Wafer carrying manipulator, use method thereof and electroplating equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductors, and discloses a wafer carrying manipulator, a use method thereof and electroplating equipment. The electroplating equipment comprises a wafer carrying manipulator and a clamp, the wafer carrying manipulator comprises a support assembly, at least two adsorption arms and a driving assembly, the at least two adsorption arms are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the support assembly, vacuum adsorption openings used for adsorbing wafers are formed in the adsorption arms, and the adsorption arms are in sliding fit with the support assembly; the driving assembly is installed on the support assembly and is in transmission fit with all the adsorption arms, and the driving assembly can drive all the adsorption arms to extend outwards relative to the support assembly in the radial direction or retract inwards relative to the support assembly. According to the wafer carrying mechanical arm, on the basis that it is guaranteed that the wafer carrying mechanical arm smoothly stretches into the position between the base and the pressing disc, stress areas on the two sides of the grabbed wafer are consistent, wafer fragmentation is avoided, the productivity is improved, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer handling robot, a use method thereof, and electroplating equipment. Background Art

[0002] Advanced packaging technology involves electroplating of wafers. Before electroplating, photoresist needs to be coated on one side of the wafer, and then the characteristic shape to be electroplated is etched on the photoresist through exposure, development and other processes. The characteristic shape will be filled after electroplating. However, during the electroplating process, only the side of the wafer with the characteristic shape can contact the plating solution, otherwise the wafer will be corroded by the plating solution and damaged. The electroplating equipment will also be contaminated, affecting production efficiency.

[0003] In order to prevent the plating solution from corroding the side of the wafer that is not coated with photoresist, a fixture is often used to clamp the wafer during the electroplating process. Figure 1 As shown, the fixture includes a base 100 and a pressure plate 200. The base 100 is annular and has a sealing ring on the upper side. The side of the wafer 400 with the photoresist (i.e., the front side of the wafer 400) is set downward and the edge overlaps the sealing ring. The side of the wafer 400 without the photoresist (i.e., the back side of the wafer 400) is set upward, and the pressure plate 200 presses the wafer 400 on the sealing ring from top to bottom. In the actual production process, the plating solution temperature in some electroplating processes can reach 55°C-60°C, and the photoresist will soften when used in a higher temperature, such as a plating solution above 45°C, and will produce a certain degree of adhesion with the sealing ring.

[0004] After the electroplating is completed, a manipulator needs to be inserted between the base 100 and the pressure plate 200 and suck and grab the back of the wafer 400 to unload the electroplated wafer 400. Since a guide column 300 is provided between the pressure plate 200 and the base 100, the space is relatively narrow, so the suction cup size of the manipulator is usually small and can only be sucked to the middle area of ​​the back of the wafer 400. However, when the photoresist on the front edge of the wafer 400 adheres to the sealing ring, the edge of the front of the wafer 400 is stressed, resulting in the mismatch between the back and front stress areas of the wafer 400. In the worst case, the sealing ring will be pulled off the base 100, increasing the maintenance cost, and in the worst case, the wafer 400 will be broken, affecting the production capacity and manufacturing cost. Summary of the invention

[0005] One purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer handling robot that ensures smooth insertion between a base and a pressure plate while making the force bearing areas on both sides of the grasped wafer consistent, thereby avoiding wafer fragments, improving production capacity and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0006] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] Wafer handling robot, including:

[0008] Bracket assembly;

[0009] At least two adsorption arms are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the support assembly, the adsorption arms are provided with vacuum adsorption ports for adsorbing wafers, and the adsorption arms are slidably matched with the support assembly;

[0010] A driving assembly is installed on the support assembly and respectively cooperates with each of the adsorption arms. The driving assembly can drive each of the adsorption arms to extend radially outward relative to the support assembly or to be retracted inward relative to the support assembly.

[0011] As an optional solution, the adsorption arm includes:

[0012] An extension portion, the extension portion extends in a radial direction of the bracket assembly, and an inner end thereof is slidably matched with the bracket assembly;

[0013] An arc-shaped portion is connected to the outer end of the extension portion and extends along the circumference of the bracket assembly. At least two vacuum adsorption ports are arranged on the arc-shaped portion.

[0014] As an optional solution, the vacuum adsorption port is provided on the extension portion.

[0015] As an optional solution, the driving assembly includes a driving source and a transmission member, and each of the adsorption arms is in transmission cooperation with the transmission member. The driving source is connected to the bracket assembly and can drive the transmission member to rotate, so as to drive each of the adsorption arms to extend outward or retract inward, so that when the adsorption arm is in a fully retracted state, the ends of at least two of the arc-shaped portions form a closed state with each other, or when the adsorption arm is in a dynamically extending outward state or a fully extended outward state, the ends of at least two of the arc-shaped portions are in an equidistantly separated state.

[0016] As an optional solution, at least two arc-shaped drive grooves are provided on the transmission member, and at least two of the arc-shaped drive grooves are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the transmission member. The adsorption arm includes a protrusion, and each of the protrusions corresponds to and slides with one of the arc-shaped drive grooves.

[0017] As an optional solution, the bracket assembly includes a base plate and a pressure plate, an accommodating cavity is provided between the base plate and the pressure plate, and the transmission member is provided in the accommodating cavity.

[0018] As an optional solution, the bracket assembly includes a base plate and a pressure plate, the base plate is connected to the pressure plate, and at least two guide grooves are provided on one side facing the pressure plate, the guide grooves extend radially along the bracket assembly, and each of the adsorption arms slides in cooperation with one of the guide grooves.

[0019] As an optional solution, a cooling structure is provided on the adsorption arm, and the cooling structure is configured to cool the adsorbed wafer.

[0020] As an optional solution, the cooling structure includes a cooling member installed on the adsorption arm, and the cooling member is made of thermoelectric material.

[0021] As an optional solution, the cooling structure includes a cooling channel opened in the adsorption arm, and the cooling channel is configured to allow a cooling medium to pass through.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electroplating equipment, which, by adopting the above-mentioned wafer handling robot, can not only ensure production efficiency, but also avoid fragmentation when unloading wafers, thereby improving production capacity and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0023] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0024] An electroplating device comprises at least a clamp and a wafer handling robot, wherein the clamp is used to fix the wafer and move the wafer into a plating solution for an electroplating process, and the wafer handling robot is used to place the wafer into the clamp or take the wafer out of the clamp.

[0025] Another object of the present invention is to propose a method for using a wafer handling robot, which is applied to the above-mentioned electroplating equipment. In the process where the first conveying mechanism transfers the wafer to the wafer handling robot, interference between the wafer handling robot and other structures is avoided, thereby improving the yield rate of the entire electroplating process.

[0026] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0027] A method for using a wafer handling robot, the method for using the robot is applied to an electroplating device, the electroplating device comprising:

[0028] A plurality of electroplating chambers, used for performing an electroplating process on wafers, wherein the electroplating chambers are provided with a fixture and an electroplating solution;

[0029] A wafer storage mechanism, the wafer storage mechanism is used to store wafers entering from the outside or to store wafers in the electroplating equipment and then transport them to the outside;

[0030] A first transmission mechanism, used to take out wafers entering from the outside from the wafer storage mechanism or to transmit the wafers in the electroplating chamber to the wafer storage mechanism;

[0031] A track mechanism, disposed between the plurality of electroplating chambers, for the wafer handling robot to move on the track mechanism;

[0032] The wafer handling robot is used to obtain the wafer from the first transmission mechanism and transmit it to the electroplating chamber, or to transfer the wafer in the electroplating chamber to the first transmission mechanism;

[0033] The method of use includes:

[0034] The step of controlling the wafer transport robot to obtain the wafer from the first transmission mechanism specifically includes:

[0035] Controlling the wafer handling robot to a recovery state;

[0036] The first transmission mechanism is controlled to take out the wafers entering from the outside from the wafer storage mechanism, and transfer the wafers to the wafer transport robot in a recovery state.

[0037] As an optional solution, the method of use further includes:

[0038] The first step of controlling the wafer handling robot to move on the track mechanism specifically includes:

[0039] When the wafer transport robot in the recovery state does not carry a wafer, controlling the wafer transport robot to move on the track mechanism to obtain the wafer;

[0040] or

[0041] When the wafer transport robot in the recovery state carries the wafer, the wafer transport robot is controlled to move on the track mechanism to a predetermined position of a certain electroplating chamber.

[0042] As an optional solution, the method of use further includes:

[0043] The step of controlling the wafer handling robot to transfer the wafer to the fixture in the electroplating chamber specifically includes:

[0044] When it is detected that the wafer transport robot in the recovery state carries the wafer and moves to a predetermined position of a certain electroplating chamber, the wafer transport robot is controlled to transfer the wafer to the opened clamp in the electroplating chamber.

[0045] As an optional solution, the method of use further includes:

[0046] The step of controlling the wafer handling robot to take out the wafer from the fixture specifically includes:

[0047] When it is detected that the clamp has been opened and the wafer can be taken out of the clamp, the wafer handling robot is controlled to be in a recovery state;

[0048] Controlling the wafer handling robot in a recovery state to extend into the fixture;

[0049] Attaching the wafer handling robot in the recovered state to the back side of the wafer to be taken out of the fixture;

[0050] The wafer handling robot in the recovery state is changed from the recovery state to the outward extension state, and attached to the back side of the wafer to be taken out in the outward extension state;

[0051] Controlling the wafer handling robot in an outwardly extending state to absorb the back side of the wafer to be taken out, so that the wafer is fixed on the wafer handling robot in the outwardly extending state;

[0052] The wafer transport robot in the outwardly extended state is controlled to take the wafer out of the clamp.

[0053] As an optional solution, the method of use further includes:

[0054] The second step of controlling the wafer handling robot to move on the track mechanism specifically includes:

[0055] When the wafer transport robot is in an outwardly extended state and carries a wafer, the wafer transport robot is controlled to move on the track mechanism toward the first transmission mechanism.

[0056] As an optional solution, the method of use further includes:

[0057] The step of controlling the wafer handling robot to transfer the wafer to the first transmission mechanism specifically includes:

[0058] When it is detected that the wafer handling robot is in an outwardly extended state and carries a wafer, at this time, if it is detected that the wafer handling robot moves along the track mechanism to a position where the wafer can be transferred to the first transmission mechanism, the wafer robot is controlled to transfer the wafer to the first transmission mechanism;

[0059] The wafer handling robot is changed from an outwardly extended state to a retracted state.

[0060] As an optional solution, the method of use further includes:

[0061] The step of controlling the wafer handling robot to transfer wafers between different electroplating chambers specifically includes:

[0062] When it is detected that the wafer handling robot is in an outwardly extended state and carries a wafer, at this time, if it is detected that the wafer handling robot moves along the track mechanism to a predetermined position of a certain electroplating chamber, and at this predetermined position, the wafer handling robot has never transferred the wafer to the fixture in the corresponding electroplating chamber;

[0063] The wafer is transferred to the opened fixture in the plating chamber.

[0064] As an optional solution, there are two track mechanisms, the electroplating chamber is arranged on the side of the two track mechanisms, the first transmission mechanism is arranged at one end of the two track mechanisms, and the other end of the two track mechanisms is also provided with a second transmission mechanism, and the second transmission mechanism is used to transfer the wafer handling robot from one track mechanism to another track mechanism;

[0065] The method of use also includes:

[0066] The step of transferring the wafer handling robot on the two track mechanisms specifically includes:

[0067] When it is detected that the wafer transport robot needs to be transferred, the second transmission mechanism is controlled to transfer the wafer transport robot from one track mechanism to another track mechanism.

[0068] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0069] The wafer handling robot of the present invention has a smaller overall size when the multiple adsorption arms are retracted radially inward, so that they can be smoothly extended between the base and the pressure plate to avoid interference with the guide columns of the fixture; when grabbing the wafer, the adsorption arms extend radially outward, so that the vacuum adsorption port can be adsorbed to the edge area of ​​the wafer, ensuring that the force-bearing area on the back of the wafer and the force-bearing area on the front are distributed correspondingly, avoiding the wafer from being broken due to unbalanced force on the back and front, thereby improving production capacity and reducing manufacturing costs, and also reducing the risk of pulling the sealing ring on the fixture off the base, thereby reducing the maintenance cost of the fixture components.

[0070] The electroplating equipment of the present invention adopts the above-mentioned wafer handling robot, which can not only ensure production efficiency, but also avoid fragmentation when wafers are unloaded, thereby improving production capacity and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0071] The method for using the wafer handling robot of the present invention controls the wafer handling robot to be in a recovery state when obtaining wafers from the first transmission mechanism, so that the current external dimensions of the wafer handling robot are smaller; after the first transmission mechanism takes out the wafers entering from the outside from the wafer storage mechanism, the wafer handling robot receives the wafers transmitted by the first transmission mechanism in a recovery state, thereby avoiding interference between the wafer handling robot and other structures during the process of the first transmission mechanism transferring the wafers to the wafer handling robot, thereby improving the yield rate of the entire electroplating process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a clamp provided by the prior art;

[0073] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a wafer handling robot provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention extending into a fixture to grab a wafer;

[0074] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a wafer handling robot provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention grabbing a wafer located on a base;

[0075] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer handling robot provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0076] Figure 5 is a bottom view of an adsorption arm provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0077] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a wafer handling robot provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention with a support assembly hidden;

[0078] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A in the enlarged view;

[0079] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a first adsorption arm provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0080] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a second adsorption arm provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0081] Fig.10 It is a top view of the electroplating equipment provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0082] In the figure:

[0083] 100, base; 200, pressure plate; 300, guide column; 400, wafer;

[0084] 500, wafer handling robot; 10, bracket assembly; 11, bottom plate; 111, guide slide; 12, pressing plate; 20, adsorption arm; 21, extension portion; 22, arc portion; 23, protrusion; 201, vacuum adsorption port; 30, driving assembly; 31, driving source; 32, transmission member; 321, arc-shaped driving groove; 33, connecting shaft; 40, connecting arm; 51, cooling member; 52, cooling channel;

[0085] 1000, electroplating chamber; 2000, wafer storage mechanism; 2100, inlet chamber; 2200, outlet chamber; 3000, first transmission mechanism; 4000, track mechanism; 5000, second transmission mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0086] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the present invention, rather than all structures, are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0087] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0088] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0089] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", etc., directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish in the description and have no special meaning.

[0090] This embodiment provides a wafer handling robot and electroplating equipment. The electroplating equipment includes a clamp and a wafer handling robot. The clamp is used to fix the wafer and move the wafer to the electroplating solution for the electroplating process. The wafer handling robot is used to put the wafer into the clamp or take the wafer out of the clamp.

[0091] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the fixture includes a base 100 and a pressure plate 200. The base 100 is annular and has a sealing ring on the upper side. The edge of the front side (i.e., the surface provided with the photoresist) of the wafer 400 overlaps the sealing ring. A guide post 300 is provided on the base 100, and the pressure plate 200 is slidably matched with the base 100. The pressure plate 200 can be moved away from the base 100 along the guide post 300, so that the wafer handling robot 500 can extend between the base 100 and the pressure plate 200 and place the wafer 400 on the sealing ring or remove the wafer 400 from the sealing ring. The pressure plate 200 can also approach the base 100 along the guide post 300 to press the wafer 400 on the sealing ring.

[0092] In actual production, the temperature of the plating solution in some electroplating processes can reach 55°C-60°C, and the photoresist will soften when used in a plating solution above 45°C, and will adhere to the sealing ring to a certain extent. In order to avoid the guide column 300, the existing wafer handling robot 500 usually has a small suction cup size and can only be adsorbed to the middle area on the back of the wafer 400. However, when the photoresist on the front edge of the wafer 400 adheres to the sealing ring, the front edge of the wafer 400 is stressed, resulting in the mismatch between the back and front stress areas of the wafer 400. In the worst case, the sealing ring will be pulled off the base 100, increasing maintenance costs, and in the worst case, the wafer 400 will be broken into pieces, affecting production capacity and manufacturing costs.

[0093] like Figure 2-Figure 5 As shown, the wafer handling robot 500 includes a support assembly 10, at least two adsorption arms 20, a drive assembly 30 and a connecting arm 40. The connecting arm 40 is connected to the support assembly 10 and is used to connect to an external driving structure so that the external driving structure drives the entire wafer handling robot 500 to move to a specified position. At least two adsorption arms 20 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the support assembly 10. The adsorption arms 20 are provided with vacuum adsorption ports 201 for adsorbing wafers 400. The vacuum adsorption ports 201 are connected to an external negative pressure supply device for adsorbing wafers 400. The adsorption arms 20 are slidably matched with the support assembly 10. The drive assembly 30 is mounted on the support assembly 10 and is respectively matched with each adsorption arm 20 in transmission. The drive assembly 30 can drive each adsorption arm 20 to extend outward radially relative to the support assembly 10 or to be retracted inward relative to the support assembly 10.

[0094] The wafer handling robot 500 of the present embodiment has a relatively small overall size when the multiple suction arms 20 are retracted radially inward, so that they can be smoothly extended between the base 100 and the pressure plate 200 to avoid interference with the guide column 300 of the fixture; when grabbing the wafer 400, the suction arms 20 extend radially outward, so that the vacuum suction port 201 can be adsorbed to the edge area of ​​the wafer 400, ensuring that the force-bearing area on the back of the wafer 400 corresponds to the force-bearing area on the front, avoiding the wafer 400 from being broken into pieces due to unbalanced force on the back and front, thereby improving production capacity and reducing manufacturing costs, and also reducing the risk of pulling the sealing ring on the fixture off the base 100, thereby reducing the maintenance cost of the fixture components.

[0095] In this embodiment, the support assembly 10 is constructed in a circular shape, so that when each suction arm 20 is in a retracted state, the structure of the entire wafer handling robot 500 is more compact. Optionally, in this embodiment, the wafer handling robot 500 is provided with 8 suction arms 20. In other embodiments, the specific number of suction arms 20 can be flexibly set, such as 5, 6, or other different numbers. Optionally, each suction arm 20 is evenly arranged along the circumference of the support assembly 10, thereby ensuring the uniformity of force on the wafer 400 and further reducing the risk of wafer 400 fragmentation.

[0096] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the suction arm 20 includes an extension portion 21 and an arc portion 22. The extension portion 21 extends radially of the support assembly 10, and the inner end thereof is slidably matched with the support assembly 10. The arc portion 22 is connected to the outer end of the extension portion 21 and extends circumferentially of the support assembly 10. A vacuum suction port 201 is provided on the arc portion 22. The outer end of the suction arm 20 in the radial direction matches the edge shape of the wafer 400 by providing the arc portion 22. The vacuum suction port 201 is provided on the arc portion 22 so that the force area of ​​the suction arm 20 on the edge of the wafer 400 is more consistent with the force area of ​​the sealing ring on the edge of the wafer 400, thereby further reducing the risk of the wafer 400 being broken due to uneven force on the upper and front sides.

[0097] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the arc-shaped portion 22 is in an arc shape. Specifically, when the adsorption arm 20 is in a fully retracted state, the ends of at least two arc-shaped portions 22 are in a closed state with each other; when the adsorption arm 20 is in a dynamically extended outward state or a fully extended outward state, the ends of at least two arc-shaped portions 22 are in an equidistant separation state and are basically on the same circumference, and the circumference is basically the same size as the sealing ring. Optionally, as Figure 5As shown, three vacuum suction ports 201 are provided on the arc portion 22. In other embodiments, two, four or more vacuum suction ports 201 may also be provided on the arc portion 22. In some embodiments, a vacuum suction port 201 having the same arc shape as the arc portion 22 may also be provided on the arc portion 22, which is not specifically limited here. Optionally, the vacuum suction ports 201 on the arc portion 22 are evenly arranged along the extension direction of the arc portion 22.

[0098] like Figure 5 As shown, a vacuum suction port 201 is provided on the extension portion 21. When the wafer 400 is removed from the sealing ring, the vacuum suction port 201 on the extension portion 21 and the vacuum suction port 201 on the arc portion 22 work together to more evenly and firmly adsorb the wafer 400 to prevent the wafer 400 from accidentally falling. In some embodiments, the negative pressure in the vacuum suction port 201 on the extension portion 21 and the negative pressure in the vacuum suction port 201 on the arc portion 22 are supplied simultaneously. In some embodiments, the negative pressure in the vacuum suction port 201 on the extension portion 21 and the negative pressure in the vacuum suction port 201 on the arc portion 22 can also be supplied separately, which is not specifically limited here.

[0099] like Figure 4 As shown, the bracket assembly 10 includes a base plate 11 and a pressure plate 12, the base plate 11 and the pressure plate 12 are interlocked, and at least two guide slots 111 are provided on the side of the base plate 11 facing the pressure plate 12, and the guide slots 111 extend radially along the bracket assembly 10, and each adsorption arm 20 slides with a corresponding guide slot 111. Through the cooperation of the base plate 11 and the pressure plate 12 and the setting of the guide slots 111 on the base plate 11, the sliding cooperation of each adsorption arm 20 with the bracket assembly 10 is achieved, and the installation of the adsorption arm 20 is facilitated. Optionally, the base plate 11 and the pressure plate 12 can be connected by means of clamping, fasteners, etc. In this embodiment, the pressure plate 12 is arranged on the upper side of the base plate 11, and the connecting arm 40 is connected to the pressure plate 12.

[0100] like Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, the drive assembly 30 includes a drive source 31 and a transmission member 32. Each adsorption arm 20 is in transmission cooperation with the transmission member 32. The drive source 31 is connected to the support assembly 10 and can drive the transmission member 32 to rotate, so as to drive each adsorption arm 20 to extend outward or retract inward. In this embodiment, each adsorption arm 20 is connected to the transmission member 32, and the drive source 31 drives the transmission member 32 to rotate to realize the telescopic drive of multiple adsorption arms 20. Not only are there fewer parts, but also the structure is compact, so that the entire wafer handling robot 500 has a smaller size, and can be smoothly inserted between the base 100 and the pressure plate 200. As shown in FIG. Figure 6As shown, it is the size of the wafer handling robot in the fully extended state. When the wafer handling robot is completely in the retracted state, its size can be 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 1 / 4, 2 / 3 of the extended state, etc., which can be set according to actual conditions. The size here refers to the size of the area occupied by the projection of the wafer handling robot in different states on the horizontal plane.

[0101] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, at least two arc-shaped drive grooves 321 are arranged on the transmission member 32, and at least two arc-shaped drive grooves 321 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the transmission member 32. The number of the arc-shaped drive grooves 321 is the same as the number of the adsorption arms 20. The adsorption arm 20 includes a protrusion 23. Specifically, the protrusion 23 is arranged on the surface of the extension portion 21, and it is an integral structure with the extension portion 21. Each protrusion 23 corresponds to and slides with an arc-shaped drive groove 321. When the driving source 31 drives the transmission member 32 to rotate, the side wall of the arc-shaped drive groove 321 guides the protrusion 23 to slide in the arc-shaped drive groove 321. Under the limitation of the guide slide groove 111, the protrusion 23 drives the entire adsorption arm 20 to move radially, thereby realizing that one transmission member 32 drives multiple adsorption arms 20 to extend or retract synchronously, with a simple structure and convenient driving. In a preferred embodiment, as Figure 7 As shown in the figure, the transmission member 32 is circular, and each arc-shaped driving groove 321 extends in an arc shape from the outside of the transmission member 32 to the center. When the protrusion 23 slides in the arc-shaped driving groove 321, if the protrusion 23 moves to the outermost part of the arc-shaped driving groove 321, then the adsorption arm 20 is in a fully extended state. If the protrusion 23 moves to the innermost part of the arc-shaped driving groove 321, then the adsorption arm 20 is in a fully retracted state.

[0102] In addition, the arc-shaped driving groove 321 also limits the radial movement of the entire adsorption arm 20 through the protrusion 23 to prevent the adsorption arm 20 from falling out from between the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 12. In this embodiment, the protrusion 23 is arranged on the extension portion 21.

[0103] In this embodiment, Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, the driving source 31 is arranged on the upper side of the pressing plate 12. The transmission member 32 is constructed as a plate member, and a receiving cavity is arranged between the bottom plate 11 and the pressing plate 12, and the transmission member 32 is arranged in the receiving cavity. Such an arrangement can not only guide the rotation of the transmission member 32, but also protect the transmission member 32 to prevent the external structure from affecting the transmission of the transmission member 32. Figure 6As shown, the driving assembly 30 also includes a connecting shaft 33, which is connected to the transmission member 32. The connecting shaft 33 passes through the pressing plate 12 and is connected to the driving source 31, so that the driving source 31 drives the connecting shaft 33 to rotate. Optionally, the driving source 31 can be a motor, a rotary cylinder, etc., which is not specifically limited here.

[0104] In the present embodiment, the adsorption arm 20 is provided with a cooling structure, and the cooling structure is configured to cool the adsorbed wafer 400. After the fixture fixes the wafer 400 to be electroplated in the electroplating solution, the fixture will carry the wafer 400 out of the electroplating solution. At this time, the temperature of the wafer 400 is usually high. At the higher temperature of the wafer 400, the photoresist on the surface of the wafer 400 adheres, causing the wafer to be pasted together with the sealing ring through the adhered photoresist. At this time, if the wafer 400 is taken out from the fixture, various problems such as fragments are prone to occur. Only after the temperature of the wafer is reduced to the photoresist re-solidification, the wafer 400 can be taken out from the fixture. In this process, if the wafer 400 is waited for to cool down automatically, it takes a few minutes, more than ten minutes or longer time, which mainly depends on the time of reducing the wafer 400 from the temperature causing the photoresist to adhere to the photoresist curing temperature. This long cooling waiting seriously reduces the efficiency of electroplating and the subsequent efficiency.

[0105] To this end, this embodiment provides a specific solution. Before the wafer handling robot 500 drives the wafer 400 to move, the wafer 400 is cooled by the cooling structure, so that the softened photoresist on the wafer 400 can be re-solidified, thereby reducing the adhesion to the sealing ring. At this time, the wafer handling robot 500 absorbs the wafer 400 and drives the wafer 400 to move, which can solve the problem of wafer 400 fragmentation and sealing ring being pulled off due to the adhesion of photoresist and sealing ring. And there is no need to wait for the wafer 400 to automatically cool down, thereby ensuring the efficiency of electroplating.

[0106] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, the cooling structure includes a cooling member 51 mounted on the adsorption arm 20, and the cooling member 51 is made of a thermoelectric material. When the cooling member 51 is powered on, the temperature drops, so the wafer 400 can be cooled. Optionally, the cooling member 51 is mounted on the arc portion 22, so that the photoresist on the wafer 400 that contacts the sealing ring can be cooled more quickly and evenly. Optionally, the cooling member 51 can be embedded in the adsorption arm 20, or it can be attached to the surface of the adsorption arm 20, which is not specifically limited here.

[0107] In some embodiments, such as Fig. 9As shown, the cooling structure includes a cooling channel 52 opened in the adsorption arm 20, and the cooling channel 52 is used to connect with an external device for supplying a cooling medium. When the device for supplying a cooling medium introduces a cooling medium into the cooling channel 52, the wafer handling robot 500 can cool down the wafer 400. Optionally, the cooling channel 52 passes through the arc portion 22, so that the photoresist in contact with the wafer 400 and the sealing ring can be cooled more quickly and evenly. Optionally, the cooling medium can be liquid nitrogen, water, etc.

[0108] This embodiment also provides a method for using a wafer handling robot, which is applied to electroplating equipment. Fig.10 As shown, the electroplating equipment includes a plurality of electroplating chambers 1000 , a wafer storage mechanism 2000 , a first transmission mechanism 3000 , a track mechanism 4000 and the above-mentioned wafer handling robot 500 .

[0109] The electroplating chamber 1000 is used to perform an electroplating process on the wafer. Specifically, a clamp and a plating solution are provided in the electroplating chamber 1000. The clamp is used to clamp the wafer and carry the wafer to immerse into the plating solution or take it out of the plating solution.

[0110] The wafer storage mechanism 2000 is used to store wafers entering from the outside or to store wafers in the electroplating equipment and then transport them to the outside. Fig.10 As shown, the wafer storage mechanism 2000 includes an inlet chamber 2100 and an outlet chamber 2200, and the inlet chamber 2100 is used to store wafers to be electroplated that enter from the outside. Optionally, the electroplating equipment may include multiple inlet chambers 2100, which are not limited here. The outlet chamber 2200 is used to store wafers that have been electroplated. In this embodiment, the entire wafer storage mechanism 2000 is arranged at one end of the first transmission mechanism 3000.

[0111] The first transmission mechanism 3000 is used to take out wafers entering from the outside from the wafer storage mechanism 2000 or to transfer wafers in the electroplating chamber 1000 to the wafer storage mechanism 2000. Specifically, the first transmission mechanism 3000 can take out wafers entering from the outside from the inlet chamber 2100 and transfer them to the wafer handling robot 500; it can also receive the crystals that have been electroplated from the wafer handling robot 500 and put them into the outlet chamber 2200. It can be understood that the first transmission mechanism 3000 that can achieve the above functions belongs to the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0112] The track mechanism 4000 is disposed between the plurality of electroplating chambers 1000, and the wafer handling robot 500 can move on the track mechanism 4000, so that the wafer handling robot 500 can move to a position for docking with the first transmission mechanism 3000, or to a predetermined position matching the electroplating chamber 1000. It should be noted that each electroplating chamber 1000 corresponds to a predetermined position, and the predetermined position is configured so that the wafer handling robot 500 can place a wafer into a fixture in the corresponding electroplating chamber 1000, or take out a wafer that has been electroplated from the corresponding electroplating chamber 1000.

[0113] The wafer handling robot 500 is used to obtain the wafer from the first transmission mechanism 3000 and transmit it to the electroplating chamber 1000, or to transfer the wafer in the electroplating chamber 1000 to the first transmission mechanism 3000. The wafer handling robot 500 has a recovery state and an outwardly extending state, wherein the wafer handling robot 500 has a smaller outer size when in the recovery state, and a larger outer size when in the outwardly extending state. The specific structure of the wafer handling robot 500 can be described above.

[0114] Wafer handling robots generally use logic control, such as PLC control. For wafer handling robots, there are generally multiple control steps, including different activities such as the wafer handling robot obtaining wafers, transporting wafers, and placing wafers in fixtures. The following content of this embodiment describes in detail the steps of how to use the wafer handling robot.

[0115] Based on the above electroplating equipment, the use of the wafer handling robot includes:

[0116] The step of controlling the wafer transport robot 500 to obtain the wafer from the first transmission mechanism 3000;

[0117] The first step of controlling the wafer transport robot 500 to move on the track mechanism 4000

[0118] The step of controlling the wafer handling robot 500 to transfer the wafer to the fixture in the electroplating chamber 1000;

[0119] The step of controlling the wafer handling robot 500 to take out the wafer from the fixture;

[0120] A second step of controlling the wafer transport robot 500 to move on the track mechanism 4000;

[0121] The step of controlling the wafer handling robot 500 to transfer wafers between different electroplating chambers 1000;

[0122] The step of transferring the wafer transfer robot 500 on two track mechanisms 4000; and

[0123] The steps of controlling the wafer transport robot 500 to transfer the wafer to the first transmission mechanism 3000 and other steps of different logic control.

[0124] Some of the above steps may be executed continuously or uninterruptedly, etc., and the execution methods are different. It is understandable that the coordination between any steps is within the protection scope of this embodiment.

[0125] The above steps are explained in detail as follows:

[0126] The step of controlling the wafer transport robot 500 to obtain the wafer from the first transmission mechanism 3000 specifically includes:

[0127] Controlling the wafer transport robot 500 to be in a recovery state;

[0128] The first transmission mechanism 3000 is controlled to take out the wafers entering from the outside from the wafer storage mechanism 2000, and transfer the wafers to the wafer transport robot 500 in the recovery state.

[0129] The method for using the wafer handling robot of the present invention controls the wafer handling robot 500 to be in a recovery state when obtaining wafers from the first transmission mechanism 3000, so that the current external dimensions of the wafer handling robot 500 are smaller; after the first transmission mechanism 3000 takes out the wafers entering from the outside from the wafer storage mechanism 2000, the wafer handling robot 500 receives the wafers transmitted by the first transmission mechanism 3000 in a recovery state, thereby avoiding interference between the wafer handling robot 500 and other structures during the process of the first transmission mechanism 3000 transferring the wafers to the wafer handling robot 500, thereby improving the efficiency of the entire electroplating process.

[0130] It can be understood that before controlling the wafer handling robot 500 to the recovery state, the current state of the wafer handling robot 500 can be detected first. If the current wafer handling robot 500 is in the extended state, the wafer handling robot 500 is controlled to switch to the recovery state; if the current wafer handling robot 500 is in the recovery state, the wafer handling robot 500 is no longer controlled to switch state.

[0131] After the wafer transport robot 500 obtains the wafer from the first transmission mechanism 3000, the first step of moving the wafer transport robot 500 on the track mechanism 4000 is executed, which specifically includes:

[0132] When the wafer transport robot 500 in the recovery state is not carrying any wafers, the wafer transport robot 500 is controlled to move on the track mechanism 4000 to obtain the wafers; or when the wafer transport robot 500 in the recovery state is carrying wafers, the wafer transport robot 500 is controlled to move on the track mechanism 4000 to a predetermined position of a certain electroplating chamber 1000.

[0133] In some embodiments, when the wafer handling robot 500 in the recovery state does not carry any wafers, the current standby state of the electroplating equipment is first identified. If it is identified that the electroplating equipment currently needs to place the wafer to be electroplated into the fixture of the electroplating chamber 1000, the wafer handling robot 500 is controlled to move along the track mechanism 4000 to the first transmission mechanism 3000, so that the first transmission mechanism 3000 can transfer the wafer to be electroplated to the wafer handling robot 500; if it is identified that the electroplating equipment currently needs to take out the wafer that has completed electroplating in the electroplating chamber 1000, the wafer handling robot 500 is controlled to move along the track mechanism 4000 to the predetermined position of the corresponding electroplating chamber 1000, so as to take out the wafer in the fixture of the electroplating chamber corresponding to the predetermined position.

[0134] When it is detected that the wafer handling robot 500 in the recovery state carries the wafer and moves to a predetermined position of a certain electroplating chamber 1000, the wafer handling robot 500 is controlled to execute the step of transferring the wafer to the fixture in the electroplating chamber 1000. Specifically, it includes controlling the wafer handling robot 500 to transfer the wafer to the already opened fixture in the electroplating chamber 1000. After the wafer is placed in the fixture, the wafer handling robot 500 withdraws from the fixture, and after the fixture is closed, it carries the wafer and immerses it in the electroplating solution of the corresponding electroplating chamber 1000 for electroplating. It should be noted that the transfer of the wafer from the wafer handling robot 500 to the already opened fixture and the withdrawal of the wafer handling robot 500 from the fixture can be driven by the driving mechanism on the track mechanism 4000.

[0135] After the wafer is electroplated in the plating solution, the fixture carries the electroplated wafer out of the plating solution. At this time, the wafer handling robot is required to take the electroplated wafer out of the fixture.

[0136] The step of controlling the wafer handling robot 500 to take out the wafer from the fixture specifically includes:

[0137] When it is detected that the clamp has been opened and the wafer can be taken out of the clamp, the wafer handling robot 500 is controlled to be in a recovery state;

[0138] Controlling the wafer handling robot 500 in the recovery state to extend into the fixture;

[0139] Attach the wafer handling robot 500 in the recovered state to the back side of the wafer to be taken out of the fixture;

[0140] The wafer handling robot 500 in the recovery state is changed from the recovery state to the outward extension state, and attached to the back side of the wafer to be taken out in the outward extension state;

[0141] Control the wafer handling robot 500 in the outwardly extending state to absorb the back side of the wafer to be taken out, so that the wafer is fixed on the wafer handling robot 500 in the outwardly extending state;

[0142] The wafer transport robot 500 in the outwardly extended state is controlled to take the wafer out of the fixture.

[0143] The method for using the wafer handling robot of the present embodiment is as follows: during the process of the wafer handling robot 500 extending into the fixture, the wafer handling robot 500 is in a recovered state, and its overall external dimensions are relatively small, so that interference between the wafer handling robot 500 and structures such as the guide column 300 of the fixture can be avoided, and the wafer handling robot 500 is convenient for intervening inside the fixture without causing damage to other components, thereby ensuring the service life of the electroplating equipment; before adsorbing the wafer, the wafer handling robot 500 is switched to an outwardly extended state, so that the wafer handling robot 500 can be adsorbed to the edge area of ​​the back side of the wafer, ensuring that the force-bearing area on the back side of the wafer (i.e., the area adsorbed by the wafer handling robot 500) and the force-bearing area on the front side (i.e., the area in contact with the photoresist and the sealing ring) are distributed in a corresponding manner, thereby avoiding the wafer from being broken into pieces due to unbalanced force on the front and back sides, thereby improving production capacity and reducing manufacturing costs, and also reducing the risk of pulling the sealing ring on the fixture off the base 100, thereby reducing the maintenance cost of the fixture components.

[0144] After the wafer handling robot 500 takes out the wafer that has been electroplated in the electroplating chamber 1000, the second step of controlling the wafer handling robot 500 to move on the track mechanism 4000 specifically includes:

[0145] When the wafer handling robot 500 is in an outwardly extended state and carries a wafer, the wafer handling robot 500 is controlled to move on the track mechanism 4000 in the direction of the first transmission mechanism 3000. It should be noted that in the entire electroplating process, the wafer may need to be electroplated with different metal layers in different electroplating chambers 1000. Therefore, in this embodiment, the movement of the wafer handling robot 500 on the track mechanism 4000 in the direction of the first transmission mechanism 3000 does not only include a narrow sense of distance approach, but also includes moving from the previous electroplating chamber 1000 to the next electroplating chamber 1000 in the entire electroplating process, and finally reaching the first transmission mechanism 3000 for unloading.

[0146] Specifically, the step of controlling the wafer transport robot 500 to transfer the wafer to the first transmission mechanism 3000 specifically includes:

[0147] When it is detected that the wafer handling robot 500 is in an extended state and is carrying a wafer, if it is further detected that the wafer handling robot 500 moves along the track mechanism 4000 to a position where it can transfer the wafer to the first transmission mechanism 3000, it indicates that the electroplating process has been completed. At this time, the wafer robot is controlled to transfer the wafer to the first transmission mechanism 3000; then the wafer handling robot 500 is changed from an extended state to a recovery state to facilitate the grabbing of the next wafer to be electroplated.

[0148] When it is detected that the wafer handling robot 500 is in an outwardly extending state and carrying a wafer, at this time, if it is further detected that the wafer handling robot 500 moves along the track mechanism 4000 to a predetermined position of a certain electroplating chamber 1000, and at this predetermined position, the wafer handling robot 500 has never transferred the wafer to the fixture in the corresponding electroplating chamber 1000, it means that the current electroplating process has not yet been completed, and the wafer handling robot 500 moves along the track mechanism 4000 from the predetermined position of the previous electroplating chamber 1000 to the predetermined position of the current electroplating chamber 1000. At this time, the wafer handling robot 500 is controlled to transfer the wafer to the already opened fixture in the current electroplating chamber 1000, and the fixture immerses the wafer into the corresponding electroplating chamber 1000 for further electroplating. When according to the actual electroplating process, the wafer has been electroplated in different electroplating chambers 1000 one after another, the wafer handling robot 500 is controlled to move along the track mechanism 4000 to the first transmission mechanism 3000.

[0149] In some embodiments, the electroplating process of the wafer requires that the wafer be electroplated with a first metal layer, then other electroplating layers, and then the first metal layer again. For this electroplating process, in the method of using the wafer handling robot, when it is detected that the wafer handling robot 500 is in an outwardly extended state and is carrying a wafer, at this time, if it is detected that the wafer handling robot 500 moves along the track mechanism 4000 to a predetermined position of a certain plating chamber 1000, regardless of whether the wafer handling robot 500 has ever transferred the wafer to the fixture in the corresponding plating chamber 1000 at the predetermined position, the wafer will be transferred to the already opened fixture in the plating chamber 1000.

[0150] In some embodiments, such as Fig.10As shown, the electroplating equipment includes two track mechanisms 4000, the two track mechanisms 4000 are arranged in parallel, and the sides of the two track mechanisms 4000 are provided with electroplating chambers 1000. In this embodiment, the electroplating chamber 1000 is arranged on the side of each track mechanism 4000 away from the other track mechanism 4000, and the wafer handling robot 500 can take and place the wafer in the fixture of the electroplating chamber 1000 on the side of the corresponding track mechanism 4000 when moving on a track mechanism 4000. Optionally, the number of electroplating chambers 1000 on the side of each track mechanism 4000 can be one, two, three or more, which is not specifically limited here. In this embodiment, the first transmission mechanism 3000 is arranged at one end of the two track mechanisms 4000, and the other end of the two track mechanisms 4000 is also provided with a second transmission mechanism 5000, and the second transmission mechanism 5000 is used to transfer the wafer handling robot 500 from one track mechanism 4000 to another track mechanism 4000.

[0151] In this regard, the method for using the wafer transport robot also includes the step of transferring the wafer transport robot 500 on the two track mechanisms 4000, specifically including:

[0152] When it is detected that the wafer transport robot 500 needs to be transferred, the second transmission mechanism 5000 is controlled to transfer the wafer transport robot 500 from one track mechanism 4000 to another track mechanism 4000.

[0153] Exemplarily: Definition Fig.10 The electroplating chambers 1000 on one side of the track mechanism 4000 in the upper middle are No. 1 to No. 4 from left to right, and the electroplating chambers 1000 on one side of the track mechanism 4000 in the lower middle are No. 5 to No. 8 from left to right.

[0154] When the wafer handling robot 500 is on the upper track mechanism 4000, and the current electroplating process only needs to be electroplated in one or more of the electroplating chambers 1000 from No. 1 to No. 4, the second conveying mechanism 5000 is not needed to transport the wafer handling robot 500; similarly, when the wafer handling robot 500 is on the lower track mechanism 4000 and the electroplating process only needs to be electroplated in one or more of the electroplating chambers 1000 from No. 5 to No. 8, the second conveying mechanism 5000 is not needed to transport the wafer handling robot 500; when the electroplating process requires electroplating in at least one of the electroplating chambers 1000 from No. 1 to No. 4 and electroplating in the electroplating chambers 1000 from No. 5 to No. 8, the wafer handling robot 500 can be transported to the corresponding track mechanism 4000 by the second conveying mechanism according to the actual electroplating sequence of the electroplating process in each electroplating chamber 1000.

[0155] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are only examples for clearly explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation and application scope, and the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer handling robot, characterized in that: include: A support assembly (10); At least two adsorption arms (20) are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the support assembly (10), the adsorption arms (20) are provided with vacuum adsorption ports (201) for adsorbing wafers, and the adsorption arms (20) are slidably matched with the support assembly (10); A driving assembly (30) is mounted on the support assembly (10) and is respectively in transmission cooperation with each of the adsorption arms (20). The driving assembly (30) is capable of driving each of the adsorption arms (20) to extend radially outward relative to the support assembly (10) or to retract radially inward relative to the support assembly (10).

2. The wafer handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adsorption arm (20) comprises: An extension portion (21), the extension portion (21) extending in the radial direction of the support assembly (10), and the inner end of the extension portion (21) slidingly cooperates with the support assembly (10); An arc-shaped portion (22), the arc-shaped portion (22) is connected to the outer end of the extension portion (21) and extends along the circumference of the bracket assembly (10), and the vacuum suction port (201) is provided on the arc-shaped portion (22).

3. The wafer handling robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The extension portion (21) is provided with the vacuum adsorption port (201).

4. The wafer handling robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving assembly (30) comprises a driving source (31) and a transmission member (32), each of the adsorption arms (20) is in transmission cooperation with the transmission member (32), the driving source (31) is connected to the support assembly (10) and can drive the transmission member (32) to rotate, so as to drive each of the adsorption arms (20) to extend outward or retract inward, so that when the adsorption arm (20) is in a fully retracted state, the ends of at least two of the arc-shaped portions (22) form a closed state with each other, or when the adsorption arm (20) is in a dynamically extended outward state or a fully extended outward state, the ends of at least two of the arc-shaped portions (22) are in an equidistantly separated state.

5. The wafer handling robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: At least two arc-shaped driving grooves (321) are provided on the transmission member (32), and the at least two arc-shaped driving grooves (321) are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the transmission member (32). The adsorption arm (20) includes a protrusion (23), and each protrusion (23) corresponds to and slidably cooperates with one of the arc-shaped driving grooves (321).

6. The wafer handling robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The support assembly (10) comprises a base plate (11) and a pressure plate (12); an accommodating cavity is provided between the base plate (11) and the pressure plate (12); and the transmission member (32) is provided in the accommodating cavity.

7. The wafer handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support assembly (10) includes a base plate (11) and a pressure plate (12), wherein the base plate (11) is connected to the pressure plate (12), and at least two guide grooves (111) are provided on one side facing the pressure plate (12), wherein the guide grooves (111) extend radially along the support assembly (10), and each of the adsorption arms (20) is slidably matched with a corresponding guide groove (111).

8. The wafer handling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The adsorption arm (20) is provided with a cooling structure, and the cooling structure is configured to cool the adsorbed wafer.

9. The wafer handling robot according to claim 8, characterized in that: The cooling structure comprises a cooling member (51) mounted on the adsorption arm (20), wherein the cooling member (51) is made of a thermoelectric material; or The cooling structure comprises a cooling channel (52) opened in the adsorption arm (20), and the cooling channel (52) is configured to allow a cooling medium to flow into it.

10. An electroplating device, characterized in that: The electroplating equipment at least includes a clamp and a wafer handling robot as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the clamp is used to fix the wafer and move the wafer into the electroplating solution for the electroplating process, and the wafer handling robot is used to place the wafer into the clamp or take the wafer out of the clamp.

11. A method for using a wafer handling robot, characterized in that: The method of use is applied to electroplating equipment, and the electroplating equipment comprises: A plurality of electroplating chambers (1000) for performing an electroplating process on wafers, wherein a fixture and an electroplating solution are arranged in the electroplating chamber (1000); A wafer storage mechanism (2000), the wafer storage mechanism being used to store wafers entering from the outside or to store wafers in an electroplating device and then transport them to the outside; A first transmission mechanism (3000) is used to take out wafers entering from the outside from the wafer storage mechanism (2000) or to transmit wafers in the electroplating chamber (1000) to the wafer storage mechanism (2000); A track mechanism, arranged between the plurality of electroplating chambers (1000), and used for the wafer handling robot to move on the track mechanism; The wafer handling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9, used to obtain a wafer from the first transmission mechanism (3000) and transmit it to the electroplating chamber (1000), or to transmit the wafer in the electroplating chamber (1000) to the first transmission mechanism (3000); The method of use includes: The step of controlling the wafer transport robot to obtain the wafer from the first transmission mechanism (3000) specifically comprises: Controlling the wafer handling robot to a recovery state; The first transmission mechanism (3000) is controlled to take out wafers entering from the outside from the wafer storage mechanism (2000), and transfer the wafers to the wafer transport robot in a recovery state.

12. The method for using the wafer handling robot according to claim 11, characterized in that: The method of use also includes: The first step of controlling the wafer handling robot to move on the track mechanism specifically includes: When the wafer transport robot in the recovery state does not carry a wafer, controlling the wafer transport robot to move on the track mechanism to obtain the wafer; or When the wafer transport robot in the recovery state carries a wafer, the wafer transport robot is controlled to move on the track mechanism to a predetermined position of a certain electroplating chamber (1000).

13. The method for using the wafer handling robot according to claim 12, characterized in that: The method of use also includes: The step of controlling the wafer handling robot to transfer the wafer to the fixture in the electroplating chamber (1000) specifically comprises: When it is detected that the wafer transport robot in the recovery state carries a wafer and moves to a predetermined position in a certain electroplating chamber (1000), the wafer transport robot is controlled to transfer the wafer to an opened clamp in the electroplating chamber (1000).

14. The method for using the wafer handling robot according to claim 13, characterized in that: The method of use also includes: The step of controlling the wafer handling robot to take out the wafer from the fixture specifically includes: When it is detected that the clamp has been opened and the wafer can be taken out of the clamp, the wafer handling robot is controlled to be in a recovery state; Controlling the wafer handling robot in a recovery state to extend into the fixture; Attaching the wafer handling robot in the recovered state to the back side of the wafer to be taken out of the fixture; The wafer handling robot in the recovery state is changed from the recovery state to the outward extension state, and attached to the back side of the wafer to be taken out in the outward extension state; Controlling the wafer handling robot in an outwardly extending state to absorb the back side of the wafer to be taken out, so that the wafer is fixed on the wafer handling robot in the outwardly extending state; The wafer transport robot in the outwardly extended state is controlled to take the wafer out of the clamp.

15. The method for using the wafer handling robot according to claim 14, characterized in that: The method of use also includes: The second step of controlling the wafer handling robot to move on the track mechanism specifically includes: When the wafer transport robot is in an outwardly extended state and carries a wafer, the wafer transport robot is controlled to move on the track mechanism in the direction of the first transmission mechanism (3000).

16. The method for using the wafer handling robot according to claim 15, characterized in that: The method of use also includes: The step of controlling the wafer handling robot to transfer the wafer to the first transmission mechanism (3000) specifically comprises: When it is detected that the wafer handling robot is in an outwardly extended state and is carrying a wafer, if it is detected that the wafer handling robot moves along the track mechanism to a position where the wafer can be transferred to the first transmission mechanism (3000), the wafer handling robot is controlled to transfer the wafer to the first transmission mechanism (3000); The wafer handling robot is changed from an outwardly extended state to a retracted state.

17. The method for using the wafer handling robot according to claim 14, wherein: The method of use also includes: The step of controlling the wafer handling robot to transfer wafers between different electroplating chambers (1000) specifically comprises: When it is detected that the wafer handling robot is in an outwardly extended state and is carrying a wafer, at this time, if it is detected that the wafer handling robot moves along the track mechanism to a predetermined position of a certain electroplating chamber (1000), and at this predetermined position, the wafer handling robot has never transferred the wafer to a fixture in the corresponding electroplating chamber (1000); The wafer is transferred to the opened clamp in the electroplating chamber (1000).

18. The method for using the wafer handling robot according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that: There are two track mechanisms, the electroplating chamber (1000) is arranged on the side of each of the two track mechanisms, the first transmission mechanism (3000) is arranged at one end of the two track mechanisms, and the other end of the two track mechanisms is also provided with a second transmission mechanism (5000), the second transmission mechanism (5000) is used to transfer the wafer transport robot from one track mechanism to another track mechanism; The method of use also includes: The step of transferring the wafer handling robot on the two track mechanisms specifically includes: When it is detected that the wafer transport robot needs to be transferred, the second transmission mechanism (5000) is controlled to transfer the wafer transport robot from one track mechanism to another track mechanism.

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