Wafer memory and wafer box storage control method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a wafer memory and a wafer box storage control method thereof, and relates to the field of semiconductors. According to the wafer storage device provided by the invention, the area for exchanging the wafer box is formed, and the inner window plate and the outer window plate are configured for the area, so that the wafer storage device can be isolated from the outside through the two window plates when the wafer box is exchanged when the wafer storage device stores the wafer box, the internal sealing performance in the wafer storage device is ensured, and the service life of the wafer storage device is prolonged. And meanwhile, the condition that the limbs of the worker enter the wafer storage device during manual operation is prevented, and the limbs of the worker are prevented from being injured. In addition, the control of the window plate can be triggered based on the actual sending and taking-out actions of the wafer box, window opening and closing caused by accidental operation of workers can be reduced, and the limb injury of the workers is further avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor processing, and in particular to a wafer storage device and a wafer box storage control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Wafers are the basic raw materials in semiconductor manufacturing. They are circular thin sheets made from extremely high-purity semiconductor materials (such as silicon or gallium arsenide) through processes such as crystal pulling and slicing. In semiconductor technology, wafers can be processed into corresponding integrated circuit devices (such as chips, drive circuits, etc.) through a series of processes.

[0003] Considering the processing requirements of wafers, the processing of wafers often needs to be completed in a highly dust-free space. Therefore, how to ensure dust-freeness during wafer processing and avoid external interference is a technical problem that technicians in this field need to solve urgently. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a wafer storage device and a wafer box storage control method thereof, which can ensure that the wafer storage device is closed from the outside when the wafer box is exchanged by setting two window panels in the wafer box exchange area.

[0005] The present application provides a wafer box storage method, which is applied to a wafer storage device. The wafer storage device includes a vertical library structure and a wafer box moving device. The vertical library structure is provided with a plurality of wafer box bases and a wafer box exchange cavity connected to the outside is formed inside. The wafer box exchange cavity is provided with an inner window and an outer window. The plurality of wafer box bases include a storage base arranged on the side wall of the vertical library structure and an exchange base arranged in the wafer box exchange cavity. The wafer box moving device is used to move the wafer box between the plurality of wafer box bases. The wafer box storage method includes: in response to a wafer box storage request, closing the inner window and opening the outer window. In response to at least one wafer box being placed on the exchange base, opening the inner window and closing the outer window. The wafer box moving device is driven to move the wafer box from the exchange base to the storage base.

[0006] Optionally, the method further comprises: in response to the inner window being closed and the outer window being opened, controlling the exchange base to be in a first orientation, wherein the first orientations are parallel to each other. In response to the inner window being opened and the outer window being closed, controlling the exchange base to be in a second orientation, wherein the second orientation points to the moving axis of the wafer box moving device.

[0007] Optionally, when the wafer box base on the wafer box exchange chamber is in the second orientation, it blocks the movement track of the inner window, and the method further includes: in response to the movement instruction of the inner window, detecting the orientation of the exchange base. In response to the exchange base being in the second orientation, controlling the exchange base to be in the first orientation. Executing the movement instruction of the inner window.

[0008] Optionally, the wafer box base is provided with a wafer box placement sensor, which is used to generate a wafer box sensor signal based on the placement state of the wafer box on the wafer box base, and in response to at least one wafer box being placed on the exchange base, the inner window is opened and the outer window is closed, including: based on the wafer box deposit request, determining the wafer box deposit demand of the exchange base. Based on the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base, it is judged whether the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base meets the wafer box deposit demand. If so, the wafer box deposit request is executed, the inner window is opened and the outer window is closed.

[0009] Optionally, judging whether the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base meets the wafer box storage requirement based on the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base includes: determining the target base where the wafer box has been placed based on the wafer box sensor signal. Judging whether the placement position and / or placement quantity of the target base are consistent with the wafer box storage requirement. If so, judging that the wafer box storage request is executed.

[0010] Optionally, the method further includes: generating an abnormality reminder in response to the wafer box sensing signal including abnormal placement information.

[0011] Optionally, the wafer box exchange chamber is provided with a human presence sensor, and the method further comprises: closing the inner window in response to a limb presence signal from the human presence sensor.

[0012] In a second aspect, the present application provides a wafer box removal method, which is applied to a wafer storage device. The wafer storage device includes a vertical library structure and a wafer box moving device. The vertical library structure is provided with a plurality of wafer box bases and a wafer box exchange cavity connected to the outside is formed inside. The wafer box exchange cavity is provided with an inner window and an outer window. The plurality of wafer box bases include a storage base arranged on the side wall of the vertical library structure and an exchange base arranged in the wafer box exchange cavity. The wafer box moving device is used to move the wafer box between the plurality of wafer box bases. The wafer box removal method includes: in response to a wafer box removal request, opening the inner window and closing the outer window. Driving the wafer box moving device to move the wafer box from the storage base to the exchange base. In response to the completion of the placement of the wafer box, closing the inner window and opening the outer window.

[0013] Optionally, the method further includes: in response to completion of wafer box placement, generating wafer box removal prompt information.

[0014] On the third aspect, the present application also provides a wafer storage device, which includes a vertical library structure, a wafer box moving device and a controller. The vertical library structure is provided with a plurality of wafer box bases and a wafer box exchange cavity connected to the outside is formed inside. The wafer box exchange cavity is provided with an inner window and an outer window. The plurality of wafer box bases include a storage base arranged on the side wall of the vertical library structure and an exchange base arranged in the wafer box exchange cavity. The wafer box moving device is used to move the wafer box between the plurality of wafer box bases.

[0015] The controller is used to control the wafer storage device to execute the wafer box storage method described in the first aspect and / or the wafer box removal method described in the second aspect.

[0016] Based on the wafer storage device provided in the embodiment of the present application, an area for exchanging wafer boxes is formed and two inner and outer window panels are configured for the area. When the wafer storage device stores wafer boxes, the two window panels can be used to isolate the wafer storage device from the outside when exchanging wafer boxes, thereby ensuring the internal closure of the wafer storage device and preventing the staff from entering the wafer storage device with their limbs when performing manual operations, thereby avoiding limb injuries to the staff. In addition, the control of the window panel can be triggered based on the actual action of sending and taking out the wafer box, which can reduce the window opening and closing caused by the staff's accidental operation, thereby further avoiding limb injuries to the staff. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a system schematic diagram of a wafer processing system provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer memory provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0020] Figure 3A , 3B It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer memory provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0021] Figure 4 This is an exemplary flow chart of a wafer box storage method provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0022] Figure 5 It is an exemplary flow chart of a wafer box placement detection method provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0023] Figure 6 This is an exemplary flow chart of a wafer box removal method provided in some embodiments of the present application.

[0024] Among them, 100, wafer processing system; 110, processing unit; 120, wafer handling system; 200, wafer storage; 210, vertical library structure; 220, wafer box exchange cavity; 221, exchange base; 221', exchange base; 231, outer window; 232, inner window. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] Application Overview:

[0027] With the development of wafer processing technology, the Automatic Material Handling System (AMHS) is generally used to transfer wafers in wafer processing. Based on AMHS, during the wafer processing process, the wafer processing equipment can be integrated into multiple processing units, so that the AMHS can be used to transfer wafers between different units and within the processing unit.

[0028] To further illustrate the wafer processing process based on AMHS, the present application provides a system schematic diagram of a wafer processing system ( Figure 1 ). The wafer processing system 100 can be understood as a collection of process equipment in the wafer processing process.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the wafer processing system 100 may include multiple processing units 110. The processing unit 110 may refer to a cluster of related equipment for one or more processes in the wafer processing process, that is, the wafer can complete the corresponding processing process after passing through the corresponding processing unit 110.

[0030] After being formed, the wafer generally undergoes processes such as surface polishing, cleaning, oxidation, photolithography, etching, ion implantation, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, chemical mechanical polishing, interconnection, testing, cutting, packaging, and final testing to form semiconductor components.

[0031] In practical applications, the overall processing process of the wafer can be divided into multiple continuous processing links according to the actual semiconductor preparation requirements. The process equipment of each processing link can form the aforementioned processing unit 110, so that after the wafer enters the processing unit 110, it is automatically / semi-automatically processed by each process equipment to complete the corresponding processing task.

[0032] In order to realize the automatic / semi-automatic material transfer of the aforementioned processing unit 110, a wafer handling system 120 may also be integrated in the aforementioned wafer processing system 100. Among them, the wafer handling system 120 is an AMHS applied to wafer processing. In the aforementioned wafer processing system 100, it is mainly used to transfer wafers between the processing units 110 and load and unload wafers for each processing unit 110.

[0033] In actual application, one or more wafers are generally directly transferred within the processing unit 110 so as to be processed by corresponding process equipment. Between the processing units 110, the wafers can be transferred through a wafer box.

[0034] Wafer cassette is a container used to place and transport wafers in semiconductor production. Wafer cassettes are mainly used to handle and store wafers to simplify transportation and reduce the risk of contamination. There are symmetrical grooves inside the wafer cassette with strictly uniform dimensions to support both sides of the wafer. Usually one wafer cassette can hold 25 wafers.

[0035] In the wafer processing system 100, the wafer box can be configured as a front-opening unified pod (FOUP). That is, the wafer box is open at the front of the box body so that the wafer can be taken out or stored in the wafer box. In addition, in the wafer processing system 100, the wafer boxes of different processing units 110 are presented in different styles (mainly distinguished by the color of the box body) to distinguish different processing links of the wafer during the processing process.

[0036] Based on the aforementioned wafer cassette, in the wafer handling system 120, the wafer cassette can be transferred between the processing units 110 and wafers can be extracted from the wafer cassette in the processing unit 110. Therefore, the aforementioned wafer handling system 120 can include a wafer cassette carrying device and a wafer carrying device.

[0037] The wafer box carrying device may refer to a device for transporting wafer boxes between the processing units 110. The wafer box carrying device generally realizes automatic or semi-automatic wafer box transportation between the processing units 110 through a device capable of transporting wafer boxes. For example, the wafer box carrying device may be realized by a transport device such as an overhead hoist transport (OHT), an automated material robot (AMR), or a conveyor.

[0038] The wafer carrier is similar to the aforementioned wafer box carrier, and may refer to a device for transporting wafers within the processing unit 110, and may also be implemented by the aforementioned handling equipment. In addition, it should be noted that the specific presentation form of the wafer carrier may match the requirements of the corresponding processing unit 110, so that the process equipment within the processing unit 110 can process the wafers carried thereon. Generally, the wafer carrier may also be referred to as a wafer boat.

[0039] Considering the different processing rates of different processing links, a buffer structure can also be set in the wafer handling system to coordinate the processing of each link. Among them, the buffer structure in the wafer handling system is generally presented as a wafer box stocker.

[0040] The wafer box warehouse is a device used to store and automatically manage wafer boxes in the semiconductor manufacturing process. One or more wafer box warehouses can be set up in each processing unit 110 to cache wafer boxes to be processed / processed. Among them, a plurality of wafer box positions are generally set up in the wafer box warehouse to realize the storage and delivery of wafer boxes, so as to balance the production capacity differences between various production process equipment as material storage space.

[0041] Based on the aforementioned wafer handling system 120, the wafer boxes between the various processing units 110 can be transferred between the wafer box warehouses of the various processing units 110 through wafer box carrying equipment, and the wafer box warehouse can distribute wafer boxes as needed, so that the wafers in the wafer boxes can be transferred between the various process equipment in the processing unit 110 through the wafer carrying equipment to complete the corresponding processing of the wafers.

[0042] Therefore, based on the aforementioned wafer processing system 100, material handling and processing of wafers can be realized during the entire processing process, thereby effectively organizing related process equipment and transportation equipment of the wafers and realizing high integration and automation of the system.

[0043] In practical applications, considering the complexity of wafer box placement, the interaction between the wafer box warehouse and the wafer box carrier can generally be achieved through semi-automatic means. That is, the wafer box carrier can be moved to the wafer box warehouse, and the manual handling of the staff can realize the exchange of wafer boxes between the wafer box warehouse and the wafer box carrier.

[0044] During the handling process, the wafer box warehouse often needs to open the window to expose the wafer box to the staff for handling or exchange. However, during this process, as the window is opened, the wafer box warehouse is exposed to the external environment, which may destroy the dust-free environment of the wafer box warehouse. In addition, when the staff is carrying, their limbs may enter the interior of the wafer box warehouse, and considering the nature of the warehouse, there are high-speed moving robotic arms inside, which may cause damage to the limbs entering the wafer box warehouse.

[0045] In response to the above technical problems, the present application improves the area for exchanging wafer boxes in a wafer storage vertical warehouse, thereby forming a wafer storage device and a wafer box storage control method thereof. Among them, the wafer storage device provided by the present application forms an area for exchanging wafer boxes and is provided with two inner and outer window panels for the area. When the wafer storage device stores wafer boxes, the two window panels can be used to isolate the wafer storage device from the outside when exchanging wafer boxes, thereby ensuring the internal closure of the wafer storage device and preventing the limbs of the staff from entering the wafer storage device when performing manual operations, thereby avoiding limb injuries of the staff.

[0046] In addition, considering the up and down movement of the window plate, a space that will be blocked by the window plate is formed below the carrier plate at the window. The present application creatively sets the power supply device of the wafer storage device in this space, and the power supply device can be connected to the outside through a cable, and the up and down movement of the window plate will not affect its normal operation. As a result, a suitable functional mechanism is set in an area that is difficult to interact with the outside world, thereby improving the integration of the wafer storage device.

[0047] It should be noted that the wafer storage provided in the present application can be understood as a wafer box library or its improved version. For example, the wafer storage provided in the present application can also directly exchange wafers with the outside without interacting with the wafers through a wafer transmission system.

[0048] Various non-limiting embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Exemplary Wafer Memory

[0050] As mentioned above, the present application provides a wafer storage device and a wafer box storage control method thereof. The wafer storage device may be a device for storing wafer boxes in an automatic material handling system. It generally takes the form of a vertical warehouse, that is, a shelf for caching wafer boxes is provided on one side of the wafer storage device, and a mobile robot for wafer boxes is provided on the other side, thereby realizing the displacement of wafer boxes in the wafer storage device.

[0051] To further illustrate the wafer storage device provided by the present application, the present application also provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer storage device and a wafer box storage control method thereof. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer memory 200 provided in some embodiments of the present application. Figure 2 The overall structure of the wafer storage 200 in the XYZ space may be displayed.

[0052] exist Figure 2 It may include three reference directions: X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, wherein XOY forms a horizontal plane, the Z-axis is the vertical direction of the horizontal plane, and the X-axis and the Y-axis are two directions perpendicular to each other in the horizontal plane.

[0053] The wafer storage is generally arranged based on the aforementioned horizontal plane and vertical direction, wherein the vertical direction is generally the extension direction of the wafer storage, that is, the wafer boxes can be stacked in the wafer storage along the vertical direction (ie, the Z-axis direction) to accommodate multiple wafer boxes.

[0054] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the setting of the wafer memory. The above-mentioned reference direction is only for the convenience of describing the selection of the wafer memory and can be adjusted according to actual needs during design and assembly.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown, the wafer storage device 200 may include a vertical library structure 210 .

[0056] The vertical warehouse structure 210 may refer to the main structure of the wafer storage device 200 (i.e., forming a wafer storage warehouse). The vertical warehouse structure 210 may structurally include a load-bearing side wall and a warehouse body structure, wherein the load-bearing side wall may refer to a side wall for placing a wafer box base, and the warehouse body structure refers to other structures outside the load-bearing side wall.

[0057] Specifically, a plurality of carrying plates may be horizontally arranged in the carrying side wall, and a plurality of wafer box bases may be placed on each carrying plate, so that the wafer box is placed on the base.

[0058] Furthermore, the wafer storage device 200 may form a wafer box exchange cavity 220 on the supporting side wall. Figure 2 As shown, a window for exchanging wafer boxes is provided on the carrying side wall, and upper and lower carrying plates are arranged inside, thereby forming a space for placing wafer boxes (referred to as wafer box exchange chamber 220) with the window.

[0059] In particular, the aforementioned plurality of wafer box bases may include storage bases on the sidewalls of the vertical library structure 210 and exchange bases 221 disposed in the wafer box exchange chamber 220. Further, the figure shows an exchange base 221 without a wafer box and an exchange base 221' with a wafer box.

[0060] Thus, based on the wafer box exchange cavity 220, the wafer boxes removed from the wafer storage 200 can be stored in the space (such as on the exchange base 221'), so that external staff can take out the wafer boxes from the area and / or place them in the wafer box carrying device. In addition, the staff can also move the wafer boxes to be stored from the wafer box carrying device to the space, so as to move the wafer boxes in the space to the appropriate position of the vertical warehouse through the wafer box moving device in the wafer storage 200.

[0061] In order to ensure the internal airtightness of the wafer storage 200 when the wafer box is exchanged, the wafer storage 200 may further include an outer window and an inner window (not shown). Figure 2 The outer window and the inner window can cover the two ends of the inner carrier plate respectively, thereby closing the wafer box exchange space at the outside and the inside respectively.

[0062] To further describe the aforementioned blocking of the window by the inner and outer windows, the present application also provides a side schematic diagram of different closed states of a wafer storage device 200 and a wafer box storage control method thereof ( Figure 3A and Figure 3B ).in, Figure 3A It can be a side view of the internal structure of the wafer storage device 200 when the inner window 232 covers the first window. Figure 3B It can be a side view of the internal structure of the wafer storage device 200 when the outer window 231 covers the first window.

[0063] like Figure 3A , Figure 3B As shown, the outer window 231 (presented as a movable window panel) is arranged outside the wafer box exchange chamber 220 along the first vertical direction (i.e., one end of the inner load plate close to the load side wall), and the inner window 232 is arranged inside the wafer box exchange chamber 220 along the first vertical direction (i.e., the two ends of the inner load plate away from the load side wall). The first vertical direction can be the direction of the plane where the aforementioned load side wall is located, i.e. Figure 2 The direction of the XZ plane. Correspondingly, Figure 2 The direction of the YZ plane is recorded as the second vertical direction.

[0064] To achieve wafer box exchange, the outer window 231 and the inner window 232 can be driven to close and open, wherein the opening and closing of the inner and outer windows can be achieved by vertical translation. Generally, when the inner and outer windows are located at the wafer box exchange chamber 220, the window panels are considered to be closed, and when they are located outside the wafer box exchange chamber 220, the window panels are considered to be open. Considering the structure of the wafer storage 200, when the inner and outer windows 231 are in a closed state, the corresponding window panels can be located below the wafer box exchange chamber 220.

[0065] In some embodiments, in order to isolate the wafer storage device 200 from the external environment, at least one of the outer window 231 and the inner window 232 is in a closed state during operation to isolate the external environment. Figure 3A and Figure 3B The states shown are switched to ensure isolation of the wafer memory 200 from the external environment.

[0066] in, Figure 3A It can reflect the state that the outer window 231 is opened and the inner window 232 is closed. Figure 3B It can reflect the state that the outer window 231 is closed and the inner window 232 is open. In the wafer box storage control process, the actual wafer box direction can be adjusted. Figure 3A and Figure 3BThe wafer storage device 200 is continuously switched between the wafer boxes in the outside world, thereby realizing the exchange of the wafer storage device 200 with the external wafer boxes.

[0067] In particular, if a wafer box is provided on the exchange base 221, Figure 3A In the state shown, the wafer box is located in the external space so that it can be taken out / placed by the staff / related operating equipment. Figure 3B In the state shown, the wafer box is located in the inner space of the wafer storage 200 so as to be movable by the wafer box moving device.

[0068] About Based Figure 3A and Figure 3B The wafer box storage control method shown (including the wafer box storage method and the wafer box removal method) can be found in Figures 4 to 6 The relevant description is not repeated here.

[0069] In addition, considering that the wafer box moving device is generally implemented by a planar robot arm and a longitudinal moving axis, in order to facilitate the wafer box moving device to take the wafer box from the exchange base, the exchange base can be arranged toward the moving axis of the wafer box moving device, so that the wafer box moving device can be aligned with the wafer box on the exchange base by rotating the orientation. Figure 2 The exchange base 221 and the exchange base 221' are shown.

[0070] However, considering the access conditions of wafer boxes in the external environment, the inclination angle of the aforementioned exchange base 221' will make it inconvenient for external institutions / staff to place the wafer box. When the wafer box is taken out of the external environment, the aforementioned exchange base 221 located in the middle of the internal carrier plate without an angle is more convenient to take out.

[0071] Based on the above situation, the present application further creatively configures the exchange base at the round box exchange chamber 220 as a movable base, so that its direction can be actively controlled. Based on the above situation, it is configured with two directions. The first direction can be parallel to each other (that is, the direction of each exchange base is parallel to the aforementioned exchange base 221). The second direction can point to the moving axis of the wafer box moving device (such as the aforementioned exchange base 221'). These two directions can be adjusted by the driving structure at the bottom of the base. For more information on direction adjustment, please refer to Figure 4 and its related description.

[0072] Exemplary Wafer Cassette Storage Control Method:

[0073] To further describe the wafer box storage control method based on the above, the present application also provides an exemplary flow chart of a wafer box storage method ( Figure 4 ) and an exemplary flow chart of a wafer box removal method ( Figure 6The wafer box storage control method (ie, the aforementioned storage and retrieval method) may be executed by a controller of the wafer storage device 200 .

[0074] like Figure 4 As shown, process P400 may include the following steps:

[0075] S410, in response to a wafer box deposit request, close the inner window and open the outer window.

[0076] S420, in response to at least one wafer box being placed on the exchange base, opening the inner window and closing the outer window.

[0077] S430, driving the wafer box moving device to move the wafer box from the exchange base to the storage base.

[0078] In the aforementioned S410, the wafer box storage request may refer to an externally triggered request for storing a wafer box. In some embodiments, the wafer box deposit request may be automatically triggered by the host computer of the wafer processing system based on the transportation situation of the wafer box carrier. For example, the host computer may determine the number of wafer boxes that the wafer storage device needs to store at the current moment based on the wafer box carrying situation of the wafer box carrier, thereby generating a wafer box deposit request. The controller of the wafer storage device may receive and parse the request to execute the aforementioned P400.

[0079] In some embodiments, the wafer box storage request can also be determined based on the interactive operation of the staff. For example, a swap button / panel can be set on the wafer storage, and the staff can communicate the request to store the wafer box to the controller of the wafer storage through the operation of the control.

[0080] In particular, considering that the external placement of the wafer box is performed by external equipment / staff, in order to determine in advance whether the placement is completed, the number of bases and / or wafer boxes to be placed can be recorded in the wafer box storage request. In addition, the staff can also feedback the completion of the placement through the aforementioned interactive controls.

[0081] After receiving the request, the controller of the wafer memory can close the inner window and open the outer window to be in Figure 3A In the state shown, the wafer box exchange cavity is exposed to the external space, and the wafer box can be placed by relevant equipment / staff.

[0082] In some embodiments, considering the above two orientations, the exchange base can be controlled to be in a first orientation when the wafer box exchange chamber is exposed to the external space. That is, in response to the inner window being closed and the outer window being opened (i.e., in Figure 3A ), control the exchange base to be in a first orientation.

[0083] In the aforementioned S420, the response to at least one wafer box being placed on the exchange base may indicate that the external staff / equipment has completed the placement of the wafer box requested for this storage. In order to incorporate the wafer box into the internal environment of the wafer storage, the inner window may be opened and the outer window may be closed. Figure 3B In the state shown, the wafer box exchange cavity is exposed inside the wafer storage device, so that it can be interacted with by the wafer box moving device of the wafer storage device.

[0084] Further considering the two orientations, the second orientation can be adjusted to facilitate the operation of the wafer box moving device. That is, in response to the inner window being opened and the outer window being closed (i.e. Figure 3B The exchange base is controlled to be in a second orientation so that the wafer box points to the moving axis of the wafer box moving device.

[0085] Based on the aforementioned S410 and S420, the external wafer box can be incorporated into the internal space of the wafer storage, and the internal environment of the wafer storage and the external space can be kept closed during the process. Thus, the aforementioned S430 can be executed to adjust the position of the wafer box (generally moving from the exchange base to the storage base). In this process, if there is an instruction indicating the specific storage location, it can be executed according to the instruction. If there is no instruction, it can be placed according to the preset rules, thereby freeing up the exchange base for subsequent exchange.

[0086] In addition, if the storage base is not yet vacant, the buffering can also be performed at the exchange base. It should be noted that when there is no vacant base in the wafer storage and a wafer box storage request is received, an error may be reported.

[0087] In order to reduce the space occupied by the wafer storage, the size of the internal carrier plate can be set based on the exchange base in the first orientation only. When the wafer box base on the wafer box exchange cavity is in the second orientation, it will block the movement track of the inner window. Therefore, during the opening and closing process of the inner window, the following method can be performed:

[0088] First, in response to the movement instruction of the inner window, the direction of the exchange base is detected. The movement instruction of the inner window may refer to an internal instruction of the wafer memory, and specifically may be an instruction reflecting the change of the inner window switch state.

[0089] Then, in response to the exchange base being in the second orientation, the exchange base is controlled to be in the first orientation. Thus, the exchange base in the first orientation will not block the moving track of the inner window.

[0090] Finally, the movement instruction of the inner window is executed. In particular, when the switch state of the inner window is changed, the direction of the aforementioned exchange base generally needs to be changed, and the specific change can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0091] In addition, in addition to the need to close the inner window during the conventional exchange of wafer boxes, in order to prevent injury to the staff, when it is detected that the inner window is open and the staff's limbs are located in the wafer box exchange cavity, the contents can also be actively closed to avoid physical injuries caused by staff misoperation. The above process can be based on the perception of a human presence sensor (generally an infrared sensor). Among them, the wafer box exchange cavity is provided with a human presence sensor. The controller of the wafer storage device can close the inner window in response to the limb presence signal of the human presence sensor.

[0092] In some embodiments, in order to detect the placement of the wafer box on the base, the wafer box base is provided with a wafer box placement sensor. The wafer box placement sensor is used to generate a wafer box sensing signal based on the placement state of the wafer box on the wafer box base. Among them, the wafer box placement sensor is generally configured as a pressure sensor of the wafer box, and when the wafer box is provided, the sensor is triggered to form a corresponding wafer box sensing signal.

[0093] In some embodiments, the aforementioned determination of whether the wafer box storage request is completed can be performed based on the sensing signal of the aforementioned wafer box placement sensor. To further illustrate the process, the present application also provides an exemplary flow chart of a wafer box placement detection method ( Figure 5 ).

[0094] like Figure 5 As shown, process P500 (i.e., the aforementioned S420) may include the following steps:

[0095] S510. Based on the wafer box storage requirement, determine the wafer box storage requirement of the exchange base.

[0096] S520, judging whether the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base meets the wafer box storage requirement based on the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base.

[0097] S530, the wafer box storage request is executed, the inner window is opened and the outer window is closed.

[0098] In the aforementioned P500, S520 may be a determination step, and S530 is the execution of the determination result of S520 being yes. In practical applications, if the round box sensor signal does not meet the wafer box storage requirements, the aforementioned position is generally Figure 3A until the requirements are met.

[0099] It should be noted that in the aforementioned S520, the wafer box sensor signal generally does not need to be actively acquired, and the aforementioned wafer box placement sensor can actively provide its signal to the controller.

[0100] In the aforementioned S510, the wafer box storage requirement can be pre-set or recorded in the aforementioned wafer box storage request. For example, a storage button is provided on the wafer box storage, and the button can be triggered once every time a wafer box needs to be stored. Then the wafer box storage requirement corresponding to the button is preset. For another example, the host computer can generate a wafer box storage request based on the number of wafer boxes to be placed as needed, thereby directly writing the wafer box storage requirement into the wafer box storage requirement.

[0101] In the aforementioned S520, the judgment process is generally to judge whether the wafer box corresponding to the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base is consistent with the wafer box storage request. If consistent, it is determined that the wafer box storage request is executed to execute the aforementioned S530.

[0102] In some embodiments, when the wafer box storage requirement has a special placement position requirement for the exchange base, when executing the aforementioned S520, the target base where the wafer box has been placed can be determined based on the wafer box sensor signal. Then, it is determined whether the target base is consistent with the placement position and / or placement quantity of the wafer box storage requirement. Therefore, when they are consistent, it is determined that the wafer box storage request is executed.

[0103] In some embodiments, in order to ensure the placement of the wafer box, the aforementioned wafer box placement sensor can also detect the placement posture of the wafer box (such as setting up multiple pressure sensors), so that the wafer box sensor signal includes abnormal placement information (if the pressure sensor that needs to be pressed is not pressed, it means that its placement posture is abnormal), thereby generating an abnormal reminder.

[0104] Similar to the above-mentioned wafer box storage method, this application Figure 6 The process P600 of the wafer box removal method shown may include the following steps:

[0105] S610, in response to a wafer box removal request, opening the inner window and closing the outer window.

[0106] S620 , driving the wafer box moving device to move the wafer box from the storage base to the exchange base.

[0107] S630, in response to the wafer box being placed, close the inner window and open the outer window.

[0108] The whole process is similar to the aforementioned P400. In the aforementioned S610, the request can be based on the Figure 3B The state shown in FIG. 1 is used to perform the aforementioned S620, thereby placing the wafer box in the wafer box exchange chamber. Then, the aforementioned S630 is performed to place the wafer storage in the state shown in FIG. Figure 3A In the state shown, the wafer box to be taken out is exposed.

[0109] Different from the aforementioned P400, in the aforementioned P600, whether the wafer box is completed can be sensed by the wafer memory. That is, the wafer memory can generate a wafer box removal request based on its own wafer processing status (or generate the instruction after being determined by the host computer), and the number of wafer boxes removed this time is known. That is, the trigger condition of the aforementioned S630 is an internal condition.

[0110] In some embodiments, considering that the aforementioned trigger is an internal condition, after completing the placement of the aforementioned wafer box, a wafer box removal prompt message (such as sound prompt, light prompt, information push, etc.) can be further generated to remind the staff to take out the wafer box.

[0111] It should be noted that the aforementioned P600 may also involve the technical solutions discussed in P400, such as the orientation change of the exchange base, which will not be elaborated here.

[0112] In summary, the wafer storage device provided by the application forms an area for exchanging wafer boxes and is equipped with two inner and outer window panels. When the wafer storage device stores wafer boxes, the two window panels can be used to isolate the wafer storage device from the outside world when exchanging wafer boxes, thereby ensuring the internal closure of the wafer storage device and preventing the staff from entering the wafer storage device with their limbs when performing manual operations, thereby avoiding limb injuries to the staff. In addition, the control of the window panel can be triggered based on the actual action of sending and taking out the wafer box, which can reduce the window opening and closing caused by the staff's accidental operation, thereby further avoiding limb injuries to the staff.

[0113] It should be noted that the various elements described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. To avoid unnecessary repetition, this application will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0114] It should be understood that multiple components and / or parts can be provided by a single integrated component or part. Alternatively, a single integrated component or part can be divided into separate multiple components and / or parts. The disclosure "one" or "an" used to describe a component or part is not intended to exclude other components or parts.

[0115] It should be understood that although the terms “first” or “second” etc. may be used in the present application to describe various elements, these elements are not defined by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0116] The basic principles of the present application are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, effects, etc. mentioned in the present application are only examples and not limitations, and it cannot be considered that these advantages, strengths, effects, etc. are required by each embodiment of the present application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for the purpose of illustration and ease of understanding, not for limitation, and the above details do not limit the present application to being implemented by adopting the above specific details.

[0117] The above are only specific implementations of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer box storage method, characterized in that: Applied to a wafer storage device, the wafer storage device comprises a vertical library structure and a wafer box moving device, the vertical library structure is provided with a plurality of wafer box bases and a wafer box exchange cavity communicating with the outside is formed inside, the wafer box exchange cavity is provided with an inner window and an outer window, the plurality of wafer box bases comprise a storage base arranged on the side wall of the vertical library structure and an exchange base arranged in the wafer box exchange cavity, and the wafer box moving device is used to move the wafer box between the plurality of wafer box bases; The wafer box storage method comprises: In response to a wafer box deposit request, closing the inner window and opening the outer window; In response to at least one wafer box being placed on the exchange base, opening the inner window and closing the outer window; The wafer box moving device is driven to move the wafer box from the exchange base to the storage base.

2. The wafer box storage method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: In response to the inner window being closed and the outer window being opened, controlling the exchange base to be in a first orientation, wherein the first orientations are parallel to each other; In response to the inner window being opened and the outer window being closed, the exchange base is controlled to be in a second orientation, wherein the second orientation points to the moving axis of the wafer box moving device.

3. The wafer box storage method according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the wafer box base on the wafer box exchange cavity is in the second orientation, the movement track of the inner window is blocked, and the method further includes: In response to a movement instruction of the inner window, detecting a direction of the exchange base; In response to the exchange base being in the second orientation, controlling the exchange base to be in the first orientation; Execute the movement instruction of the inner window.

4. The wafer box storage method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer box base is provided with a wafer box placement sensor, and the wafer box placement sensor is used to generate a wafer box sensing signal based on the placement state of the wafer box on the wafer box base, and in response to at least one wafer box being placed on the exchange base, the inner window is opened and the outer window is closed, including: Based on the wafer box storage request, determining the wafer box storage requirement of the exchange base; Determining whether the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base meets the wafer box storage requirement based on the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base; If yes, the wafer box storage request is executed, the inner window is opened and the outer window is closed.

5. The wafer box storage method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The determining whether the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base meets the wafer box storage requirement based on the wafer box sensor signal of the exchange base includes: determining a target pedestal on which a wafer cassette has been placed based on the wafer cassette sensing signal; Determining whether the target pedestal is consistent with the placement position and / or placement quantity required for the wafer box to be stored; If so, it is determined that the wafer box storage request is executed successfully.

6. The wafer box storage method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: In response to the wafer box sensing signal including abnormal placement information, an abnormality reminder is generated.

7. The wafer box storage method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer box exchange chamber is provided with a human presence sensor, and the method further comprises: In response to a limb presence signal from the human presence sensor, the inner window is closed.

8. A wafer box removal method, characterized in that: Applied to a wafer storage device, the wafer storage device includes a vertical library structure and a wafer box moving device, the vertical library structure is provided with a plurality of wafer box bases and a wafer box exchange cavity connected to the outside is formed inside, the wafer box exchange cavity is provided with an inner window and an outer window, the plurality of wafer box bases include a storage base arranged on the side wall of the vertical library structure and an exchange base arranged in the wafer box exchange cavity, the wafer box moving device is used to move the wafer box between the plurality of wafer box bases, and the wafer box taking out method includes: In response to a wafer box removal request, opening the inner window and closing the outer window; Driving the wafer box moving device to move the wafer box from the storage base to the exchange base; In response to completion of wafer box placement, the inner window is closed and the outer window is opened.

9. The wafer box taking out method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: In response to the wafer box placement being completed, a wafer box removal prompt message is generated.

10. A wafer memory, characterized in that: The wafer storage device comprises a vertical library structure, a wafer box moving device and a controller. The vertical library structure is provided with a plurality of wafer box bases and a wafer box exchange cavity communicating with the outside is formed inside. The wafer box exchange cavity is provided with an inner window and an outer window. The plurality of wafer box bases comprise a storage base arranged on a side wall of the vertical library structure and an exchange base arranged in the wafer box exchange cavity. The wafer box moving device is used to move wafer boxes between the plurality of wafer box bases. The controller is used to control the wafer storage device to execute the wafer box storage method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and / or the wafer box removal method according to any one of claims 8 and 9.

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