Wafer edge clamping and overturning device

Abstract

The invention provides a wafer edge clamping and overturning device, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor wet processing, the wafer edge clamping and overturning device specifically comprises a clamping arm, clamping blocks, an arm adjusting assembly and an overturning assembly, the clamping arm comprises an upper arm and a lower arm which are oppositely arranged, and the clamping blocks comprise an upper clamping block and a lower clamping block which are oppositely arranged; the upper clamping block is arranged on the upper arm, the lower clamping block is arranged on the lower arm, and the edge of a wafer is fixed between the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block; the arm adjusting assembly drives at least one of the upper arm and the lower arm to move, so that the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block get close to each other or get away from each other; and the overturning assembly drives the arm adjusting assembly to rotate so as to drive the clamping arm to rotate, so that clamping overturning of the wafer is realized. Through the processing scheme provided by the invention, the wafer clamping precision and flexibility are improved, and the wafer can be prevented from being damaged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor wet process technology, and in particular to a wafer edge clamping and flipping device. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the wafer gripping and flipping mechanism is an essential module for the backside cleaning process of the wet wafer process; the purpose of wafer gripping and flipping is to ensure that the wafer can be accurately transferred to the next chamber by the robot after flipping, and the backside of the wafer is cleaned in the next process chamber. The purpose of edge gripping is to ensure that the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer are not contaminated in the process requirement range during wafer transfer, and no particles are attached to ensure the cleanliness of the wafer.

[0003] The wafer clamping and flipping method is mainly the wafer side clamping driven by a stepper motor: a stepper motor is used to flip the wafer 180° to the position required by the process. This method has a poor accuracy of the step angle of the step encoder compared to the servo encoder, which leads to deviations in the operation of the mechanism, causing wafer vibration and wafer breakage. At the same time, it is difficult to accurately control the speed during flipping, and mechanical hard limits need to be added. Impact during limit limiting will cause wafer fragments, affecting machine efficiency. The side wafer clamping method has the problem that the clamping tolerance is difficult to control, which may result in damage to the wafer boundary or even fragments during clamping. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a wafer edge clamping and flipping device, which at least partially solves the problem of easy breakage caused by side clamping of the wafer in the prior art.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a wafer edge clamping and flipping device, which includes a clamping arm, a clamping block, an arm adjustment assembly and a flipping assembly. The clamping arm includes an upper arm and a lower arm that are relatively arranged. The clamping block includes an upper clamping block and a lower clamping block that are relatively arranged. The upper clamping block is arranged on the upper arm, and the lower clamping block is arranged on the lower arm. The edge of the wafer is fixed between the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block; the arm adjustment assembly drives at least one of the upper arm and the lower arm to move, so that the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are closer to or farther away from each other; the flipping assembly drives the arm adjustment assembly to rotate, and then drives the clamping arm to rotate, so as to realize the clamping and flipping of the wafer.

[0006] According to a specific implementation method of an embodiment of the present application, the flip assembly includes a flip bracket, a flip fixing seat and a servo motor arranged on the flip bracket, and a flip support. A rotating shaft is provided on the flip fixing seat. The servo motor and one end of the rotating shaft are transmitted through a synchronous wheel and a synchronous belt. The other end of the rotating shaft is connected to the flip support. An arm adjustment assembly is fixed on the flip support. The servo motor drives the rotating shaft to rotate, thereby driving the arm adjustment assembly to rotate.

[0007] According to a specific implementation method of an embodiment of the present application, the arm adjustment assembly includes a guide rail, a cylinder, a cylinder fixing seat, an upper arm fixing seat and a lower arm fixing seat. The guide rail and the cylinder fixing seat are fixed on a flip support. The cylinder is fixed on the upper side of the cylinder fixing seat. The lower arm is fixed to the lower side of the cylinder fixing seat through the lower arm fixing seat. The upper arm is fixed to the motion output end of the cylinder through the upper arm fixing seat. The upper arm fixing seat is also slidably connected to the guide rail through a connecting piece.

[0008] According to a specific implementation of an embodiment of the present application, an adjusting flow limiting valve is provided on the cylinder, and the adjusting flow limiting valve is used to adjust the gas flow rate, thereby controlling the stability of the clamping arm.

[0009] According to a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the speed controlled by the regulating limiting valve is 10 to 50 mm / sec, and the number of revolutions of the needle valve is 10 revolutions.

[0010] According to a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the contact surfaces of the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are both configured as tooth-shaped structures.

[0011] According to a specific implementation method of an embodiment of the present application, when the toothed structures of the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are closed, a clamping gap of 1.5-2 mm is provided on the side facing the wafer, and the edge of the wafer is clamped in the clamping gap.

[0012] According to a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the clamping width of the clamping block on the edge of the wafer is less than 2 mm.

[0013] According to a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, a micro-arc surface is provided on the side of the upper clamping block and the side of the lower clamping block facing the wafer.

[0014] According to a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, a synchronous belt adjustment rod is also provided on the flip bracket.

[0015] Beneficial effects: The wafer edge clamping and flipping device in the embodiment of the present application realizes the flipping of the wafer by setting a flipping component, and adjusts the movement of the upper and lower arms by the arm adjustment component, thereby realizing the clamping and loosening of the wafer; by setting the upper arm, the lower arm and the clamping blocks arranged on the clamping arm, it is possible to clamp the upper and lower edges of the wafer. The more commonly used side edge clamping is more likely to avoid damaging the wafer, reduce the occurrence of fragments, and improve the integrity of the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 An exploded view of the structure of a wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is another structural exploded diagram of a wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A front view of a wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the guide rail and the upper arm fixing seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a clamping block according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is another structural schematic diagram of a clamping block according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure when the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are opened according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] In the figure: 1. flip bracket; 2. motor fixing plate; 3. servo motor; 4. flip fixing seat; 5. clamping arm; 51. upper arm; 52. lower arm; 6. clamping block; 7. synchronous belt; 8. synchronous wheel; 9. rotating shaft; 10. flip support; 11. guide rail; 12. upper arm fixing seat; 13. lower arm fixing seat; 14. cylinder; 15. regulating flow limiting valve; 16. cylinder fixing seat; 17. wafer; 18. bearing; 19. micro-arc surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] The following describes the implementation methods of the present application through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation methods, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0021] It should be noted that various aspects of the embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It should be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any specific structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on the present application, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that an aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects described herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. In addition, other structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects described herein can be used to implement this device and / or practice this method.

[0022] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present application. The illustrations only show the components related to the present application rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed at will, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0023] Additionally, in the following description, specific details are provided to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the aspects described may be practiced without these specific details.

[0024] The present application embodiment provides a wafer edge clamping and flipping device. Figures 1 to 8 Describe in detail.

[0025] Reference Figure 1The present embodiment provides a wafer edge clamping and flipping device, which includes a clamping arm 5, a clamping block 6, an arm adjustment component and a flipping component. The clamping arm 5 includes an upper arm 51 and a lower arm 52 that are relatively arranged. The clamping block 6 includes an upper clamping block and a lower clamping block that are relatively arranged. The upper clamping block is arranged on the upper arm 51, and the lower clamping block is arranged on the lower arm 52. The edge of the wafer 17 is fixed between the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block; the arm adjustment component drives at least one of the upper arm 51 and the lower arm 52 to move, so that the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are closer to or farther away from each other; the flipping component drives the arm adjustment component to rotate, and then drives the clamping arm 5 to rotate, so as to realize the clamping and flipping of the wafer 17.

[0026] In this embodiment, the flipping of the wafer 17 is achieved by setting a flipping component, and the movement of the upper and lower arms 52 is adjusted by the arm adjustment component, so as to achieve the clamping and loosening of the wafer 17; by setting the upper arm 51, the lower arm 52 and the clamping block 6 arranged on the clamping arm 5, the upper and lower edges of the wafer 17 are clamped. The more commonly used side edge clamping can more easily avoid damage to the wafer 17, reduce the occurrence of fragments, and improve the integrity of the wafer 17.

[0027] In one embodiment, referring to Figures 1 to 4 The flip assembly includes a flip bracket 1, a flip fixing seat 4 and a servo motor 3 arranged on the flip bracket 1, and a flip support 10. The flip fixing seat 4 is provided with a rotating shaft 9. The servo motor 3 and one end of the rotating shaft 9 are driven by a synchronous wheel 8 and a synchronous belt 7. The other end of the rotating shaft 9 is connected to the flip support 10. The arm adjustment assembly is fixed on the flip support 10. The servo motor 3 drives the rotating shaft 9 to rotate, thereby driving the arm adjustment assembly to rotate.

[0028] In specific implementation, the flip bracket 1 is provided with a flip fixing seat 4, a motor fixing plate 2 and a servo motor 3. One side of the output end of the servo motor 3 is fixed on the motor fixing plate 2. The output end of the servo motor 3 and one end of the rotating shaft 9 are respectively provided with a synchronous wheel 8. The synchronous wheel 8 is provided with a synchronous belt 7. The rotating shaft 9 is connected to the flip fixing seat 4 through a bearing 18. The flip bracket 1 is also provided with a synchronous belt adjustment rod for adjusting the synchronous belt 7. The servo controller drives the servo motor 3 to flip the wafer 17. The servo motor 3 has deceleration performance and high-precision control capability of the flip angle.

[0029] In one embodiment, the servo motor 3 uses a 23-bit high-resolution encoder, which can achieve a smaller angle value, so that the error accuracy of the motor reaches 0.05%. The high resolution of the servo precision controller enables the motor to achieve high-precision operation, and the positioning accuracy of the motor encoder can reach 0.1um. Therefore, this embodiment is driven by the servo motor 3 to flip, and the flip angle of the wafer 17 is controlled with high precision.

[0030] Preferably, a mechanical hard limit is set for the servo motor 3 to prevent damage to the mechanism after the motor loses control.

[0031] The upper and lower boundary clamping of the wafer 17 driven by the servo motor 3 has the following advantages: the servo motor 3 is used to flip the wafer 17 180° to the target position. This method uses a servo encoder with high precision, which can effectively control the motor flipping and avoid vibration of the wafer 17; the tolerance of the upper and lower boundary clamping method of the wafer 17 is easy to control, avoiding damage to the wafer 17 during clamping.

[0032] In one embodiment, the arm adjustment assembly includes a guide rail 11, a cylinder 14, a cylinder fixing seat 16, an upper arm fixing seat 12 and a lower arm fixing seat 13. The guide rail 11 and the cylinder fixing seat 16 are fixed on the flip support 10. The cylinder 14 is fixed on the upper side of the cylinder fixing seat 16. The lower arm 52 is fixed to the lower side of the cylinder fixing seat 16 through the lower arm fixing seat 13. The upper arm 51 is fixed to the motion output end of the cylinder 14 through the upper arm fixing seat 12. The upper arm fixing seat 12 is also slidably connected to the guide rail 11 through a connecting piece.

[0033] In a specific implementation, when the rotating shaft 9 rotates, the flip support 10 can be driven to rotate. The flip support 10 is connected with a guide rail 11 and a cylinder fixing seat 16. Therefore, when the rotating shaft 9 rotates, the guide rail 11 and the cylinder fixing seat 16 are driven to rotate together, thereby driving the upper arm 51 and the lower arm 52 to rotate, thereby realizing the flipping movement of the wafer 17. The connection structure of the guide rail 11 and the upper arm fixing seat 12 is shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the lower side of the upper arm fixing seat 12 is connected to the top of the slider, the side of the slider is connected to the track side of the guide rail 11, and the other side of the guide rail 11 is fixed to the flip support 10. The upper arm fixing seat 12 moves up and down along the guide rail 11 through the slider. The upper arm 51 is fixed at both ends of the lower side of the upper arm fixing seat 12, and the cylinder 14 provides a driving force for the upper arm fixing seat 12, so that the upper arm fixing seat 12 drives the upper arm 51 to move up and down under the action of the driving force.

[0034] Furthermore, in order to better control the stable movement of the clamping arm 5 , the cylinder 14 is provided with an adjusting flow limiting valve 15 , and the adjusting flow limiting valve 15 is used to adjust the gas flow rate, thereby controlling the stability of the clamping arm 5 .

[0035] In specific implementation, the wafer 17 clamping operation mode is that the manipulator transports the wafer 17 to the center position of the clamping and flipping device, the cylinder 14 drives the clamping arm 5 to open, the wafer 17 is placed between the lower clamping block and the upper clamping block, the manipulator moves away, the cylinder 14 drives the upper and lower clamping arms 5 to clamp, and after clamping the wafer 17, the servo controller controls the servo motor 3 to flip, thereby realizing the function of clamping and flipping. The cylinder 14 drives the clamping function, and the stroke of the cylinder 14 can be fine-tuned, and the flow limiting valve 15 can be adjusted to control the gas flow rate, thereby controlling the clamping stability.

[0036] Specifically, the cylinder 14 can adjust the clamping stroke by means of sensors and mechanical limiters, and the stroke of the cylinder 14 can be adjusted within a range of 4mm-8mm. The mechanical limiter can be set as a blocking block, and the thickness of the blocking block is adjusted to achieve the adjustable range of the stroke of the cylinder 14. The blocking block is made of soft TPE material, which can meet the flexible blocking within the stroke range.

[0037] Furthermore, the speed controlled by the regulating limiting valve 15 is 10-50 mm / sec, and the number of needle valve revolutions is 10 revolutions.

[0038] In one embodiment, referring to Figures 6 to 8 , the contact surfaces of the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are both set as tooth-shaped structures. Specifically, the area where the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block contact the edge of the wafer 17 is set as a flat area, and the inner side of the plane is set as a tooth-shaped structure. The lower clamping block is meshed with the tooth-shaped structure of the upper clamping block. When the tooth-shaped structure is meshed, a clamping gap is set between the flat area of ​​the upper clamping block and the flat area of ​​the lower clamping block, and the clamping gap is used to place the wafer 17. By setting the tooth-shaped structure, when the lower clamping block and the upper clamping block need to be opened to unload the wafer 17, there are still tooth-shaped structures crossing on the inner side, and even if there is a 3mm gap, it can also play a blocking role on the wafer 17 and prevent the wafer 17 from falling off.

[0039] Furthermore, when the toothed structures of the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are closed, a clamping gap of 1.5-2 mm is provided on the side facing the wafer 17, and the edge of the wafer 17 is clamped in the clamping gap. Figure 6 As shown, the clamping gap is set to a, and the range of a is set to 1.5-2mm.

[0040] Furthermore, the clamping width of the clamping block 6 on the edge of the wafer 17 is less than 2 mm. Figure 6 As shown, the clamping width is set to b, which is less than 2 mm. The setting of the clamping width can ensure that the wafer 17 is not contaminated within the area required by the process.

[0041] Furthermore, the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are both provided with a micro-arc surface 19 on one side facing the wafer 17. Figure 6As shown, the micro-arc surface 19 is the side facing the wafer 17. The micro-arc surface 19 is designed to prevent the wafer 17 from slipping after being clamped, thereby playing a blocking role. At the same time, the wafer 17 can be prevented from being damaged or cracked after being warped when being clamped, thereby increasing the clamping flexibility.

[0042] Preferably, the inclination angle of the micro-arc surface 19 is set to 45 degrees.

[0043] In one embodiment, a synchronous belt adjusting rod is further provided on the flip bracket 1. The synchronous belt adjusting rod is used to adjust the synchronous belt 7.

[0044] In one embodiment, the clamping arm 5 is made of a high-rigidity composite material to ensure the reliability of clamping. For example, the material is a carbon fiber composite material, which is light in weight, strong in strength, excellent in rigidity, good in corrosion resistance, and has low creep performance in a complex environment. As the material of the mechanical arm, it helps to improve the accuracy of the clamping arm 5.

[0045] In the embodiment provided by the present invention, the operation mode of the wafer edge clamping and flipping device is that the manipulator transfers the wafer 17 to the center position, the clamping arm 5 opens, the wafer 17 is placed on the lower clamping block, and after the manipulator runs away, the upper and lower clamping blocks clamp the wafer 17, and the servo motor drives the mechanism to flip, thereby realizing the function of clamping and flipping. The present application is driven by the servo motor 3 to precisely control the flipping angle of the wafer 17; the mechanism increases the mechanical hard limit to prevent the mechanism from being damaged after the motor loses control. The clamping drive of the wafer 17 adopts a cylinder drive mode, and the clamping stroke can be adjusted. The clamping stroke is adjusted by mechanical hard limit and soft limit. The clamping arm 5 of the wafer 17 is made of carbon fiber composite material with good strength and rigidity. The wafer 17 is clamped by the edges of the upper and lower sides, which is easier to avoid damaging the wafer 17 than the commonly used side edge clamping. The wafer clamping block is designed with a certain curvature to increase the clamping flexibility. Compared with the conventional wafer clamping mechanism, the device of the present application not only improves the precision and flexibility of wafer 17 clamping, but also avoids damage to wafer 17 .

[0046] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer edge clamping and flipping device, characterized in that: The device comprises a clamping arm (5), a clamping block (6), an arm adjustment component and a flipping component, wherein the clamping arm (5) comprises an upper arm (51) and a lower arm (52) which are arranged opposite to each other, the clamping block (6) comprises an upper clamping block and a lower clamping block which are arranged opposite to each other, the upper clamping block is arranged on the upper arm (51), and the lower clamping block is arranged on the lower arm (52), and the edge of the wafer (17) is fixed between the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block; the arm adjustment component drives at least one of the upper arm (51) and the lower arm (52) to move, so that the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block move closer to or farther from each other; the flipping component drives the arm adjustment component to rotate, thereby driving the clamping arm (5) to rotate, thereby realizing the clamping and flipping of the wafer (17).

2. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flip assembly comprises a flip bracket (1), a flip fixing seat (4) and a servo motor (3) arranged on the flip bracket (1), and a flip support (10); a rotating shaft (9) is arranged on the flip fixing seat (4); the servo motor (3) and one end of the rotating shaft (9) are driven by a synchronous wheel (8) and a synchronous belt (7); the other end of the rotating shaft (9) is connected to the flip support (10); an arm adjustment assembly is fixed on the flip support (10); the servo motor (3) drives the rotating shaft (9) to rotate, thereby driving the arm adjustment assembly to rotate.

3. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The arm adjustment assembly comprises a guide rail (11), a cylinder (14), a cylinder fixing seat (16), an upper arm fixing seat (12) and a lower arm fixing seat (13); the guide rail (11) and the cylinder fixing seat (16) are fixed on the flip support (10); the cylinder (14) is fixed on the upper side of the cylinder fixing seat (16); the lower arm (52) is fixed to the lower side of the cylinder fixing seat (16) via the lower arm fixing seat (13); the upper arm (51) is fixed to the motion output end of the cylinder (14) via the upper arm fixing seat (12); and the upper arm fixing seat (12) is also slidably connected to the guide rail (11) via a connecting piece.

4. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cylinder (14) is provided with an adjustable flow limiting valve (15), which is used to adjust the gas flow rate and thereby control the stability of the clamping arm (5).

5. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The regulating flow limiting valve (15) controls a speed of 10 to 50 mm / sec, and the needle valve rotates 10 times.

6. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact surfaces of the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are both configured as tooth-shaped structures.

7. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the toothed structures of the upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are closed, a clamping gap of 1.5-2 mm is provided on the side facing the wafer (17), and the edge of the wafer (17) is clamped in the clamping gap.

8. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping width of the clamping block (6) on the edge of the wafer (17) is less than 2 mm.

9. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper clamping block and the lower clamping block are both provided with a micro-arc surface (19) on one side facing the wafer (17).

10. The wafer edge clamping and flipping device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flip bracket (1) is also provided with a synchronous belt adjustment rod.

Images