Substrate turnover mechanism

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor wafer cleaning equipment, and particularly relates to a wafer turnover mechanism which comprises a main frame, a rotary driving part, a rotary disc and two groups of clamping frame assemblies which are arranged in an up-and-down matching manner. The rotating disc is rotationally arranged in the main frame, the rotating driving part is fixedly installed on the main frame, the driving end of the rotating driving part is connected with the rotating disc and drives the rotating disc to rotate in the main frame, the rotating axis of the rotating disc and the axial center line of the rotating disc are collinear, and each clamping frame assembly is connected with the rotating disc. Through cooperative arrangement of the main frame, the rotation driving piece, the rotating disc and the two sets of clamping frame assemblies which are arranged in an up-and-down matched mode, automatic wafer overturning operation can be achieved, a plurality of wafers can be overturned at the same time, and the robots located in three directions can take and place the wafers, so that the working efficiency is improved, and the working efficiency is improved. The wafer transfer device is simple and reliable in structure and convenient to use and maintain.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor wafer cleaning equipment, and specifically relates to a wafer flipping mechanism. Background Art

[0002] During the processing of semiconductor wafers, the outer surface of the wafers is easily contaminated by impurities, and the wafers need to be frequently cleaned. Generally, the front side of the wafers needs to be normally cleaned. However, in the actual production process, if the back side of the wafers is contaminated and not cleaned, it will also affect the final processing effect of the wafers. Therefore, a wafer flipping mechanism with a relatively simple and efficient structure is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Aiming at the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer flipping mechanism.

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0005] A wafer flipping mechanism includes a main frame, a rotation driving member, a rotating disk, and two sets of clamping frame assemblies arranged in an up-and-down cooperation;

[0006] The rotating disk is rotatably arranged in the main frame, the rotation driving member is fixedly installed on the main frame, the driving end of the rotation driving member is connected to the rotating disk and drives the rotating disk to rotate in the main frame. The rotation axis of the rotating disk and the axial center line of the rotating disk are collinear, and each set of the clamping frame assemblies is respectively connected to the rotating disk.

[0007] Each set of the clamping frame assemblies includes a connecting arm and a clamping structure;

[0008] One end of the connecting arm of each set of the clamping frame assemblies is fixedly connected to the rotating disk. The setting positions of the connecting arms of the two sets of the clamping frame assemblies are corresponding up and down. The length directions of the connecting arms of the two sets of the clamping frame assemblies are parallel to the axial center line of the rotating disk. The other end of the connecting arm of each set of the clamping frame assemblies is connected to the clamping structure of the same set of the clamping frame assemblies.

[0009] The clamping structure of each group of the clamping frame assemblies includes a driving member mounting frame, a driving member, a connecting cross bar, a connecting vertical bar, and clamping fingers. The middle of the driving member mounting frame of the clamping structure of each group of the clamping frame assemblies is connected to the other end of the connecting arm of the same group of the clamping frame assemblies. The driving member is provided on the driving member mounting frame of the clamping structure of each group of the clamping frame assemblies. Each driving member has three driving ends arranged circumferentially and evenly. One end of each connecting cross bar is correspondingly connected to each driving end of each driving member. The other end of each connecting cross bar is connected to one end of a connecting vertical bar. A plurality of the clamping fingers are provided on each connecting vertical bar and are arranged in parallel from top to bottom in sequence.

[0010] The axial centerlines of the driving ends of the driving member provided on the driving member mounting frame of the clamping structure of each group of the clamping frame assemblies are all in the same plane, and this plane is parallel to the axial centerline of the rotating disk. The length direction of each connecting cross bar is parallel to the axial centerline of the driving end of the driving member to which the connecting cross bar is connected.

[0011] The height positions of the clamping fingers on each connecting vertical bar of the clamping structure of one group of the clamping frame assemblies correspond to those of the clamping fingers on each connecting vertical bar of the clamping structure of the other group of the clamping frame assemblies one by one. All the clamping fingers of the two groups of the clamping frame assemblies at the same height position are used to clamp the same wafer simultaneously.

[0012] A wafer support portion A for directly clamping and supporting the wafer is provided at one end of each clamping finger on each connecting vertical bar of the clamping structure of one group of the clamping frame assemblies, which is away from the connecting vertical bar to which it is connected. A wafer support portion B for directly clamping and supporting the wafer is provided at one end of each clamping finger on each connecting vertical bar of the clamping structure of the other group of the clamping frame assemblies, which is away from the connecting vertical bar to which it is connected. The facing directions of all the wafer support portions A are the same, and the facing directions of all the wafer support portions B are the same. The facing direction of the wafer support portion A is opposite to that of the wafer support portion B.

[0013] All the wafer support portions A and wafer support portions B are provided in the same shape.

[0014] The wafer support portions A and wafer support portions B are provided in a groove shape or an inclined plane shape.

[0015] The length direction of the connecting cross bar connected to each connecting vertical bar and the length directions of the clamping fingers connected to the same connecting vertical bar are parallel to each other.

[0016] One end of one of the connecting crossbars of the clamping structure of each group of clamping frame assemblies, which is far from the driving end of the connected driving member, faces the rotating disk. There is a fixed angle between the projection of each connecting crossbar of the clamping structure of each group of clamping frame assemblies in the horizontal plane and the projection of a connecting crossbar of the clamping structure of another adjacent group of clamping frame assemblies in the horizontal plane.

[0017] This fixed angle is five to thirty degrees.

[0018] A bottom plate is connected to the bottom of the main frame. A sensor mounting bracket is also provided on the bottom plate. A wafer presence detection sensor group for detecting whether there is a wafer in the clamping frame assembly and a wafer tilt detection sensor group for detecting whether the wafer clamped in the clamping frame assembly is tilted are provided on the main frame and the sensor mounting bracket.

[0019] The advantages and positive effects of the present invention are:

[0020] Through the cooperation of the main frame, the rotary driving member, the rotating disk and the two groups of clamping frame assemblies arranged in an up-and-down manner, the present invention can realize the automatic flipping operation of the wafer, can flip multiple wafers at the same time, and can realize the pick-and-place actions by robots in three directions, greatly improving the transfer efficiency of the wafer. The structure is simple and reliable, and it is convenient to use and maintain. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] Figure 1 is one of the three-dimensional structure diagrams of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is the second three-dimensional structure diagram of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 is the front view structure diagram of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 is the side view structure diagram of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 is the top view structure diagram of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 is Figure 2 the enlarged view of part A of

[0027] In the figure: 1 is the main frame, 2 is the rotary driving member, 3 is the rotating disk, 4 is the connecting arm, 5 is the driving member, 6 is the connecting crossbar, 7 is the connecting vertical bar, 8 is the clamping finger, 9 is the bottom plate, 10 is the sensor mounting bracket, 11 is the driving member mounting bracket;

[0028] 001 is the wafer. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0029] The following will further elaborate on the present invention in conjunction with the attached drawings. Figures 1-6 The present invention will be further described in detail.

[0030] A wafer flipping mechanism, as Figures 1-6 shown. In this embodiment, it includes a main frame 1, a rotation driving member 2, a rotating disk 3, and two sets of clamping frame assemblies arranged in an up-and-down cooperation.

[0031] The rotating disk 3 is rotatably arranged in the main frame 1. In this embodiment, the rotational mounting structure of the rotating disk 3 adopts the prior art. The rotation driving member 2 is fixedly mounted on the main frame 1. In this embodiment, the mounting structure of the rotation driving member 2 is also the prior art. In this embodiment, the rotation driving member 2 adopts a commercially available motor product and is controlled by an external controller to act. The driving end of the rotation driving member 2 is connected to the rotating disk 3 through a coupling and drives the rotating disk 3 to rotate in the main frame 1. The rotation axis of the rotating disk 3 and the axial center line of the rotating disk 3 are collinear and parallel to the horizontal plane. Each set of clamping frame assemblies is respectively connected to the rotating disk 3. By controlling the rotation driving member 2 to act, the rotating disk 3 provided with the clamping frame assemblies is driven to rotate, so as to flip the wafer 001 clamped by the two sets of clamping frame assemblies.

[0032] Specifically, in this embodiment, each set of clamping frame assemblies includes a connecting arm 4 and a clamping structure.

[0033] One end of the connecting arm 4 of each set of clamping frame assemblies is fixedly connected to the rotating disk 3. The arrangement positions of the connecting arms 4 of the two sets of clamping frame assemblies are corresponding up and down. The length directions of the connecting arms 4 of the two sets of clamping frame assemblies are parallel to the axial center line of the rotating disk 3. The other end of the connecting arm 4 of each set of clamping frame assemblies is connected to the clamping structure of the same set of clamping frame assemblies.

[0034] The clamping structure of each set of clamping frame assemblies includes a driving member mounting bracket 11, a driving member 5, a connecting cross bar 6, a connecting vertical bar 7, and clamping fingers 8. The middle of the driving member mounting bracket 11 of the clamping structure of each set of clamping frame assemblies is connected to the other end of the connecting arm 4 of the same set of clamping frame assemblies. A driving member 5 is provided on the driving member mounting bracket 11 of the clamping structure of each set of clamping frame assemblies. Each driving member 5 has three driving ends arranged circumferentially at equal intervals, that is, there is an included angle of 120 degrees between the axial centerlines of every two adjacent driving ends of each driving member 5. One end of a connecting cross bar 6 is correspondingly connected to each driving end of each driving member 5. The other end of each connecting cross bar 6 is connected to one end of a connecting vertical bar 7. A plurality of clamping fingers 8 arranged parallel to each other from top to bottom are provided on each connecting vertical bar 7. In this embodiment, the length directions of the connecting cross bars 6 and the clamping fingers 8 are all parallel to the horizontal plane, and the length directions of the connecting vertical bars 7 are all perpendicular to the horizontal plane. In this embodiment, the driving members 5 are all commercially available products and are controlled by an external controller to act; specifically, the driving members 5 can be commercially available three-jaw cylinders or three-jaw chucks, such as the MHSL3-50D three-jaw cylinder produced by SMC Corporation, or the CKS-25CS-T3H-D three-way thin chuck produced by CKD Corporation. The driving members 5 can also be equivalently replaced by three linear cylinders arranged circumferentially at equal intervals. By controlling the telescopic movement of the driving members 5, the clamping fingers 8 are driven to approach or move away from the wafer 001 to be clamped through the connecting cross bars 6 and the connecting vertical bars 7, so as to clamp or release the wafer 001.

[0035] The axial centerlines of the driving ends of the driving member 5 provided on the driving member mounting bracket 11 of the clamping structure of each set of clamping frame assemblies are all located in the same plane, and this plane is parallel to the axial centerline of the rotating disk 3. In the initial use state, this plane is also parallel to the horizontal plane. The length direction of each connecting cross bar 6 is parallel to the axial centerline of the driving end of the driving member 5 to which this connecting cross bar 6 is connected.

[0036] The height positions of the clamping fingers 8 on each connecting vertical bar 7 of the clamping structure of one set of clamping frame assemblies correspond one by one to the height positions of the clamping fingers 8 on each connecting vertical bar 7 of the clamping structure of the other set of clamping frame assemblies. All the clamping fingers 8 of the two sets of clamping frame assemblies at the same height position are used to clamp the same wafer 001 simultaneously. By providing a plurality of clamping fingers 8 at different height positions, multiple wafers 001 can be clamped simultaneously.

[0037] One end of each clamping finger 8 on each connecting vertical rod 7 of the clamping structure of one set of clamping frame assemblies, which is far away from the connected connecting vertical rod 7, is provided with a wafer support part A for directly clamping and supporting a wafer. One end of each clamping finger 8 on each connecting vertical rod 7 of the clamping structure of the other set of clamping frame assemblies, which is far away from the connected connecting vertical rod 7, is provided with a wafer support part B for directly clamping and supporting a wafer. The facing directions of all the wafer support parts A are the same, the facing directions of all the wafer support parts B are the same, and the facing direction of the wafer support part A is opposite to the facing direction of the wafer support part B. The set shapes of all the wafer support parts A and the wafer support parts B are the same, and the set shapes of the wafer support parts A and the wafer support parts B adopt a groove shape or an inclined plane shape. As Figure 6 shown, in this embodiment, the set shapes of the wafer support part A and the wafer support part B adopt a groove shape. The edges of the groove-shaped wafer support part A and the wafer support part B are used to abut against the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 001, and the bottom surfaces of the groove-shaped wafer support part A and the wafer support part B are used to support the wafer 001 before and after the wafer 001 is flipped.

[0038] The length direction of the connecting cross rod 6 connected to each connecting vertical rod 7 and the length directions of the clamping fingers 8 connected to the same connecting vertical rod 7 are parallel to each other, which is convenient for manufacturing.

[0039] One end of one connecting cross rod 6 of the clamping structure of each set of clamping frame assemblies, which is far away from the driving end of the connected driving part 5, faces the rotating disk 3. There is a fixed included angle between the projection of each connecting cross rod 6 of the clamping structure of each set of clamping frame assemblies in the horizontal plane and the projection of a connecting cross rod 6 of the clamping structure of the adjacent other set of clamping frame assemblies in the horizontal plane. This fixed included angle can be five to thirty degrees, and in this embodiment, it is eight degrees. By making the driving part 5 of the clamping structure of each set of clamping frame assemblies have three driving ends arranged circumferentially and uniformly, and making one end of one connecting cross rod 6, which is far away from the driving end of the connected driving part 5, face the rotating disk 3, wafers can be input into or removed from the clamping frame assemblies from three directions outside the clamping frame assemblies. As Figure 5 shown, in this embodiment, wafers 001 can be input into or removed from the clamping frame assemblies from the left and right sides and the front side of the main frame 1 respectively, that is, it can be realized that robots located in three directions can perform the actions of picking and placing wafers, greatly improving the transfer efficiency of the wafers 001.

[0040] Specifically, in this embodiment, a bottom plate 9 is connected to the bottom of the main frame 1. A sensor mounting bracket 10 is further provided on the bottom plate 9. A wafer presence detection sensor group for detecting whether there is a wafer in the chucking fixture assembly and a wafer tilt detection sensor group for detecting whether the wafer chucked in the chucking fixture assembly is tilted are provided on the main frame 1 and the sensor mounting bracket 10. In this embodiment, both the wafer presence detection sensor group and the wafer tilt detection sensor group adopt commercially available opposed sensors, and the installation and setting structures are all prior arts. The wafer presence detection sensor group and the wafer tilt detection sensor group are respectively connected to an external controller.

[0041] In this embodiment, before the flipping action, that is, in the initial use state, the driving ends of the driving member 5 of the chucking fixture assembly located above are all in the retracted state, and the driving ends of the driving member 5 of the chucking fixture assembly located below are all in the extended state. At this time, the wafer support portion A of each chucking finger 8 of the chucking fixture assembly located above supports the wafer 001. An external robot places multiple wafers 001 on the chucking fingers 8 at various height positions of the chucking fixture assembly located above at one time. Then, the driving ends of the driving member 5 of the chucking fixture assembly located below retract, and the wafer support portion B of the chucking fingers 8 at various height positions of the chucking fixture assembly located below plays a role in supporting the wafer, so that the wafer 001 will not fall during the rotation process; during flipping, by controlling the rotation driving member 2 to act, the rotating disk 3 provided with the chucking fixture assembly is driven to rotate, so that the two chucking fixture assemblies chuck the wafer 001 and perform a 180-degree flip; after the flipping action, at this time, the original chucking fixture assembly located below flips to the upper side, and the original chucking fixture assembly located below flips to the upper side, so that the driving ends of the driving member 5 of the original chucking fixture assembly located above extend, and thus the external robot can perform the wafer picking action.

Claims

1. A wafer flipping mechanism, characterized in that: It includes a main frame (1), a rotary drive (2), a rotating disk (3), and two sets of clamping frame assemblies arranged in an up-and-down cooperation manner; The rotating disk (3) is rotatably arranged in the main frame (1), the rotary drive (2) is fixedly installed on the main frame (1), the drive end of the rotary drive (2) is connected to the rotating disk (3) and drives the rotating disk (3) to rotate in the main frame (1). The rotation axis of the rotating disk (3) and the axial center line of the rotating disk (3) are collinear. Each set of the clamping frame assemblies is respectively connected to the rotating disk (3).

2. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each set of the clamping frame assemblies includes a connecting arm (4) and a clamping structure; One end of the connecting arm (4) of each set of the clamping frame assemblies is fixedly connected to the rotating disk (3). The installation positions of the connecting arms (4) of the two sets of the clamping frame assemblies correspond up and down. The length directions of the connecting arms (4) of the two sets of the clamping frame assemblies are parallel to the axial center line of the rotating disk (3). The other end of the connecting arm (4) of each set of the clamping frame assemblies is connected to the clamping structure of the same set of the clamping frame assemblies.

3. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping structure of each set of the clamping frame assemblies includes a drive member mounting frame (11), a drive member (5), a connecting cross bar (6), a connecting vertical bar (7), and clamping fingers (8). The middle of the drive member mounting frame (11) of the clamping structure of each set of the clamping frame assemblies is connected to the other end of the connecting arm (4) of the same set of the clamping frame assemblies. The drive member (5) is provided on the drive member mounting frame (11) of the clamping structure of each set of the clamping frame assemblies. Each drive member (5) has three drive ends arranged circumferentially and evenly. One end of each connecting cross bar (6) is correspondingly connected to each drive end of each drive member (5). The other end of each connecting cross bar (6) is connected to one end of a connecting vertical bar (7). A plurality of the clamping fingers (8) arranged parallel to each other from top to bottom are provided on each connecting vertical bar (7).

4. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The axial center lines of the drive ends of the drive member (5) provided on the drive member mounting frame (11) of the clamping structure of each set of the clamping frame assemblies are all in the same plane, and this plane is parallel to the axial center line of the rotating disk (3). The length direction of each connecting cross bar (6) is parallel to the axial center line of the drive end of the drive member (5) to which the connecting cross bar (6) is connected; The height positions of the clamping fingers (8) on each connecting vertical bar (7) of the clamping structure of one set of the clamping frame assemblies correspond one by one to the height positions of the clamping fingers (8) on each connecting vertical bar (7) of the clamping structure of the other set of the clamping frame assemblies. All the clamping fingers (8) of the two sets of the clamping frame assemblies at the same height position are used to clamp the same wafer simultaneously.

5. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: One end of each clamping finger (8) on each connecting vertical rod (7) of the clamping structure of one set of the clamping frame assemblies, which is far away from the connected connecting vertical rod (7), is provided with a wafer support part A for directly clamping and supporting the wafer. One end of each clamping finger (8) on each connecting vertical rod (7) of the clamping structure of the other set of the clamping frame assemblies, which is far away from the connected connecting vertical rod (7), is provided with a wafer support part B for directly clamping and supporting the wafer. The facing directions of all the wafer support parts A are the same, the facing directions of all the wafer support parts B are the same, and the facing direction of the wafer support part A is opposite to the facing direction of the wafer support part B.

6. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The set shapes of all the wafer support parts A and the wafer support parts B are the same.

7. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The set shapes of the wafer support part A and the wafer support part B are in a groove shape or an inclined plane shape.

8. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The length direction of the connecting cross rod (6) connected to each connecting vertical rod (7) and the length directions of the clamping fingers (8) connected to the same connecting vertical rod (7) are parallel to each other; One end of a connecting cross rod (6) of the clamping structure of each set of the clamping frame assemblies, which is far away from the driving end of the connected driving part (5), faces the rotating disc (3). There is a fixed angle between the projection of each connecting cross rod (6) of the clamping structure of each set of the clamping frame assemblies in the horizontal plane and the projection of a connecting cross rod (6) of the clamping structure of another adjacent set of the clamping frame assemblies in the horizontal plane.

9. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: This fixed angle is five to thirty degrees.

10. The wafer flipping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the main frame (1) is connected with a bottom plate (9). A sensor mounting frame (10) is further arranged on the bottom plate (9). A wafer presence detection sensor group for detecting whether there is a wafer in the clamping frame assemblies and a wafer tilt detection sensor group for detecting whether the wafer clamped in the clamping frame assemblies is tilted are arranged on the main frame (1) and the sensor mounting frame (10).

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