1), wherein the robot arm (4) clamps the wafer (2) from the vacuum chuck (1) using the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The wafer processing device (20) comprises a grinding module (21), a polishing module (22), and a transmission component between the grinding module (21) and the polishing module (22), wherein the transmission component comprises the vacuum suction cup (1), and the robot (4) is a polishing robot of the polishing module (22), and the polishing robot is used to transport the wafer (2) from the transmission component to the polishing module (22).

12. A wafer processing method, characterized in that: include: Grinding the wafer using a grinding module (21) of a wafer processing device (20); Using the wafer transfer method according to claim 10 or 11, the ground wafer is transferred to a polishing module (22) of a wafer processing device (20); The wafer is polished using the polishing module (22).

13. A wafer transfer device, characterized in that: The wafer transfer device comprises: a vacuum chuck configured to receive a wafer; A transfer mechanism configured to pick up a wafer from a vacuum chuck by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. The wafer transfer device according to claim 13, wherein: The wafer transfer device further includes a controller connected to the transfer mechanism, wherein an execution program is built into the controller, and the controller is configured to run the execution program to control the transfer mechanism to perform the method.

15. A wafer processing device, characterized in that: The wafer processing device (20) comprises a grinding module (21), a polishing module (22) and a transmission component between the grinding module (21) and the polishing module (22), wherein the transmission component comprises the vacuum suction cup (1), the polishing module (22) comprises a polishing robot, the polishing robot is used to transport the wafer (2) from the transmission component to the polishing module (22), and the polishing robot clamps the wafer (2) from the vacuum suction cup (1) by the method described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

16. A computer storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented.

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