Wafer overturning manipulator

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductors, in particular to a wafer overturning manipulator. The wafer overturning manipulator comprises a mechanical arm, a supporting plate, a clamping jaw, a hook claw, a linear driving mechanism and an overturning driving mechanism, the supporting plate is arranged at the end of the mechanical arm, the overturning driving mechanism is connected with the supporting plate, the linear driving mechanism, the clamping jaw and the hook claw are all arranged on the supporting plate, the clamping jaw and the hook claw are oppositely arranged, and the linear driving mechanism is connected with the clamping jaw. According to the invention, the wafer can be fixed on the supporting plate through the clamping jaw and the hook claw, the supporting plate is driven by the overturning driving mechanism to overturn so as to complete the overturning of the wafer, and then the wafer is driven by the mechanical arm to move, so that the overturning and carrying of the wafer are completed, the wafer does not need to be overturned at an overturning station and then moved, the operation procedures are reduced, and the working efficiency is improved. The conveying efficiency is improved, and the risk that particles fall off from contact points in the wafer carrying process is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer flipping robot. 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] Automatic handling systems are widely used in the semiconductor field. The main materials handled are wafers and silicon wafers. During the production or transportation process, some product or process inspections require the wafers to be flipped.

[0005] The current flipping device is generally implemented through a separate workstation. The robot moves the wafer to the flipping station, and the gripper of the flipping station flips the wafer. After the flipping is completed, the robot takes the wafer away. The entire transmission process is inefficient, and the reciprocating transportation of the wafer also increases the risk of particles falling at the contact point. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a wafer flipping robot, which improves the wafer transfer efficiency and reduces the risk of particles falling from the contact points of the wafer during the transportation process.

[0007] The present invention provides a wafer flipping robot, comprising a mechanical arm, a support plate, a clamping claw, a hook claw, a linear drive mechanism and a flipping drive mechanism;

[0008] The support plate is arranged at the end of the mechanical arm, and the flip driving mechanism is connected to the support plate and can drive the support plate to flip;

[0009] The linear drive mechanism, the clamping claw and the hooking claw are all arranged on the supporting plate, the clamping claw and the hooking claw are arranged opposite to each other, and the linear drive mechanism is connected to the clamping claw and can drive the clamping claw to approach or move away from the hooking claw.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the support plate is a Y-shaped structure, the number of the hooks is two, the number of the clamp is one, and the hooks and the clamp are respectively arranged on the three protruding ends of the support plate.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, the support plate has a groove, and the clamping claw is arranged corresponding to the groove.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, the groove is a through groove that runs through the thickness direction of the support plate.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the hook comprises a bearing block and a grab block;

[0014] The grab block is arranged at one end of the carrying platform block;

[0015] The angle formed by the end surface of the grabbing block close to one end of the supporting platform block and the surface of the grabbed wafer is an acute angle.

[0016] In an optional embodiment, the bearing surface of the bearing block is an inclined surface.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, the angle formed by the wafer surface after being grasped by the clamping end surface of the clamping jaw is an acute angle.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, the robotic arm is further provided with a telescopic device, and the telescopic device can drive the support plate to move.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, the flip driving mechanism is a flip cylinder.

[0020] In an optional embodiment, the linear drive mechanism is a telescopic cylinder.

[0021] The wafer flipping robot provided by the present invention can fix the wafer on the pallet by means of clamping claws and hooking claws, drive the pallet to flip by means of a flipping driving mechanism to complete the flipping of the wafer, and then drive the wafer to move by means of a robotic arm, thereby completing the flipping and transportation of the wafer. There is no need to first flip the wafer at the flipping station and then move it, which reduces the operating procedures, improves the transmission efficiency, and reduces the risk of particles falling from the contact points of the wafer during transportation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the installation of a wafer flip robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a wafer flip robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 A top view of a wafer flipping robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the gripper of the wafer flip robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 A side view of a gripper of a wafer flip robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the hook of the wafer flip robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 A side view of a hook of a wafer flip robot provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Icons: 1-robot arm; 2-flip drive mechanism; 3-linear drive mechanism; 4-gripper; 5-pallet; 6-wafer; 7-hook; 8-groove; 9-clamping end face; 10-carrying platform; 11-grabbing block; 12-fixing hole; 13-carrying surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] 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. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] The present invention provides a wafer 6 flip robot, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, it includes a robot arm 1, a support plate 5, a clamping claw 4, a hook 7, a linear drive mechanism 3 and a flipping drive mechanism 2; the support plate 5 is arranged at the end of the robot arm 1, and the flipping drive mechanism 2 is connected to the support plate 5, and can drive the support plate 5 to flip; the linear drive mechanism 3, the clamping claw 4 and the hook 7 are all arranged on the support plate 5, the clamping claw 4 and the hook 7 are arranged opposite to each other, and the linear drive mechanism 3 is connected to the clamping claw 4, and can drive the clamping claw 4 to move closer to or away from the hook 7.

[0039] Specifically, in this embodiment, the robot arm 1 drives the pallet 5 to move, thereby driving the wafer 6 set on the pallet 5 to be transported. At the same time, during the transportation process, the flipping drive mechanism 2 drives the pallet 5 to rotate, thereby realizing the flipping of the wafer 6.

[0040] During the whole process, the flipping and movement of the wafer 6 can be performed synchronously, so there is no need to flip the wafer 6 at the flipping station first. After the flipping is completed, the wafer 6 is driven to be transferred to the designated position, thereby improving the handling efficiency of the wafer 6.

[0041] At the same time, since the wafer 6 does not need to contact many devices during transportation and requires fewer steps, the risk of particles falling from the contact points of the wafer 6 during transportation is also reduced.

[0042] Specifically, in this embodiment, the wafer 6 is first placed on the support plate 5, and then the linear drive mechanism 3 drives the clamp 4 to move toward the wafer 6. When the clamp 4 contacts the wafer 6, it pushes the wafer 6 to move toward the hook 7. When the wafer 6 contacts the hook 7, the fixed positioning of the wafer 6 is completed.

[0043] In an optional embodiment, the support plate 5 is a Y-shaped structure, the number of the hook claws 7 is two, the number of the clamping claw 4 is one, and the hook claw 7 and the clamping claw 4 are respectively arranged on the three protruding ends of the support plate 5.

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment, Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the support plate 5 is configured as a Y-shaped structure, which can not only support the wafer 6, but also position the wafer 6 through the clamping claws 4 and the hooks 7, while also reducing the use of materials and lowering costs.

[0045] In this embodiment, the clamp 4 can move under the action of the linear drive mechanism 3, the hook 7 is fixed on the support plate 5, and the moving direction of the clamp 4 is perpendicular to the line connecting the two hooks 7, so that when the clamp 4 pushes the wafer 6 to move, the wafer 6 can be accurately in place. The three-point positioning of the wafer 6 is achieved by using two hooks 7 and one clamp 4, which can not only ensure the accuracy of the positioning of the wafer 6, but also ensure the stability of the wafer 6 after positioning.

[0046] In an optional embodiment, the support plate 5 has a groove 8 , and the clamping jaw 4 is arranged corresponding to the groove 8 .

[0047] In this embodiment, a groove 8 is provided on the support plate 5 , and the moving track of the clamping jaw 4 completely falls into the groove 8 .

[0048] That is to say, under the action of the linear drive mechanism 3 , the clamping jaw 4 will not come into contact with the support plate 5 .

[0049] Such a configuration can reduce the friction of the clamping jaw 4 on the supporting plate 5 during the reciprocating movement, and can also prevent foreign objects from entering between the clamping jaw 4 and the supporting plate 5 and affecting the normal movement of the clamping jaw 4.

[0050] In an optional embodiment, the groove 8 is a through groove that runs through the thickness direction of the support plate 5 .

[0051] In this embodiment, after the groove 8 is set as a through groove, during the movement of the robot arm 1, even if the support plate 5 shakes due to vibration, the support plate 5 will not contact or collide with the clamp 4, thereby ensuring the stability of the wafer 6 during movement.

[0052] In an optional embodiment, if Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the hook 7 includes a supporting platform 10 and a grabbing block 11; the grabbing block 11 is arranged at one end of the supporting platform 10; the angle formed by the end face of the grabbing block 11 close to one end of the supporting platform 10 and the surface of the wafer 6 after grabbing is an acute angle.

[0053] In this embodiment, the hook 7 is divided into two parts, one part is used to carry the wafer 6, which is the carrying block 10, and the other part is used to position the wafer 6, which is the grabbing block 11.

[0054] During installation, the thickness of the grab block 11 is greater than the thickness of the supporting platform 10, so a fixing hole 12 is set on the grab block 11, and a connecting hole is set on the support plate 5. After the bolt passes through the fixing hole 12 and the connecting hole on the support plate 5, it is fixed by a nut to achieve the purpose of fixing the hook 7 on the support plate 5.

[0055] In this embodiment, in order to prevent the hook 7 from rotating on the support plate 5, two bolts are used for connection, which can ensure both the connection strength and the stability after the connection.

[0056] In this embodiment, the carrying platform block 10 and the grabbing block 11 are integrally provided.

[0057] That is, the support platform block 10 and the grabbing block 11 are an integral structure, which can be integrally formed by injection molding or by casting.

[0058] Such a configuration can ensure the strength of the grab block 11 .

[0059] In an optional embodiment, the bearing surface 13 of the bearing block 10 is an inclined surface.

[0060] In an optional embodiment, if Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the angle formed by the clamping end surface 9 of the clamping jaw 4 and the surface of the wafer 6 after being grasped is an acute angle.

[0061] In this embodiment, the clamping end face 9 of the clamping jaw 4 is a slope. After grabbing the wafer 6, an acute angle is formed between the surface of the wafer 6 and the clamping end face 9, thereby preventing the wafer 6 from detaching from between the clamping jaw 4 and the hook claw 7. At the same time, it can also prevent the wafer 6 from shaking during movement, thereby ensuring the stability of the wafer 6 when moving and flipping.

[0062] In this embodiment, the clamping end surface 9 is set as an inclined surface, which can also accommodate wafers 6 of different thicknesses.

[0063] In an optional embodiment, the robotic arm 1 is further provided with a telescopic device, which can drive the support plate 5 to move.

[0064] In this embodiment, a telescopic device is provided on the robot arm 1. When the pallet 5 drives the wafer 6 to flip, the pallet 5 is first extended by the telescopic device and then flipped to avoid mutual interference between the wafers 6 on the robot arm 1.

[0065] In an optional embodiment, the flip driving mechanism 2 is a flip cylinder.

[0066] In this embodiment, the flipping driving mechanism 2 is a flipping cylinder, which drives the support plate 5 to flip, thereby ensuring the stability of the support plate 5 when flipping.

[0067] It can be understood that, in the present embodiment, the flipping drive mechanism 2 is a flipping cylinder, but it is not limited to a flipping cylinder, and can also be a hydraulic cylinder, etc., as long as it can provide the flipping power to the support plate 5.

[0068] In an optional embodiment, the linear drive mechanism 3 is a telescopic cylinder.

[0069] In this embodiment, the linear drive mechanism 3 is a telescopic cylinder, which can drive the clamping jaw 4 to perform linear displacement, thereby ensuring the stability of the clamping jaw 4 during the displacement process.

[0070] It can be understood that, in this embodiment, the linear drive mechanism 3 is a telescopic cylinder, but it is not limited to a telescopic cylinder, and it can also be a hydraulic cylinder, etc., as long as it can provide power for the clamping jaws 4 to move linearly.

[0071] The wafer 6 flipping robot provided by the present invention can fix the wafer 6 on the pallet 5 through the clamp 4 and the hook 7, and drive the pallet 5 to flip through the flipping drive mechanism to complete the flipping of the wafer 6, and then drive the wafer 6 to move through the robot arm 1, thereby completing the flipping and transportation of the wafer 6, without the need to flip it on the flipping station first and then move it, which reduces the operation process, improves the transmission efficiency, and reduces the risk of particles falling from the contact point of the wafer 6 during the transportation process. Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, rather than to limit it; although the present invention is described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, ordinary technicians in this field should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solution deviate from the scope of the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer flipping robot, characterized in that: It includes a mechanical arm, a support plate, a clamping claw, a hook claw, a linear drive mechanism and a flip drive mechanism; The support plate is arranged at the end of the mechanical arm, and the flip driving mechanism is connected to the support plate and can drive the support plate to flip; The linear drive mechanism, the clamping claw and the hooking claw are all arranged on the supporting plate, the clamping claw and the hooking claw are arranged opposite to each other, and the linear drive mechanism is connected to the clamping claw and can drive the clamping claw to approach or move away from the hooking claw.

2. The wafer flipping robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support plate is of a Y-shaped structure, the number of the hook claws is two, the number of the clamping claw is one, and the hook claw and the clamping claw are respectively arranged on the three protruding ends of the support plate.

3. The wafer flipping robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support plate is provided with a groove, and the clamping claw is arranged corresponding to the groove.

4. The wafer flipping robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The groove is a through groove that runs through the thickness direction of the support plate.

5. The wafer flipping robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hook comprises a bearing block and a grab block; The grab block is arranged at one end of the carrying platform block; The angle formed by the end surface of the grabbing block close to one end of the supporting platform block and the surface of the grabbed wafer is an acute angle.

6. The wafer flipping robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bearing surface of the bearing platform block is an inclined surface.

7. The wafer flipping robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle formed by the wafer surface after being grasped by the clamping end surface of the clamping claw is an acute angle.

8. The wafer flipping robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mechanical arm is also provided with a telescopic device, and the telescopic device can drive the support plate to move.

9. The wafer flipping robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The turning drive mechanism is a turning cylinder.

10. The wafer flipping robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The linear drive mechanism is a telescopic cylinder.

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