Casting equipment and method for semiconductor material product

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor device manufacturing, and discloses casting equipment and method for semiconductor material products. The casting equipment comprises a crucible, a feeding assembly, a moving device, a lifting mechanism, a heating furnace and a mold assembly; the feeding assembly is used for adding raw material powder into the crucible; the heating furnace is arranged above the lifting mechanism; wherein the moving device moves a crucible located in the feeding assembly to the output end of the lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism moves the crucible to a heating station of the heating furnace, the raw material powder is made to form molten liquid, the lifting mechanism is reset, the moving device moves the crucible to a casting station, and the casting station is used for casting the raw material powder. And the crucible is driven to pour the molten liquid into the mold assembly for casting molding. The device has the beneficial effects that the automation degree is high, the consistency of the quality of finished products is improved, batch production is facilitated, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor device manufacturing, and particularly to a casting device and method for semiconductor material products. Background Art

[0002] The development of semiconductor material products is the core driving force for promoting the modern information revolution, and its technological breakthroughs directly affect chip performance, energy efficiency, and cost.

[0003] Existing semiconductor material products are often formed by a casting process. During the casting process, the dependence on manual labor is relatively strong. Key steps such as mold calibration, casting speed, and temperature control mainly rely on manual experience, which easily leads to poor consistency in the quality of the finished products. At the same time, during the casting process, workers are in a high-temperature working environment for a long time, which causes damage to the physical health of the workers. Moreover, some steps in the casting process require manual operation, such as manual operation during crucible feeding, with low automation, which reduces the production efficiency of semiconductor material products. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a casting device and method for semiconductor material products, which have a high degree of automation, improve the consistency of the quality of the finished products, are conducive to mass production, and improve production efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides a casting device for semiconductor material products, including a crucible, a feeding assembly, a moving device, a lifting mechanism, a heating furnace, and a mold assembly;

[0006] The feeding assembly is used to add raw material powder into the crucible;

[0007] The heating furnace is arranged above the lifting mechanism;

[0008] Wherein, the moving device moves the crucible located in the feeding assembly to the output end of the lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism moves the crucible to the heating station of the heating furnace to form a molten liquid from the raw material powder, the lifting mechanism resets, the moving device moves the crucible to the casting station, and drives the crucible to pour the molten liquid into the mold assembly for casting and forming.

[0009] Furthermore, the feeding assembly includes a frame, a heat insulation seat, and an automatic powder feeder. The heat insulation seat is arranged on the frame, a placement cavity for placing the crucible is opened on the heat insulation seat, the automatic powder feeder is arranged above the heat insulation seat, and the raw material powder is contained in the automatic powder feeder.

[0010] Furthermore, the moving device includes a manipulator and a jaw assembly, and the jaw assembly for gripping the crucible is arranged at the output end of the manipulator.

[0011] Further, the mold assembly includes an AGV material cart, a mold body, a vibration unit, a temperature sensor module, and an infrared thermal imaging module mounted on the AGV material cart. The vibration unit is mounted on the mold body, the temperature sensor module is disposed outside the mold body, and the detection end of the infrared thermal imaging module is arranged facing the feed port of the mold body.

[0012] Further, the lifting mechanism includes a frame, a mounting plate, a driving unit, and a support seat. The mounting plate is provided in the middle of the frame. The driving unit is provided on the mounting plate, and the support seat is provided at the output end of the driving unit. The support seat is used to place the crucible. The heating furnace is provided at the top of the frame, and the heating furnace is coaxially arranged with the support seat. A heating cavity for the crucible to insert is opened below the heating furnace.

[0013] Further, the crucible includes a main body and a cover body. A receiving cavity for receiving raw material powder is provided in the main body. A drainage port is provided at the top of the receiving cavity. The cover body is disposed above the main body. A T-shaped boss is provided at the top of the cover body. A limit block inserted with the T-shaped boss is provided on the frame.

[0014] Further, a position sensor for docking with the mold assembly is provided at one end of the frame.

[0015] Further, a safety fence is further included. The feeding assembly, the moving device, the lifting mechanism, the heating furnace, and the mold assembly are arranged in a safety area surrounded by the safety fence.

[0016] Further, the number of the lifting mechanism, the heating furnace, and the mold assembly corresponds one by one, and the number is one or more.

[0017] The present invention also provides a casting method for a semiconductor material product. Based on the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product described in any one of the above, the method includes the following steps:

[0018] S1. Obtain the specification parameters of the semiconductor material product, and add a quantitative raw material powder into the crucible;

[0019] S2. Move the crucible to the heating station and heat it to a preset temperature to make the raw material powder in the crucible form a molten liquid;

[0020] S3. Move the crucible to the casting station, and pour the molten liquid in the crucible into the mold assembly corresponding to the specification parameters of the semiconductor material product for casting and forming.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the casting equipment and method of a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention have the following beneficial effects: It includes a crucible, a feeding assembly, a moving device, a lifting mechanism, a heating furnace, and a mold assembly. Among them, the feeding assembly can automatically add raw material powder into the crucible, move the crucible out of the feeding station through the moving device, and move the crucible to the heating station through the lifting mechanism. After the raw material powder in the crucible is in a molten state, the lifting mechanism resets, the moving device moves the crucible to the casting station, and drives the crucible to pour the molten liquid into the mold assembly for casting and forming. This enables the automation of each process from feeding, heating to casting and forming of the semiconductor material product, with a high degree of automation, improving the consistency of the finished product quality, facilitating mass production, increasing production efficiency. In addition, it reduces the labor intensity of workers and is conducive to the development of intelligent factories. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 is a top view of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 is an external view schematic diagram of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 is an installation schematic diagram of the moving device of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the lifting mechanism of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 is a state diagram of the lifting mechanism of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention driving the crucible to rise;

[0028] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of the moving device of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the jaw assembly of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the feeding assembly and the mold assembly of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 10 is a schematic structural diagram of the cover body of the casting equipment for a semiconductor material product in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] In the figure, 1 is a crucible; 11 is the main body; 111 is a drainage port; 12 is a cover body; 121 is a T-shaped boss; 2 is a feeding assembly; 21 is a frame; 22 is a heat insulation base; 23 is an automatic powder feeder; 3 is a moving device; 31 is a manipulator; 32 is a jaw assembly; 321 is a connecting frame; 3211 is a connecting hole; 322 is a reduction motor; 323 is a linear guide rail; 324 is a rack; 325 is a driving gear; 326 is a first jaw; 327 is a second jaw; 328 is a heat insulation sheet; 4 is a lifting mechanism; 41 is a frame; 411 is a limit block; 42 is a mounting plate; 43 is a driving unit; 44 is a support base; 5 is a heating furnace; 6 is a mold assembly; 61 is an AGV material vehicle; 62 is a mold main body; 63 is a vibration unit; 64 is a temperature sensor module; 65 is an infrared thermal imaging module; 7 is a position sensor; 8 is a safety fence; 9 is a control electric box; 10 is a manipulator control cabinet. Detailed implementation manners

[0033] The following combines the drawings and embodiments to further describe in detail the specific implementation manners of the present invention. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "inner", "outer", etc. in the present invention are based on the positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the devices and elements 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.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. are used in the present invention to describe various information, but these information should not be limited to these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the "first" information may also be referred to as "second" information, and similarly, the "second" information may also be referred to as "first" information.

[0036] Such as Figures 1 to 10As shown in the figure, a casting device for a semiconductor material product according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a crucible 1, a feeding assembly 2, a moving device 3, a lifting mechanism 4, a heating furnace 5, and a mold assembly 6. Among them, the crucible 1 is used to add raw material powder and transport it to the heating furnace 5 to be heated to a molten state, and finally injected into the mold assembly 6 for molding. The feeding assembly 2 is used to add raw material powder into the crucible 1. The feeding assembly 2 is pre-loaded with raw material powder and is used to quantitatively add raw material powder into the crucible 1. The lifting mechanism 4 is used to drive the crucible 1 in and out of the heating furnace 5. Specifically, the heating furnace 5 is arranged above the lifting mechanism 4, and the moving device 3 is used to switch the crucible 1 between the feeding, heating, and casting stations. After adding a certain amount of raw material powder into the crucible 1, the moving device 3 moves the crucible 1 located in the feeding assembly 2 to the output end of the lifting mechanism 4. The lifting mechanism 4 moves the crucible 1 to the heating station of the heating furnace 5 to form a molten liquid from the raw material powder. The lifting mechanism 4 resets, and the moving device 3 moves the crucible 1 to the casting station and drives the crucible 1 to pour the molten liquid into the mold assembly 6 for casting and molding.

[0037] Further, in order to realize automatic feeding of the crucible 1, in this embodiment, refer to Figures 1 to 9 , the feeding assembly 2 includes a frame body 21, a heat insulation seat 22, and an automatic powder feeder 23. Among them, the frame body 21 serves as an installation carrier, and a heat insulation seat 22 is arranged on the frame body 21. In order to facilitate positioning when the crucible 1 is placed, a placement cavity for placing the crucible 1 is opened on the heat insulation seat 22. An automatic powder feeder 23 is arranged above the heat insulation seat 22, and the automatic powder feeder 23 contains raw material powder. When it is necessary to feed the crucible 1, the moving device 3 moves the crucible 1 into the placement cavity, and the automatic powder feeder 23 opens the discharge port to automatically feed the crucible 1. The automatic powder feeder 23 is a standard part and can be directly purchased, so its structure will not be described in detail. In addition, in order to avoid material jamming at the discharge port of the automatic powder feeder 23, in some embodiments, a vibration motor (not shown in the figure) is arranged on the automatic powder feeder to facilitate stable discharging of the automatic powder feeder.

[0038] In this embodiment, when mass-producing semiconductor material products, after the crucible 1 pours all the molten liquid into the mold assembly 6, the moving device 3 needs to move the crucible 1 to the feeding station. Since the crucible 1 still retains a relatively high temperature at this time, in order to prevent the crucible 1 from conducting heat to the frame body 21 and there is a risk of workers being scalded when touching the frame body 21, therefore, refer to Figure 9 , a heat insulation seat 22 is provided. In addition, by providing the heat insulation seat 22, the crucible 1 can have a certain initial temperature, which can reduce the subsequent heating time in the heating furnace 5, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0039] Further, in order to facilitate clamping of the crucible 1, refer to Figure 7 、 Figure 8, the mobile device 3 includes a manipulator 31 and a jaw assembly 32. The output end of the manipulator 31 is provided with a jaw assembly 32 for gripping the crucible 1. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate the flexible handling of the manipulator 31 in three-dimensional space, the manipulator 31 is preferably a six-axis manipulator 31. The jaw assembly 32 includes a connecting frame 321, a reduction motor 322, a linear guide 323, a rack 324, a driving gear 325, a first jaw 326 and a second jaw 327. A connecting hole 3211 for fixing to the output end of the manipulator 31 is formed in one side wall of the connecting frame 321. The reduction motor 322 is installed on the connecting frame 321, and the output end of the reduction motor 322 is connected with the driving gear 325. Two linear guides 323 are fixedly arranged on one end face of the connecting frame 321. The extending directions of the two linear guides 323 are the same as the length direction of the connecting frame 321. The two linear guides 323 are spaced apart in the width direction of the connecting frame 321. Two sliders are arranged on the linear guides 323. The first jaw 326 and the second jaw 327 are oppositely arranged on the two sliders. Moreover, a rack 324 is connected to each jaw, and the rack 324 meshes with the driving gear 325.

[0040] When the reduction motor 322 operates, it drives the driving gear 325 to rotate, and then drives the two racks 324 to move towards or away from each other, so as to realize the movement of the first jaw 326 and the second jaw 327 towards or away from each other, and then clamp or release the crucible 1. Further, in order to prevent the heat on the crucible 1 from being transferred to the reduction motor 322 through the first jaw 326 and the second jaw 327, affecting the normal operation of the reduction motor 322, therefore, heat insulation sheets 328 are arranged between the first jaw 326, the second jaw 327 and the sliders.

[0041] Further, in order to facilitate the interaction between the casting equipment and the intelligent warehouse, refer to Figure 10, the mold assembly 6 includes an AGV material cart 61 and a mold body 62, a vibration unit 63, a temperature sensor module 64, and an infrared thermal imaging module 65 installed on the AGV material cart 61. Among them, different specifications of mold bodies 62 for semiconductor material products can be placed on the AGV material cart 61. In this way, after the semiconductor material products are cast, they can be transported to the corresponding warehouse for blanking through the AGV material cart 61, which is convenient for the construction and management of the intelligent warehouse. Further, in order to improve the casting product quality of the mold body 62, overflow the bubbles in the molten liquid in the mold body 62, and make the molten liquid in the mold body 62 evenly distributed, a vibration unit 63 is installed on the mold body 62. In this embodiment, the vibration unit 63 uses an ultrasonic vibration device and can be directly purchased. Further, in order to facilitate the control of the temperature during the casting process, a temperature sensor module is provided on the outer side of the mold body 62 to monitor the real-time temperature of the mold body 62, which is convenient for the semiconductor material products to cool and form. At the same time, in order to monitor the pouring rate of the molten liquid in the crucible 1, an infrared thermal imaging module is also provided. The detection end of the infrared thermal imaging module is set facing the feeding port of the mold body 62 to monitor the real-time feeding state and rate of the mold body 62, ensuring the stability and consistency of the casting process.

[0042] In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 4 is mainly used to automatically transport the crucible 1 to the heating furnace 5 for heating. Specifically, refer to Figures 4 to 6 , the lifting mechanism 4 includes a frame 41, a mounting plate 42, a driving unit 43, and a support seat 44. Among them, a mounting plate 42 is provided in the middle of the frame 41, a driving unit 43 is provided on the mounting plate 42, a support seat 44 is provided at the output end of the driving unit 43, and the support seat 44 is used to place the crucible 1. A heating furnace 5 is provided at the top of the frame 41, and the heating furnace 5 is coaxially arranged with the support seat 44. A heating cavity for the crucible 1 to insert is opened below the heating furnace 5. In this embodiment, the driving unit 43 adopts a structure of driving by a motor and a lead screw assembly, and it can push the support seat 44 to move in the vertical direction.

[0043] Further, in order to facilitate the docking of the frame 41 and the mold assembly 6, in this embodiment, refer to Figure 4 , a position sensor 7 for docking with the mold assembly 6 is provided at one end of the frame 41. The position sensor 7 is used to detect the real-time position of the AGV material cart 61, which is convenient for positioning the AGV material cart 61 and the frame 41.

[0044] Further, in order to improve the melting speed of the raw material powder in the crucible 1 and improve the production efficiency, in this embodiment, refer to Figure 6 、 Figure 8 、 Figure 10, the crucible 1 includes a main body 11 and a cover body 12. Among them, a receiving cavity for accommodating raw material powder is provided inside the main body 11, and a drainage port 111 is provided at the top of the receiving cavity. The drainage port 111 is used to lead the molten liquid to the mold main body 62. The cover body 12 is arranged above the main body 11. For the convenience of pouring the molten liquid during the subsequent casting process, refer to Figure 10 , a T-shaped boss 121 is provided at the top of the cover body 12, and a limit block 411 inserted with the T-shaped boss 121 is provided on the frame 41. That is, when the crucible 1 is moved to the support seat 44 by the moving device 3, the moving device 3 first moves the main body 11 below the cover body 12, jacks up the cover body 12 upward and translates it along the slot direction of the limit block 411 to seal the receiving cavity with the cover body 12. Subsequently, the entire crucible 1 is placed on the support seat 44, and the driving unit 43 pushes the support seat 44 upward to make the crucible 1 enter the heating furnace 5, thereby realizing the heating and melting of the raw material powder.

[0045] When casting is required, the driving unit 43 acts, the support seat 44 moves downward, the crucible 1 disengages from the heating furnace 5, the moving device 3 moves the crucible 1 to the limit block 411. After the cover body 12 needs to be placed on the limit block 411 again, the moving device 3 moves the main body 11 to the casting station, and then the casting action is performed.

[0046] Furthermore, since the casting equipment operates under high-temperature conditions, in order to facilitate the separation of the casting equipment and reduce the safety risk of workers being scalded by contacting the casting equipment, refer to Figure 2 、 Figure 3 , the casting equipment further includes a safety fence 8. Moreover, the feeding assembly 2, the moving device 3, the lifting mechanism 4, the heating furnace 5 and the mold assembly 6 are arranged in the safety area surrounded by the safety fence 8. A control electrical box 9 and a manipulator control cabinet 10 are also arranged in the safety area.

[0047] Furthermore, in order to improve the production efficiency of the casting equipment, as Figure 1 、 2 shown, one moving device 3 can be used for casting multiple products. The number of the lifting mechanism 4, the heating furnace 5 and the mold assembly 6 corresponds one by one, and the number is 1 or more. When the number of the lifting mechanism 4, the heating furnace 5 and the mold assembly 6 is more than one, by adjusting the time difference of the forming of each product, the moving device 3 can be applied to the synchronous casting of multiple products, reducing the production cost.

[0048] The present invention also provides a casting method for semiconductor material products. Based on the casting equipment for semiconductor material products according to any one of the above, it includes the following steps:

[0049] S1. Obtain the specification parameters of the semiconductor material product and add a quantitative raw material powder into the crucible 1;

[0050] S2. Move the crucible 1 to the heating station and heat it to a preset temperature so that the raw material powder in the crucible 1 is heated to form a molten liquid;

[0051] S3. Move the crucible 1 to the casting station and pour the molten liquid in the crucible 1 into the mold assembly 6 corresponding to the specification parameters of the semiconductor material product for casting.

[0052] In step S1, due to the different specification parameters of different semiconductor material products, the amount of raw material powder in the crucible 1 and subsequent parameters such as heating temperature, heating time, and casting rate are all different. The amount of raw material powder, heating temperature, heating time, casting rate, etc. corresponding to the specification parameters of different semiconductor material products are pre-entered into the control system of the casting equipment to achieve automated production.

[0053] In step S2, the moving device 3 and the lifting mechanism 4 cooperate to heat the raw material powder in the crucible 1 to a molten state. In step S3, the moving device 3 and the lifting mechanism 4 cooperate to move the crucible 1 out of the heating furnace 5, and then the moving device 3 moves the crucible 1 to the casting station, and pours the molten liquid in the crucible 1 into the mold assembly 6 for casting to complete the casting.

[0054] In summary, the embodiment of the present invention provides a casting device and method for semiconductor material products, including a crucible 1, a feeding assembly 2, a moving device 3, a lifting mechanism 4, a heating furnace 5, and a mold assembly 6. Among them, the feeding assembly 2 can automatically add raw material powder into the crucible 1, move the crucible 1 out of the feeding station through the moving device 3, and move the crucible 1 to the heating station through the lifting mechanism 4. After the raw material powder in the crucible 1 is in a molten state, the lifting mechanism 4 resets, the moving device 3 moves the crucible 1 to the casting station, and drives the crucible 1 to pour the molten liquid into the mold assembly 6 for casting. It enables the automation of each process from feeding, heating to casting of semiconductor material products, with a high degree of automation, improves the consistency of the finished product quality, is conducive to batch production, improves production efficiency. In addition, it reduces the manual labor intensity and is conducive to the development of intelligent factories.

[0055] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the technical principle of the present invention, several improvements and substitutions can be made, and these improvements and substitutions should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A casting device for a semiconductor material product, characterized in that: It includes a crucible, a feeding component, a moving device, a lifting mechanism, a heating furnace and a mold component; The feeding component is used to add raw material powder into the crucible; The heating furnace is arranged above the lifting mechanism; Wherein, the moving device moves the crucible located in the feeding component to the output end of the lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism moves the crucible to the heating station of the heating furnace to form a molten liquid from the raw material powder, the lifting mechanism resets, the moving device moves the crucible to the casting station, and drives the crucible to pour the molten liquid into the mold component for casting and forming.

2. The casting device for the semiconductor material product as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding component includes a frame, a heat insulation seat and an automatic powder feeder. The heat insulation seat is arranged on the frame, a placement cavity for placing the crucible is opened on the heat insulation seat, the automatic powder feeder is arranged above the heat insulation seat, and the raw material powder is contained in the automatic powder feeder.

3. The casting device for the semiconductor material product as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The moving device includes a manipulator and a jaw component. The output end of the manipulator is provided with a jaw component for gripping the crucible.

4. The casting device for the semiconductor material product according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mold component includes an AGV material vehicle and a mold body, a vibration unit, a temperature sensor module and an infrared thermal imaging module installed on the AGV material vehicle. The vibration unit is installed on the mold body, the temperature sensor module is arranged outside the mold body, and the detection end of the infrared thermal imaging module is arranged opposite to the feeding port of the mold body.

5. The casting equipment for the semiconductor material product according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism includes a frame, a mounting plate, a driving unit and a support seat. The mounting plate is arranged in the middle of the frame, the driving unit is arranged on the mounting plate, the output end of the driving unit is provided with the support seat for placing the crucible, the heating furnace is arranged at the top of the frame, the heating furnace is coaxially arranged with the support seat, and a heating cavity for the crucible to insert is opened below the heating furnace.

6. The casting equipment for the semiconductor material product as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The crucible includes a main body and a cover body. A containing cavity for containing raw material powder is arranged in the main body, a drainage port is arranged at the top of the containing cavity, the cover body is arranged above the main body, a T-shaped boss is arranged at the top of the cover body, and a limit block for inserting the T-shaped boss is arranged on the frame.

7. The casting equipment for the semiconductor material product according to claim 5, characterized in that: A position sensor for docking with the mold component is arranged at one end of the frame.

8. The casting equipment for the semiconductor material product according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a safety fence. The feeding component, the moving device, the lifting mechanism, the heating furnace and the mold component are arranged in the safety area surrounded by the safety fence.

9. The casting device for the semiconductor material product as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The number of the lifting mechanism, the heating furnace and the mold component corresponds one by one, and the number is one or more.

10. A casting method for a semiconductor material product, based on the casting equipment for the semiconductor material product according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: S1. Obtain the specification parameters of the semiconductor material product, and add a quantitative raw material powder into the crucible; S2. Move the crucible to the heating station and heat it to a preset temperature to make the raw material powder in the crucible be heated to form a molten liquid; S3. Move the crucible to the casting station, and pour the molten liquid in the crucible into the mold component corresponding to the specification parameters of the semiconductor material product for casting and forming.

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