Wafer driving mechanism and wafer posture detection method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and discloses a wafer driving mechanism and a wafer posture detection method. The wafer driving mechanism comprises a driving assembly which is used for driving a wafer to move, so that the posture of the wafer is changed; the detection assembly is used for detecting whether the posture change of the wafer is correct or not, the detection assembly comprises a reference piece, a detection piece and a data processing unit, one of the reference piece and the detection piece is connected with the driving assembly and moves synchronously with the wafer, and the other one of the reference piece and the detection piece is fixed in position; and the data processing unit receives detection data of the detection piece, calculates relative motion data of the reference piece and the detection piece according to the detection data, and judges whether the posture change of the wafer is correct or not according to the relative motion data. The detection assembly is of an independent mechanism and is not limited by the function and performance of an equipment driving mechanism, after the wafer reaches the determined posture according to the process requirement, the posture is verified again through the detection assembly, and it is guaranteed that the posture of the wafer is correct.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology. More specifically, the present invention relates to a wafer driving mechanism and a wafer attitude detection method. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor process equipment mainly processes wafers physically or chemically to meet the process requirements. In applications, wafers need to be placed in specific areas of the equipment, such as transfer stations, reaction chambers, etc., which are usually completed by handling robots. During the process, there may be clear requirements for the attitude and position of the wafers, which requires the wafers to perform some actions, such as linear motion, rotational motion, reciprocating motion, flipping motion, etc. These actions are generally realized by driving mechanisms in electric, pneumatic or other different forms. In the case of requirements for position, angle, and number of times, sensors, encoders, etc. are usually used to judge whether the wafers reach the predetermined correct position and angle through the conversion of the signals of the sensors and encoders, so as to meet the requirements of the process for the equipment.

[0003] Therefore, it becomes important to judge whether the wafers reach the correct position and angle. For example, for the driving mechanism of linear motion, the design of a motor and a lead screw is usually used, and the combination of the motor, its encoder and the motion characteristics of the lead screw is used to drive the wafers to complete the actions at the correct position; for the driving mechanism of rotational motion, the combination of a pneumatic device and a position sensor may be used to realize the change of the wafer angle. However, similar implementation methods are all through the design of the driving mechanism, and the position or angle is transmitted to the wafer carrier structure through the mechanical structure. Due to the existence of multiple intermediate structures or other reasons, it is not necessarily possible to truly feedback the attitude of the wafers, or it is impossible to check whether the position of the wafers meets the requirements, which brings risks to the process data of the wafers and also brings risks of damage to the transfer of the wafers in the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention innovatively provides a wafer driving mechanism and a wafer attitude detection method, which can solve the technical problem of inaccurate wafer processing attitude existing in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above technical objectives, the first aspect of the present invention discloses a wafer driving mechanism, including:

[0006] A driving component, which is used to drive the wafer to move and change the attitude of the wafer;

[0007] A detection component, which is used to detect whether the attitude change of the wafer is correct. The detection component includes a reference member, a detection member and a data processing unit.

[0008] One of the reference member and the detection member is connected to the driving component and moves synchronously with the wafer, and the other of the reference member and the detection member is fixed in position.

[0009] The data processing unit receives the detection data of the detection member, calculates the relative movement data of the reference member and the detection member based on the detection data, and determines whether the attitude change of the wafer is correct according to the relative movement data.

[0010] Further, the driving component drives the wafer to perform a linear motion or a rotation.

[0011] A detection edge is formed on the reference member, and the detection edge is any shape that is not parallel to the linear motion trajectory of the wafer or is not concentric with the circular trajectory of its rotation.

[0012] Further, the driving component drives the wafer to move linearly, the detection member is connected to the driving component and moves synchronously with the wafer.

[0013] The reference member is fixed in position, the reference member is in a long strip structure, and the detection edge is an inclined plane or any other non-planar surface formed on the reference member.

[0014] Further, the detection member is an optical sensor.

[0015] Further, the detection member and the reference member are arranged at a position close to the driving member of the driving component.

[0016] Further, the driving component drives the wafer to rotate, the detection member is connected to the driving component and rotates synchronously with the wafer.

[0017] The reference member is fixed in position, the reference member is in a plate-like structure, the edge of the reference member constitutes the detection edge, the detection member rotates around the detection edge, and the detection edge is composed of a plurality of arcs with different radii.

[0018] Further, the detection member is a camera.

[0019] Further, the data processing unit includes a data acquisition module, a data analysis module and a control module.

[0020] The data acquisition module is used to acquire the detection data of the detection member.

[0021] The data analysis module is used to analyze and identify the detection data.

[0022] The control module is used to store data.

[0023] The second aspect of the present invention discloses a method for detecting the attitude of a wafer. The wafer is driven by the above-mentioned wafer driving mechanism. The detection method includes:

[0024] A plurality of pre-stored data corresponding to different wafer attitudes are pre-stored in the data processing unit.

[0025] The detection component detects the real-time data of each attitude of the wafer.

[0026] The data processing unit compares the real-time data with the pre-stored data. When the real-time data is the same as the pre-stored data, the real-time attitude of the wafer is correct. When the real-time data is different from the pre-stored data, the real-time attitude of the wafer is incorrect.

[0027] Further, the generation of the pre-stored data includes:

[0028] The wafer needs to have j attitudes. Before wafer processing, the driving component drives the wafer to each attitude, and the data processing unit generates and stores the pre-stored data.

[0029] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0030] For the wafer driving mechanism of the present invention, the data of different wafer attitudes are preset by the data processing unit. During wafer processing, the detection component performs real-time detection on the data of each attitude of the wafer and compares it with the preset attitude data to determine whether the wafer attitude is correct. Compared with the prior art that uses the driving mechanism or the feedback of the driving mechanism, the detection component is a separate mechanism and is not limited by the functions and performance of the device driving mechanism. The device uses the driving mechanism to transfer the wafer to a predetermined position. After the wafer reaches a determined attitude according to the process requirements, the detection component verifies the attitude again, so as to ensure that the attitude of the wafer is correct and meets the requirements. Description of the Drawings

[0031] Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing the structure of the wafer driving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention (wafer linear motion);

[0032] Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the structure of the wafer driving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention (wafer rotation);

[0033] Figure 3 Showing Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the detection component in the embodiment;

[0034] Figure 4 Schematic diagram showing the detection area.

[0035] In the figure,

[0036] 1. Driving mechanism; 2(2’). Reference piece; 3(3’). Detection piece; 4. Wafer. Detailed implementation mode

[0037] The wafer driving mechanism and the wafer attitude detection method provided by the present invention will be explained and described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the specification.

[0038] For the wafer driving mechanism and the wafer attitude detection method of the present invention, the data of different attitudes of the wafer are preset by the data processing unit. During the wafer processing, the detection component detects the data of each attitude of the wafer in real time and compares it with the preset attitude data to determine whether the attitude of the wafer is correct. Compared with the prior art that uses the driving mechanism or the feedback of the driving mechanism, the detection component is a separate mechanism and is not limited by the functions and performances of the device driving mechanism. The device uses the driving mechanism to transfer the wafer to a predetermined position. After the wafer reaches a determined attitude according to the process requirements, the detection component verifies the attitude again. In this way, it can be ensured that the attitude of the wafer is correct and meets the requirements. The performance of the device is improved, and the wafer is also protected from being damaged due to the failure of the position or attitude. At the same time, the safety of the components of the device is also protected. The following introduces the present invention in detail with specific embodiments:

[0039] In some embodiments, the present invention provides a wafer driving mechanism for driving the wafer to change different attitudes during the wafer processing to complete different processes. Optionally, the attitude change of the wafer includes the position change and the angle change of the wafer, such as the displacement of the wafer in the horizontal or vertical direction, or the angle of rotation along the axis of the wafer, etc.

[0040] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the wafer driving mechanism includes a driving component 1 and a detection component. The driving component 1 is used to drive the wafer 4 to move so that the attitude of the wafer 4 changes. Optionally, the driving component 1 drives the wafer 4 to perform a linear motion or a rotation. The detection component is used to detect whether the attitude change of the wafer 4 is correct. The detection component includes a reference piece 2, a detection piece 3 and a data processing unit. One of the reference piece 2 and the detection piece 3 is connected to the driving component 1 and moves synchronously with the wafer 4. The other of the reference piece 2 and the detection piece 3 is fixed in position. The detection piece 3 is connected to the data processing unit. The data processing unit receives the detection data of the detection piece 3, calculates the relative motion data of the reference piece 2 and the detection piece 3 based on the detection data, and determines whether the attitude change of the wafer 4 is correct according to the relative motion data.

[0041] Optionally, the driving component 1 drives the wafer 4 to move linearly or rotate. A detection edge is formed on the reference member 2, and the structure of the detection edge is different for different driving forms of the driving component 1. When the driving component 1 drives the wafer 4 to move linearly, the detection edge is a straight line not parallel to the movement trajectory of the wafer 4, or any irregular curve or broken line shape is acceptable. When the driving component 1 drives the wafer 4 to rotate, the detection edge is a circle not concentric with the rotation trajectory of the wafer 4 or any other irregular ring shape.

[0042] In some embodiments, the driving component 1 drives the wafer 4 to move linearly. The detection member 3 is connected to the driving component 1 and moves synchronously with the wafer 4. Optionally, the driving component 1 includes a lead screw and a driving motor. The driving motor drives the lead screw to rotate, and the rotation of the lead screw drives the fixed seat of the wafer 4 to move. The detection member 3 moves synchronously with the fixed seat of the wafer 4. For example, it can be connected to the lead screw through a threaded sleeve, and when the lead screw rotates, the detection member 3 moves synchronously with the wafer 4. In this embodiment, the detection member 3 and the reference member 2 are arranged at a position close to the driving member of the driving component 1, that is, at a position close to the driving motor, so as to exclude the undesirable influences and risks brought by the assembly connection of components, which may cause poor process data of the wafer 4.

[0043] The reference member 2 is fixed in position. The reference member 2 has a long strip structure and extends along the moving direction of the wafer 4. The detection edge is an inclined plane or any other non-planar surface formed on the reference member 2. For example, it can be an inclined plane forming an angle with the lead screw, or it can also be a wave curved surface with unequal wavelengths, a serrated surface with unequal pitches, etc., so that the detection member 3 has different corresponding relationships with the reference member 2 at different positions, thereby achieving the effect of detecting the position.

[0044] Optionally, the detection member 3 is an optical sensor. The detection member 3 corresponds to the detection edge. Since the detection edge is an inclined plane or an irregular surface, the detection member 3 detects different shapes of the detection edge at different positions. Therefore, each position of the wafer 4 has a unique corresponding relationship with the detection edge, and the position of the wafer 4 can be judged whether it is correct by the shape of the detection edge detected by the detection member 3.

[0045] In some embodiments, as Figure 2 , Figure 3 shown, the driving component 1 drives the wafer 4 to rotate. The detection member 3' is connected to the driving component 1 and rotates synchronously with the wafer 4. The reference member 2' is fixed in position. The reference member 2' has a plate-shaped structure. The edge of the reference member 2' constitutes the detection edge. The detection member 3' rotates around the detection edge. The detection edge is composed of a plurality of arcs with different radii. Optionally, the detection member 3' is a camera. The detection member 3' is located outside the reference member 2' and can rotate circumferentially around the reference member 2'. The shapes of the detection edge photographed by the detection member 3' are different at different positions.

[0046] In this application, the detection components are not limited to the optical sensors and cameras listed in the above embodiments, and charge sensors, contact switches, magnetic sensors, mechanical switches, etc. can also be selected. Any detection components that can be triggered by objects in different positions are acceptable.

[0047] In some embodiments, the data processing unit includes a data acquisition module, a data analysis module, and a control module. The data acquisition module is used to acquire the detection data of the detection component. Optionally, the data acquisition module is an analog data acquisition card. The data analysis module is used to analyze and identify the detection data, and the control module is used to store the data.

[0048] In some embodiments, the method for detecting the posture of the wafer 4 includes:

[0049] A plurality of pieces of pre-stored data corresponding to the postures of the wafer 4 are pre-stored in the data processing unit.

[0050] The detection component detects the real-time data of each posture of the wafer 4.

[0051] The data processing unit compares the real-time data with the pre-stored data. When the real-time data is the same as the pre-stored data, the real-time posture of the wafer 4 is correct. When the real-time data is different from the pre-stored data, the real-time posture of the wafer 4 is incorrect.

[0052] Optionally, the generation of the pre-stored data includes:

[0053] Taking the linear motion of the wafer as an example, the wafer needs to have j processing postures, that is, it is necessary to detect j postures. Among them, j is a finite number of postures. Here, the specific method is introduced by taking the i-th posture as an example (i < j).

[0054] As Figure 4 shown, the area with side lengths a and c is the recognition area of the detection unit. The area marked with a four-pointed star is defined as the identification area of the i-th position. The arrow direction in the figure is the movement direction. Then the recognition area S = ac, and the identification area S i =(a i -b i )c / 2 + b i c, X i = S i / S is the identification bit of the i-th position. After the analog data acquisition card and the data analyzer mark the data of the i-th position, they are stored in the controller as pre-stored data.

[0055] During the design and debugging phases of the equipment, the required positions of the wafers in each processing stage have been clearly defined. After the driving component 1 transports the wafer to the specified j positions, the detection component identifies and detects this position and stores it to form pre-stored data. When the equipment is in operation, the position detected by the detection component is compared with the pre-stored position. At this time, there is a fixed corresponding relationship between the position where the driving component 1 operates and the position detected by the detection component. If the position detected by the detection component is consistent with the pre-stored data, it indicates that the wafer posture is correct. If not, the equipment should prompt this content for use in judging the next operation or process result of the equipment.

[0056] Optionally, when the driving component drives the wafer to rotate, the same method is adopted. During the detection process, the detection piece takes a photo and stores the image of the predetermined wafer posture. When the equipment is in operation, at different postures, the image stored by the controller is compared with the actual image to confirm whether the wafer posture is consistent with the design and debugging states and meets the equipment and process requirements.

[0057] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0058] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. It can be the communication inside two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0059] In the description of this specification, the descriptions referring to terms such as "this embodiment", "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples", etc., mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any at least one embodiment or example. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0060] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0061] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and simple improvements made to the substantial content of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer driving mechanism, characterized in that: include: A driving component, wherein the driving component is used to drive the wafer to move so that the posture of the wafer changes; A detection component, the detection component is used to detect whether the posture change of the wafer is correct, the detection component includes a reference part, a detection part and a data processing unit, One of the reference member and the detection member is connected to the driving assembly and moves synchronously with the wafer, and the other of the reference member and the detection member is fixed in position. The data processing unit receives the detection data of the detection member, calculates and obtains the relative motion data between the reference member and the detection member according to the detection data, and determines whether the posture change of the wafer is correct according to the relative motion data.

2. The wafer driving mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving component drives the wafer to perform linear motion or rotation, A detection edge is formed on the reference piece, and the detection edge is an arbitrary shape that is not parallel to the linear motion trajectory of the wafer, or is not concentric with the circular trajectory of its rotation.

3. The wafer driving mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving component drives the wafer to move linearly, and the detection element is connected to the driving component and moves synchronously with the wafer. The reference piece is fixed in position, the reference piece is a long strip structure, and the detection edge is an inclined surface or any other non-plane surface formed on the reference piece.

4. The wafer driving mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The detection element is a light sensor.

5. The wafer driving mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The detection member and the reference member are arranged at positions close to the driving member of the driving assembly.

6. The wafer driving mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving assembly drives the wafer to rotate, and the detection element is connected to the driving assembly and rotates synchronously with the wafer. The reference piece is fixed in position and has a plate-like structure. The edge of the reference piece constitutes the detection edge. The detection piece rotates around the detection edge, and the detection edge is composed of a plurality of circular arcs with different radii.

7. The wafer driving mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The detection component is a camera.

8. The wafer driving mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The data processing unit includes a data acquisition module, a data analysis module and a control module. The data acquisition module is used to collect the detection data of the detection element. The data analysis module is used to analyze and identify the detection data. The control module is used to store data.

9. A wafer posture detection method, characterized in that: The wafer is driven by the wafer driving mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and the detection method comprises: The data processing unit pre-stores a plurality of pre-stored data corresponding to the wafer postures, The detection component detects real-time data of each posture of the wafer, The data processing unit compares the real-time data with the pre-stored data. When the real-time data is the same as the pre-stored data, the real-time posture of the wafer is correct. When the real-time data is different from the pre-stored data, the real-time posture of the wafer is wrong.

10. The wafer posture detection method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The generation of the pre-stored data includes: The wafer needs to have j postures. Before wafer processing, the driving component drives the wafer to move to each posture, and the data processing unit generates and stores the pre-stored data.

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