Wafer transfer robot

Abstract

The application provides a wafer conveying robot, comprising: a robot conveying end; a pick-and-place mechanism arranged on the robot conveying end, used for clamping and releasing a wafer and driving the clamped wafer to rotate; a turnover mechanism arranged on the robot conveying end, used for driving the pick-and-place mechanism to turn over; and a detection assembly arranged on the robot conveying end, the pick-and-place mechanism and / or the turnover mechanism, and used for detecting a notch position of the clamped wafer. The wafer conveying robot integrates the functions of wafer conveying, wafer alignment and wafer turnover, so that the wafer does not need to be transferred between relatively independently arranged robots, alignment devices and turnover devices for multiple times, the wafer transfer process is simplified, and the wafer production efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, in particular to a wafer conveying robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the process of wafer production, the wafer needs to go through the processes of conveying, aligning, turning over and detecting, wherein the conveying of the wafer is realized by a robot, the aligning of the wafer is realized by an aligning device, the turning over of the wafer is realized by a turning over device, and the detecting of the wafer is realized by a detecting device. Since these devices are independent structures, the wafer needs to be transferred between the devices, which leads to a complex production process and time-consuming, and affects the production efficiency. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the present application provides a wafer conveying robot which integrates the functions of conveying, aligning and turning over of the wafer, simplifies the wafer transfer process and improves the production efficiency.

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following technical scheme:

[0005] A wafer conveying robot, comprising:

[0006] a robot conveying end;

[0007] a taking and placing mechanism arranged on the robot conveying end and used for clamping and releasing a wafer and driving the clamped wafer to rotate;

[0008] a turning over mechanism arranged on the robot conveying end and used for driving the taking and placing mechanism to turn over;

[0009] a detecting assembly arranged on the robot conveying end, the taking and placing mechanism and / or the turning over mechanism and used for detecting a gap position of the clamped wafer.

[0010] Optionally, the wafer conveying robot further comprises a transfer mechanism arranged on the robot conveying end, the taking and placing mechanism is connected with the robot conveying end through the transfer mechanism, and the transfer mechanism can transfer the taking and placing mechanism to the turning over mechanism and receive the taking and placing mechanism on the turning over mechanism.

[0011] Optionally, the wafer conveying robot comprises a plurality of transfer mechanisms and a plurality of taking and placing mechanisms which are arranged around the turning over mechanism, and different transfer mechanisms transfer different taking and placing mechanisms to the turning over mechanism.

[0012] In addition, the turning over mechanism can receive and drive all the taking and placing mechanisms to turn over.

[0013] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, the pick-and-place mechanism comprises a first pick-and-place mechanism and a second pick-and-place mechanism.

[0014] The transfer mechanism comprises a first transfer mechanism and a second transfer mechanism, and the first transfer mechanism and the second transfer mechanism are symmetrically arranged on the robot conveying end with respect to the turnover mechanism.

[0015] The first transfer mechanism transfers the first pick-and-place mechanism to the turnover mechanism, the second transfer mechanism transfers the second pick-and-place mechanism to the turnover mechanism, the turnover mechanism drives the first pick-and-place mechanism and the second pick-and-place mechanism to turn over to realize position exchange, the first transfer mechanism receives the second pick-and-place mechanism, and the second transfer mechanism receives the first pick-and-place mechanism.

[0016] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, the pick-and-place mechanism comprises:

[0017] a base;

[0018] a connecting piece connected to the base;

[0019] an auxiliary clamping piece arranged at an end of the connecting piece away from the base;

[0020] a first clamping jaw and a second clamping jaw rotatably arranged on the base and respectively extending from opposite sides of the base;

[0021] The first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw are rotated towards each other to cooperate with the auxiliary clamping piece to clamp the wafer, and the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw are rotated away from each other to release the wafer.

[0022] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, the auxiliary clamping piece is a follow-up roller rotatably arranged on the connecting piece.

[0023] A motor roller is arranged on a clamping end of each of the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw, and the motor roller is used to drive the wafer to rotate.

[0024] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, a groove for accommodating a circumferential edge of the wafer is arranged on each of the follow-up roller and the motor roller.

[0025] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, the detection assembly comprises:

[0026] a transmitting end arranged on the transfer mechanism and used to emit a detection signal to a circumferential edge region of the clamped wafer;

[0027] The receiving end is arranged on the turnover mechanism and is arranged in alignment with the transmitting end, and is used for receiving the detection signal.

[0028] And, the connecting piece is provided with an avoiding hole allowing the detection signal to pass through.

[0029] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, the transfer mechanism and the pick-and-place mechanism are each provided with a plurality of the transmitting ends, and the turnover mechanism is provided with one receiving end, and the receiving end is used for receiving the detection signals transmitted by all the transmitting ends.

[0030] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, the turnover mechanism comprises:

[0031] A turnover motor is arranged on the conveying end of the robot;

[0032] A receiving piece is connected to the output shaft of the turnover motor and is used for receiving the pick-and-place mechanism.

[0033] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, the pick-and-place mechanism and the turnover mechanism are detachably connected through a connecting structure, and the connecting structure comprises:

[0034] A pin shaft is protrusively arranged on one of the pick-and-place mechanism and the turnover mechanism;

[0035] A pin hole is arranged on the other one of the pick-and-place mechanism and the turnover mechanism;

[0036] The pin shaft is connected to the pick-and-place mechanism and the turnover mechanism through the pin hole, and the pin shaft is separated from the pick-and-place mechanism and the turnover mechanism by being detached from the pin hole.

[0037] Optionally, in the wafer conveying robot, the transfer mechanism and the pick-and-place mechanism are magnetically connected, and / or the transfer mechanism is a pneumatic cylinder.

[0038] The wafer conveying robot provided in the application is provided with a taking and placing mechanism on the robot conveying end, which can realize wafer conveying by clamping the wafer and transferring through the robot conveying end, and the taking and placing mechanism can release the wafer after conveying to the target position, and the taking and placing mechanism can also drive the clamped wafer to rotate to change the position of the notch of the wafer, and the detection assembly arranged on the robot conveying end, the taking and placing mechanism and / or the turnover mechanism can detect the position of the notch of the wafer during the rotation of the wafer, and the wafer can stop rotating when the notch is detected to move to the predetermined position, so that the wafer can be aligned, and the taking and placing mechanism clamping the wafer can also be turned over under the driving of the turnover mechanism, so that the wafer can be turned over. The wafer conveying robot integrates the functions of wafer conveying, wafer alignment and wafer turnover, so that the wafer does not need to be transferred between the relatively independently arranged robot, alignment device and turnover device for multiple times, the wafer conveying process is simplified, and the production efficiency of the wafer is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only embodiments of the application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor on the basis of the provided drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 An exploded view of the robot conveying end arrangement structure of the wafer conveying robot provided in the embodiments of the application;

[0041] Figure 2 A structure schematic view of the first taking and placing mechanism being carried by the first transfer mechanism and the second taking and placing mechanism being carried by the second transfer mechanism;

[0042] Figure 3 A structure schematic view of the transfer mechanism transferring the taking and placing mechanism to the turnover mechanism;

[0043] Figure 4 A structure schematic view of the turnover mechanism turning over the taking and placing mechanism;

[0044] Figure 5 A structure schematic view of the second taking and placing mechanism being carried by the first transfer mechanism and the first taking and placing mechanism being carried by the second transfer mechanism;

[0045] Figure 6 A structure schematic view of the taking and placing mechanism clamping the wafer;

[0046] Figure 7 A structure schematic view of the motor roller;

[0047] Figure 8Structure diagram of the follow-up roller.

[0048] In Figures 1-8 which:

[0049] 1-robot conveying end, 2-pick-and-place mechanism, 3-flipping mechanism, 4-detection assembly, 5-transfer mechanism, 6-connecting structure, 7-wafer;

[0050] 201-first pick-and-place mechanism, 202-second pick-and-place mechanism, 203-base, 204-connecting piece, 205-assistant clamping piece, 206-first clamping jaw, 207-second clamping jaw, 208-motor roller, 209-groove, 210-avoidance hole;

[0051] 301-flipping motor, 302-receiving piece;

[0052] 401-emitting end, 402-receiving end;

[0053] 501-cylinder body, 502-piston rod, 503-first transfer mechanism, 504-second transfer mechanism;

[0054] 601-pin shaft, 602-pin hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all the other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0056] In the prior art, in the production process of wafers, the processes of wafer conveying, wafer alignment, wafer flipping and wafer detection are needed, and the conveying robots, alignment devices, flipping devices and detection devices for realizing these processes are relatively independently arranged at different positions, which requires the wafer to go through the circulation process of conveying robot→alignment device→conveying robot→flipping device→conveying robot→detection device, and the required time is relatively long, the production efficiency is relatively low, and the purchase, installation and use of these devices also increase the production cost and occupy a large production space.

[0057] In view of the above situation, for example, Figures 1-8As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a wafer conveying robot, which comprises a robot conveying end 1, a taking and placing mechanism 2, a turnover mechanism 3 and a detection assembly 4. The robot conveying end 1 is a moving end of the robot (the robot generally comprises a fixed end which is fixedly arranged, and a moving end which moves and / or rotates relative to the fixed end, and the overall structure of the robot can be referred to the prior art), which realizes the conveying of the wafer 7 by changing the position in the space. The taking and placing mechanism 2 is arranged on the robot conveying end 1 to displace in the space under the driving of the robot conveying end 1. The taking and placing mechanism 2 connected to the robot conveying end 1 can be a mechanical hand or a mechanical arm of the robot. The taking and placing mechanism 2 is used to clamp the wafer 7 to realize the acquisition of the wafer 7, to release the wafer 7 to realize the placement of the wafer 7, and to drive the clamped wafer 7 to rotate. The rotation of the wafer 7 is to rotate the wafer 7 around its center. In the rotating process, the notch located on the circumferential edge of the wafer 7 changes its position. The turnover mechanism 3 is also arranged on the robot conveying end 1, so that the turnover mechanism 3 can displace synchronously with the taking and placing mechanism 2. The turnover mechanism 3 is used to drive the taking and placing mechanism 2 to turn over to meet the detection requirement of the back surface of the wafer 7 in some processes. The detection assembly 4 is arranged on the robot conveying end 1, the taking and placing mechanism 2 and / or the turnover mechanism 3, that is, arranged on any one of the robot conveying end 1, the taking and placing mechanism 2 and the turnover mechanism 3, on any two of them or on all of them, that is, arranged on any position which can detect the notch position of the clamped wafer 7. The detection assembly 4 can detect the notch position in many ways, for example, whether the notch is in a predetermined position, that is, whether the wafer 7 rotates to make the notch in the predetermined position. When the notch is in the predetermined position, an alignment signal is sent. Or the real-time position of the notch can be detected. When the position parameter of the notch at a certain moment in the rotating process of the wafer 7 is the same as the preset parameter, an alignment signal is sent.

[0058] The wafer conveying robot with the above structure can realize the conveying of the wafer 7 by arranging the taking and placing mechanism 2 which clamps the wafer 7 on the robot conveying end 1. The wafer 7 can be aligned by driving the clamped wafer 7 to rotate through the taking and placing mechanism 2 and arranging the detection assembly 4 which can detect the notch position of the clamped wafer 7 on the robot conveying end 1. The clamped wafer 7 can be turned over by driving the taking and placing mechanism 2 to turn over through the turnover mechanism 3. Thus, the wafer conveying robot integrates the three functions of wafer conveying, wafer alignment and wafer turnover, so that the flow process of the wafer 7 is simplified to the conveying robot→detection device. The wafer 7 does not need to flow between the relatively independently arranged wafer robot, alignment device and turnover device for many times, which greatly simplifies the flow process of the wafer 7, improves the production efficiency of the wafer 7, avoids the purchase, installation and use of the alignment device and the turnover device, thereby reducing the production cost of the wafer 7 and saving the production space.

[0059] Further, as shown inFigures 1-6 As shown, the wafer conveying robot provided by the present application further comprises a transfer mechanism 5 arranged on the robot conveying end 1, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is connected with the robot conveying end 1 through the transfer mechanism 5, and the transfer mechanism 5 can transfer the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to the turnover mechanism 3 and receive the pick-and-place mechanism 2 on the turnover mechanism 3. In this structure, the robot conveying end 1 is provided with the transfer mechanism 5 and the turnover mechanism 3, and the transfer mechanism 5 and the turnover mechanism 3 are arranged on the robot conveying end 1 independently. Under this structure layout, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 needs to have two position states, one is a state of being carried and connected on the transfer mechanism 5, in which state, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is connected with the robot conveying end 1 through the transfer mechanism 5, and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is in this state when it grabs the wafer 7, clamps and drives the wafer 7 to rotate, and places the wafer 7 on the detection device; and when the wafer 7 needs to be turned over, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is in another state of being carried and connected on the turnover mechanism 3, so that the turnover of the wafer 7 held by the pick-and-place mechanism 2 can be realized by driving the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to turn over by the turnover mechanism 3. The switching between the two position states is realized by transferring the pick-and-place mechanism 2 by the transfer mechanism 5. By such arrangement, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the turnover mechanism 3 can be arranged independently on the robot conveying end 1, thereby minimizing the probability of mutual interference. Only when the wafer 7 needs to be turned over, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is transferred by the transfer mechanism 5 to realize the cooperation between the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the turnover mechanism 3. In addition, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the turnover mechanism 3 can also be arranged on the robot conveying end 1 in other ways, for example, the turnover mechanism 3 is first connected to the robot conveying end 1 by rotating, and then the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is connected to the turnover mechanism 3, so that the turnover mechanism 3 serves as a transitional connecting component connecting the robot conveying end 1 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2, and the turnover mechanism 3 can still drive the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to turn over relative to the robot conveying end 1, thereby realizing the turnover of the wafer 7 on the basis of the pick-and-place mechanism 2 picking and placing the wafer 7 and driving the wafer 7 to rotate.

[0060] Specifically, the transfer mechanism 5 can be a pneumatic cylinder (not shown in the figure) or a mechanical cylinder (not shown in the figure). Figures 1-6The transfer mechanism 5 is illustrated using a cylinder as an example. The cylinder body 501 is fixedly connected to the robot conveying end 1. The piston rod 502 of the cylinder moves closer to and away from the flipping mechanism 3 by extension and retraction, and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is detachably connected to the piston rod 502. Other mechanisms include a gear and rack mechanism (the gear is rotated and set on the robot conveying end 1, and the rack meshing with the gear can move closer to and away from the flipping mechanism 3 under the drive of the gear, and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is detachably connected to the rack), or a scissor mechanism (one end of the scissor mechanism is fixedly connected to the robot conveying end 1, and the scissor mechanism can move its other end closer to and away from the flipping mechanism 3 by extension and retraction, and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is detachably connected to the other end), etc. Since the flipping mechanism 3 needs to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to flip, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 needs to be separated from the transfer mechanism 5 when it is connected to the flipping mechanism 3. The pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the transfer mechanism 5 can be separated and connected in a way such as magnetic connection. That is, an electromagnet (not shown in the figure) is set on one of the transfer mechanism 5 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 (specifically the piston rod 502 of the cylinder and the base 203 described later), and a magnetic component (not shown in the figure) that can be attracted to the electromagnet is set on the other. The transfer mechanism 5 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 are connected by energizing the electromagnet so that it attracts the magnetic component. The transfer mechanism 5 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 are separated by de-energizing the electromagnet so that it no longer attracts the magnetic component. Alternatively, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the transfer mechanism 5 can also be separated by a lock hook structure that can be opened and closed.

[0061] In optional embodiments, such as Figures 1-6 As shown, the flipping mechanism 3 includes: a flipping motor 301, mounted on the robot conveyor end 1; and a receiving component 302, connected to the output shaft of the flipping motor 301 and used to receive the pick-and-place mechanism 2. The connecting component 204 can be a connecting post or a connecting block, etc., and is aligned with the transfer mechanism 5 to receive the pick-and-place mechanism 2 delivered by the transfer mechanism 5. This flipping mechanism 3 has a relatively simple structure, small size, and is easy to install on the robot conveyor end 1, while also better avoiding interference with the pick-and-place mechanism 2. After the wafer 7 is aligned, when it needs to be flipped, the transfer mechanism 5 drives the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to approach the receiving component 302. When the pick-and-place mechanism 2 contacts and connects with the receiving component 302, the transfer mechanism 5 separates from the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and returns to its original state. Then, the flipping motor 301 starts, driving the receiving component 302 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 connected to the receiving component 302 to flip. After the flipping is complete, the flipping motor 301 shuts off, and then the transfer mechanism 5 takes away the flipped pick-and-place mechanism 2.

[0062] Since the pick-up and place mechanism 2 needs to be taken away by the transfer mechanism 5 after the flipping is completed, that is, the pick-up and place mechanism 2 needs to be separated from the flipping mechanism 3, the pick-up and place mechanism 2 and the flipping mechanism 3 need to be detachably connected by the connecting structure 6. Optionally, such as... Figure 1As shown, the connecting structure 6 comprises: a pin shaft 601, which is protrudingly arranged on one of the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the flipping mechanism 3; a pin hole 602, which is arranged on the other one of the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the flipping mechanism 3; wherein the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the flipping mechanism 3 are connected by the pin shaft 601 being inserted into the pin hole 602, and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the flipping mechanism 3 are separated by the pin shaft 601 being axially pulled out of the pin hole 602. In this structure, when the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is driven by the transfer mechanism 5 to approach the flipping mechanism 3, the pin shaft 601 is inserted into the pin hole 602 and connected by the friction force between them, thus realizing the connection of the pick-and-place mechanism 2 on the flipping mechanism 3. After the pin shaft 601 and the pin hole 602 are connected, the transfer mechanism 5 is separated from the pick-and-place mechanism 2, and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 is carried and connected on the flipping mechanism 3. Then the flipping mechanism 3 can drive the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the wafer 7 clamped by the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to flip. After the flipping is completed, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 needs to be returned to the transfer mechanism 5 for subsequent wafer 7 placement operation. At this time, the transfer mechanism 5 is connected with the pick-and-place mechanism 2 again (for example, the piston rod 502 of the air cylinder is extended and connected with the pick-and-place mechanism 2), and the pin shaft 601 is gradually pulled out of the pin hole 602 by the driving of the transfer mechanism 5, thereby completing the transfer of the pick-and-place mechanism 2 from the flipping mechanism 3 to the transfer mechanism 5. The connecting structure 6 is a mechanical structure, which not only does not need to set other matching components, but also has simple structure and high working reliability. In addition, the connecting structure 6 can also be a magnetic attraction structure or a glue bonding structure, etc.

[0063] In a further optimized structure, as shown in Figures 1-6As shown, the transfer mechanism 5 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 are both provided with multiple, different transfer mechanisms 5 respectively transfer different pick-and-place mechanisms 2 to the turnover mechanism 3, and the turnover mechanism 3 can receive and drive all pick-and-place mechanisms 2 to turn over. In order to improve production efficiency and meet more diversified production requirements, the wafer conveying robot provided by the present application is provided with multiple transfer mechanisms 5 and pick-and-place mechanisms 2 on the robot conveying end 1, and the transfer mechanism 5 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 are one-to-one, that is, one transfer mechanism 5 is used to carry and connect one pick-and-place mechanism 2, and the turnover mechanism 3 is only provided with one, but the turnover mechanism 3 has the same number of receiving positions as the pick-and-place mechanism 2, each receiving position is provided with the above-mentioned pin shaft 601 or pin hole 602, so that one turnover mechanism 3 can receive part or all of the pick-and-place mechanism 2, so that all pick-and-place mechanisms 2 and wafers 7 on them can be synchronously turned over by the carrying and driving of one turnover mechanism 3, thereby improving production efficiency; at the same time, in order to make each transfer mechanism 5 be able to transfer the pick-and-place mechanism 2 on it to the turnover mechanism 3, and optimize the structure of the robot conveying end 1, all transfer mechanisms 5 and pick-and-place mechanisms 2 on them are arranged around the turnover mechanism 3, and correspondingly, the multiple receiving positions on the turnover mechanism 3 are also distributed on the turnover mechanism 3 along the circumference of the turnover mechanism 3, so that the normal transfer of the pick-and-place mechanism 2 between the transfer mechanism 5 and the turnover mechanism 3 and the normal turnover of the wafer 7 can be ensured.

[0064] As Figures 2-6As shown, in an optional embodiment, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 comprises a first pick-and-place mechanism 201 and a second pick-and-place mechanism 202; the transfer mechanism 5 comprises a first transfer mechanism 503 and a second transfer mechanism 504, which are symmetrically arranged on the robot conveying end 1 with respect to the turnover mechanism 3; wherein the first transfer mechanism 503 transfers the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 to the turnover mechanism 3, and the second transfer mechanism 504 transfers the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 to the turnover mechanism 3; the turnover mechanism 3 drives the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 and the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 to overturn to realize position exchange; the first transfer mechanism 503 receives the second pick-and-place mechanism 202, and the second transfer mechanism 504 receives the first pick-and-place mechanism 201. In actual production process, setting two transfer mechanisms 5 and two pick-and-place mechanisms 2 and making the turnover mechanism 3 overturn two wafers 7 at the same time can better meet the process requirements. On this basis, in order to simplify the structure, only two transfer mechanisms 5 and two pick-and-place mechanisms 2 can be arranged on the robot conveying end 1, i.e. the first transfer mechanism 503 and the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 connected and carried by the first transfer mechanism 503 before overturning, the second transfer mechanism 504 and the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 connected and carried by the second transfer mechanism 504 before overturning; of course, more transfer mechanisms 5 and pick-and-place mechanisms 2 can be arranged (an even number is required) under the premise of ensuring normal work, such as four, six, etc. The wafer 7 needs to be overturned because the back surface of the wafer 7 needs to be detected in some processes, so the wafer 7 needs to be overturned by 180°. After the first transfer mechanism 503 at the first angle transfers the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to the turnover mechanism 3 (at this time, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the wafer 7 thereon carried on the turnover mechanism 3 are also at the first angle), the turnover mechanism 3 drives the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the wafer 7 thereon to overturn by 180° to reach the second angle, and then the pick-and-place mechanism 2 at the second angle needs to be taken away from the turnover mechanism 3 by using the transfer mechanism 5, so the transfer mechanism 5 needs to be arranged at the second angle, which is the second transfer mechanism 504 symmetrically arranged with the first transfer mechanism 503. In this way, after the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 is sent to the turnover mechanism 3 by the first transfer mechanism 503, it is taken away by the second transfer mechanism 504 after the overturning is completed, and then the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 on the second transfer mechanism 504 places the wafer 7 in the subsequent operation, which is the wafer 7 after overturning with the back surface facing the detection device. At the same time, in order to improve production efficiency, the second transfer mechanism 504 performs the same operation as the first transfer mechanism 503 synchronously, i.e. Figure 2 As shown, the second transfer mechanism 504 also carries and connects the pick-and-place mechanism 2 (i.e. the second pick-and-place mechanism 202) before overturning, and the first transfer mechanism 503 sends the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 to the turnover mechanism 3 at the same time, and the second transfer mechanism 504 takes away the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 from the turnover mechanism 3 at the same time. Figure 3As shown, the second transfer mechanism 504 also sends the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 to the flipping mechanism 3, and then... Figure 4 As shown, the flipping mechanism 3 drives the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 and the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 to flip synchronously by 180°, so that the first pick-and-place mechanism 201, located in the first position, flips to the second position, and the second pick-and-place mechanism 202, located in the second position, flips to the first position. The first pick-and-place mechanism 201 and the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 have thus interchanged positions. Afterwards... Figure 5 As shown, the first transfer mechanism 503 takes over the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 from the flipping mechanism 3, while the second transfer mechanism 504 takes over the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 from the flipping mechanism 3. Finally, the second pick-and-place mechanism 202 on the first transfer mechanism 503 can hold the flipped wafer 7, and similarly, the first pick-and-place mechanism 201 on the second transfer mechanism 504 can also hold the flipped wafer 7. When there are multiple transfer mechanisms 5 and pick-and-place mechanisms 2, these transfer mechanisms 5 should be arranged symmetrically in pairs about the flipping mechanism 3 to ensure normal operation.

[0065] Alternatively, without considering production efficiency, the first transfer mechanism 503 and the second transfer mechanism 504 can be symmetrically arranged about the flipping mechanism 3, with only one pick-and-place mechanism 2 transferring between the first transfer mechanism 503, the flipping mechanism 3, and the second transfer mechanism 504. That is, while the pick-and-place mechanism 2 on the first transfer mechanism 503 is being transferred to the flipping mechanism 3 for flipping, the second transfer mechanism 504 does not carry or connect to another pick-and-place mechanism 2. The second transfer mechanism 504 is only used to wait for the flipped pick-and-place mechanism 2. After the flipped pick-and-place mechanism 2 is taken away by the second transfer mechanism 504 and the wafer 7 is placed, The pick-and-place mechanism 2 on the second transfer mechanism 504 then picks up a new wafer 7 and performs an alignment operation. After that, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 holding the aligned wafer 7 transfers it from the second transfer mechanism 504 to the flipping mechanism 3 and then to the first transfer mechanism 503. Alternatively, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 holding the aligned wafer 7 can directly reach the detection device and place the wafer 7 under the transport of the robot conveyor end 1 and the second transfer mechanism 504. In this way, the continuous operation of inspecting the back side of one wafer 7 and then inspecting the front side of another wafer 7 can be completed. That is, the wafer transport robot picks up the next wafer 7 after completing the actions of picking up, aligning, flipping and placing one wafer 7.

[0066] In specific structures, such as Figure 1 and Figure 6As shown, the taking and placing mechanism 2 comprises: a base 203; a connecting piece 204 connected to the base 203; an auxiliary clamping piece 205 arranged at the end of the connecting piece 204 away from the base 203; a first clamping jaw 206 and a second clamping jaw 207 rotatably arranged on the base 203 and respectively extending from opposite sides of the base 203; wherein the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 are rotated towards each other to cooperate with the auxiliary clamping piece 205 to clamp the wafer 7; the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 are rotated away from each other to release the wafer 7. In this structure, the base 203 is arranged in a block structure, and the base 203 also becomes a component connected to the transfer mechanism 5 and the overturning mechanism 3, that is, the base 203 can be magnetically connected to the piston rod 502 of the cylinder, and the base 203 is provided with the pin shaft 601 or the pin hole 602; the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 are rotatably arranged on the base 203, and the two clamping jaws respectively extend from the two sides of the base 203, and the base 203 is a hollow structure, and a first motor for driving the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 to rotate is arranged in the inner cavity of the base 203 (in order to reduce the influence on the overturning of the taking and placing mechanism 2, the first motor can be powered by a battery arranged in the inner cavity of the base 203, and the first motor and the battery are not shown in the figure), the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 can be rotated towards each other to perform a grabbing action, and can also be rotated away from each other to perform a releasing action, and since the two clamping jaws cannot achieve stable clamping of the wafer 7, the taking and placing mechanism 2 also comprises the auxiliary clamping piece 205, which is connected to the base 203 through the connecting piece 204 and arranged at the end of the connecting piece 204 away from the base 203, so that the auxiliary clamping piece 205 and the clamping jaws are respectively located on the two sides of the center of the wafer 7, thereby achieving clamping of the wafer 7 on the two sides. In order to further improve the clamping stability, the connecting piece 204 is arranged as a plate-shaped piece parallel to the clamped wafer 7 and having a larger distribution range, and the auxiliary clamping piece 205 is arranged in multiple, for example two, on the plate-shaped connecting piece 204, thereby forming four clamping points in a rectangular distribution with the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207, and the four clamping points are distributed around the center of the wafer 7, thereby stably clamping the wafer 7. By using the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 which can be opened and closed to cooperate with the auxiliary clamping piece 205 to clamp and release the wafer 7, compared with the commonly used vacuum top block in the prior art, not only the clamping stability of the wafer 7 can be improved, but also the alignment operation of the wafer 7 can be performed (see the description below), and the working performance and the diversification of functions of the taking and placing mechanism 2 are improved.

[0067] In order to enable the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to drive the wafer 7 to rotate, the auxiliary clamping member 205 is arranged to rotate the follow-up roller arranged on the connecting member 204; the motor roller 208 is arranged on the clamping end of the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207, and the motor roller 208 is used to drive the wafer 7 to rotate. The motor roller 208 is arranged on the clamping end of the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 to be in contact with the circumferential edge of the wafer 7 (the contact mode is similar to the meshing of two gears), and the second motor (the second motor is a micro motor, not shown in the figure) is arranged on the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207. The motor roller 208 rotates under the drive of the second motor. Since the motor roller 208 is in abutment with the circumferential edge of the wafer 7, the auxiliary clamping member 205 is a follow-up roller (i.e. a non-powered roller), and the clamping points formed by the motor roller 208 and the follow-up roller are distributed around the center of the wafer 7, the rotating motor roller 208 can drive the wafer 7 to rotate, and in combination with the detection of the gap position by the detection assembly 4, the alignment of the wafer 7 can be achieved. In addition, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 can also use other structures to achieve driving the wafer 7 to rotate, for example, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 comprises a rotating disc rotatably connected to the base 203, and a plurality of clamping jaws for clamping the wafer 7 are arranged on the rotating disc. When the plurality of clamping jaws cooperate to clamp the wafer 7, the wafer 7 is arranged in parallel and coaxially with the rotating disc, and the bottom of the rotating disc is connected with a driving motor, the output shaft of the driving motor is coaxially connected with the rotating disc. When the driving motor is started, the rotating disc rotates to drive the wafer 7 to rotate, and in combination with the detection of the gap position by the detection assembly 4, the alignment of the wafer 7 can be achieved.

[0068] Further, as shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the follow-up roller and the motor roller 208 are both provided with a groove 209 for accommodating the circumferential edge of the wafer 7, or it can be understood that the follow-up roller and the motor roller 208 have a structure with large diameters at both ends and a small diameter in the middle in the axial direction. By providing the groove 209, the circumferential edge of the wafer 7 can be located in the groove 209 when it is in contact with the wafer 7, thereby limiting the wafer 7 by the side walls on both sides of the opening of the groove 209, so that the follow-up roller and the motor roller 208 better abut with the wafer 7, avoiding the situation that the follow-up roller and the motor roller 208 move axially relative to the wafer 7 and cause the wafer 7 to fall off accidentally, further improving the clamping stability of the wafer 7. Optionally, in order to avoid excessive contact between the side wall of the groove 209 and the surface of the wafer 7, as shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the side wall of the groove 209 is an inclined side wall, that is, the groove 209 is arranged as an open slot.

[0069] In an optional embodiment, as shown in Figures 1-6As shown, the detection assembly 4 comprises: a transmitting end 401 arranged on the transfer mechanism 5 and used for transmitting a detection signal to the circumferential edge region of the clamped wafer 7; a receiving end 402 arranged on the turnover mechanism 3 and arranged opposite to the transmitting end 401, used for receiving the detection signal; and a connecting piece 204 provided with a relief hole 210 allowing the detection signal to pass. In order to make the structure of the robot conveying end 1 more compact and simple, a smaller sensor can be selected as the detection assembly 4, and the type of the sensor can also be selected in multiple ways. In order to improve the detection accuracy as much as possible, the sensor can be a reflection sensor having a transmitting end 401 and a receiving end 402, such as a laser sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc. The transmitting end 401 is used for transmitting laser, ultrasonic waves, etc., and the receiving end 402 is used for receiving the laser, ultrasonic waves, etc. emitted by the transmitting end 401. When specifically arranged, since the pick-and-place mechanism 2 has the two aforementioned position states, in order to make the detection assembly 4 work normally in the two position states, that is, in order to make the pick-and-place mechanism 2 be able to detect the wafer 7 clamped thereby whether it is carried and connected on the transfer mechanism 5 or carried and connected on the turnover mechanism 3, the transmitting end 401 and the receiving end 402 are arranged on the transfer mechanism 5 and the turnover mechanism 3 respectively. In order to avoid the board-shaped connecting piece 204 blocking the laser, ultrasonic waves, etc., the relief hole 210 is also arranged on the connecting piece 204 at the position opposite to the transmitting end 401 and the receiving end 402, so that the laser, ultrasonic waves, etc. can pass through the connecting piece 204 and be received by the receiving end 402. The position of the relief hole 210 (the position of the laser, ultrasonic wave transmission) is opposite to the circumferential edge of the clamped wafer 7. In the process of self-rotation of the wafer 7, when the notch at the circumferential edge rotates to the position opposite to the relief hole 210, there is no blocking object between the transmitting end 401 and the receiving end 402, and the laser, ultrasonic waves, etc. emitted by the transmitting end 401 can reach the receiving end 402 and be received, so that the detection assembly 4 emits an alignment signal, and the motor roller 208 stops rotating. When the notch does not rotate to the position opposite to the relief hole 210, the laser, ultrasonic waves, etc. are blocked by the wafer 7, and the receiving end 402 cannot receive the laser, ultrasonic waves, so that the detection assembly 4 does not emit an alignment signal, and the motor roller 208 continues to drive the wafer 7 to rotate. In addition, the detection assembly 4 can also be of other types, such as a CCD camera (Charge-Coupled Device), which can monitor the position of the notch in real time through image recognition, and emit an alignment signal when the position parameter of the notch at a certain moment is the same as the preset parameter, so as to make the motor roller 208 stop driving the wafer 7 to rotate.

[0070] As Figures 1-5As shown, on the basis that the transfer mechanism 5 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 are both provided with a plurality of the turnover mechanism 3, one transmitting end 401 is arranged on each transfer mechanism 5, and one receiving end 402 is arranged on the turnover mechanism 3, the receiving end 402 is used for receiving the detection signals transmitted by all the transmitting ends 401, so that the structure of the detection assembly 4 can be simplified, and the robot conveying end 1 provided by the application has a simpler structure and a smaller size.

[0071] In summary, the working process of the wafer conveying robot provided by the application is as follows: first, the robot conveying end 1 moves to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 2 on the transfer mechanism 5 to reach the wafer 7 storage position, and the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 are rotated towards each other to clamp the wafer 7 between the first clamping jaw 206, the second clamping jaw 207 and the auxiliary clamping piece 205; then the motor roller 208 is started to drive the wafer 7 to rotate, and at the same time, the detection assembly 4 detects the wafer 7, when the notch on the wafer 7 is aligned with the avoiding hole 210 on the connecting piece 204, the motor roller 208 stops rotating, and the wafer 7 is aligned; then the piston rod 502 of the transfer mechanism 5 is extended to make the pick-and-place mechanism 2 close to the turnover mechanism 3, and in the process of closing, the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the turnover mechanism 3 are connected through the connecting structure 6, that is, the pin shaft 601 is inserted into the pin hole 602, at the same time, the magnetic attraction force between the pick-and-place mechanism 2 and the transfer mechanism 5 disappears due to power off to realize separation, the turnover motor 301 is started to drive the receiving piece 302 to rotate 180°, so that the turnover mechanism 3 drives the pick-and-place mechanism 2 to turn over 180°, after the turnover is completed, the transfer mechanism 5 and the pick-and-place mechanism 2 are magnetically attracted, and the pin shaft 601 is pulled out of the pin hole 602 to take away the pick-and-place mechanism 2, and the wafer 7 is turned over; finally, the robot conveying end 1 moves to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 2 on the transfer mechanism 5 to reach the detection device position, and the first clamping jaw 206 and the second clamping jaw 207 are rotated away from each other to place the wafer 7 on the detection device, and the subsequent detection device can detect the back of the wafer 7. In the above wafer 7 alignment, transfer and turnover process, the process can be completed in the process of moving the robot conveying end 1, or can be completed in the state that the robot conveying end 1 is stationary.

[0072] The basic principles of the application are described above in combination with specific embodiments, however, it should be pointed out that the advantages, advantages, effects and the like mentioned in the application are only examples and cannot be considered as the must-have of each embodiment of the application. In addition, the above specific details are only for the purpose of example and understanding, and the application is not limited to the above specific details.

[0073] The block diagrams of the devices, apparatuses, equipment, systems involved in the present application are only illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the connection, arrangement, configuration must be as shown in the block diagrams. As those skilled in the art will recognize, these devices, apparatuses, equipment, systems can be connected, arranged, configured in any manner. Words such as "include", "contain", "have", and the like are open-ended words, mean "including but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably. The words "or" and "and" used herein mean the word "and / or", and can be used interchangeably, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The word "such as" used herein means the phrase "such as but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably.

[0074] It should also be noted that in the devices, apparatuses and methods of the present application, each component or each step can be decomposed and / or recombined. These decompositions and / or recombinations should be considered as equivalent solutions of the present application.

[0075] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0076] It should be understood that the limiting words "first", "second", "third", "fourth", "fifth" and "sixth" used in the embodiments description of the present application are only used for more clearly describing the technical solutions, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0077] The above description has been given for the purpose of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description does not intend to limit the embodiments of the present application to the forms disclosed herein. Although a number of example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, changes, additions and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A wafer transport robot, characterized in that, include: Robotic conveyor end; A pick-and-place mechanism, located at the robot's conveying end, is used to grip and release the wafer and drive the gripped wafer to rotate. A flipping mechanism is provided at the robot's conveying end and is used to drive the pick-and-place mechanism to flip. A detection component is disposed at the robot conveying end, the pick-and-place mechanism and / or the flipping mechanism, and is used to detect the notch position of the clamped wafer; The transfer mechanism is provided on the robot conveying end. The pick-and-place mechanism is connected to the robot conveying end through the transfer mechanism. The transfer mechanism can transfer the pick-and-place mechanism to the flipping mechanism and can also receive the pick-and-place mechanism on the flipping mechanism.

2. The wafer transport robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple transfer mechanisms and pick-and-place mechanisms are arranged around the flipping mechanism, and different transfer mechanisms transfer different pick-and-place mechanisms to the flipping mechanism respectively; Furthermore, the flipping mechanism can receive and drive all the pick-and-place mechanisms to flip.

3. The wafer transport robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The pick-and-place mechanism includes a first pick-and-place mechanism and a second pick-and-place mechanism; The transfer mechanism includes a first transfer mechanism and a second transfer mechanism, which are symmetrically arranged about the flipping mechanism on the robot's conveying end. In this configuration, the first transfer mechanism transfers the first pick-and-place mechanism to the flipping mechanism, and the second transfer mechanism transfers the second pick-and-place mechanism to the flipping mechanism; the flipping mechanism drives the first pick-and-place mechanism and the second pick-and-place mechanism to flip so as to achieve position interchange; the first transfer mechanism receives the second pick-and-place mechanism, and the second transfer mechanism receives the first pick-and-place mechanism.

4. The wafer transport robot according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The picking and placing mechanism includes: Base; Connector, attached to the base; An auxiliary clamping member is disposed at the end of the connector that is away from the base; The first and second grippers are rotatably mounted on the base and extend from opposite sides of the base, respectively. The first and second grippers rotate in opposite directions to cooperate with the auxiliary clamping member to clamp the wafer; the first and second grippers rotate in opposite directions to release the wafer.

5. The wafer transport robot according to claim 4, characterized in that, The auxiliary clamping component is a follower roller rotatably mounted on the connecting component; Both the first and second grippers are equipped with motor rollers at their gripping ends, which are used to drive the wafer to rotate.

6. The wafer transport robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both the follower roller and the motor roller are provided with grooves on the circumferential edge of the wafer for accommodating it.

7. The wafer transport robot according to claim 5, characterized in that, The detection component includes: The transmitting end is mounted on the transfer mechanism and is used to transmit a detection signal to the circumferential edge region of the clamped wafer; The receiving end is disposed on the flipping mechanism and aligned with the transmitting end, and is used to receive the detection signal; Furthermore, the connector is provided with a clearance hole that allows the detection signal to pass through.

8. The wafer transport robot according to claim 7, characterized in that, The transfer mechanism and the pick-and-place mechanism are both arranged in multiple ways around the flipping mechanism, and each of the transfer mechanisms is provided with a transmitting end. The flipping mechanism is provided with a receiving end, which is used to receive the detection signals transmitted by all the transmitting ends.

9. The wafer transport robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flipping mechanism includes: A flip motor is installed on the robot's conveyor end; A receiving element is connected to the output shaft of the flip motor and is used to receive the pick-and-place mechanism.

10. The wafer transport robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The picking and placing mechanism and the flipping mechanism are detachably connected by a connecting structure, the connecting structure including: A pin protrudes from one of the pick-and-place mechanism and the flipping mechanism; A pin hole is provided on the other of the pick-and-place mechanism and the flipping mechanism; The pin connects the pick-and-place mechanism and the flipping mechanism by inserting it into the pin hole, and the pin separates the pick-and-place mechanism and the flipping mechanism by disengaging from the pin hole.

11. The wafer transport robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer mechanism and the pick-and-place mechanism are magnetically connected, and / or the transfer mechanism is a cylinder.

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