Wafer processing apparatus and wafer processing method

Abstract

The application relates to a wafer processing device and a wafer processing method, the wafer processing device comprising at least one of a coarse alignment unit and a fine alignment unit; the coarse alignment unit comprises a hollow ring with a wafer alignment guide surface, the fine alignment unit comprises a wafer position detector for detecting the position of the edge of a wafer and a horizontal displacement device for moving the wafer; the application can guide the wafer with large deviation to fall on the wafer holder by arranging the hollow ring with the wafer alignment guide surface above the wafer holder, so as to realize coarse alignment of the wafer; the fine alignment of the wafer is realized by the wafer position detector and the horizontal displacement device moving in one direction, which can not only prevent the wafer from flying and breaking in rotation, improve the stability of the process, but also make the structure of the fine alignment unit simple, the cost low and the correction convenient.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor technology, in particular to a wafer processing device and a wafer processing method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, the processes involved include thin film deposition, photolithography, etching, cleaning, etc., among which photolithography is one of the most critical steps. In the photolithography process, through coating, exposure and development, the pattern on the mask is transferred to the wafer coated with photoresist.

[0003] In the process of spin coating, due to the deviation of the robot when placing the wafer or the decrease of the adsorption force of the tray, etc., the position deviation occurs between the wafer and the chuck that holds the wafer, which easily affects the uniformity of the coating, and even the wafer is thrown and broken, thereby reducing the production yield of the wafer.

[0004] It can be seen that how to correct the position of the wafer is a problem to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a wafer processing device and a wafer processing method, which solves the problem that the position deviation of the wafer affects the production yield.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a wafer processing device, comprising a wafer holder and a wafer support, the wafer holder is used to carry and hold a wafer, the wafer holder can rotate and has a rotation center and a corresponding rotation axis, the wafer support can at least carry the wafer to move vertically to place the wafer on the wafer holder or make the wafer separate from the wafer holder; the wafer processing device further comprises at least one of a coarse alignment unit and a fine alignment unit; the coarse alignment unit comprises a hollow ring, the hollow ring is arranged above the wafer carried or held by the wafer holder, the inner diameter of the hollow ring is larger than the wafer, the inner wall of the hollow ring has a wafer alignment guide surface, the wafer alignment guide surface gradually approaches the rotation axis in a direction from top to bottom; the wafer processing device is configured to, in the process that the wafer support carries the wafer to move vertically to place the wafer on the wafer holder, the wafer passes through the hollow ring.

[0007] The fine alignment unit comprises a wafer position detector for detecting the wafer edge position of the wafer on the wafer holder, the wafer edge position comprises the horizontal distance between the measurement point on the edge of the wafer and the rotation center, and a distance signal is generated according to the horizontal distance; a horizontal displacer connected with the wafer support for moving the wafer on the wafer support along a target horizontal direction.

[0008] Optionally, the wafer position detector comprises at least one of an optical sensor, a capacitive sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

[0009] Optionally, the wafer position detector is a plurality of wafer position detectors, and the plurality of wafer position detectors are arranged around the rotation axis.

[0010] Optionally, the wafer support comprises a plurality of jacks, the plurality of jacks are arranged horizontally spaced apart from the wafer holder; the horizontal displacer is connected with the wafer support comprises that the horizontal displacer is connected with the jacks; the upper end of the jack is used for carrying a wafer, and the upper end of the jack is capable of extending and retracting in the vertical direction relative to the horizontal displacer.

[0011] Optionally, the horizontal displacer comprises a guide rail extending along the target horizontal direction; a chassis movably arranged on the guide rail; the horizontal displacer is connected with the jacks comprises that the chassis is fixedly connected with the lower end of the plurality of jacks; a driving assembly drivingly connected with the chassis, used for driving the chassis to move along the guide rail.

[0012] Optionally, the driving assembly comprises a nut fixedly arranged on the chassis; a screw rod penetrating through the nut along the direction in which the guide rail extends; a motor drivingly connected with the screw rod, used for driving the screw rod to rotate, so that the chassis is capable of reciprocating along the direction in which the screw rod extends.

[0013] Optionally, the wafer processing device comprises the fine alignment unit, and the wafer processing device further comprises a controller, the wafer holder, the wafer support, the wafer position detector and the horizontal displacer are connected to the controller, and the controller is configured to perform the following steps: S1. Controlling the relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector, controlling the wafer position detector to detect the wafer edge position of the wafer on the wafer holder, and determining whether the horizontal distance exceeds a preset range according to the distance signal; when it is determined that the horizontal distance exceeds the preset range, obtaining the maximum offset of the horizontal distance according to the distance signal, and obtaining the angular position of the measurement point corresponding to the maximum offset; S2. Controlling the relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector according to the angular position of the measurement point corresponding to the maximum offset, so that the measurement point with the maximum horizontal distance offset is parallel to the vertical line of the rotation axis in the target horizontal direction, and the wafer holder stops rotating; S3. Controlling the wafer support to carry the wafer to perform vertical movement to make the wafer separate from the wafer holder, and controlling the wafer support to move along the target horizontal direction by the horizontal displacer according to the maximum offset, so that the wafer support performs vertical movement to place the wafer on the wafer holder.

[0014] Optionally, the controller is configured to obtain the angular position of the measurement point according to the angular velocity of the relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector and the time of measuring the measurement point when measuring the wafer edge position.

[0015] Optionally, the wafer processing device comprises at least one of a photoresist coating mechanism, a photoresist developing mechanism, a cleaning mechanism and an etching mechanism.

[0016] Optionally, the wafer processing device further comprises at least one of a liquid collecting tank and a cover plate assembly; the liquid collecting tank is used to accommodate the wafer and collect waste liquid; the liquid collecting tank has an opening, and the hollow ring is arranged at the opening; the cover plate assembly comprises a vertically movable cover plate and a support, and the cover plate is arranged above the wafer on the wafer holder, and the support is connected with the cover plate to make the cover plate flip in the vertical direction or the cover plate can move up and down in the vertical direction.

[0017] Optionally, the wafer processing device comprises the fine alignment unit; and the wafer position detector is at least partially arranged in the liquid collecting tank or / and the cover plate assembly.

[0018] In a second aspect, the application provides a wafer processing method, which is implemented by the wafer processing device, and includes at least one of a coarse alignment step and a fine alignment step; the coarse alignment step includes: carrying the wafer on the wafer support, and vertically moving the wafer support to place the wafer on the wafer holder through the hollow ring.

[0019] The fine alignment step includes: relatively rotating the wafer holder and the wafer position detector, detecting the wafer edge position of the wafer on the wafer holder by the wafer position detector, judging whether the wafer has a position deviation according to the wafer edge position, after determining that the wafer has a position deviation, relatively rotating the wafer holder and the wafer position detector, so that the perpendicular line of the measurement point with the largest deviation amount to the rotation axis is parallel to the target horizontal direction, and stopping the rotation of the wafer holder, vertically moving the wafer support to carry the wafer to separate the wafer from the wafer holder, moving the wafer support along the target horizontal direction by the horizontal displacer according to the largest deviation amount, and vertically moving the wafer support to place the wafer on the wafer holder.

[0020] The technical scheme provided by the application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0021] 1. The hollow ring with a wafer alignment guide surface is arranged above the wafer holder, the wafer support carries the wafer from the mechanical hand, and the wafer passes through the hollow ring as the wafer support descends, the edge of the wafer contacts the alignment guide surface and slides along the alignment guide surface to the wafer holder when the wafer has a large deviation, the wafer deviation correction is realized, and the wafer support does not slip when carrying a wafer with a large deviation, which can effectively improve the production yield of the wafer.

[0022] 2. The fine alignment of the wafer position is realized by the wafer position detector and the horizontal displacer, which can not only prevent the wafer from flying and breaking during rotation, but also improve the process precision of the wafer in processes such as coating, developing, cleaning or etching.

[0023] 3. The wafer on the wafer support is moved along the target horizontal direction by the horizontal displacer, which is equivalent to moving the wafer in a horizontal direction to correct the deviation position, so that the structure of the fine alignment unit is simple, the cost is low, the correction is convenient, and the practicability of the product is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the application and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the application. It is to be understood that the drawings are only schematic, and that they do not purport to be to scale with respect to one another. The embodiments presented herein are by way of example and are not limited unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to a first embodiment is shown.

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to a second embodiment is shown.

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to a third embodiment is shown.

[0028] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a first wafer processing method according to a fourth embodiment is shown.

[0029] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a second wafer processing method according to a fourth embodiment is shown.

[0030] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a relationship between a measurement point and a reference point according to a fourth embodiment is shown.

[0031] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a third wafer processing method according to a fourth embodiment is shown.

[0032] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to a seventh embodiment is shown.

[0033] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a wafer position detector mounted in a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the application, in which the wafer position detector is an optical sensor, is shown.

[0034] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a wafer position detector mounted in a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the application, in which the wafer position detector is a capacitive sensor, is shown.

[0035] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a wafer position detector mounted in a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the application, in which the wafer position detector is an ultrasonic sensor, is shown.

[0036] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of a wafer processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the application and a horizontal displacer included therein is shown.

[0037] Reference Signs List:

[0038] 100, wafer processing device; 110, wafer holder; 120, wafer support; 130, hollow ring; 131, wafer alignment guide surface; 140, liquid collecting groove; 141, annular sidewall; 142, annular flow guide wall; 143, hollow cavity; 144, base; 150, wafer position detector; 151, signal sending end; 152, signal receiving end; 153, reflecting end; 160, horizontal displacer; 161, guide rail; 162, chassis; 163, drive assembly; 1631, nut; 1632, screw rod; 1633, motor; 170, cover plate assembly; 171, cover plate; 172, support; 180, controller;

[0039] 200, wafer;

[0040] M, rotation axis; X, target horizontal direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Example implementations will now be described with reference to the drawings. However, example implementations can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of example implementations to those skilled in the art.

[0042] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a thorough understanding of embodiments of the application. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the

[0043] The application will be further described with reference to the drawings and specific examples. It is to be understood that the specific examples described herein are merely illustrative of the application and that various modifications can be made in the application by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the application. The following examples are presented to more fully explain the application and are not intended to limit the scope of the application.

[0044] Before introducing the specific embodiments of the application, a detailed description of the wafer position offset mentioned in the background section is made; the reasons for the wafer position offset or wafer breakage mainly include the following cases:

[0045] The wafer has a large eccentricity on the robot, which causes the wafer support (for example, a pin or a needle) to slip and break when supporting the wafer, or a large displacement between the wafer and the chuck when the wafer is placed on the chuck by the wafer support.

[0046] The wafer back is dirty, the air pressure of the chuck fluctuates, the chuck ages, and other reasons cause the vacuum degree of the chuck to decrease, and processing errors can all cause the wafer to have a positional offset. When the chuck rotates with the wafer, the wafer further displaces due to the positional offset, insufficient vacuum degree of the chuck, and centrifugal force of rotation, and even breaks during the rotation of the wafer.

[0047] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a wafer processing device, specifically including the following embodiments:

[0048] Figure 1 The structure of the wafer processing device provided by the first embodiment is shown in the figure. As shown in the figure, Figure 1 As shown, the wafer processing device 100 includes a wafer holder 110 and a wafer support 120. The wafer holder 110 is used to carry and hold the wafer 200. The wafer holder 110 can rotate and has a rotation center O and a corresponding rotation axis M. The wafer support 120 can at least carry the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement, that is, at least the top end of the wafer support 120, that is, the part carrying the wafer 200, can perform vertical movement, so that the wafer 200 carried thereby performs vertical movement, so as to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110 or make the wafer 200 separate from the wafer holder 110. The wafer processing device includes a coarse alignment unit. It can be understood that when the wafer processing device 100 is used to process the wafer 200, the wafer 200 carried or held by the wafer holder 110 is horizontal or approximately horizontal, the rotation axis M is vertical or approximately vertical, and the rotation center O is located on the rotation axis M.

[0049] The coarse alignment unit comprises a hollow ring 130 arranged above the wafer 200 carried or held by the wafer holder 110, the inner diameter of the hollow ring 130 is larger than the wafer 200, the inner wall of the hollow ring 130 has a wafer alignment guide surface 131 gradually approaching the rotation axis M in the direction from the top surface of the hollow ring 130 downward, i.e. in the upward direction, and the wafer support 120 carries the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110, in the process, the wafer 200 passes through the hollow ring 130, and the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is used to guide the alignment of the wafer passing through the hollow ring 130. It can be understood that the upward direction is the upward direction in the space in the vertical direction when the wafer 200 is processed using the wafer processing device 100. Obviously, in the horizontal projection, the hollow ring 130 does not overlap the aligned wafer 200 carried or held by the wafer holder 110. Therefore, after the wafer 200 is transferred from the robot to the wafer support 120, the wafer support 120 can be lowered to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110, and the wafer 200 can pass through the hollow ring 130, and the wafer alignment guide surface 131 can be used to achieve coarse alignment of the position of the wafer 200 during the process of the wafer 200 passing through the hollow ring 130, i.e. even if the center of the wafer 200 and the rotation center O are coarse aligned and overlap.

[0050] For example, the lower end of the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is higher than the upper side of the wafer 200 carried or held by the wafer holder 110, the inner diameter of the annular ring formed by the lower end of the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is larger than the wafer 200, and the wafer alignment guide surface 131 forms a conical ring, the cone of which is an isosceles cone, and the cone is coaxially arranged with the rotation axis M. Preferably, the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is the side surface of a truncated cone. For example, in the horizontal direction, the cross section of the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is an annular surface, which can be a complete or incomplete annular surface. For example, in the vertical direction, the cross section of the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is a straight line, a curve or a plurality of inclined lines, and the present application does not make specific limitations as long as the wafer alignment guide surface 131 can guide the coarse alignment of the wafer 200. Preferably, the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is a smooth and flat straight surface to reduce the collision of the wafer 200 during coarse alignment.

[0051] In this embodiment, when the wafer processing apparatus is in operation, the wafer support 120 rises. The point on which the wafer support 120 supports the wafer 200 is higher than the upper end of the wafer alignment guide surface 131. For example, the top of the wafer support 120 is higher than the hollow ring 130. After the wafer support 120 receives the wafer 200 from the robotic arm, it carries the wafer 200 down. The wafer 200 passes through the hollow ring 130 and is placed in the wafer holder 110. If the wafer 200 has already been significantly offset while on the robotic arm, the position of the wafer 200 will also be significantly offset when the wafer support 120 receives the wafer 200. When the wafer 200 is lowered by the support 120 and passes through the hollow ring 130, the edge of the offset wafer 200 will contact the wafer alignment guide surface 131 in the hollow ring 130. As the wafer support 120 descends, under the action of gravity, the edge of the wafer 200 with a larger offset slides down along the wafer alignment guide surface 131 and falls vertically onto the wafer holder 110. That is, the wafer alignment guide surface 131 guides the wafer 200 from a state with a large offset to the completion of coarse alignment, thereby effectively preventing the wafer support 120 from slipping when receiving the wafer 200 with a large offset. Furthermore, as the top of the wafer alignment guide surface 131 gradually moves downward toward the rotation axis M, the center of the wafer 200 automatically moves closer to the rotation center O in the horizontal projection as the wafer 200 slides down from the wafer alignment guide surface 131, thereby achieving coarse alignment of the wafer 200.

[0052] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, points A and B exist on a vertical cross-section of the wafer alignment guide surface 131. Point B is located at the bottom of the wafer alignment guide surface 131, and point A is any point higher than point B. After the wafer support 120 receives the wafer 200 from the robotic arm, it moves vertically downwards. During the movement, the wafer 200 contacts point A of the wafer alignment guide surface 131 due to positional shift. In the subsequent descent, the wafer 200 is guided by the wafer alignment guide surface 131, and the contact point slides from point A to point B, and then directly descends vertically from point B onto the wafer holder 110. Because the wafer alignment guide surface 131 gradually moves closer to the rotation axis M in a downward direction, the center of the wafer 200 is closer to the rotation center O after the wafer 200 slides from point A to point B, thus achieving automatic coarse alignment of the wafer 200. Figure 1 When wafer 200 contacts point A, the offset between the center of the circle and the rotation center O is X1. When wafer 200 contacts point B, the offset between the center of the circle and the rotation center O is X2. Obviously, X2 < X1, which means that the wafer holder 110 achieves coarse offset correction when receiving wafer 200 with a large offset.

[0053] It should be noted that if the wafer 200 held by the wafer support 120 has no or small offset, when the wafer support 120 is lowered, the edge of the wafer 200 held thereby will not contact the wafer alignment guide surface 131, but the wafer 200 will be placed on the wafer holder 110 directly after passing through the hollow ring 130, and the position of the wafer 200 is guided by the wafer alignment guide surface 131 to complete the coarse alignment.

[0054] In another embodiment, the coarse alignment unit, i.e. the hollow ring 130, is an incomplete ring formed by a plurality of wafer alignment guide surfaces 131 arranged horizontally and spaced apart from each other.

[0055] The embodiment can achieve coarse correction of the offset of the wafer 200 by arranging the hollow ring 130 with the wafer alignment guide surface 131 above the wafer holder 110, and after the wafer support 120 holds the wafer 200 with large offset from the robot, the edge of the wafer 200 slides along the wafer alignment guide surface 131 to the wafer holder 110 as the wafer support 120 is lowered; and by performing coarse alignment during the process of delivering the wafer 200 from the wafer support 120 to the wafer holder 110, the time for which the wafer 200 has large offset on the wafer support 120 is reduced, the probability of wafer slip when the wafer support 120 holds the wafer with large offset is reduced, and the production yield of wafers can be effectively improved.

[0056] Figure 2 Fig. 1 shows a structure schematic diagram of a wafer processing device provided by a second embodiment; as Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the wafer processing device 100 includes a wafer holder 110 and a wafer support 120, the wafer holder 110 is used to hold and retain a wafer 200, the wafer holder 110 is rotatable and has a rotation center O and a corresponding rotation axis M, the wafer support 120 is at least capable of holding the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110 or to separate the wafer 200 from the wafer holder 110; the wafer processing device 100 includes a fine alignment unit.

[0057] Specifically, the fine alignment unit includes a wafer position detector 150 and a horizontal displacer 160.

[0058] The wafer position detector 150 is used to detect the wafer edge position of the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110, the wafer edge position includes the horizontal distance between the measurement point on the edge of the wafer 200 and the rotation center O, and a distance signal is generated according to the horizontal distance.

[0059] For example, to detect the edge position of the wafer 200, the wafer position detector 150 is relatively rotated with the wafer holder 110, and the wafer position detector 150 measures the position of the measuring point on the edge of the wafer 200 carried on the wafer holder 110 to obtain the horizontal distance. The relative rotation between the wafer position detector 150 and the wafer holder 110 can be achieved by keeping the wafer holder 110 static and rotating the wafer position detector 150 horizontally around the rotation center O. Preferably, the relative rotation between the wafer position detector 150 and the wafer holder 110 is achieved by keeping the wafer position detector 150 static and rotating the wafer holder 110.

[0060] For example, when the wafer processing device 100 includes one wafer position detector 150, the wafer position detector 150 is relatively rotated with the wafer holder 110 for at least one revolution, and thus the position of the measuring point on the edge of the wafer 200 can be detected for one revolution.

[0061] In some embodiments, the edge position of the wafer 200 is detected before the wafer 200 is placed on the wafer holder 110 from the wafer support 120, before the wafer holder 110 rotates the wafer 200 to perform a process step, during the wafer holder 110 rotates the wafer 200 to perform a process step, during the wafer holder 110 rotates the wafer 200 to perform a process step, when the horizontal distance exceeds a preset value, i.e., the position of the wafer 200 deviates beyond a range, the process step is paused, the edge position of the wafer 200 is detected, after the wafer holder 110 rotates the wafer 200 to perform a process step, before the wafer 200 is removed from the wafer holder 110, or after a fine alignment step of the wafer 200 is completed.

[0062] The wafer position detector 150 includes, but is not limited to, an optical sensor, a capacitive sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor, and the present application is not limited thereto as long as the wafer position detector 150 can measure the position of the measuring point on the edge of the wafer 200 to obtain the horizontal distance from the rotation center O. Preferably, the wafer position detector 150 is fixedly arranged near the edge of the wafer 200.

[0063] In some embodiments, multiple wafer position detectors 150 are provided around the rotation axis M. In this way, the accuracy and efficiency of wafer edge position detection can be improved. For example, providing multiple wafer position detectors 150 around the rotation axis M includes equidistantly arranging N wafer position detectors 150 around the circumference of the wafer 200, so that the wafer holder 110 only needs to rotate 1 / N of a circle to complete the edge position detection of the entire wafer, i.e., the rotation amplitude of the wafer holder 110 during wafer position detection can be reduced, and the detection efficiency can be improved, and the risk of defects caused by failure of the wafer position detector 150 during processing of the wafer 200 can be reduced.

[0064] The horizontal displacer 160 is connected to the wafer support 120 and is used to drive the wafer 200 on the wafer support 120 to move in the target horizontal direction X. The target horizontal direction includes a horizontal direction and an approximately horizontal direction.

[0065] For example, the wafer processing device includes a fine alignment unit, and the following fine alignment steps can be implemented: relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector, the wafer position detector 150 detects the wafer edge position of at least part of the measurement points on the circumference of the wafer 200, and determines whether the wafer 200 has deviated. If there is a deviation, position correction is performed.

[0066] Determining whether the wafer 200 has deviated includes determining whether the horizontal distance exceeds a preset range according to the distance signal.

[0067] For example, determining whether the horizontal distance exceeds a preset range according to the distance signal includes: determining whether the horizontal distance of each measurement point Q exceeds a preset range, and determining that the wafer 200 has deviated when the horizontal distance exceeds the preset range; or, obtaining the measurement point Q with the largest deviation and the corresponding horizontal distance, and determining that the wafer 200 has deviated when the horizontal distance of the measurement point Q with the largest deviation exceeds the preset range.

[0068] Before position correction, at least the horizontal distance corresponding to the measurement point Q with the largest deviation is obtained, i.e., the largest deviation is obtained.

[0069] Position correction includes: the wafer holder 110 drives the wafer 200 to rotate so that the measurement point Q with the largest deviation is parallel to the vertical line of the rotation axis M; the wafer support 120 drives the wafer 200 to separate from the wafer holder 110, and the horizontal displacer 160 drives the wafer 200 on the wafer support 120 to move in the X direction by the largest deviation.

[0070] Preferably, the wafer position detector 150 detects the wafer edge positions of all the measurement points Q on the circumference of the wafer 200 to obtain the measurement point Q with the largest offset. In some embodiments, the fine alignment step can be performed multiple times until the wafer 200 is not offset, for example, until the horizontal positions corresponding to each of the measurement points Q are within a preset range or the horizontal position corresponding to the measurement point Q with the largest offset is within a preset range.

[0071] By making the wafer processing device include the fine alignment unit, the position of the wafer 200 can be detected in real time when the wafer support 120 places the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110, when the wafer support 120 carries the wafer 200 away from the wafer holder 110, or during the rotation of the wafer 200 to perform a process step. By performing the fine alignment step, the wafer 200 can be prevented from flying and breaking during rotation, and the processing accuracy of the wafer 200 during the process of coating, developing, cleaning, or etching can be improved. At the same time, the wafer support 120 on the wafer support 120 is moved by the horizontal displacement device 160 along the target horizontal direction X by a distance determined by the horizontal distance corresponding to the measurement point Q with the largest offset, which is equivalent to moving the wafer 200 in one direction once to correct the offset position. The correction efficiency is high, and the structure of the fine alignment unit is simple, the cost is low, and the correction is convenient.

[0072] Figure 3 Fig. 1 shows a structure schematic diagram of a wafer processing device provided by a third embodiment; as Figure 3 As shown, the wafer processing device 100 includes a wafer holder 110 and a wafer support 120. The wafer holder 110 is used to carry and hold a wafer 200. The wafer holder 110 is rotatable and has a rotation center O and a corresponding rotation axis M. The wafer support 120 can at least carry the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110 or to carry the wafer away from the wafer holder 110. The wafer processing device 100 includes a coarse alignment unit and a fine alignment unit.

[0073] In the third embodiment, the coarse alignment unit, its working process, and the resulting technical effects are the same as those described in the first embodiment. The fine alignment unit, its working process, and the resulting technical effects are also the same as those described in the second embodiment, and thus will not be described again.

[0074] In addition, the third embodiment provides a wafer processing device 100 including a coarse alignment unit and a fine alignment unit. After the coarse alignment unit corrects the position of the wafer 200, the offset of the wafer 200 is reduced to a certain range, and then the fine alignment unit is used to fine align the offset position of the wafer 200 until the offset of the wafer 200 is less than a preset value. In this way, the accuracy of the position of the wafer 200 is improved, and the wafer 200 is prevented from being thrown and broken due to a large offset during rotation. In addition, the time, correction times, and action amplitude of the fine alignment step are reduced, the production efficiency is improved, the risk of defects of the wafer 200 caused by correction actions is reduced, and the action amplitude of the horizontal displacer 160 in the fine alignment unit causes the space occupied by the wafer processing device 100 to change.

[0075] The fourth embodiment provides a wafer processing method including at least one of a coarse alignment step and a fine alignment step.

[0076] Figure 4 Fig. 1 shows a flowchart of a first wafer processing method provided by the fourth embodiment; as Figure 4 The wafer processing method is implemented by the wafer processing device 100 in the above embodiments. The wafer processing device 100 includes a coarse alignment unit, and the wafer processing method includes a coarse alignment step for coarse aligning the wafer 200. The coarse alignment step specifically includes the following steps.

[0077] In step S110, the wafer 200 is carried on the wafer support 120.

[0078] In step S120, the wafer support 120 is vertically moved to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110 after the wafer 200 passes through the hollow ring 130, so that the wafer holder 110 holds the wafer 200.

[0079] Optionally, before step S110, the wafer support 120 is vertically moved upward to a position for carrying the wafer 200, such as the top end of the wafer support 120, which is higher than the top end of the wafer alignment guide surface 131 of the hollow ring 130. Optionally, in step S110, the wafer support 120 receives the wafer 200 from the robot. Preferably, the wafer support 120 is vertically moved upward to a position for carrying the wafer 200, which is higher than the upper surface of the hollow ring 130, so that the hollow ring 130 does not interfere with the action of the robot when the wafer support 120 receives the wafer 200 from the robot.

[0080] If the wafer 200 on the robot has a large offset, the edge of the wafer 200 on the wafer support 120 will be in contact with the wafer alignment guide surface 131 in the hollow ring 130, and as the wafer support 120 is lowered, the edge of the wafer 200 with a large offset will slide down along the wafer alignment guide surface 131 and vertically drop onto the wafer holder 110 under the action of gravity, which can effectively prevent the wafer support 120 from slipping when receiving a wafer 200 with a large offset. Moreover, as the top end of the wafer alignment guide surface 131 gradually approaches the rotation axis M downward, the center of the wafer 200 gradually approaches the rotation center O during the process of the wafer 200 sliding down from the wafer alignment guide surface 131, thereby achieving coarse alignment of the wafer 200.

[0081] If the wafer 200 received by the wafer support 120 has no offset or a small offset, the edge of the wafer 200 on the wafer support 120 will not be in contact with the wafer alignment guide surface 131, and will be directly placed vertically on the wafer holder 110 through the hollow ring 130.

[0082] Figure 5 Fig. 4 shows a flowchart of a second wafer processing method according to the fourth embodiment, Figure 6 Fig. 5 shows a relationship between a measurement point and a reference point according to the fourth embodiment; and Figure 5 and Figure 6 The wafer processing method is implemented by the wafer processing device 100 in the above embodiments, the wafer processing device 100 includes a fine alignment unit, and the wafer processing method includes a fine alignment step for fine alignment of the wafer 200, which specifically includes:

[0083] In step S210, the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150 are relatively rotated, the wafer edge position is detected by the wafer position detector 150, and whether the wafer 200 has a position offset is determined according to the wafer edge position;

[0084] Determining whether the wafer 200 has a position offset according to the wafer edge position includes determining whether the horizontal distance corresponding to all measurement points Q is within a preset range. When the horizontal distance is within the preset range, it is determined that the wafer 200 has no offset, and steps S220-S230 for position correction are not needed. When the horizontal distance exceeds the preset value, it is determined that the wafer 200 has an offset, and steps S220-S230 for position correction need to be performed;

[0085] Step S220, relatively rotate the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150, so that the measurement point Q with the largest offset is parallel to the vertical line of the rotation axis M in the target horizontal direction X, that is, the connection line between the measurement point Q with the largest offset and the rotation center O is parallel to the target horizontal direction X in the horizontal projection, and stop the rotation of the wafer holder 110;

[0086] Step S230, vertically move the wafer support 120 to carry the wafer 200 away from the wafer holder 110, and move the wafer support 120 along the target horizontal direction X by the horizontal displacer 160 according to the horizontal distance corresponding to the measurement point Q with the largest offset, so as to vertically move the wafer support 120 to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110.

[0087] Optionally, the step S210 is performed after the wafer 200 is placed on the wafer holder 110 from the wafer support 120, before the wafer holder 110 rotates the wafer 200 to perform a process step; or, the step S210 is performed in real time during the process step of rotating the wafer 200 by the wafer holder 110; or, the step S210 is performed in real time during the process step of rotating the wafer 200 by the wafer holder 110, and the position of the measurement point on the edge of the wafer 200 is monitored in real time to obtain the horizontal distance, and the process step is paused when the horizontal distance exceeds a preset value, that is, the position offset of the wafer 200 exceeds a range; or, the step S210 is performed after the process step of rotating the wafer 200 by the wafer holder 110 is completed, before the wafer 200 is separated from the wafer holder 110; or, the step S210 is performed again after the wafer fine alignment step is completed once.

[0088] A plurality of wafer edge positions, that is, the measurement point Q and the corresponding offset L, can be obtained by the step S210. The offset L can be obtained by the horizontal distance. It can be understood that, among the plurality of wafer edge positions, there is the measurement point Q with the largest offset. It can be understood that, the correction action is performed on the measurement point Q with the largest offset, so as to improve the efficiency of the fine alignment. In other embodiments, the step 210 of the wafer processing method can also perform position correction on the position offset of the wafer 200 corresponding to any offset L greater than a preset value. Preferably, the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150 are relatively rotated at least one round, and the positions of the entire edge of the wafer 200 are detected by the wafer position detector 150, so that the measurement point Q with the largest offset and the corresponding offset L can be obtained. Preferably, the number of the wafer position detector 150 is one, and the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150 are relatively rotated one round to detect the wafer edge position.

[0089] To achieve a relative rotation of at least one revolution between the wafer position detector 150 and the wafer holder 110, the wafer holder 110 can be kept stationary while the wafer position detector 150 rotates horizontally around a rotation center O at least one revolution. Alternatively, preferably, the relative rotation between the wafer position detector 150 and the wafer holder 110 can be achieved by keeping the wafer position detector 150 stationary while the wafer holder 110 rotates on its own axis at least one revolution. In other embodiments, the wafer position detector 150 rotates horizontally around a rotation center O while the wafer holder 110 rotates on its own axis to achieve a relative rotation of at least one revolution between the wafer position detector 150 and the wafer holder 110.

[0090] Optionally, in step S220, the relative rotation between the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150 is such that the wafer holder 110 remains stationary and the wafer position detector 150 rotates horizontally around the rotation center O.

[0091] Optionally, in step S220, the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150 are rotated relative to each other according to the rotation angle α, so that the line connecting the measurement point Q with the largest offset on the horizontal projection and the rotation center O is parallel to the target horizontal direction X.

[0092] Optionally, in step S210, the rotation angle α is obtained simultaneously with the detection of the wafer edge position. That is, on the horizontal projection, the distance between each measurement point Q and the rotation center O is the horizontal distance included in the wafer edge position. Simultaneously, the line connecting each measurement point Q and the rotation center O forms an angle β with the line connecting the reference point P on the edge of the wafer 200 and the rotation center O. For each measurement point Q, there is a corresponding horizontal distance and angle β. In step S210, the measurement point Q with the largest offset can be selected from the detected wafer edge positions, and the angle β is obtained simultaneously. The rotation angle α can be obtained through the angle β and a preset reference point P, which can be a preset point on the edge of the wafer 200.

[0093] like Figure 6 As shown, the reference point P is a preset point on the edge of wafer 200. Any measurement point Q has a corresponding angle β relative to P. The line connecting the reference point P and the rotation center O has an angle θ with the X direction, where α = θ - β.

[0094] In some embodiments, the reference point P is the first measurement point Q0 in the process of detecting the edge position of the wafer. That is, the position of the reference point P is known, and the included angle θ is a known value. Preferably, the reference point P is the first measurement point Q0 in the process of relative rotation between the wafer position detector 150 and the wafer holder 110 when detecting the edge position of the wafer. In some embodiments, the wafer holder 110 has a preset rotation angular velocity p. Preferably, the rotation angular velocity p is a constant, that is, the wafer holder 110 rotates at a constant speed. By measuring the measurement time T of the wafer holder 110 in the process of detecting the edge position, the included angle β can be obtained by β = T x p, where T = t Q -t P , t is the time point corresponding to the detection of the position of a point on the edge of the wafer. When the reference point P is the first measurement point Q0 in the process of detecting the edge position of the wafer, t P = 0. It can be understood that when the rotation angular velocity p is a variable value, the included angle β can be calculated by integration.

[0095] Therefore, the relative rotation between the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150 can be accurately controlled, so that the line connecting the measurement point Q with the largest offset and the rotation center O is parallel to the target horizontal direction X. After the wafer holder 110 is stopped, the step S230 is performed for the measurement point Q with the largest offset, that is, the wafer support 120 is vertically moved to separate the wafer 200 from the wafer holder 110, the horizontal displacement device 160 is moved along the target horizontal direction X according to the maximum offset L, and then the wafer 200 is placed back to the wafer holder 110, thereby achieving fine alignment of the position of the wafer 200.

[0096] In some embodiments, after the fine alignment of the position of the wafer 200, the step S210 is performed again, so as to detect whether the position of the wafer 200 after fine alignment meets the alignment requirement. If the position of the wafer 200 is aligned, the process steps are continued to be performed; if the position of the wafer 200 still has an offset beyond the preset range, the position correction is performed by continuing to perform the steps S220 and S230, or the complete fine alignment step is re-executed.

[0097] The fourth embodiment provides a third wafer processing method, which is implemented by the wafer processing device 100 in the above-mentioned embodiments, and the wafer processing device 100 includes a coarse alignment unit and a fine alignment unit to sequentially perform a coarse alignment step and a fine alignment step. The wafer processing method is to perform the coarse alignment step in the first wafer processing method provided by the fourth embodiment, and then perform the fine alignment step in the second wafer processing method provided by the fourth embodiment, and the technical effects are the same as those of the third embodiment, which will not be described herein again.

[0098] The fifth embodiment provides a wafer processing device 100, as shown inFigure 3 As shown, the wafer processing device 100 further comprises a controller 180, the wafer holder 110, the wafer support 120, the wafer position detector 150 and the horizontal displacer 160 are connected to the controller 180, the controller controls the wafer holder 110, the wafer support 120, the wafer position detector 150 and the horizontal displacer 160 to implement the wafer processing method in the fourth embodiment.

[0099] For example, the controller 180 controls the wafer holder 110 and the wafer support 120 to implement the coarse alignment step in the wafer processing method in the fourth embodiment, including the following steps:

[0100] (1) The controller 180 controls the wafer support 120 to move vertically to a position where the wafer support 120 is used to carry the wafer 200 higher than the upper surface of the hollow ring 130, so as to receive the wafer 200 from the robot;

[0101] (2) The controller 180 controls the wafer support 120 to move vertically to place the wafer 200 through the hollow ring 130 to the wafer holder 110, so that the wafer holder 110 holds the wafer 200.

[0102] In some embodiments, the controller 180 is further connected to control the robot to complete the wafer 200 handover between the robot and the wafer support 120.

[0103] For example, the controller 180 controls the wafer holder 110, the wafer support 120, the wafer position detector 150 and the horizontal displacer 160 to implement the fine alignment step in the wafer processing method in the fourth embodiment, including the following steps:

[0104] Controlling the relative rotation between the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150, the wafer position detector 150 detects the wafer edge position of the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110, and determines whether the horizontal distance exceeds the preset range according to the distance signal;

[0105] When it is determined that the horizontal distance exceeds the preset range, the maximum offset of the horizontal distance is obtained according to the distance signal, and the angular position of the measurement point Q corresponding to the maximum offset is obtained;

[0106] When the horizontal distance does not exceed the preset range, the subsequent steps are not performed;

[0107] According to the angular position of the measurement point Q corresponding to the maximum offset, the relative rotation between the wafer holder 110 and the wafer position detector 150 is controlled, so that the measurement point Q with the maximum horizontal distance offset is parallel to the vertical line of the rotation axis M in the target horizontal direction X, and the wafer holder 110 stops rotating;

[0108] The control wafer support 120 carries the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement to make the wafer 200 separate from the wafer holder 110, the horizontal displacer 160 drives the wafer support 120 to move along the target horizontal direction X according to the maximum offset, and the wafer support 120 performs vertical movement to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110.

[0109] For example, the angular position includes a rotation angle a.

[0110] For example, as shown in the figure: Figure 7

[0111] The step S310, the controller 180 controls the wafer holder 110 to rotate at an angular velocity p;

[0112] The step S320, the controller 180 controls the wafer position detector 150 to detect the wafer edge position of the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110 to obtain the position offset of each measurement point Q, and at the same time, the measurement time T of the wafer holder 110 corresponding to each measurement point Q is measured;

[0113] The step S330, the controller 180 judges whether the wafer 200 is offset according to the offset, when it is determined that the wafer 200 is not offset, the subsequent process S390 is executed, and when it is determined that the wafer 200 is offset, the step S340 is continued to be executed;

[0114] The step S340, the controller 180 calculates the maximum offset L of the wafer edge position and the rotation angle a corresponding to the maximum offset L;

[0115] The step S350, the controller controls the wafer holder 110 to rotate according to the rotation angle a, so that the line connecting the measurement point Q with the maximum offset and the rotation center O is parallel to the target horizontal direction X on the horizontal projection, and controls the wafer holder 110 to stop rotating;

[0116] The step S360, the controller 180 controls the wafer support 120 to perform vertical movement to make the wafer 200 separate from the wafer holder 110;

[0117] The step S370, the controller controls the horizontal displacer 160 to move along the target horizontal direction X according to the maximum offset L, so that the center of the wafer 200 overlaps with the rotation center O of the wafer holder 110;

[0118] The step S380, the controller controls the wafer support 120 to perform vertical movement to place the wafer 200 on the wafer holder 110.

[0119] ​The wafer processing apparatus 100 further comprises a controller 180, which controls the wafer holder 110, the wafer support 120, the wafer position detector 150 and the horizontal displacer 160 to implement the wafer processing method in the fourth embodiment. In the implementation of the wafer processing method to realize the wafer 200 alignment process, the automation operation can be realized, the accuracy and efficiency of the alignment can be improved, the misoperation can be avoided to cause defects in the wafer 200, and the pollution risk can be reduced.

[0120] For example, the controller controls the wafer holder 110, the wafer support 120, the wafer position detector 150 and the horizontal displacer 160 to implement the fine alignment step in the wafer processing method in the fourth embodiment, and re-executes the step S310 and the subsequent steps after the step S380.

[0121] In other embodiments, the subsequent process steps are executed after the step S380.

[0122] The sixth embodiment provides a wafer processing apparatus 100, which has the structure as described in the first to third and fifth embodiments, and can be used to execute the wafer processing method in the fourth embodiment. The wafer processing apparatus 100 further comprises at least one of a photoresist coating mechanism, a photoresist developing mechanism, a cleaning mechanism and an etching mechanism. That is, the wafer processing apparatus 100 provided in the embodiment can be a device with photoresist coating function, can be a device with photoresist developing function, can be a device with cleaning function, can be a device with etching function, can be a device with photoresist coating and developing functions, can be a device with photoresist coating, developing and cleaning functions, and can be a device with photoresist coating, developing, cleaning and etching functions. Therefore, the wafer processing apparatus 100 can be used to execute at least one of photoresist coating, developing, cleaning and etching processes on the wafer 200.

[0123] In order to realize the above-mentioned processes, the wafer 200 needs to be rotated. Therefore, when the wafer processing apparatus 100 comprises a coarse alignment unit to execute the coarse alignment step and / or comprises a fine alignment unit to execute the fine alignment step, the wafer 200 can be prevented from flying and breaking during rotation when the wafer processing apparatus 100 executes the above-mentioned processes on the wafer 200, and the processing accuracy when executing the processes such as photoresist coating, developing, cleaning or etching on the wafer 200 can be improved.

[0124] Figure 8 The wafer processing apparatus provided in the seventh embodiment is shown in the structural schematic diagram; as Figure 8 As shown, the wafer processing apparatus further comprises at least one of the liquid collecting tank 140 and the cover plate assembly 170.

[0125] The sump 140 is used to contain the wafer 200 and collect the waste liquid splashed from the rotating wafer 200 during the process performed on the wafer 200. With continued reference to Figures 2-4 As shown, the sump 140 includes an annular sidewall 141 and a base (not shown) in which the wafer holder 110 is disposed. Figures 1-3

[0126] For example, the wafer processing apparatus 100 includes the sump 140, which further includes an annular flow guide wall 142, the lower end of which is disposed on the base, the top end of which is disposed below the wafer holder 110, and the inner diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the wafer 200; a hollow cavity 143 formed between the annular sidewall 141 and the annular flow guide wall 142, which is used to collect the waste liquid splashed from the rotating wafer 200.

[0127] For example, the sump 140 has an opening, and the hollow ring 130 is disposed at the opening. As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the sump 140 has an annular opening on the annular sidewall 141, and the hollow ring 130 having the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is disposed at the annular opening. In this way, the wafer processing apparatus 100 can include a coarse alignment device by disposing the wafer alignment guide surface 131 at the opening of the sump 140, and the wafer processing apparatus 100 has a simple structure.

[0128] It should be noted that the hollow ring 130 and the sump 140 can be integrally formed, i.e., the opening of the sump is modified into the hollow ring 130 having the wafer alignment guide surface 131; or the hollow ring 130 and the sump 140 can be independently disposed, i.e., the hollow ring 130 having the wafer alignment guide surface 131 is placed and fixed at the opening of the sump 140.

[0129] For example, the wafer processing apparatus 100 includes a photoresist coating mechanism, i.e., the wafer processing apparatus 100 can be a device with photoresist coating function. In order to improve the uniformity of photoresist coating, as shown in Figure 7 The wafer processing apparatus 100 further includes a cover plate assembly 170, which includes a cover plate 171 vertically movably disposed above the wafer 200.

[0130] For example, as shown in Figure 8 ​As shown, the cover assembly 170 further comprises a support 172 arranged near the sump 140; the cover 171 is connected to the support 172 so that the cover 171 can be flipped in the vertical direction or the cover 171 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction. Preferably, the cover assembly 170 is also connected to a controller which controls the cover assembly 170 so that the cover 171 can be operated as described above. Optionally, during the photoresist coating process, the cover 171 is lowered and raised respectively before and after the main rotation stage of the photoresist coating film formation.

[0131] For example, the wafer position detector 150 is arranged near the edge of the wafer 200; wherein the wafer position detector 150 is at least partially arranged on the sump 140 or / and the cover assembly 170.

[0132] In one embodiment, the wafer position detector 150 comprises an optical sensor which is arranged as shown in Figure 9 The optical sensor can comprise a signal sending end 151 and a signal receiving end 152, and can further comprise a reflecting end 153.

[0133] For example, referring to the embodiment shown in (a) of Figure 9 the signal sending end 151 and the signal receiving end 152 are arranged opposite to each other on the base 144 of the sump 140 and the cover 171 respectively; referring to the embodiment shown in (b) of Figure 9 the signal sending end 151 and the signal receiving end 152 are arranged opposite to each other on the cover 171 and the base 144 of the sump 140 respectively; referring to the embodiment shown in (c) of Figure 9 the signal sending end 151 and the signal receiving end 152 are arranged on the cover 171, and the reflecting end 153 is arranged opposite to the base 144 of the sump 140; referring to the embodiment shown in (d) of Figure 9 the signal sending end 151 and the signal receiving end 152 are arranged on the base 144 of the sump, and the signal sent by the signal sending end 151 is reflected by the edge of the wafer 200 and then received by the signal receiving end 152; referring to the embodiment shown in (e) of Figure 9 the signal sending end 151 is arranged in the sump, and the signal receiving end 152 is arranged on the support 172 (not shown in the figure) so that the signal sent by the signal sending end 151 is reflected by the edge of the wafer 200 and then received by the signal receiving end 152; referring to the embodiment shown in (f) of Figure 9 the signal sending end 151 and the signal receiving end 152 are both arranged on the support 172 (not shown in the figure), and the signal sent by the signal sending end 151 is reflected by the edge of the wafer 200 and then received by the signal receiving end 152.

[0134] In one embodiment, the wafer position detector 150 comprises a capacitive sensor. The capacitive sensor includes, but is not limited to, a variable distance capacitive sensor and an array capacitive sensor.

[0135] For example, the wafer position detector 150 is a capacitive sensor, which is disposed as shown in Figure 10 For example, the wafer position detector 150 is a capacitive sensor, which is disposed as shown in Figure 10 In the embodiment shown in (a) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is a variable distance capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the support 172 (not shown in the figure); in the embodiment shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed in the sump 140; in the embodiment shown in (c) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the cover plate 171. Figure 10 Figure 10 In the embodiment shown in (a) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is a variable distance capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the support 172 (not shown in the figure); in the embodiment shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed in the sump 140; in the embodiment shown in (c) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the cover plate 171.

[0136] For example, the array capacitive sensor can be composed of a plurality of variable distance capacitive sensors, as shown in Figure 10 In the embodiment shown in (a) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is a variable distance capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the support 172 (not shown in the figure); in the embodiment shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed in the sump 140; in the embodiment shown in (c) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the cover plate 171.

[0137] In one embodiment, the wafer position detector 150 comprises an ultrasonic sensor.

[0138] For example, the wafer position detector 150 is an ultrasonic sensor, which is disposed as shown in Figure 11 For example, the wafer position detector 150 is an ultrasonic sensor, which is disposed as shown in Figure 11 In the embodiment shown in (a) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is a variable distance capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the support 172 (not shown in the figure); in the embodiment shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed in the sump 140; in the embodiment shown in (c) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the cover plate 171. Figure 11 Figure 11 In the embodiment shown in (a) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is a variable distance capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the support 172 (not shown in the figure); in the embodiment shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed in the sump 140; in the embodiment shown in (c) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the cover plate 171.

[0139] For example, the ultrasonic sensor integrates a plurality of signal transmitters and a plurality of signal receivers, the former generates sound pulses, and the latter detects the response signals of the pulses reflected from the wafer, which has the characteristics of strong adaptability and strong anti-interference, as shown in Figure 11 In the embodiment shown in (a) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is a variable distance capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the support 172 (not shown in the figure); in the embodiment shown in (b) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed in the sump 140; in the embodiment shown in (c) of FIG. 1, the wafer position detector 150 is an array capacitive sensor, which is disposed on the cover plate 171.

[0140] By disposing the wafer position detector 150 at least partially on the sump 140 or / and the cover plate assembly 170, the wafer position detector 150 can be simply and stably disposed near the edge of the wafer 200, so that the wafer processing device 100 has a simple structure, and the position of the wafer position detector 150 is stable, thereby improving the accuracy of position detection.

[0141] ​​In an embodiment, the wafer holder 110 comprises a negative pressure chuck, wherein the diameter of the negative pressure chuck is smaller than the diameter of the wafer 200. The holding effect of the wafer holder 110 on the wafer 200 at least comprises keeping the wafer 200 relatively stationary with the wafer holder 110, so that the wafer 200 can follow the wafer holder 110 to be stationary or to rotate. Normally, there is no displacement between the wafer holder 110 and the wafer 200; however, the suction force of the wafer holder 110 can decrease due to reasons such as contamination of the back surface of the wafer 200, air pressure fluctuation of the holder, or aging of the holder, which can cause displacement between the wafer 200 and the wafer holder 110 during rotation of the wafer 200, and the wafer 200 can be thrown off and broken, and the position of the wafer 200 can be shifted by a large amplitude. By making the wafer processing device 100 comprise at least one of the coarse alignment unit and the fine alignment unit, not only can the wafer 200 be prevented from being thrown off and broken during rotation, but also the processing precision of the wafer 200 in processes such as coating, developing, cleaning, and etching can be improved.

[0142] In an embodiment, the wafer support 120 comprises a plurality of jacks, the plurality of jacks are arranged horizontally spaced apart from the wafer holder 110, each of the jacks is arranged on the horizontal displacer 160, the upper end of the jack is used to carry the wafer 200, and the jack can be vertically extended and retracted to carry the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement, so that the wafer support 120 can carry the wafer to perform the vertical movement. Thus, the jack can carry the wafer 200, and after rising, the wafer 200 can follow the horizontal movement of the horizontal displacer 160, so that the wafer 200 is displaced relative to the wafer holder 110, wherein the jack can drive the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement through its own extension and retraction, which reduces the difficulty of setting the device used for performing position correction of the wafer 200. In the embodiment, the device used for performing position correction of the wafer 200 can only be the horizontal displacer 160, that is, the device used for performing position correction of the wafer 200 can only perform horizontal displacement to complete the position correction of the wafer 200. It can be understood that the plurality of jacks of the wafer support 120 move synchronously.

[0143] For example, the jack is driven by electromagnet, air cylinder, liquid cylinder, or electric cylinder, so as to be vertically extended and retracted to carry the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement.

[0144] In other embodiments, the jack driving the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement comprises that the jack is directly or indirectly arranged on the vertical displacer and follows the vertical displacer to perform vertical movement, so as to drive the wafer 200 to perform vertical movement.

[0145] Preferably, the number of the jacks is three, and the three jacks are arranged in a triangle, preferably in an equilateral triangle, so as to improve the stability of the wafer 200 during the vertical movement of the wafer 200. It can be understood that the farther the jacks are from the rotation center O, the higher the stability of the wafer 200.

[0146] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal displacer 160 comprises: Figure 12

[0147] a guide rail 161, a base plate 162, and a driving assembly 163; the guide rail 161 is arranged below the wafer holder 110 and extends along a target horizontal direction X; the base plate 162 is movably arranged on the guide rail 161, and the lower ends of the plurality of jacks are fixedly arranged on the base plate 162, and the plurality of jacks are arranged around the wafer holder 110; the driving assembly 163 is drivingly connected with the base plate 162, and is used to drive the base plate 162 to move along the extension direction of the guide rail 161.

[0148] The guide rail 161 is arranged below the wafer holder 110, the base plate 162 is movably arranged on the guide rail 161, and the lower ends of the jacks are fixedly arranged on the base plate 162, so as to effectively utilize the space below the wafer holder 110 and reduce the volume of the wafer processing device; the guide rail 161 extends along the second horizontal direction, the base plate 162 is movably arranged on the guide rail 161, and the lower ends of the jacks are fixedly arranged on the base plate 162, so that the jacks can move along the target horizontal direction in which the guide rail 161 extends, so as to realize fine alignment; the plurality of jacks are arranged around the wafer holder 110, so as to increase the distance between the jacks and the rotation center O, and improve the stability of the jacks when the jacks carry the wafer 200.

[0149] The base plate 162 can be of any shape, such as a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, etc., as long as it can carry the plurality of jacks. Preferably, the base plate 162 is a circular base plate 162, so that the base plate 162 is symmetrical and has better balance stability, and the jacks can be uniformly distributed. When the circular base plate 162 is horizontally spaced apart from the wafer holder 110, the base plate 162 has a large inner diameter while ensuring the mechanical strength of the base plate 162 and the fixing connection strength of the jacks, so that the jacks have more space when carrying the wafer 200 during the fine alignment step.

[0150] Optionally, the driving assembly 163 comprises a nut 1631, a screw rod 1632, and a motor 1633; the nut 1631 is fixedly arranged on the base plate 162, and the screw rod 1632 extends through the nut 1631 along the extension direction of the guide rail 161; the motor 1633 is fixedly arranged in the liquid collecting groove 140 and is drivingly connected with the screw rod 1632, and is used to drive the screw rod 1632 to rotate, so that the base plate 162 can reciprocally move along the extension direction of the screw rod 1632.​

[0151] Preferably, the driving assembly 163 is a ball screw.

[0152] When the horizontal displacer 160 moves in the direction along which the guide rail 161 extends, the motor 1633 drives the screw rod 1632 to rotate, so that the base plate 162 fixed on the nut 1631 reciprocates along the direction of the screw rod 1632; since the lower ends of the plurality of jacks are fixedly arranged on the base plate 162, the movement of the base plate 162 can drive the wafers at the upper ends of the jacks to move along the direction of the screw rod 1632; wherein the direction of the screw rod 1632 is the direction along which the guide rail 161 extends, i.e. the X direction.

[0153] Optionally, the number of the guide rails 161 can be any, and preferably 2 guide rails 161, as shown in FIG. 1B, the 2 guide rails 161 are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the wafer holder 110; optionally, the guide rails 161 are laid on the base 144 of the sump. Figure 12

[0154] Optionally, the method for the controller to control the horizontal displacer 160 to move in the X direction includes that the controller sends a control signal to the motor 1633, so that the motor 1633 drives the screw rod 1632 to rotate and drives the base plate 162 to move in the X direction.

[0155] Optionally, the controller can calculate the target rotation number of the screw rod 1632 corresponding to the maximum offset L according to the relationship between one rotation of the screw rod 1632 and the movement distance of the base plate 162; and generate a corresponding target control signal to the motor 1633 according to the target rotation number, so that the motor 1633 drives the screw rod 1632 to rotate the target rotation number according to the target control signal, thereby realizing the movement of the horizontal displacer 160 in the X direction by the maximum offset L.

[0156] Optionally, after the motor 1633 drives the screw rod 1632 to rotate the target rotation number according to the target control signal, and realizes the movement of the horizontal displacer 160 in the X direction by the maximum offset L, the position of the screw rod 1632 is reset to zero.

[0157] In summary, the wafer processing device and the wafer processing method provided by the present application can prevent the wafer support from sliding when supporting a wafer with a large offset, and can prevent the wafer from flying and breaking during rotation, thereby improving the yield of wafer production and the processing accuracy of the wafer.

[0158] ​In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used only for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as implying or suggesting relative importance or an implied order of magnitude. Thus, features defined with "first", "second", "third" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise expressly and specifically limited.

[0159] In the description of the present application, the description referring to the terms "some embodiments", "exemplarily" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiments or examples are contained in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present application, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the person skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in the present application and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0160] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present application, and the person skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, replacements and variations to the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present application, and any changes or modifications made in accordance with the claims and the specification of the present application shall be within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A wafer processing apparatus comprising a wafer holder for carrying and holding a wafer, the wafer holder being rotatable and having a center of rotation and a corresponding rotation axis, and a wafer support at least capable of carrying the wafer for vertical movement to place the wafer on the wafer holder or to disengage the wafer from the wafer holder; characterized in that, The wafer processing device further comprises a coarse alignment unit and a fine alignment unit; The coarse alignment unit comprises a hollow ring arranged above the wafer carried by the wafer holder, the inner diameter of the hollow ring is larger than the wafer, and the inner wall of the hollow ring is provided with a wafer alignment guide surface gradually approaching the rotation axis in a direction from top to bottom; the wafer processing device is configured to vertically move the wafer support to place the wafer on the wafer holder, and the wafer passes through the hollow ring in the process; The fine alignment unit comprises: A wafer position detector for detecting a wafer edge position of a wafer on the wafer holder, the wafer edge position comprising a horizontal distance between a measurement point on the edge of the wafer and the rotation center, and generating a distance signal according to the horizontal distance; A horizontal displacer connected with the wafer support for moving the wafer on the wafer support along a target horizontal direction; The wafer processing device further comprises a controller, the wafer holder, the wafer support, the wafer position detector and the horizontal displacer are all connected to the controller, and the controller is configured to obtain an angular position of the measurement point according to an angular velocity of relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector and a time of measuring the measurement point when measuring the wafer edge position.

2. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein The wafer position detector comprises at least one of an optical sensor, a capacitive sensor and an ultrasonic sensor.

3. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein The wafer position detector is multiple and arranged around the rotation axis.

4. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein The wafer support comprises multiple jacks arranged horizontally and spaced apart from the wafer holder; The horizontal displacer connected with the wafer support comprises that the horizontal displacer is connected with the jacks; The upper end of the jack is used for carrying a wafer, and the upper end of the jack can be extended and retracted in a vertical direction relative to the horizontal displacer.

5. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein The horizontal displacer comprises: A guide rail extending along the target horizontal direction; A chassis movably arranged on the guide rail, the horizontal displacer connected with the jacks comprises that the chassis is fixedly connected with the lower ends of the multiple jacks; A driving assembly drivingly connected with the chassis for driving the chassis to move along the guide rail.

6. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The driving assembly comprises: A nut fixedly arranged on the chassis; A screw rod penetrating through the nut in a direction along which the guide rail extends; A motor drivingly connected with the screw rod for driving the screw rod to rotate, so that the chassis can reciprocate along the direction along which the screw rod extends.

7. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein The controller is configured to perform the following steps: S1. Control the relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector, control the wafer position detector to detect the wafer edge position of the wafer on the wafer holder, and determine whether the horizontal distance exceeds a preset range according to the distance signal; When it is determined that the horizontal distance is out of the preset range, a maximum offset of the horizontal distance is obtained according to the distance signal, and an angular position of the measurement point corresponding to the maximum offset is obtained; S2. According to the angular position of the measurement point corresponding to the maximum offset, the relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector is controlled, so that the perpendicular line from the measurement point with the maximum offset to the rotation axis is parallel to the target horizontal direction, and the wafer holder is stopped from rotating; S3. The wafer support is controlled to vertically move to make the wafer separate from the wafer holder, the horizontal displacer is controlled to move the wafer support along the target horizontal direction according to the maximum offset, and the wafer support is vertically moved to place the wafer on the wafer holder.

8. The wafer processing apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein, The wafer processing device comprises at least one of a photoresist coating mechanism, a photoresist developing mechanism, a cleaning mechanism and an etching mechanism.

9. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The wafer processing device further comprises at least one of a liquid collecting tank and a cover plate assembly; The liquid collecting tank is used to accommodate the wafer and collect waste liquid, and has an opening, and the hollow ring is arranged at the opening; The cover plate assembly comprises a vertically movable cover plate and a support, and the cover plate is arranged above the wafer on the wafer holder, and the support is connected with the cover plate to enable the cover plate to be flipped in the vertical direction or moved up and down in the vertical direction.

10. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The wafer position detector is at least partially arranged in the liquid collecting tank or / and the cover plate assembly.

11. A wafer processing method, which is implemented by the wafer processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by, The wafer processing method comprises at least one of a coarse alignment step and a fine alignment step; The coarse alignment step comprises: The wafer is carried on the wafer support, and the wafer support is vertically moved to place the wafer on the wafer holder after passing through the hollow ring; The fine alignment step comprises: The relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector is controlled, the wafer edge position of the wafer on the wafer holder is detected by the wafer position detector, and whether the wafer has position offset is determined according to the wafer edge position; When it is determined that the wafer has position offset, the relative rotation between the wafer holder and the wafer position detector is controlled, so that the perpendicular line from the measurement point with the maximum offset to the rotation axis is parallel to the target horizontal direction, and the wafer holder is stopped from rotating; The wafer support is controlled to vertically move to make the wafer separate from the wafer holder, the horizontal displacer is controlled to move the wafer support along the target horizontal direction according to the maximum offset, and the wafer support is vertically moved to place the wafer on the wafer holder.

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