A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine and loading and unloading method

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of ALD coating for photovoltaic cells, specifically to a wafer loading and unloading machine and method for ALD processes, including a fixed frame. The core transport mechanism employs a ground helical rack and ball-bearing linear guide, with a three-sided guide rail fixing method for greater rigidity due to the large span; a servo motor drives the helical gear, enabling smooth movement of the transport mechanism in the X and Y directions. Visual inspection is used for incoming material baskets and process boats, avoiding batch breakage caused by missing wafers, misaligned slots, or stacked wafers. Visual guidance is used for wafer transfer between the process boat and basket, eliminating multiple batch breakages due to residual wafers, resulting in higher overall machine uptime. The invention features a rational layout of its various modules, a small footprint, high capacity, and low breakage rate; clear and smooth tooling flow enables mutual import and export of silicon wafers from the process boat to the basket, significantly reducing production costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of ALD coating of photovoltaic cells, specifically a photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine and loading and unloading method. Background Technology

[0002] ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) coating is a method for manufacturing photovoltaic cells using atomic layer deposition technology. The ALD coating process involves a chemical reaction on the surface of the silicon wafer to form one or more dense passivation films, and is the core step in the fabrication of solar photovoltaic cells. The ALD coating process requires loading the silicon wafers from the previous process basket (usually a wet basket) into the ALD process boat. After the ALD process is completed, the silicon wafers are unloaded from the process boat into a designated type of basket (usually a dry basket). This process is called wafer loading and unloading.

[0003] In current technologies, silicon wafers are inherently soft and brittle. If the fragments in the process boat and basket are not cleaned up in time, it can lead to secondary or even multiple batches of fragments, causing significant economic losses and affecting the overall machine uptime. The wafer load capacity of the process boat is usually greater than that of the basket, and the ratio is several times greater. However, existing ALD wafer loading and unloading machines usually unload wafers after one process and then load wafers before the process, repeating this process until the loading and unloading action is completed. This results in wafers before and after the process being present in the process boat at the same time, causing great inconvenience to the production and handling of fragments in the boat.

[0004] Existing ALD wafer loading and unloading machines, designed to meet high-volume production demands, have a large footprint and redundant structure. Furthermore, as the industry matures, silicon wafers will become increasingly thinner, making the wafer-related processing mechanisms less gentle and more prone to breakage. The lack of fragment residue detection capabilities further complicates matters, resulting in inefficient and unstable wafer loading and unloading machines.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine and loading and unloading method. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, at least one technical problem raised in the background art is solved.

[0007] Firstly, the technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is as follows: A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine of the present invention includes a fixed frame; the fixed frame is respectively provided with a basket AGV docking and transmission mechanism, a seven-axis robot basket handling mechanism, a defective basket handling mechanism, a basket import and export mechanism, a silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism, a process boat import and export mechanism, a silicon wafer suction and release transfer mechanism, a process boat handling mechanism, a basket vision inspection mechanism, a process boat loading and unloading station vision inspection mechanism, a basket silicon wafer top mechanism, and a process boat silicon wafer top mechanism;

[0008] The flower basket AGV docking and transmission mechanism includes a flower basket receiving track, a flower basket buffer track, a robot docking position track, an aluminum profile, and guide parts. The guide parts are made of engineering plastic and are fixed to the upper surface of the aluminum profile. Each end of the aluminum profile is equipped with an active belt, an active pulley, a drive motor, and a driven pulley. The driven pulley uses a push-type tensioning structure. The active pulley and the drive motor are connected by a transmission shaft, and the drive motor is fixed to the side of the aluminum profile. Each track has a horizontal adjustment mechanism, the side plate of which is embedded and fixed to the aluminum profile. Multiple sets of track transmission pulleys are installed inside the active pulley; each set of track transmission pulleys is closely spaced. A flower basket is mounted on the top surface of each track transmission pulley. A transmission line is installed inside each track transmission pulley, and multiple sensors are installed inside the transmission line. Deceleration sensors are installed on the surfaces of the flower basket buffer track and the robot docking position track.

[0009] The defective flower basket handling mechanism includes a flower basket positioning cylinder module, a magnetic suction component, and a guide unit; the defective flower basket handling mechanism is composed of multiple machined parts to form a bearing platform, the bearing platform is fixed on the guide unit, and the guide unit is equipped with position sensing sensors at both ends;

[0010] The flower basket import and export mechanism includes a flower basket carrier screw transmission module and a flower basket carrying platform. A flower basket positioning and anti-foolproof module is provided on the outer surface of the flower basket carrying platform. The flower basket import and export mechanism is composed of multiple machined parts to form the carrying platform.

[0011] The support platform is fixed on the guide unit. One end of the sliding part of the guide unit is equipped with a magnetic element, and both ends of the guide unit are equipped with position sensing sensors.

[0012] Preferably, the silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism includes a straightening opening and closing mechanism. The straightening mechanism is driven to translate on the bottom surface of the straightening opening and closing mechanism. Silicon wafer straightening ceramic side comb teeth are provided on the top inner wall of the straightening opening and closing mechanism. The silicon wafer straightening ceramic side comb teeth are composed of upper and lower layers of side comb teeth, and the length of the lower layer of side comb teeth is greater than that of the upper layer of side comb teeth. The straightening side comb mechanism and the opening and closing mechanism are provided on the inner side of the straightening opening and closing mechanism. A synchronous belt, a driven pulley and a synchronous belt pulley are respectively arranged at both ends of the opening and closing mechanism. The driven pulley is provided with a tensioning mechanism, a driving synchronous belt pulley, a synchronous belt driving pulley and a transmission shaft. The two driving synchronous belt pulleys at both ends are connected by a transmission shaft. One end of the transmission shaft is connected to a drive motor through a coupling.

[0013] The regularizing mechanism translation drive has regularizing translation guide slides on both sides of the edge position. A movable slider is installed on the surface of the regularizing translation guide slide. The movable slider is connected to the synchronous belt. The synchronous belt meshes with the corresponding synchronous belt pulley. The synchronous belt drive pulleys at both ends are connected by a transmission shaft. One side of the transmission shaft is connected to the drive motor through a coupling. The regularizing mechanism translation drive has a regularizing translation transmission on the top surface. The regularizing mechanism translation drive has a regularizing translation pitch adjustment mechanism on the top surface of the regularizing mechanism translation drive and at both ends of the regularizing translation transmission.

[0014] Preferably, the process boat import / export mechanism includes a process boat tilting platform, a process boat carrier and a process boat tilting drive are fixedly mounted on the surface of the process boat tilting platform, a process boat translation platform is fixedly mounted on the top surface of the process boat tilting platform, a process boat translation platform is provided on the outer surface of one end of the process boat tilting platform, and process boat translation platforms are provided on the top surface of the process boat carrier and the process boat tilting drive located at both side edges. Multiple positioning mechanisms are provided on the process boat translation platform to enable high-precision positioning of the process boat. A process boat translation platform guide mechanism and a process boat guide drive are fixedly mounted on the surface of the process boat translation platform.

[0015] Preferably, the silicon wafer suction and release transfer mechanism includes a welding base, which is fixed to a base and secured to the ground by chemical bolts. A six-axis articulated robot is mounted on the top surface of the welding base. A vacuum control module is installed on the forearm of the six-axis articulated robot. A vacuum control module is fixedly mounted on the output end of the six-axis articulated robot. A vacuum suction cup group is mounted on the output end of the vacuum control module. A ceramic suction cup group is mounted on the outer surface of the vacuum suction cup group. The ceramic suction cup group consists of multiple ceramic suction cups, and the number of ceramic plates corresponds to the wafer load per column of the basket.

[0016] Preferably, the process boat transport mechanism includes an X-direction rack and pinion drive, a Y-direction rack and pinion drive on the outer surface of the X-direction rack and pinion drive, a Z-direction lead screw drive slidably sleeved on the outer surface of the Y-direction rack and pinion drive, a lead screw module on the outer surface of the Z-direction lead screw drive, a process boat gripper on the sliding seat of the lead screw module, the process boat gripper being opened and closed by a cylinder drive, and a process boat vision inspection module being provided on the outer surface of the process boat gripper and at its top edge.

[0017] Preferably, the flower basket visual inspection mechanism includes a light source, and a slot is formed on the outer surface of the light source. An area array camera is installed inside the slot. The flower basket visual inspection mechanism is used to detect whether there are defects such as missing silicon wafers, misaligned slots, or multiple wafers per slot inside the flower basket. The process boat visual inspection mechanism is used to detect whether there are any fragments remaining inside the process boat and on the surface of the silicon wafers.

[0018] Preferably, the basket silicon wafer top plate mechanism includes basket top plate comb teeth, a top plate comb tooth fixing member is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the basket top plate comb teeth, a lifting drive is slidably sleeved on the back of the top plate comb tooth fixing member, and a lateral translation drive and a translation auxiliary guide slide rail are respectively provided on the back of the lifting drive.

[0019] Preferably, the process boat silicon wafer top wafer mechanism includes a vertical lifting drive mechanism, the outer surface of which is provided with process boat top wafer comb teeth, the back of which is provided with a lateral translation auxiliary guide rail, and the outer surface of which is provided with a lateral translation drive module.

[0020] Preferably, the seven-axis robot flower basket handling mechanism includes a seventh-axis drive mechanism, a six-axis robot is provided on the inner wall of the seventh-axis drive mechanism, a flower basket gripper mechanism is provided on the output end of the six-axis robot, a horizontal adjustment mechanism is fixedly connected to both sides of the seventh-axis drive mechanism, and a seven-axis robot frame is provided on the outer surface of the horizontal adjustment mechanism.

[0021] Secondly, a method for loading and unloading photovoltaic cells in an ALD process includes the following steps:

[0022] Step 1: After being transported to the designated position inside the machine via the AGV docking and transfer mechanism, the seven-axis robot adjusts its posture to grasp the flower basket and transfers it to the flower basket vision inspection mechanism for visual inspection. If the visual inspection result meets the requirements, the flower basket transport robot continues to transfer the flower basket to the flower basket import and export mechanism. If the visual inspection result does not meet the requirements, the flower basket transport robot transfers the flower basket to the defective flower basket processing mechanism, and then returns to the AGV track to pick up another flower basket and continue to transfer it to the flower basket vision inspection position for inspection, until the appropriate number of wet flower baskets that meet the requirements are picked up. During the above actions, defective flower baskets on the defective flower basket mechanism are picked up by workers for processing, and qualified wet flower baskets are imported into the flower basket silicon wafer lifting mechanism position to prepare for wafer guiding.

[0023] Step 2: The process boat transport mechanism is ready to move the full-size process boat to the corresponding position of the process equipment. Before moving the process boat, the process boat vision line scan detection module on the transport mechanism scans the process boat up and down. If the scanned process boat does not meet the usage requirements, the gripper will not grab it and will prompt the host.

[0024] Step 3: If the scanned process boat meets the usage requirements, the transport mechanism will transfer the silicon wafer to the import and export mechanism. The import and export mechanism will then transfer the process boat to the silicon wafer top mechanism position. The visual inspection mechanism at the process boat loading and unloading position will inspect the boat to check whether there are silicon wafers laid flat on the surface of the process boat. If there are fragments laid flat on the surface of the silicon wafers inside the boat, an alarm will be triggered to prompt manual handling.

[0025] Step 4: If the visual inspection of the process boat meets the requirements, the silicon wafer top mechanism rises and pushes the silicon wafer out of the process boat. The silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism straightens the pushed-out silicon wafer, and the silicon wafer suction and transfer mechanism picks up and transfers the silicon wafer to the basket silicon wafer top mechanism. After the silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism straightens the silicon wafer, the basket silicon wafer top mechanism falls and carries the silicon wafer into the dry basket until all silicon wafers are unloaded.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0027] 1. The photovoltaic cell ALD process wafer loading and unloading machine and method described in this invention uses helical racks and ball linear guides in the X and Y directions. Due to the larger span in the Y direction, a three-sided guide rail fixing method is used for greater rigidity. The helical racks mesh with the helical gears, and the ball linear guide slider is fixed to the moving parts of the mechanism. A servo motor drives the helical gears, enabling the handling mechanism to move smoothly in the X and Y directions. Simultaneously, a basket-type visual inspection mechanism is used to detect defects such as missing wafers, misaligned slots, and multiple wafers per slot inside the basket. Furthermore, a process boat visual inspection mechanism is used to detect whether there are any residual fragments inside the process boat and on the surface of the wafers. If any fragments are found, the mechanism automatically cleans them.

[0028] 2. The photovoltaic cell ALD process wafer loading and unloading machine and method described in this invention uses upper and lower layer side comb teeth to adhere to the silicon wafer surface. The lower layer side comb teeth are pre-clamped with the silicon wafer by a regular opening and closing drive to achieve initial wafer regularization. Subsequently, the regular opening and closing mechanism drives the side comb teeth to further clamp the upper layer short side teeth with the silicon wafer to achieve final wafer regularization. The double-layer side comb tooth regularization mechanism makes the wafer regularization smooth and impact-free. The use of double-sided synchronous belt drive provides high regularization positioning accuracy and greatly reduces fragmentation caused by regularization. The auxiliary guide slide rail increases the overall rigidity. The top comb teeth of the process boat can be laterally moved to multiple points to adapt to the specifications of the process boat. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional view of the flower basket AGV vehicle docking and transmission mechanism in this invention;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional view of the robot docking track in this invention;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the flower basket gripper mechanism in this invention;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the flower basket positioning cylinder module in this invention;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the flower basket carrier screw drive module in this invention;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional view of the silicon wafer-shaped ceramic side comb teeth in this invention;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of the process boat tilting platform in this invention;

[0038] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the vacuum control module in this invention;

[0039] Figure 10 This is a perspective view of the X-direction gear and rack drive in this invention;

[0040] Figure 11 This is a three-dimensional view of the flower basket visual inspection mechanism in this invention;

[0041] Figure 12 This is a three-dimensional view of the translational auxiliary guide slide rail in this invention;

[0042] Figure 13 This is a three-dimensional view of the silicon wafer top-mounting mechanism of the process boat in this invention;

[0043] Figure 14 This is a flowchart of the present invention.

[0044] In the diagram: 1. Flower basket AGV docking and transmission mechanism; 1-01. Flower basket receiving track; 1-02. Flower basket buffer track; 1-03. Robot docking position track; 2. Seven-axis robot flower basket handling mechanism; 2-01. Flower basket gripper mechanism; 2-02. Six-axis robot; 2-03. Seventh-axis drive mechanism; 2-04. Horizontal adjustment mechanism; 2-05. Seven-axis robot frame; 3. Defective flower basket handling mechanism; 3-01. Flower basket positioning cylinder module; 3-02. Magnetic suction component; 3-03. Guide unit; 4. Flower basket import and export mechanism; 4-01. Flower basket platform screw drive module; 4-02. Flower basket carrying platform; 4-021. Flower basket positioning anti-foolproof module; 5. Silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism; 5-01. Straightening opening and closing mechanism; 5-02 5-03. Silicon wafer sizing ceramic side comb teeth; 5-021. Sizing translation guide slide rail; 5-022. Sizing translation tooth pitch adjustment mechanism; 5-023. Sizing translation transmission; 6. Process boat import / export mechanism; 6-01. Process boat flipping platform; 6-02. Process boat flipping drive; 6-03. Process boat translation platform; 6-04. Process boat translation platform guide mechanism; 6-05. Process boat guide drive; 7. Silicon wafer pick-and-place transfer mechanism; 7-01. Welding base; 7-02. Six-axis articulated robot; 7-03. Vacuum control module; 7-04. Vacuum suction cup assembly; 8. Process boat handling mechanism; 8-01. X-direction gear and rack drive; 8-02. Y-direction gear and rack drive; 8-03. Z-direction lead screw drive; 8-04. Process boat gripper; 8-05. Process boat vision inspection module; 9. Flower basket vision inspection mechanism; 9-01. Light source; 9-02. Area scan camera; 10. Process 11. Wafer loading and unloading station visual inspection mechanism; 11. Basket silicon wafer top mechanism; 11-01. Basket top comb teeth; 11-02. Top comb tooth fixing component; 11-03. Lifting drive; 11-04. Lateral translation drive; 11-05. Translation auxiliary guide rail; 12. Process boat silicon wafer top mechanism; 12-01. Process boat top comb teeth; 12-02. Vertical lifting drive mechanism; 12-03. Lateral translation auxiliary guide rail; 12-04. Lateral translation drive module; 14. Fixed frame. Detailed Implementation

[0045] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. Example 1

[0046] like Figures 1 to 14As shown, an embodiment of the photovoltaic cell ALD process wafer loading and unloading machine of the present invention includes a fixed frame 14; the fixed frame 14 is respectively provided with a basket AGV docking and transmission mechanism 1, a seven-axis robot basket handling mechanism 2, a defective basket handling mechanism 3, a basket import and export mechanism 4, a silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism 5, a process boat import and export mechanism 6, a silicon wafer suction and release transfer mechanism 7, a process boat handling mechanism 8, a basket vision inspection mechanism 9, a process boat loading and unloading station vision inspection mechanism 10, a basket silicon wafer topping mechanism 11, and a process boat silicon wafer topping mechanism 12;

[0047] The flower basket AGV docking and transmission mechanism 1 includes a flower basket receiving track 1-01, a flower basket buffer track 1-02, a robot docking position track 1-03, aluminum profiles, and guide parts. The guide parts are made of engineering plastic and are fixed to the upper surface of the aluminum profile. Each end of the aluminum profile is equipped with an active belt, an active pulley, a drive motor, and a driven pulley. The driven pulley uses a push-type tensioning structure. The active pulley and the drive motor are connected by a transmission shaft, and the drive motor is fixed to the side of the aluminum profile. Each track has a horizontal adjustment mechanism inside, and the side plate of the horizontal adjustment mechanism is embedded and fixed to the aluminum profile. The active pulley has an internal... The device has multiple sets of track drive pulleys; each set of track drive pulleys is closely spaced, and a flower basket is set on the top surface of the track drive pulley; a transmission line is set inside the track drive pulley, and multiple sensors are set inside the transmission line; deceleration sensors are set on the surface of the flower basket buffer track 1-02 and the robot docking position track 1-03; the defective flower basket handling mechanism 3 includes a flower basket positioning cylinder module 3-01, a magnetic suction element 3-02, and a guide unit 3-03; the defective flower basket handling mechanism 3 is formed by combining multiple machined parts to form a bearing platform, the bearing platform is fixed on the guide unit, and position sensing sensors are set at both ends of the guide unit;

[0048] The flower basket import and export mechanism 4 includes a flower basket carrier screw transmission module 4-01 and a flower basket carrying platform 4-02. A flower basket positioning and anti-foolproof module 4-021 is provided on the outer surface of the flower basket carrying platform 4-02.

[0049] The flower basket import / export mechanism 4 is composed of multiple machined parts to form a support platform, which is fixed on the guide unit. A magnetic element 3-02 is installed at one end of the sliding part of the guide unit, and position sensors are installed at both ends of the guide unit. The silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism 5 includes a straightening opening and closing mechanism 5-01, a straightening mechanism translation drive 5-02 on the bottom surface of the straightening opening and closing mechanism 5-01, and silicon wafer straightening ceramic side comb teeth 5 on the top inner wall of the straightening opening and closing mechanism 5-01. -03, the silicon wafer straightening ceramic side comb 5-03 is composed of upper and lower side combs, and the length of the lower side comb is greater than that of the upper side comb. The straightening opening and closing mechanism 5-01 is provided with a straightening side comb mechanism and an opening and closing mechanism. The two ends of the opening and closing mechanism are respectively arranged with a synchronous belt, a driven pulley and a synchronous belt pulley. The driven pulley is provided with a tensioning mechanism, a driving synchronous belt pulley, a synchronous belt driving pulley and a transmission shaft. The two driving synchronous belt pulleys at both ends are connected by a transmission shaft. One end of the transmission shaft is connected to the drive motor through a coupling.The aligning mechanism translation drive 5-02 has aligning translation guide rails 5-021 on both sides of its edge. Moving sliders are mounted on the surface of the aligning translation guide rails 5-021. The moving sliders are connected to a synchronous belt, which meshes with a corresponding synchronous pulley. The driving pulleys at both ends of the synchronous belt are connected via a drive shaft. One side of the drive shaft is connected to a drive motor via a coupling. An aligning translation transmission 5-023 is provided on the top surface of the aligning mechanism translation drive 5-02. Aligning translation pitch adjustment mechanisms 5-022 are provided on the top surface of the aligning mechanism translation drive 5-02 and at both ends of the aligning translation transmission 5-023. The process boat import / export mechanism 6 includes a process boat tilting platform 6-01. A process boat carrier and a process boat tilting drive 6-02 are fixedly mounted on the surface of the process boat tilting stage 6-01. A process boat translation stage 6-03 is fixedly mounted on the top surface of the process boat tilting stage 6-01. A process boat translation stage 6-03 is set on the outer surface of one end of the process boat tilting stage 6-01. A process boat translation stage 6-03 is set on the top surface of the process boat carrier and the process boat tilting drive 6-02, and is located at both sides of the edge. Multiple positioning mechanisms are set on the process boat translation stage 6-03 to enable high-precision positioning of the process boat. A process boat translation stage guide mechanism 6-04 and a process boat guide drive 6-05 are fixedly mounted on the surface of the process boat translation stage 6-03. The silicon wafer pick-and-place transfer mechanism 7 includes a welding base 7-01. 7-01 is fixed to a welding base, which is secured to the ground with chemical bolts. A six-axis articulated robot 7-02 is mounted on the top surface of the welding base 7-01. A vacuum control module is installed on the forearm of the six-axis articulated robot 7-02. A vacuum control module 7-03 is fixedly mounted on the output end of the six-axis articulated robot 7-02. A vacuum suction cup assembly 7-04 is mounted on the output end of the vacuum control module 7-03. A ceramic suction cup assembly is mounted on the outer surface of the vacuum suction cup assembly 7-04. The ceramic suction cup assembly consists of multiple ceramic suction cups, and the number of ceramic pieces corresponds to the number of pieces carried per row in the flower basket. The process boat handling mechanism 8 includes an X-direction gear and rack drive 8-01. A Y-direction gear and rack drive 8-01 is mounted on the outer surface of the X-direction gear and rack drive 8-01. The gear rack drive 8-02 in the Y direction is slidably sleeved on the outer surface of the gear rack drive 8-02 in the Z direction, and a screw drive 8-03 in the Z direction is provided on the outer surface of the screw drive 8-03. A screw module is provided on the sliding seat of the screw module, and a process boat gripper 8-04 is provided on the sliding seat of the screw module. The process boat gripper 8-04 is opened and closed by a cylinder. A process boat vision inspection module 8-05 is provided on the outer surface of the process boat gripper 8-04 and at the top edge. The flower basket vision inspection mechanism 9 includes a light source 9-01. A slot is opened on the outer surface of the light source 9-01, and an area array camera 9-02 is installed inside the slot. The flower basket vision inspection mechanism 9 is used to detect whether there are defects such as missing silicon wafers, misaligned slots, or multiple wafers in each slot inside the flower basket.The process boat visual inspection is used to detect whether there are any residual fragments inside the process boat and on the surface of the silicon wafer. The basket silicon wafer top mechanism 11 includes basket top comb teeth 11-01. A top comb tooth fixing member 11-02 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the basket top comb teeth 11-01. A lifting drive 11-03 is slidably sleeved on the back of the top comb tooth fixing member 11-02. A horizontal translation drive 11-04 and a translation auxiliary guide slide rail 11-05 are respectively provided on the back of the lifting drive 11-03. The process boat silicon wafer top mechanism 12 includes a vertical lifting drive mechanism 12-02. The outer surface of the vertical lifting drive mechanism 12-02 is provided with the process boat top comb teeth 12. -01, A horizontal translation auxiliary guide rail 12-03 is provided on the back of the vertical lifting drive mechanism 12-02. A horizontal translation drive module 12-04 is provided on the outer surface of the horizontal translation auxiliary guide rail 12-03. The seven-axis robot basket handling mechanism 2 includes a seventh-axis drive mechanism 2-03. A six-axis robot 2-02 is provided on the inner wall of the seventh-axis drive mechanism 2-03. A basket gripper mechanism 2-01 is provided on the output end of the six-axis robot 2-02. A horizontal adjustment mechanism 2-04 is fixedly connected to both sides of the seventh-axis drive mechanism 2-03. A seven-axis robot frame 2-05 is provided on the outer surface of the horizontal adjustment mechanism 2-04.

[0050] The mechanism employs helical racks and ball linear guides in the X and Y directions. Due to the larger span in the Y direction, a three-sided guide rail fixing method is used for greater rigidity. The helical racks mesh with the helical gears, and the ball linear guide sliders are fixed to the moving parts of the mechanism. A servo motor drives the helical gears, enabling the conveying mechanism to move smoothly in the X and Y directions. Simultaneously, a basket vision inspection mechanism is used to detect defects such as missing silicon wafers, misaligned slots, and multiple wafers per slot inside the basket. Furthermore, a process boat vision inspection mechanism is used to detect whether there are any fragments remaining inside the process boat and on the surface of the silicon wafers. If any fragments are found, the mechanism automatically cleans them up.

[0051] The upper and lower side comb teeth are attached to the silicon wafer surface. The lower side comb teeth are pre-clamped with the silicon wafer by the regularization opening and closing drive to achieve initial regularization of the silicon wafer. Then, the regularization opening and closing mechanism drives the side comb teeth to further clamp the upper short side teeth with the silicon wafer to achieve final regularization of the silicon wafer. The double-layer side comb teeth regularization mechanism makes the silicon wafer regularization smooth and impact-free. The use of double-sided synchronous belt drive provides high regularization positioning accuracy and greatly reduces fragmentation caused by regularization. The auxiliary guide slide rail increases the overall rigidity. The top comb teeth 12-01 of the process boat can be laterally moved to multiple points to adapt to the specifications of the process boat. Example 2

[0052] like Figure 14 As shown, a method for loading and unloading photovoltaic cells in the ALD process includes the following steps:

[0053] Step 1: After being transported to the designated position inside the machine via the AGV docking and transfer mechanism, the seven-axis robot adjusts its posture to grasp the flower basket and transfers it to the flower basket vision inspection mechanism for visual inspection. If the visual inspection result meets the requirements, the flower basket transport robot continues to transfer the flower basket to the flower basket import and export mechanism. If the visual inspection result does not meet the requirements, the flower basket transport robot transfers the flower basket to the defective flower basket processing mechanism, and then returns to the AGV track to pick up another flower basket and continue to transfer it to the flower basket vision inspection position for inspection, until the appropriate number of wet flower baskets that meet the requirements are picked up. During the above actions, defective flower baskets on the defective flower basket mechanism are picked up by workers for processing, and qualified wet flower baskets are imported into the flower basket silicon wafer lifting mechanism position to prepare for wafer guiding.

[0054] Step 2: The process boat transport mechanism is ready to move the full-size process boat to the corresponding position of the process equipment. Before moving the process boat, the process boat vision line scan detection module on the transport mechanism scans the process boat up and down. If the scanned process boat does not meet the usage requirements, the gripper will not grab it and will prompt the host.

[0055] Step 3: If the scanned process boat meets the usage requirements, the transport mechanism will transfer the silicon wafer to the import and export mechanism. The import and export mechanism will then transfer the process boat to the silicon wafer top mechanism position. The visual inspection mechanism at the process boat loading and unloading position will inspect the boat to check whether there are silicon wafers laid flat on the surface of the process boat. If there are fragments laid flat on the surface of the silicon wafers inside the boat, an alarm will be triggered to prompt manual handling.

[0056] Step 4: If the visual inspection of the process boat meets the requirements, the silicon wafer top mechanism rises and pushes the silicon wafer out of the process boat. The silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism straightens the pushed-out silicon wafer, and the silicon wafer suction and transfer mechanism picks up and transfers the silicon wafer to the basket silicon wafer top mechanism. After the silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism straightens the silicon wafer, the basket silicon wafer top mechanism falls and carries the silicon wafer into the dry basket until all silicon wafers are unloaded.

[0057] Working Principle: After the dry-type wafer trays for subsequent processes are transported to a designated position inside the machine via an AGV docking and transfer mechanism, a seven-axis robot adjusts its posture to grasp the trays and transfers them to the tray import / export mechanism. The tray export mechanism then moves the trays to the wafer top mechanism, which raises to prepare for wafer loading. Simultaneously, the process boat transport mechanism prepares to move the fully loaded process boat to the corresponding position on the process equipment. Before transporting the process boat, the process boat vision line scan detection module on the transport mechanism scans the process boat vertically. If the scanned process boat does not meet the usage requirements, the gripper will not grasp it, and the host will be alerted; if the scanned process boat meets the usage requirements, the transporter will... The silicon wafer is transferred to the import / export mechanism, which then moves the process boat to the wafer top mechanism position. A visual inspection mechanism at the process boat loading / unloading position checks the boat for silicon wafers. If wafer fragments are found on the surface of the wafers inside the boat, an alarm is triggered for manual intervention. If the visual inspection confirms the process boat meets the requirements, the wafer top mechanism rises, ejecting the wafers from the process boat. A wafer straightening comb mechanism straightens the ejected wafers, and a wafer suction / discharge transfer mechanism picks them up and transfers them to the wafer top mechanism in the basket. The wafer straightening comb mechanism straightens the wafers again, and the wafer top mechanism in the basket lowers, carrying the wafers into the dry basket until all wafers are unloaded.

[0058] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine, comprising a fixed frame (14); characterized in that: The fixed frame (14) is equipped with a flower basket AGV docking and transmission mechanism (1), a seven-axis robot flower basket handling mechanism (2), a defective flower basket handling mechanism (3), a flower basket import and export mechanism (4), a silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism (5), a process boat import and export mechanism (6), a silicon wafer suction and release transfer mechanism (7), a process boat handling mechanism (8), a flower basket visual inspection mechanism (9), a process boat loading and unloading station visual inspection mechanism (10), a flower basket silicon wafer top-loading mechanism (11), and a process boat silicon wafer top-loading mechanism (12). The flower basket AGV docking and transmission mechanism (1) includes a flower basket receiving track (1-01), a flower basket buffer track (1-02), a robot docking position track (1-03), an aluminum profile, and guide parts. The guide parts are made of engineering plastic and are fixed to the upper surface of the aluminum profile. The two ends of the aluminum profile are respectively provided with an active belt, an active pulley, a drive motor, and a driven pulley. The driven pulley adopts a push-type tensioning structure. The active pulley and the drive motor are connected by a transmission shaft. The drive motor is fixed to the side of the aluminum profile. Each track is provided with a horizontal adjustment mechanism. The side plate of the horizontal adjustment mechanism is embedded and fixed to the aluminum profile. The active pulley is provided with multiple sets of track transmission pulleys. Each set of track transmission pulleys is closely close to each other. A flower basket is provided on the top surface of the track transmission pulley. A transmission line is provided inside the track transmission pulley. Multiple sensors are provided inside the transmission line. Deceleration sensors are provided on the surfaces of the flower basket buffer track (1-02) and the robot docking position track (1-03). The defective flower basket handling mechanism (3) includes a flower basket positioning cylinder module (3-01), a magnetic suction element (3-02), and a guide unit (3-03); the defective flower basket handling mechanism (3) is formed by combining multiple machined parts to form a bearing platform, the bearing platform is fixed on the guide unit, and the two ends of the guide unit are provided with position sensing sensors; The flower basket import and export mechanism (4) includes a flower basket carrier screw transmission module (4-01) and a flower basket carrying platform (4-02). A flower basket positioning anti-foolproof module (4-021) is provided on the outer surface of the flower basket carrying platform (4-02). The flower basket import and export mechanism (4) is formed by combining multiple machined parts to form a carrying platform. The support platform is fixed on the guide unit. One end of the sliding part of the guide unit is equipped with a magnetic element (3-02), and both ends of the guide unit are equipped with position sensing sensors.

2. The photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism (5) includes a straightening opening and closing mechanism (5-01), a straightening mechanism translation drive (5-02) on the bottom surface of the straightening opening and closing mechanism (5-01), and silicon wafer straightening ceramic side comb teeth (5-03) provided on the top inner side wall of the straightening opening and closing mechanism (5-01). The silicon wafer straightening ceramic side comb teeth (5-03) are composed of upper and lower side comb teeth, and the length of the lower side comb teeth is greater than that of the upper side comb teeth. The straightening opening and closing mechanism (5-01) is provided with a straightening side comb tooth mechanism and an opening and closing mechanism. A synchronous belt, a driven wheel and a synchronous belt pulley are respectively arranged at both ends of the opening and closing mechanism. The driven wheel is provided with a tensioning mechanism, an active synchronous belt pulley, a synchronous belt active pulley and a transmission shaft. The active synchronous belt pulleys at both ends are connected by a transmission shaft. One end of the transmission shaft is connected to the drive motor through a coupling. The regularizing mechanism translation drive (5-02) is provided with regularizing translation guide slides (5-021) on both sides of the edge position. A movable slider is installed on the surface of the regularizing translation guide slide (5-021). The movable slider is connected to the synchronous belt. The synchronous belt meshes with the corresponding synchronous belt pulley. The synchronous belt drive pulleys at both ends are connected through a transmission shaft. One side of the transmission shaft is connected to the drive motor through a coupling. The regularizing mechanism translation drive (5-023) is provided on the top surface of the regularizing mechanism translation drive (5-02). The regularizing mechanism translation pitch adjustment mechanism (5-022) is provided on the top surface of the regularizing mechanism translation drive (5-02) and at both ends of the regularizing translation drive (5-023).

3. A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The process boat import and export mechanism (6) includes a process boat flipping platform (6-01), on the surface of the process boat flipping platform (6-01) a process boat carrier process boat flipping drive (6-02) is fixedly installed, on the top surface of the process boat flipping platform (6-01) a process boat translation platform (6-03) is fixedly installed, on the outer surface of one end of the process boat flipping platform (6-01) a process boat translation platform (6-03) is provided, on the top surface of the process boat carrier process boat flipping drive (6-02) and at the two side edges a process boat translation platform (6-03) is provided, on the process boat translation platform (6-03) a plurality of positioning mechanisms are provided to enable high-precision positioning of the process boat, and on the surface of the process boat translation platform (6-03) a process boat translation platform guide mechanism (6-04) and a process boat guide drive (6-05) are fixedly installed.

4. A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The silicon wafer suction and transfer mechanism (7) includes a welding base (7-01), which is fixed to a welding base and is fastened to the ground by chemical bolts. A six-axis articulated robot (7-02) is provided on the top surface of the welding base (7-01). A vacuum control module is installed on the forearm of the six-axis articulated robot (7-02). A vacuum control module (7-03) is fixedly installed on the output end of the six-axis articulated robot (7-02). A vacuum suction cup group (7-04) is provided on the output end of the vacuum control module (7-03). A ceramic suction cup group is provided on the outer surface of the vacuum suction cup group (7-04). The ceramic suction cup group consists of multiple ceramic suction cups, and the number of ceramic pieces corresponds to the number of wafers carried per row of the basket.

5. A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The process boat transport mechanism (8) includes an X-direction gear rack drive (8-01), a Y-direction gear rack drive (8-02) is provided on the outer surface of the X-direction gear rack drive (8-01), a Z-direction lead screw drive (8-03) is slidably sleeved on the outer surface of the Y-direction gear rack drive (8-02), a lead screw module is provided on the outer surface of the Z-direction lead screw drive (8-03), a process boat gripper (8-04) is provided on the sliding seat of the lead screw module, the process boat gripper (8-04) is opened and closed by a cylinder drive, and a process boat vision inspection module (8-05) is provided on the outer surface of the process boat gripper (8-04) and at the top edge.

6. A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flower basket visual inspection mechanism (9) includes a light source (9-01), and a slot is opened on the outer surface of the light source (9-01). An area array camera (9-02) is installed inside the slot. The flower basket visual inspection mechanism (9) is used to detect whether there are defects such as missing silicon wafers, misaligned slots, or multiple wafers per slot inside the flower basket. The process boat visual inspection is used to detect whether there are any fragments remaining inside the process boat and on the surface of the silicon wafers.

7. A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The basket silicon wafer top wafer mechanism (11) includes basket top wafer comb teeth (11-01), and a top wafer comb tooth fixing member (11-02) is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the basket top wafer comb teeth (11-01). A lifting drive (11-03) is slidably sleeved on the back of the top wafer comb tooth fixing member (11-02). A transverse translation drive (11-04) and a translation auxiliary guide slide rail (11-05) are respectively provided on the back of the lifting drive (11-03).

8. A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process boat silicon wafer top wafer mechanism (12) includes a vertical lifting drive mechanism (12-02), the outer surface of the vertical lifting drive mechanism (12-02) is provided with process boat top wafer comb teeth (12-01), the back of the vertical lifting drive mechanism (12-02) is provided with a horizontal translation auxiliary guide rail (12-03), and the outer surface of the horizontal translation auxiliary guide rail (12-03) is provided with a horizontal translation drive module (12-04).

9. A photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The seven-axis robot flower basket handling mechanism (2) includes a seventh-axis drive mechanism (2-03), a six-axis robot (2-02) is provided on the inner wall of the seventh-axis drive mechanism (2-03), a flower basket gripper mechanism (2-01) is provided on the output end of the six-axis robot (2-02), a horizontal adjustment mechanism (2-04) is fixedly connected to both sides of the seventh-axis drive mechanism (2-03), and a seven-axis robot frame (2-05) is provided on the outer surface of the horizontal adjustment mechanism (2-04).

10. A method for loading and unloading photovoltaic cells in an ALD process, applicable to a photovoltaic cell ALD process loading and unloading machine as described in any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: Step 1: After being transported to the designated position inside the machine via the AGV docking and transmission mechanism, the seven-axis robot adjusts its posture to grab the flower basket and transfers it to the flower basket vision inspection mechanism for visual inspection. If the visual inspection result meets the requirements, the flower basket transport robot continues to transfer the flower basket to the flower basket import and export mechanism. If the visual inspection result does not meet the requirements, the flower basket transport robot transfers the flower basket to the defective flower basket processing mechanism, and then returns to the AGV track to pick up another flower basket and continue to transfer it to the flower basket vision inspection position for inspection, until the appropriate number of wet flower baskets that meet the requirements are picked up. During the above actions, the defective flower baskets on the defective flower basket mechanism are picked up by the staff for processing, and the qualified wet flower baskets are imported into the flower basket silicon wafer lifting mechanism position to prepare for wafer guiding. Step 2: The process boat transport mechanism is ready to move the full-size process boat to the corresponding position of the process equipment. Before moving the process boat, the process boat vision line scan detection module on the transport mechanism scans the process boat up and down. If the scanned process boat does not meet the usage requirements, the gripper will not grab it and will prompt the host. Step 3: If the scanned process boat meets the usage requirements, the transport mechanism will transfer the silicon wafer to the import and export mechanism. The import and export mechanism will then transfer the process boat to the silicon wafer top mechanism position. The visual inspection mechanism at the process boat loading and unloading position will inspect the boat to check whether there are silicon wafers laid flat on the surface of the process boat. If there are fragments laid flat on the surface of the silicon wafers inside the boat, an alarm will be triggered to prompt manual handling. Step 4: If the visual inspection of the process boat meets the requirements, the silicon wafer top mechanism rises and pushes the silicon wafer out of the process boat. The silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism straightens the pushed-out silicon wafer, and the silicon wafer suction and transfer mechanism picks up and transfers the silicon wafer to the basket silicon wafer top mechanism. After the silicon wafer straightening comb mechanism straightens the silicon wafer, the basket silicon wafer top mechanism falls and carries the silicon wafer into the dry basket until all silicon wafers are unloaded.

Images