Wafer loading system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wafer loading system, comprising: a loading body having a carrying surface for placing a wafer box, wherein the wafer box is provided with a plurality of wafers stacked in a height direction; a detection mechanism, formed with a detection light path extending in a horizontal direction, wherein the detection light path scans the edge profile of the wafer to detect a protruding state; a lifting drive mechanism, connected to the detection mechanism, for driving the detection mechanism to reciprocate along the height direction of the wafer box; a correction actuator, comprising a drive unit and a pivot correction part, wherein the pivot correction part is provided with a pivot axis and a rolling contact surface that can rotate around the pivot axis. The above scheme can adapt to the correction of wafers of different sizes and improve the efficiency and cleanliness of wafer correction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor wafer conveying equipment, and in particular to a wafer loading system. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, efficient and lossless wafer transfer is a critical step in ensuring integrated circuit yield. As process nodes continue to shrink, the impact of wafer surface cleanliness and physical integrity on subsequent processes such as lithography and etching becomes increasingly significant. To this end, Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF) technology is widely used for closed transfer in wafer cassettes, sealing the wafers in an ultra-clean microenvironment to isolate external contamination sources. However, when wafers are stacked in a cassette, mechanical vibration or positioning deviation can easily cause partial protrusion of individual wafers. If such protrusions are not detected and corrected in a timely manner, they can cause collision damage between the wafer and the carrier during transfer, and even damage the sealing of the SMIF system.

[0003] Existing wafer carrier lifting and transfer equipment usually uses optical sensors to detect the edge position of the wafer, such as through laser shooting or image recognition technology to determine whether the wafer is protruding. However, after detecting a protruding wafer, such equipment often relies on manual intervention or simple mechanical limits to perform reset operations, which has problems such as large response delays and low correction accuracy, and is unable to correct wafers of different sizes. In addition, the movement inertia of the lifting mechanism and the signal processing delay will cause the correction action to lag, and it cannot ensure that the protruding wafer is aligned with the correction part. In addition, the contact method between the existing correction mechanism and the wafer is mostly rigid static contact, which is easy to cause scratches or electrostatic adsorption of particles on the wafer surface, further increasing the risk of contamination.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a wafer loading system to solve the above problems existing in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a wafer loading system for adapting to the deviation correction of wafers of different sizes and improving the efficiency and cleanliness of wafer deviation correction.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A wafer loading system comprising:

[0008] A loading body having a carrying surface for placing a wafer box, wherein the wafer box is provided with a plurality of wafers stacked in a height direction;

[0009] A detection mechanism is formed with a detection light path extending in a horizontal direction, wherein the detection light path scans the edge profile of the wafer to detect the protrusion state;

[0010] A lifting drive mechanism, connected to the detection mechanism, for driving the detection mechanism to reciprocate along the height direction of the wafer box;

[0011] The correction actuator comprises a driving unit and a pivot correction part, wherein the pivot correction part is provided with a pivot axis and a rolling contact surface rotatable about the pivot axis;

[0012] Among them, when the detection light path is blocked by the protruding wafer, the lifting drive mechanism stops moving, the driving unit drives the pivoting correction part to rotate around the pivot axis and move toward the wafer, and the rolling contact surface contacts the protruding wafer through dynamic friction to drive reset; the horizontal height of the detection light path has a preset downward offset relative to the pivot axis of the pivoting correction part, and the downward offset is used to compensate for the lifting inertial displacement and signal delay error.

[0013] The wafer loading system provided by this invention has the beneficial effect of detecting edge protrusions in real time along the height direction through the coordinated scanning of the detection optical path and the lifting drive mechanism. When a protrusion abnormality is detected on the wafer, the lifting and lowering process is quickly stopped and dynamic friction correction is triggered. The pivoting correction unit can adapt to the correction requirements of wafers of different sizes, significantly improving correction efficiency and wafer transfer cleanliness, and ensuring the sealing of the SMIF system and the integrity of the wafers.

[0014] Furthermore, the detection mechanism includes a platform plate, a bracket assembly vertically fixed to the platform plate, and a beam sensor installed on the bracket assembly. The transmitting end and the receiving end of the beam sensor are respectively arranged on both sides of the wafer box, and the transmitting end emits a laser beam to the receiving end to form the detection optical path.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, the transmitting end and the receiving end arranged on both sides of the wafer box form a through-type horizontal detection optical path, which can cover the width direction of the wafer box without blind spots and accurately capture the edge protrusion of the wafer at any position.

[0016] Furthermore, the driving unit is fixedly connected to the platform plate, the driving unit has an output shaft, the pivotal correction part includes a rocker arm and a balance wheel, one end of the rocker arm is fixedly connected to the output shaft, and the other end is connected to the balance wheel, and the circumferential surface of the balance wheel constitutes the rolling contact surface.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the circumferential surface of the balance wheel serves as the rolling contact surface, which pushes the wafer to reset through rolling friction when it contacts the wafer, thereby avoiding scratching the wafer surface and achieving smooth correction by utilizing the continuity of the balance wheel rotation.

[0018] Furthermore, the balance wheel includes a balance shaft and a balance sleeve rotatably sleeved on the outer periphery of the balance shaft, and the balance shaft is fixedly connected to the balance rod.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, the swing sleeve can rotate freely around the swing axis, so that when the swing sleeve contacts the wafer, it moves with the wafer to generate rolling friction, which not only reduces the wear of the contact surface, but also avoids hard scratches on the wafer surface.

[0020] Furthermore, the inner side of the swing sleeve has a convex ring, and the swing shaft includes a first shaft body and a second shaft body that are detachably connected along the height direction. The combination of the first shaft body and the second shaft body is provided with a groove adapted to the convex ring.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, the swing shaft adopts a detachable connection design between the first shaft body and the second shaft body, and can adapt to swing sleeves or wafer box structures of different thicknesses by adjusting the height of the shaft body.

[0022] Furthermore, the wafer box has an open end. When the wafer box is placed on the loading body, there is a distance between the vertical projection axis of the opening direction of the open end and the vertical projection of the pivot axis.

[0023] By adopting this technical solution, a distance is created between the vertical projection of the opening end and the vertical projection of the pivot axis, placing the pivot axis close to the cassette's opening and offset in the direction of the opening. This creates a spatial misalignment between the correcting mechanism's trajectory and the wafer placement path, preventing the correcting action from interfering with the normal opening and closing of the cassette. Furthermore, the placement of the pivot axis near the opening shortens the linear distance between the correcting mechanism and the wafers being processed. Combined with the curved motion path of the rolling contact surface, this provides directional correcting at the cassette's opening, ensuring wafer repositioning accuracy while enhancing system integration.

[0024] Furthermore, the lifting drive mechanism includes:

[0025] The frame is provided with a slide rail along the height direction, a slider is slidably connected to the slide rail, the slider is fixedly connected to a fixing seat, and the fixing seat is fixedly connected to the platform plate;

[0026] a driving motor, arranged on the frame;

[0027] A screw rod is drivingly connected to the output shaft of the drive motor;

[0028] The screw nut is matched with the screw thread and is fixedly connected to the fixing seat.

[0029] By adopting the above technical solution, the rigid guide structure of the frame and the slide rail provides high-stability support for the lifting movement. The precise coordination between the slide rail and the slider effectively suppresses lateral vibration during the lifting process, ensuring that the detection mechanism is accurately positioned along the height direction of the wafer box; the drive motor converts the rotational motion into linear lifting through the lead screw-nut pair. Combined with the high transmission accuracy characteristics of the lead screw, the start and stop position of the detection mechanism is controlled to avoid misaligned scanning of the detection light path and the wafer edge due to inertial offset.

[0030] Furthermore, the loading body further includes a top cover, an unlocking member is provided on the loading body, the top cover and the loading body are detachably connected via the unlocking member, and the top cover is fixedly connected to the platform plate.

[0031] Furthermore, a telescopic plate assembly is provided at the bottom of the platform plate, and the telescopic plate assembly comprises a plurality of telescopic plates that are sequentially distributed along the height direction, and adjacent telescopic plates are sequentially slidably connected.

[0032] Furthermore, rollers are installed on both sides of the platform plate, and roller slideways are opened on both sides of the frame along the height direction, and the rollers are arranged to roll in the roller slideways. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer loading system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a state where the top cover is raised according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the top cover and the box door according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a loading body according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the baffle structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a telescopic plate assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an unlocking member according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the detection mechanism and the deviation correction execution mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer box according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 10A top view of the detection mechanism and the deviation correction actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the working of the deviation correction actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer deflection correction state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the structure of the pivoting correction part of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the structure of the pendulum shaft and the pendulum sleeve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 15 2. It is a cross-sectional view of the pendulum shaft and the pendulum sleeve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Reference numerals: 1. Loading body; 11. Wafer box; 111. Open end; 12. Wafer; 13. Top cover; 14. Box door; 15. Support; 16. Unlocking member; 2. Detection mechanism; 21. Platform plate; 211. Baffle; 212. Block; 213. Window; 22. First bracket; 23. Second bracket; 24. Transmitter; 25. Receiver; 26. Detection optical path; 27. Downward offset; 28. Telescopic plate assembly 3. Lifting drive mechanism; 31. Frame; 32. Slide rail; 33. Slider; 34. Drive motor; 35. Screw; 36. Active pulley; 37. Transmission pulley; 38. Fixed seat; 4. Correction actuator; 41. Drive unit; 42. Pivoting correction unit; 421. Pivoting axis; 422. Rocker arm; 423. Rocker shaft; 4231. First axis; 4232. Second axis; 4233. Clamping block; 424. Rocker sleeve. 43. Initial position; 44. Correction position; 45. Contact position; 46. Position after correction; 47. Large wafer; 48. Small wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used herein should be the common meanings understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the invention belongs. The words "including" and similar words used in this article mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects.

[0050] The following is combined with Figure 1 - Attachment Figure 15 , the specific implementation methods of the present invention are further described in detail.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, a wafer loading system includes a loading body 1 , a detection mechanism 2 , a lifting drive mechanism 3 , and a deviation correction actuator 4 .

[0052] Reference Figure 1-Figure 3 In one embodiment of the present invention, the loading body 1 has a carrying surface for placing a wafer box 11, and a plurality of wafers 12 are stacked in the wafer box 11. The wafer box 11 adopts a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) closed carrier, and a plurality of parallel carrying slots are arranged in the height direction. The opening end 111 of each carrying slot is inclined toward the central axis of the wafer box 11 (combined with the Figure 9 ), forming a guiding slope structure; the angle of inclination is not limited. The inclined support slot allows the rolling contact surface of the correction actuator 4 to apply thrust in the direction of the inclined opening when wafer 12 protrudes laterally due to vibration or positioning error, pushing the protruding wafer 12 along the support slot's inclined surface and into the slot to reset it.

[0053] Reference Figure 3-Figure 5 In some embodiments of the present invention, the loading body 1 includes a top cover 13, which is provided with an unlocking member 16. The top cover 13 and the loading body 1 are detachably connected via the unlocking member 16, and the top cover 13 is fixedly connected to the platform plate 21. The loading body 1 has a support 15, and the unlocking member 16 is provided on the support 15.

[0054] Reference Figure 7In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the top cover 13 is used to cover the wafer box 11. A box door 14 is provided at the bottom of the top cover 13, and the box door 14 is detachably connected to the support 15 via an unlocking member 16. In one embodiment, the unlocking member 16 includes a spring pin group provided on the inner side of the platform plate 21 and a wedge-shaped lock tongue matching the outer cover slot. When the wafer box 11 is placed on the support 15, the spring pin is compressed and retracted to trigger the wedge-shaped lock tongue to disengage from the top cover 13 slot, thereby realizing mechanical separation of the top cover 13 and the box door 14. Its advantage is that it does not require external power, relies on contact pressure to self-trigger unlocking, has a simple structure and strong anti-interference ability. In another embodiment, the unlocking member 16 is an electromagnetic lock module embedded in the platform plate 21. Its lock tongue engages with the metal lock catch of the outer cover through magnetic attraction. When the wafer cassette 11 is positioned, the electromagnetic lock is de-energized to release the lock tongue, and the outer cover separates from the cassette door 14 under the action of gravity. This solution precisely controls the unlocking timing through electrical signals, avoiding mechanical wear, and the unlocking action is vibration-free, reducing the risk of wafer shifting. Both embodiments use limiters to constrain the relative position of the outer cover and the platform plate 21, ensuring that the outer cover always abuts the inner edge of the platform plate 21 during the lifting and lowering process, preventing the wafers from being exposed to an unclean environment due to accidental detachment.

[0055] Reference Figure 8 and Figure 10 In one embodiment of the present invention, the detection mechanism 2 is formed with a horizontally distributed detection light path 26, and the detection light path 26 is used to scan the edge profile of the wafer 12. In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the detection mechanism 2 includes a platform plate 21, a bracket assembly vertically fixed to the platform plate 21, and a through-beam sensor installed on the bracket assembly. The transmitting end 24 and the receiving end 25 of the through-beam sensor are respectively arranged on both sides of the platform plate 21 and are located on both sides of the wafer box 11. The detection light path 26 extends horizontally from the transmitting end 24 to the receiving end 25. The bracket assembly includes a first bracket 22 and a second bracket 23. The first bracket 22 is used to install the transmitting end 24, and the second bracket 23 is used to install the receiving end 25. The first bracket 22 and the second bracket 23 are both perpendicular to the platform plate 21. The platform plate 21 provides a rigid support base for the detection mechanism 2. The vertically fixed bracket assembly ensures that the transmitting end 24 and the receiving end 25 of the shooting sensor always maintain horizontal alignment during the lifting process, avoiding the deviation of the detection light path 26 due to mechanical vibration; the transmitting end 24 and the receiving end 25 on both sides of the wafer box 11 form a through-type horizontal detection light path 26, which can cover the width direction of the wafer box 11 without dead angles and accurately capture the edge protrusion of the wafer at any position.

[0056] Reference Figure 4In one embodiment of the present invention, the lifting drive mechanism 3 is used to drive the detection mechanism 2 to reciprocate along the height direction of the wafer box 11. The lifting drive mechanism 3 includes a frame 31, a drive motor 34, a screw 35 and a screw nut. The frame 31 is provided with a window 213, and a slide rail 32 is provided along the height direction. A slider 33 is slidably connected to the slide rail 32, and the slider 33 is fixedly connected to a fixed seat 38, and the fixed seat 38 is fixedly connected to the platform plate 21; the drive motor 34 is provided on the frame 31; the screw 35 is transmission-connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 34; the screw nut is threadedly engaged with the screw 35 and is fixedly connected to the fixed seat 38. In some embodiments of the present invention, a limiter is also included, which is provided in the top cover 13 to prevent the top cover 13 from separating from the platform plate 21.

[0057] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the drive motor 34 is a motor, the output shaft of the drive motor 34 is coaxially connected to the driving pulley 36, the bottom of the screw rod 35 is coaxially fixedly connected to the transmission pulley 37, and a synchronous belt is arranged between the driving pulley 36 and the transmission pulley 37.

[0058] The rigid guiding structure of the frame 31 and the slide rail 32 provides high-stability support for the lifting movement. The precise coordination between the slide rail 32 and the slider 33 effectively suppresses lateral vibration during the lifting process, ensuring that the detection mechanism 2 is accurately positioned along the height direction of the wafer box 11; the drive motor 34 converts the rotational motion into linear lifting through the screw rod 35-nut pair. Combined with the high transmission accuracy characteristics of the screw rod 35, the start and stop position of the detection mechanism 2 is controlled to avoid misaligned scanning of the detection light path 26 and the wafer edge due to inertial offset.

[0059] Reference Figure 5 In one embodiment of the present invention, a telescopic plate assembly 28 is provided at the bottom of the platform plate 21. The telescopic plate assembly 28 has a plurality of telescopic plates distributed in sequence along the height direction, and adjacent telescopic plates are slidably connected in sequence.

[0060] Reference Figure 4 In one embodiment of the present invention, rollers are mounted on both sides of the platform 21, and roller slideways are provided on both sides of the frame 31 along the height direction. The rollers are arranged in the roller slideways. The platform 21 is also provided with a stopper 212 and a baffle 211. The baffle 211 can block and open the window 213.

[0061] Reference Figure 8 and Figure 10In some embodiments of the present invention, the deflection correction actuator 4 includes a drive unit 41 and a pivoting deflection correction unit 42. The pivoting deflection correction unit 42 has a rolling contact surface and a pivot axis 421. In some embodiments of the present invention, the drive unit 41 is a motor fixedly mounted on the platform plate 21 and has an output shaft. The drive unit 41 is used to drive the pivoting deflection correction unit 42 to rotate about the pivot axis 421. When the detection optical path 26 is blocked by the protruding wafer, the lifting drive mechanism 3 stops moving, and the drive unit 41 drives the pivoting deflection correction unit 42 to rotate about the pivot axis 421 and move closer to the wafer 12. When the rolling contact surface contacts the protruding wafer 12, the wafer moves through dynamic friction. The horizontal height of the detection optical path 26 has a preset downward offset 27 relative to the pivot axis 421 of the pivoting deflection correction unit 42. The downward offset 27 is used to compensate for lifting inertia displacement and signal delay errors. The downward offset 27 is the linear distance between the height centerline of the balance wheel and the detection optical path 26. By detecting the coordinated scanning of the optical path 26 and the lifting drive mechanism 3, the protruding state of the wafer edge can be captured in real time along the height direction. Combined with the rolling contact surface of the pivoting correction part 42 and the preset downward offset 27 design, when the wafer 12 is detected to have a protruding abnormality, the lifting and lowering can be stopped quickly and the dynamic friction correction action can be triggered.

[0062] Reference Figure 15 The preset downward offset 27 effectively compensates for the lifting inertia of the lifting mechanism and the detection signal delay in the detection optical path 26, ensuring that the correction part is aligned with the wafer 12, avoiding the inability to correct the deviation quickly, and preventing the correction part from missing the protruding wafer 12 to be corrected; at the same time, the dynamic friction drive method of the rolling contact surface avoids the risk of scratching the wafer surface caused by the existing rigid contact, and the pivoting correction part can adapt to the correction requirements of wafers of different sizes, significantly improving the correction efficiency and wafer transmission cleanliness, and ensuring the sealing of the SMIF system and the integrity of the wafer.

[0063] Reference Figure 13 and Figure 14 In some embodiments of the present invention, the pivoting correction part 42 includes a rocker arm 422 and a balance wheel. One end of the rocker arm 422 is fixedly connected to the output shaft, and the other end is connected to the balance wheel. The circumferential surface of the balance wheel constitutes a rolling contact surface. The fixed connection between the drive unit 41 and the platform plate 21 enhances the stability of the power output. The output shaft directly drives the balance wheel to rotate through the rocker arm 422, so that the correction action responds more quickly. The circumferential surface of the balance wheel serves as a rolling contact surface. When it contacts the wafer, it pushes the wafer to reset through rolling friction, which not only avoids scratching the wafer surface, but also uses the continuity of the balance wheel rotation to achieve smooth correction. At the same time, the combined structure of the rocker arm 422 and the balance wheel can adjust the swing angle of the balance wheel according to the wafer size, ensuring that the protruding parts of wafers of different sizes can be accurately aligned with the rolling contact surface, such as 6-inch wafers and 8-inch wafers, such as Figure 11The large wafer 47 and the small wafer 48 are shown to improve the compatibility and stability of the deflection correction for wafers of different sizes.

[0064] Reference Figure 13-15 In some embodiments of the present invention, the balance wheel includes a balance shaft 423 and a balance sleeve 424 rotatably mounted on the outer periphery of the balance shaft 423. The balance shaft 423 is fixedly connected to the balance rod 422. The fixed connection between the balance shaft 423 and the balance rod 422 ensures the rigidity of power transmission and avoids positioning deviation caused by structural looseness during the correction process. The balance sleeve 424 can rotate freely around the balance shaft 423, so that when the balance sleeve 424 contacts the wafer, rolling friction is generated by the movement of the wafer, which not only reduces contact surface wear but also avoids hard scratching of the wafer surface. At the same time, the split design of the balance sleeve 424 and the balance shaft 423 facilitates the replacement of the balance sleeve 424 with different materials according to the wafer size or friction coefficient requirements, improving the adaptability of the correction mechanism while facilitating maintenance, further ensuring the smoothness of the wafer resetting process and surface cleanliness.

[0065] Reference Figure 14 and Figure 15 In some embodiments of the present invention, the inner side of the swing sleeve 424 has a raised ring, and the swing shaft 423 includes a first shaft body 4231 and a second shaft body 4232 that are detachably connected along the height direction. The assembly formed by the first shaft body 4231 and the second shaft body 4232 has a groove that fits the raised ring. The bottom of the first shaft body 4231 is provided with a slot, and the top of the second shaft body 4232 is provided with a block 4233, which is detachably inserted into the slot. The swing shaft 423 utilizes a detachable connection design between a first shaft 4231 and a second shaft 4232. This allows the shaft height to be adjusted to accommodate swing sleeves 424 or wafer cassettes 11 of varying thicknesses, enhancing the versatility of the correction mechanism. The convex ring on the inside of the swing sleeve 424 fits into the groove of the swing shaft 423, ensuring the coaxial rotation of the swing sleeve 424 and the swing shaft 423 while limiting the axial displacement of the swing sleeve 424 along the swing shaft 423, thus preventing the swing sleeve 424 from loosening or deflecting due to long-term friction. Specifically, both the first shaft 4231 and the second shaft 4232 are cylindrical structures, each having a coaxial threaded hole extending therethrough along its axis. Through-bolts secure the two shafts, achieving a detachable connection in height.

[0066] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, a number of adjustment screws (not shown) are evenly distributed along the circumference of the sidewall of the first shaft 4231. The ends of the screws abut the outer wall of the second shaft 4232. By turning the screws, the preload force between the two shafts can be adjusted, thereby varying the frictional resistance between the pendulum sleeve 424 and the pendulum shaft 423. When the pendulum sleeve 424 needs to rotate freely, the preload force is reduced to reduce friction; when the pendulum sleeve 424 needs to be restricted in rotation, the preload force is increased to enhance damping. This dynamic adjustment of the mechanical preload force not only meets the different friction coefficient requirements of different wafer materials, but also prevents secondary deflection of the pendulum sleeve 424 due to excessive inertia.

[0067] Reference Figure 10-12 In some embodiments of the present invention, the wafer box 11 has an open end 111, and the pivot axis 421 is close to the open end 111 and deviates from the opening direction of the wafer box 11. The movement states of the rocker arm 422 include an initial position 43, a contact position 45, and a position 46 after correction. By setting the pivot axis 421 on the lower right side of the open end 111 of the wafer box 11, taking the clockwise swing of the rocker arm 422 as an example, and making it deviate from the opening direction of the wafer box 11, the above design has the following advantages: First, when the right side of the wafer 12 protrudes, the rocker arm 422 rotates clockwise from the initial position 43 to the contact position 45, and the rolling contact surface applies thrust along the tangential direction of the wafer edge, and uses the lever effect of the rocker arm 422 to push the wafer into the supporting slot; if the left side of the wafer 12 protrudes, the pivot axis 421 is configured in the opposite direction, that is, the lower left side and counterclockwise swing to achieve symmetrical correction, ensuring left and right All offsets can be covered; secondly, the layout of the pivot axis 421 deviates from the opening direction, so that the arc trajectory formed by the swing of the rocker arm 422 forms an angle with the opening end 111 of the wafer box 11. Compared with the axis design facing the opening direction, the correction stroke can be increased by 20%-30% under the same length of the rocker arm 422, avoiding the correction failure caused by insufficient extreme position of the rocker arm 422; finally, the positioning of the pivot axis 421 near the opening end 111 makes the motion envelope range of the correction mechanism misaligned with the outer contour of the wafer box 11, which not only avoids interference with the box opening mechanism, but also reduces the overall size of the equipment, and adapts to the needs of high integration.

[0068] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: the detection mechanism 2 scans the edge of the wafer along the height direction of the wafer box 11 through a horizontal optical path. When a protruding wafer is detected, the lifting drive mechanism 3 immediately stops and triggers the correction actuator 4; the correction part is driven by a motor to swing the rocker arm 422 around the pivot axis 421 that deviates from the opening direction of the wafer box 11, and the rolling contact surface of the balance wheel pushes the wafer back to its original position along the inclined opening direction of the support slot by dynamic friction. Among them, the downward offset 27 preset in the detection optical path 26 compensates for the lifting inertia and signal delay, ensuring the precise alignment of the correction part; the balance wheel adopts a split rocker shaft 423 and a rocker sleeve 424 with adjustable friction resistance, and can adjust the preload force to adapt to different wafer sizes and friction requirements; the layout of the pivot axis 421 near the opening end 111 combined with the leverage effect of the rocker arm 422 greatly increases the correction distance under the same stroke, while avoiding interference with the box opening mechanism, achieving efficient and low-damage correction of multi-sized wafers.

[0069] While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations of these embodiments are possible. However, it should be understood that such modifications and variations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the invention described herein is susceptible to other embodiments and may be practiced or implemented in a variety of ways.

Claims

1. A wafer loading system, characterized in that: include: A loading body (1) having a carrying surface for placing a wafer box (11), wherein the wafer box (11) contains a plurality of wafers (12) stacked in a height direction; A detection mechanism (2) is formed with a detection light path (26) extending in a horizontal direction, wherein the detection light path (26) scans the edge profile of the wafer (12) to detect a protruding state; A lifting drive mechanism (3) connected to the detection mechanism (2) and used to drive the detection mechanism (2) to reciprocate along the height direction of the wafer box (11); A deviation correction actuator (4) comprises a drive unit (41) and a pivoting deviation correction portion (42), wherein the pivoting deviation correction portion (42) is provided with a pivot axis (421) and a rolling contact surface rotatable about the pivot axis (421); The driving unit (41) has an output shaft, and the pivoting deviation-correcting portion (42) includes a rocker (422) and a balance wheel, one end of the rocker (422) is fixedly connected to the output shaft, and the other end is connected to the balance wheel, and the circumferential surface of the balance wheel constitutes the rolling contact surface; When the detection light path (26) is blocked by the protruding wafer, the lifting drive mechanism (3) stops moving, and the drive unit (41) drives the pivoting correction part (42) to rotate around the pivot axis (421) and move toward the wafer (12), and the rolling contact surface contacts the protruding wafer (12) through dynamic friction to drive reset; the horizontal height of the detection light path (26) has a preset downward offset (27) relative to the pivot axis (421) of the pivoting correction part (42), and the downward offset (27) is used to compensate for the lifting inertial displacement and signal delay error.

2. A wafer loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection mechanism (2) includes a platform plate (21), a bracket assembly vertically fixed to the platform plate (21), and a beam sensor installed on the bracket assembly. The transmitting end (24) and the receiving end (25) of the beam sensor are respectively arranged on both sides of the wafer box (11). The transmitting end (24) emits a laser beam to the receiving end (25) to form the detection light path (26).

3. A wafer loading system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving unit (41) is fixedly connected to the platform plate (21).

4. A wafer loading system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The balance wheel comprises a balance shaft (423) and a balance sleeve (424) rotatably sleeved on the outer periphery of the balance shaft (423), and the balance shaft (423) is fixedly connected to the balance rod (422).

5. The wafer loading system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inner side of the swing sleeve (424) has a convex ring, and the swing shaft (423) includes a first shaft body (4231) and a second shaft body (4232) that are detachably connected along the height direction, and a groove adapted to fit the convex ring is formed in the assembly formed by the first shaft body (4231) and the second shaft body (4232).

6. The wafer loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer box (11) has an open end (111). When the wafer box (11) is placed on the loading body (1), there is a distance between the vertical projection axis of the opening direction of the open end (111) and the vertical projection of the pivot axis (421).

7. The wafer loading system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting drive mechanism (3) comprises: The frame (31) is provided with a slide rail (32) along the height direction, a slider (33) is slidably connected to the slide rail (32), the slider (33) is fixedly connected to a fixing seat (38), and the fixing seat (38) is fixedly connected to the platform plate (21); A driving motor (34) is provided on the frame (31); A screw rod (35) is drivingly connected to the output shaft of the drive motor (34); A screw nut is threadably coupled to the screw (35) and fixedly connected to the fixing seat (38).

8. The wafer loading system according to claim 2, wherein: The loading body (1) further comprises a top cover (13). An unlocking member (16) is provided on the loading body (1). The top cover (13) and the loading body (1) are detachably connected via the unlocking member (16). The top cover (13) is fixedly connected to the platform plate (21).

9. The wafer loading system according to claim 2, wherein: A telescopic plate assembly (28) is provided at the bottom of the platform plate (21), wherein the telescopic plate assembly (28) comprises a plurality of telescopic plates sequentially distributed along the height direction, and adjacent telescopic plates are sequentially slidably connected.

10. The wafer loading system according to claim 7, characterized in that: Rollers are installed on both sides of the platform plate (21), and roller slideways are provided on both sides of the frame (31) along the height direction, and the rollers are arranged to roll in the roller slideways.

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