End execution device, wafer clamping manipulator and wafer transmission device

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, in particular to an end executive device, a wafer clamping manipulator and a wafer transmission device. The end executive device comprises a base plate, a clamping mechanism and a detection mechanism, the base plate is in a Y shape, the two front positioning blocks are arranged on two branches of the front end of the base plate respectively, and the two rear positioning blocks are arranged on the root portion of the rear end of the base plate. The surfaces of the front positioning block and the rear positioning block are obliquely arranged relative to the surface of the base plate; the clamping mechanism is arranged between the two rear positioning blocks and comprises a driver and a clamping block, and the driver can drive the clamping block to move in the direction close to the wafer or away from the wafer; the detection mechanism comprises a sensor separation blade, a photoelectric sensor and a controller, and the sensor separation blade moves along with the clamping block; when the sensor blocking piece shields the photoelectric sensor, the photoelectric sensor can send a trigger signal to the controller. When the device grabs the wafer, only the edge of the wafer is contacted, so that contact pollution is effectively avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to an end effector, a wafer clamping robot and a wafer transfer device. Background Art

[0002] Wafer refers to the silicon chip used in the production of silicon semiconductor integrated circuits. Because of its round shape, it is called a wafer. Wafer is the carrier used in the production of integrated circuits and is the most commonly used semiconductor material. It is divided into 6-inch and 8-inch specifications according to its diameter. In recent years, in order to meet the needs of semiconductor manufacturing, 12-inch and even larger wafers have been developed. As the size of wafers continues to increase, the requirements for wafer manufacturing processes are also constantly increasing.

[0003] Wafer cassettes are essential devices for storing and transferring wafers during the wafer manufacturing process. During the wafer manufacturing process, wafers need to be taken out of the wafer cassettes and sent to the processing positions many times, and then sent back to the wafer cassettes for storage or transfer after processing. Robotic arms are devices used to take wafers out of the wafer cassettes, send wafers from the processing positions to the wafer cassettes, and transfer wafers between different processing positions.

[0004] In the process of using a robotic arm to grasp and transfer the wafer, the gap between the end effector of the robotic arm and the wafer is very narrow, which can easily cause scratches between the wafer and the end effector of the robotic arm, affecting the quality and yield of the wafer product.

[0005] To solve this problem, the current practice is to use vacuum adsorption. However, in this method, the area of ​​contact between the suction cup and the wafer is large, which is easy to accumulate small particles, resulting in the scrapping of wafers due to surface contamination.

[0006] Therefore, how to effectively avoid the wafer from scratching the end effector of the robot arm, ensure the cleanliness of the transmission process, and ensure the quality and yield of the wafer products is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present application provides an end effector, a wafer clamping robot and a wafer transfer device, which can make the contact area between the robot and the edge of the wafer as small as possible during the process of clamping the wafer, thereby solving the contact contamination problem caused by the robot during the process of grabbing the wafer to a certain extent.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides an end effector, comprising a substrate, a clamping mechanism and a detection mechanism;

[0009] The substrate is Y-shaped, and a front positioning block is respectively arranged on the two front branches of the Y-shaped substrate, and two rear positioning blocks are arranged on the rear root of the Y-shaped substrate; the surfaces of the front positioning block and the rear positioning block are inclined relative to the surface of the substrate, so that the front positioning block and the rear positioning block can only contact the edge line of the wafer;

[0010] The clamping mechanism is arranged between the two rear positioning blocks, and comprises a driver and a clamping block, wherein the driver can drive the clamping block to move toward or away from the wafer;

[0011] The detection mechanism includes a sensor baffle, a photoelectric sensor and a controller. The sensor baffle moves with the clamping block. When the sensor baffle blocks the photoelectric sensor, the photoelectric sensor can send a trigger signal to the controller.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the substrate does not exceed 3 mm.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, after the front positioning block and the rear positioning block are installed on the substrate, the maximum thickness does not exceed 5 mm.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, a slide groove is provided in the middle of the rear end root of the base plate, and the clamping block slides in the slide groove.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the two front positioning blocks and the two rear positioning blocks are distributed along the circumference, and the surfaces of the front positioning blocks and the rear positioning blocks for contacting the wafer are arc surfaces.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the front positioning block, the rear positioning block and the clamping block are all made of organic polymer materials.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the end effector further comprises a tightening regulating valve, which is connected to the driver and can increase the movement speed of the driver.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the end effector further comprises a release regulating valve, which is connected to the driver and can reduce the movement speed of the driver.

[0019] In the second aspect, the present application provides a wafer clamping robot, comprising a mounting base and at least two of the end effectors, wherein the end effectors are all mounted on the mounting base, the end effectors are arranged relatively parallel, and the spacing between the substrates of two adjacent end effectors is 10 mm.

[0020] In a third aspect, the present application provides a wafer transfer device, including a robotic arm, at the output end of which is fixed at least one wafer clamping robot, and the robotic arm can drive the wafer clamping robot to move in three directions of X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis.

[0021] This application has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] When grabbing a wafer, the end effector only touches the edge of the wafer, thus effectively avoiding contact contamination.

[0023] At the same time, the present application uses a detection mechanism to detect the clamping status of the wafer by the end effector, which can ensure the stability of the clamping. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] 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.

[0025] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a first-view of an end effector provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an end effector provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer clamping robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Numbers in the figure:

[0029] 1-base plate; 2-driver; 3-front positioning block;

[0030] 4-rear positioning block; 5-clamping block; 6-photoelectric sensor;

[0031] 7-sensor baffle; 8-tighten the regulating valve; 9-release the regulating valve;

[0032] 10-base; 11-first end effector;

[0033] 12-Second end effector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention generally described and marked in the drawings can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0035] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention claimed for protection, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or the positions or positional relationships in which the product of the invention is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific position, be constructed and operated in a specific position, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] In addition, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "overhanging" and the like do not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or overhanging, but can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" 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 it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of 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.

[0040] Some embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0041] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment first provides an end effector, including a substrate 1, a clamping mechanism and a detection mechanism;

[0042] The substrate 1 is Y-shaped, and a front positioning block 3 is respectively arranged on the two front branches of the Y-shaped substrate 1, and two rear positioning blocks 4 are arranged on the rear end root of the Y-shaped substrate 1; the surfaces of the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 are inclined relative to the surface of the substrate 1, so that the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 can only contact the edge line of the wafer through the inner surface.

[0043] The angle between the surfaces of the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 and the surface of the substrate 1 is between 15° and 30°, thereby better avoiding contact between the surfaces of the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 and the surface of the substrate 1 .

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the two front positioning blocks 3 and the two rear positioning blocks 4 are distributed along the circumference, and the surfaces of the front positioning blocks 3 and the rear positioning blocks 4 for contacting the wafer are arc surfaces, so as to clamp the wafer more firmly.

[0045] The front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 are both installed in the dovetail grooves preset on the base plate 1 by screws, and are firmly installed and easy to disassemble and assemble.

[0046] The clamping mechanism is arranged between the two rear positioning blocks 4, and comprises a driver 2 and a clamping block 5. The driver 2 can drive the clamping block 5 to move toward or away from the wafer.

[0047] Specifically, a slide groove is set in the middle of the rear end root of the base plate 1, and the clamping block 5 is set in the slide groove, and the end is connected to the driver 2 so that it can slide along the setting direction of the slide groove under the action of the driver 2.

[0048] When clamping the wafer, move the end effector so that the wafer is placed in the space between the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4. Since the surfaces of the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 are both inclined, the surfaces of the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 will not directly contact the surface of the wafer, and only the inner side surfaces of the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 will have line contact with the edge of the wafer. At this time, the driver 2 pushes the clamping block 5 to move toward the wafer, so that the clamping block 5 contacts the edge of the wafer, and clamps the wafer together with the front positioning block 3, thereby effectively avoiding contact contamination.

[0049] According to the existing design, the distance between two wafers in the wafer box is 10 mm. In order to avoid scratching the wafers, the thickness of the substrate 1 does not exceed 3 mm. After the front positioning block 3 and the rear positioning block 4 are installed, the maximum thickness of the substrate 1 does not exceed 5 mm, so that it can extend between the two wafers and scratch the surface of the wafer.

[0050] The detection mechanism includes a sensor baffle 7, a photoelectric sensor 6 and a controller. The sensor baffle 7 is connected to the clamping block 5 and can move synchronously with the movement of the clamping block 5; the photoelectric sensor 6 is arranged on one side of the sensor baffle 7, and the sensor baffle 7 is alternately provided with an opening portion and a shielding portion, so that the photoelectric sensor 6 can be shielded or not shielded when moving. When the sensor baffle 7 shields the photoelectric sensor 6, the photoelectric sensor 6 can send a trigger signal to the controller, indicating that the wafer is clamped successfully.

[0051] Specifically, when the end effector grabs the wafer, the driver 2 drives the clamping block 5 to approach the wafer and clamp the wafer. At this time, the sensor baffle 7 blocks the photoelectric sensor 6, and the photoelectric sensor 6 sends a trigger signal to the controller, indicating that the wafer is clamped successfully.

[0052] When the end effector releases the wafer, the driver 2 drives the clamping block 5 to move away from the wafer. At this time, the sensor baffle 7 moves away and does not block the photoelectric sensor 6. The photoelectric sensor 6 stops sending a trigger signal to the controller, indicating that the wafer is released successfully.

[0053] When the end effector fails to clamp the wafer or the wafer slips, the driver 2 drives the clamping block 5 to continue sliding toward the wafer. At this time, the sensor baffle 7 first blocks the photoelectric sensor 6, causing the photoelectric sensor 6 to send a trigger signal to the controller. Then, the sensor baffle 7 does not block the photoelectric sensor 6, and the trigger signal disappears, indicating that the wafer is not clamped or the wafer slips.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, a tightening regulating valve 8 and a loosening regulating valve 9 may also be included, and the tightening regulating valve 8 and the loosening regulating valve 9 are respectively connected to the driver. By adjusting the tightening regulating valve 8, the movement speed of the driver 2 can be increased, and by adjusting the loosening regulating valve 9, the movement speed of the driver 2 can be reduced. By adjusting the tightening regulating valve 8 and the loosening regulating valve 9, the driver 2 can be kept at a suitable movement speed, ensuring the clamping efficiency while reducing the impact of the clamping block 5 on the wafer.

[0055] Driver 2 can use a clean cylinder, which is easy to control and has accurate movement.

[0056] The front positioning block 3, the rear positioning block 4 and the clamping block 5 are all made of organic polymer materials, such as PEEK (polyetheretherketone), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), etc.; the base plate 1 is made of metal material, such as 7075 aluminum alloy, etc.

[0057] In the second aspect, the present embodiment provides a wafer clamping robot, including a mounting base 10, a first end effector 11 and a second end effector 12, the first end effector 11 and the second end effector 12 are both mounted on the mounting base 10, the first end effector 11 and the second end effector 12 are arranged relatively parallel, and the spacing between the substrates of the first end effector 11 and the second end effector 12 is 10 mm.

[0058] Using this wafer clamping robot, two wafers can be clamped at one time, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0059] Of course, more end effectors can be set on the wafer clamping robot so that more wafers can be clamped at one time. However, as the number of end effectors increases, the requirements for accuracy and control will also increase accordingly, and the cost will also increase. Users can make choices based on the application scenario.

[0060] In a third aspect, the present embodiment provides a wafer transfer device, including a robotic arm, at least one wafer clamping robot is fixed to the output end of the robotic arm, and the robotic arm can drive the wafer clamping robot to move in three directions of X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis.

[0061] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An end effector, characterized in that: It includes a base plate, a clamping mechanism and a detection mechanism; The substrate is Y-shaped, and a front positioning block is respectively arranged on the two front branches of the Y-shaped substrate, and two rear positioning blocks are arranged on the rear root of the Y-shaped substrate; the surfaces of the front positioning block and the rear positioning block are inclined relative to the surface of the substrate, so that the front positioning block and the rear positioning block can only contact the edge line of the wafer; The clamping mechanism is arranged between the two rear positioning blocks, and comprises a driver and a clamping block, wherein the driver can drive the clamping block to move toward or away from the wafer; The detection mechanism includes a sensor baffle, a photoelectric sensor and a controller. The sensor baffle moves with the clamping block. When the sensor baffle blocks the photoelectric sensor, the photoelectric sensor can send a trigger signal to the controller.

2. The end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the substrate does not exceed 3 mm.

3. The end effector according to claim 2, characterized in that: After the front positioning block and the rear positioning block are installed on the substrate, the maximum thickness does not exceed 5 mm.

4. The end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: A slide groove is arranged in the middle of the rear end root of the base plate, and the clamping block slides in the slide groove.

5. The end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two front positioning blocks and the two rear positioning blocks are distributed along the circumference, and the surfaces of the front positioning blocks and the rear positioning blocks for contacting with the wafer are arc surfaces.

6. The end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front positioning block, the rear positioning block and the clamping block are all made of organic polymer materials.

7. The end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a tightening regulating valve, which is connected to the driver and can increase the movement speed of the driver.

8. The end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a release regulating valve, which is connected to the driver and can reduce the movement speed of the driver.

9. A wafer clamping robot, characterized in that: It comprises a mounting seat and at least two end effectors according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the end effectors are all mounted on the mounting seat, the end effectors are arranged relatively parallel, and the spacing between the substrates of two adjacent end effectors is 10 mm.

10. A wafer transfer device, characterized in that: It comprises a robotic arm, at least one wafer clamping robot as claimed in claim 9 is fixed to the output end of the robotic arm, and the robotic arm can drive the wafer clamping robot to move in three directions of X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis.

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