Wafer conversion equipment for semiconductor processing

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of semiconductor processing, and discloses a wafer conversion device for semiconductor processing, comprising a housing, a carrying mechanism, a pushing mechanism and an opening and closing control mechanism. In the present invention, by driving the provided carrying mechanism, the pushing mechanism and the opening and closing control mechanism, when carrying a wafer, when the size of the wafer is smaller than the size of the carrying mechanism, by controlling the rotation of the threaded column in the opening and closing control mechanism, the sliding frame is driven to move in the direction of the carrying mechanism, and then the two push rods are driven to slide toward the open side of the housing, so that under the push of the push rod, the bracket rotates around the axis of the rotating column, so that the two brackets are close to the end adjacent to the open side of the housing, thereby supporting smaller wafers, and by adjusting the sliding distance of the push rod, the rotation angle of the two brackets can be adjusted, so that the device can support wafers of different sizes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and in particular to a wafer conversion device for semiconductor processing. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor processing, wafers need to be transferred between various processing equipment. Wafer transfer equipment is used to carry and move the wafers. During wafer transfer, a robotic arm is used to transfer the wafer from the transfer equipment to the processing equipment, or vice versa. The robotic arm's optical system positions the wafer. Existing wafer transfer equipment can only carry wafers of the same size and thickness, limiting its applicability. Converting wafers of varying sizes and thicknesses requires the use of different transfer equipment, increasing equipment costs and requiring additional space. Furthermore, the equipment requires a matching vacuum environment, hindering the development of the semiconductor processing industry. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present application proposes a wafer conversion device for semiconductor processing, which has the advantages of wide applicability and flexible adjustment, and is used to solve the problem that the wafer size applicable to existing wafer conversion equipment cannot be adjusted.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present application adopts the following technical solution: a wafer conversion device for semiconductor processing, comprising a housing, a rear surface of the housing having symmetrical through slots, a bottom surface of the housing having a mounting seat rotatably mounted thereon, and further comprising:

[0005] The bearing mechanism includes a plurality of rotating columns fixedly connected to the mounting seat, the circumference of the rotating column is provided with a guide groove, the outer side of the rotating column is rotatably mounted with a lower ring and an upper ring, the upper ring is slidably connected with a guide column, one end of the guide column is slidably connected in the guide groove, the outer side surface of the upper ring is rotatably mounted with two symmetrical brackets, the top surface of the bracket is provided with a penetrating transverse groove, a push rod is hinged in the transverse groove, and the push rod passes through the through slot;

[0006] The pushing mechanism includes a connecting frame fixedly connected to the push rod, a rotating block is rotatably installed on one end of the connecting frame away from the push rod, a round rod is slidably sleeved in the rotating block, one end of the round rod is fixedly connected to a slide frame, and a push column is slidably connected in the slide frame;

[0007] The opening and closing control mechanism is responsible for pushing the push rod to slide into the shell.

[0008] Preferably, a snap-fit ​​block is fixedly connected to the top surface of the rotating column, and a snap-fit ​​groove is provided on the bottom surface of the rotating column.

[0009] Preferably, a limiting post is rotatably mounted on one end of the bracket away from the rotating post, and the limiting post and the pushing post are in contact with the side edge of the wafer placed on the bracket.

[0010] Preferably, a symmetrical first slide rail is fixedly connected to the inner bottom surface of the shell, a plurality of sliders are slidably connected in the first slide rail, and one end of the round rod away from the slide groove frame is hinged to the slider.

[0011] Preferably, the opening and closing control mechanism includes a side shell fixedly connected to the back of the shell, and a sliding frame is slidably connected in the side shell, and the sliding frame moves horizontally toward the shell.

[0012] Preferably, the central thread of the sliding frame is connected to a threaded column that passes through the outer side of the side shell, and when the threaded column rotates in the forward direction, it drives the sliding frame to approach the supporting mechanism.

[0013] Preferably, the sliding frame is fixedly connected to a symmetrical second slide rail on the side facing the shell, the second slide rail is in a vertical state, and one end of the push rod passes through the through slot and is slidably connected to the second slide rail.

[0014] Preferably, a rotating column is rotatably mounted on the top surface of the housing, and the rotating column is fixedly engaged with a locking block on the top of the uppermost rotating column.

[0015] Preferably, the top surface of the housing is fixedly connected to a first motor, and the output shaft of the first motor and the outer side surface of the rotating column are respectively fixedly sleeved with first bevel gears that mesh with each other.

[0016] Preferably, the outer side surface of the side shell is fixedly connected to the second motor, and the output shaft of the second motor and the outer side surface of the threaded column are respectively fixedly sleeved with second helical gears that mesh with each other.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0018] 1. In the present invention, by driving the provided carrying mechanism, pushing mechanism and opening and closing control mechanism, when carrying the wafer, when the size of the wafer is smaller than the size of the carrying mechanism, the threaded column in the opening and closing control mechanism is controlled to rotate, thereby driving the sliding frame to move in the direction of the carrying mechanism, and then driving the two push rods to slide toward the open side of the shell. Under the push of the push rod, the bracket rotates around the axis of the rotating column, so that the two brackets are close to the end adjacent to the open side of the shell, thereby supporting smaller wafers. By adjusting the sliding distance of the push rod, the rotation angle of the two brackets can be adjusted, so that the equipment can support wafers of different sizes.

[0019] 2. Secondly, the present invention provides a pushing mechanism. When the wafer size is smaller than the wafer size that the current carrying mechanism can support, the bracket is driven to rotate as the push rod slides, and at the same time the connecting frame also moves, and then the round rod is pushed by the rotating block connected to the connecting frame. At this time, one end of the round rod is hinged in the slider, so that the round rod rotates around the hinge point with the slider. At this time, the slide frame at the other end of the round rod moves, and the movement of the two slide frames makes the push column move toward the open side of the shell, thereby pushing the small-sized wafer on the bracket toward the open side of the shell. At the same time, the wafer is positioned by the cooperation of the push column and the two limit columns, ensuring that when carrying wafers of different sizes, the wafers will be close to the open side of the shell, which is convenient for the robot arm to place and take out the wafers, and avoid the situation where the centers of multiple wafers in the carrying mechanism are not on the same vertical line, resulting in the need to position the wafers when the robot arm takes out the wafers.

[0020] 3. Finally, by setting up multiple rotating columns and guide grooves, when the robotic arm places the wafer on the bracket, the rotating column is rotated to make the guide column slide in the guide groove, and then the guide column moves from the lowest point of the inclined section of the guide groove to the highest point. At this time, the guide column drives the lower ring and the upper ring to move upward, and then drives the two brackets to move upward, thereby increasing the distance between the lowest bracket and the inner bottom surface of the shell, avoiding the robot arm from being affected by the close distance and affecting the loading quantity of the equipment. After the loading is completed, the rotating column is rotated in the opposite direction to move the guide column from the highest point of the inclined section of the guide groove to the lowest point, and then the bracket moves downward. At this time, the overall center of gravity of the carrying mechanism moves downward, thereby preventing the wafer on the carrying mechanism from sliding due to the high center of gravity of the equipment when the equipment is moved. At the same time, by replacing the rotating column with different guide grooves, the upward movement distance of the bracket can be changed. In this way, when the thickness of the wafer is different, replacing the rotating column can prevent the thick wafer from getting close to the wafer above, and avoid the wafer from colliding with other objects when the robotic arm takes out the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments disclosed in the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles disclosed in the present application in a clear and understandable manner.

[0022] The present disclosure can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rear side structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the housing of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 3 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bottom portion of the housing of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the carrying mechanism and the pushing mechanism of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the carrying mechanism of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 For the present invention Figure 7 Enlarged view of point B in the middle;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another shape structure of the guide groove of the present invention.

[0032] Among them: 1. outer shell; 11. rotating column; 12. first motor; 13. first bevel gear; 14. through slot; 15. first slide rail; 16. slider; 17. mounting seat; 2. bearing mechanism; 21. rotating column; 22. guide slot; 23. engaging block; 24. lower ring; 25. upper ring; 26. guide column; 27. bracket; 28. transverse slot; 29. ​​push rod; 210. limiting column; 211. engaging slot; 3. pushing mechanism; 31. connecting frame; 32. rotating block; 33. round rod; 34. slide frame; 35. pushing column; 4. opening and closing control mechanism; 41. side shell; 42. second motor; 43. threaded column; 44. sliding frame; 45. second bevel gear; 46. second slide rail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0034] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the semiconductor processing wafer conversion device of this embodiment includes a housing 1, a symmetrical through slot 14 is formed on the back of the housing 1, a mounting seat 17 is rotatably mounted on the bottom of the housing 1, and further includes:

[0035] The bearing mechanism 2 includes a plurality of rotating columns 21 fixedly connected to the mounting seat 17. The circumference of the rotating column 21 is provided with a guide groove 22. A lower ring 24 and an upper ring 25 are rotatably mounted on the outer side of the rotating column 21. A guide column 26 is slidably connected to the upper ring 25. One end of the guide column 26 is slidably connected to the guide groove 22. Two symmetrical brackets 27 are rotatably mounted on the outer side of the upper ring 25. The top surface of the bracket 27 is provided with a penetrating transverse groove 28. A push rod 29 is hinged in the transverse groove 28 and passes through the through groove 14.

[0036] The pushing mechanism 3 includes a connecting frame 31 fixedly connected to the push rod 29. A rotating block 32 is rotatably mounted on the end of the connecting frame 31 away from the push rod 29. A round rod 33 is slidably sleeved in the rotating block 32. One end of the round rod 33 is fixedly connected to a slide frame 34. A push column 35 is slidably connected in the slide frame 34.

[0037] The opening and closing control mechanism 4 is responsible for pushing the push rod 29 to slide into the housing 1 .

[0038] In the present invention, by driving the provided supporting mechanism 2, pushing mechanism 3 and opening and closing control mechanism 4, when carrying a wafer, when the size of the wafer is smaller than the size of the supporting mechanism 2, by controlling the rotation of the threaded column 43 in the opening and closing control mechanism 4, the sliding frame 44 is driven to move toward the supporting mechanism 2, and then the two push rods 29 are driven to slide toward the open side of the outer shell 1, so that under the push of the push rod 29, the bracket 27 rotates around the axis of the rotating column 21, so that the two brackets 27 are close to the end adjacent to the open side of the outer shell 1, thereby supporting smaller wafers, and by adjusting the sliding distance of the push rod 29, the rotation angle of the two brackets 27 can be adjusted, so that the equipment can support wafers of different sizes.

[0039] The push rod 35 is pressed against the support frame 27 to release the push rod 36, and the push rod 36 is pressed against the support frame 27 to release the push rod 36.

[0040] Finally, by setting up multiple rotating columns 21 and guide grooves 22, when the robot arm places the wafer on the bracket 27, the rotating column 21 is rotated to make the guide column 26 slide in the guide groove 22, and then the guide column 26 moves from the lowest point of the inclined section of the guide groove 22 to the highest point. At this time, the guide column 26 drives the lower ring 24 and the upper ring 25 to move upward, and then drives the two brackets 27 to move upward, thereby increasing the distance between the lowest bracket 27 and the inner bottom surface of the shell 1, avoiding the influence of the robot arm's insertion due to the close distance, affecting the loading quantity of the equipment, and after the loading is completed, by reverse rotation By rotating the rotating column 21, the guide column 26 moves from the highest point of the inclined section of the guide groove 22 to the lowest point, and then the bracket 27 moves downward. At this time, the overall center of gravity of the supporting mechanism 2 moves downward, thereby preventing the wafer on the supporting mechanism 2 from sliding due to the higher center of gravity of the equipment when the equipment is moved. At the same time, by replacing the rotating column 21 with a different guide groove 22, the upward movement distance of the bracket 27 can be changed. In this way, when the thickness of the wafer is different, by replacing the rotating column 21, the thick wafer can be prevented from being close to the wafer above, thereby avoiding the wafer from colliding with other objects when the robot arm takes out the wafer.

[0041] The top surface of the rotating column 21 is fixedly connected to a locking block 23 , and the bottom surface of the rotating column 21 is provided with a locking groove 211 .

[0042] Through the cooperation of the locking block 23 and the locking groove 211, multiple rotating columns 21 can rotate synchronously. At the same time, since the rotating columns 21 can be replaced individually, when converting wafers of different thicknesses at the same time, replacing some rotating columns 21 can prevent the distance between the thick wafer and the wafer above from being too small, and avoid friction between the thick wafer and the upper components after the robotic arm lifts the thick wafer from the bottom, resulting in scratches on the wafer surface and causing the wafer to be scrapped. At the same time, setting up multiple rotating columns 21 also makes it convenient to replace damaged rotating columns 21.

[0043] The limiting post 210 is rotatably mounted on one end of the bracket 27 away from the rotating post 21 . The limiting post 210 and the pushing post 35 are in contact with the side of the wafer placed on the bracket 27 .

[0044] Through the cooperation of the limiting column 210 and the pushing column 35, the wafer is positioned at three points, thereby ensuring that the centers of the wafers supported by the supporting mechanism 2 are on the same vertical line, avoiding the need for the robot arm to determine the center of the wafer when taking out the wafer, thereby avoiding a decrease in work efficiency.

[0045] A symmetrical first slide rail 15 is fixedly connected to the inner bottom surface of the housing 1 , a plurality of sliders 16 are slidably connected in the first slide rail 15 , and one end of the round rod 33 away from the slide groove frame 34 is hinged to the slider 16 .

[0046] By hingedly connecting one end of the round rod 33 to the slider 16, when the push rod 29 pushes the round rod 33 through the connecting frame 31, the end of the round rod 33 connected to the slide frame 34 moves a longer distance, thereby making the push column 35 move farther, so that the push column 35 can contact with smaller wafers, and then cooperate with the limit column 210 to position the wafer.

[0047] Among them, the opening and closing control mechanism 4 includes a side shell 41 fixedly connected to the back of the shell 1, and a sliding frame 44 is slidably connected inside the side shell 41. The sliding frame 44 moves horizontally in the direction of the shell 1. The center thread of the sliding frame 44 is connected to a threaded column 43 that passes through the outer side of the side shell 41. When the threaded column 43 rotates forward, it drives the sliding frame 44 to approach the supporting mechanism 2. The sliding frame 44 is fixedly connected to a symmetrical second slide rail 46 facing the side of the shell 1. The second slide rail 46 is in a vertical state, and one end of the push rod 29 passes through the through slot 14 and is slidably connected to the second slide rail 46.

[0048] By setting up the second slide rail 46, even if the bracket 27 drives the push rod 29 to move up and down, the sliding of the sliding frame 44 can still drive the push rod 29 to slide. By using the threaded column 43 to drive the sliding frame 44 to move, not only can the sliding frame 44 be stopped at any time, but the sliding of the sliding frame 44 can also be made more stable.

[0049] A rotating column 11 is rotatably mounted on the top surface of the housing 1 , and the rotating column 11 is fixedly engaged with a locking block 23 on the top of the uppermost rotating column 21 .

[0050] The top surface of the housing 1 is fixedly connected to a first motor 12 , and the output shaft of the first motor 12 and the outer side surface of the rotating column 11 are respectively fixedly sleeved with first bevel gears 13 that mesh with each other.

[0051] By driving the first motor 12 to rotate, the rotating column 21 is driven to rotate. When the rotating column 21 rotates to move the guide column 26 from the lowest point of the inclined section of the guide groove 22 to the highest point, the bracket 27 moves upward. At this time, the distance between the lowest bracket 27 and the inner bottom surface of the shell 1 increases, so that the robotic arm can hold the wafer from the bottom and take it out, and can also enable the robotic arm to place the wafer on the bracket 27 when it contacts the bottom surface of the wafer. When the first motor 12 moves in the opposite direction, causing the bracket 27 to descend, the overall center of gravity of the equipment can be lowered, making the equipment more stable during movement.

[0052] The outer side surface of the side shell 41 is fixedly connected to the second motor 42 , and the output shaft of the second motor 42 and the outer side surface of the threaded column 43 are respectively fixedly sleeved with second bevel gears 45 that mesh with each other.

[0053] By rotating the second motor 42 forward and backward, the threaded column 43 rotates and drives the sliding frame 44 forward and backward, thereby driving the push rod 29 to slide. By controlling the number of rotations of the second motor 42 to control the sliding distance of the push rod 29, the push column 35 moves different distances, thereby enabling the bracket 27 to carry wafers of different diameters.

[0054] Working principle:

[0055] When using this device to convert wafers, first adjust the position of the slide 44 according to the size of the wafer to be converted. When the slide 44 moves toward the housing 1, the push rod 29 is pushed, causing the two brackets 27 to rotate around the rotating column 21, thereby reducing the distance between the two brackets 27, thereby increasing the contact area between the small-sized wafer and the bracket 27, and preventing the wafer from slipping from between the two brackets 27 and hitting the wafer below when the conversion device is moved.

[0056] As the push rod 29 is pushed toward the open side of the shell 1, the push rod 29 will drive the connecting frame 31 to move at the same time. At this time, the movement of the connecting frame 31 drives the round rod 33 to rotate, and then the slide frame 34 connected to one end of the round rod 33 rotates toward the open side of the shell 1, and then the push column 35 moves. At this time, the push column 35 and the two limit columns 210 will position the wafer at three points, and at the same time, by contacting the wafer, prevent the wafer from sliding during the movement of the equipment, causing damage to the wafer.

[0057] When the equipment needs to transfer wafers of different thicknesses, the guide columns 26 with different highest points in the guide grooves 22 are replaced to make the rising height of the bracket 27 different, thereby increasing the distance between the thick wafer and the wafer above, and preventing the top surface of the thick wafer from rubbing against the upper components when the robot arm transfers the thick wafer, causing damage to the wafer.

[0058] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, which should all be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer conversion device for semiconductor processing, comprising a housing (1), wherein a symmetrical through slot (14) is provided on the back of the housing (1), and a mounting seat (17) is rotatably mounted on the bottom of the housing (1), characterized in that: Also includes: A bearing mechanism (2) comprising a plurality of rotating columns (21) fixedly connected to the mounting seat (17), a guide groove (22) being provided on the circumference of the rotating column (21), a lower ring (24) and an upper ring (25) being rotatably mounted on the outer side of the rotating column (21), a guide column (26) being slidably connected inside the upper ring (25), one end of the guide column (26) being slidably connected inside the guide groove (22), two symmetrical brackets (27) being rotatably mounted on the outer side surface of the upper ring (25), a through transverse groove (28) being provided on the top surface of the bracket (27), a push rod (29) being hinged inside the transverse groove (28), and the push rod (29) passing through the through groove (14); A pushing mechanism (3), the pushing mechanism (3) comprising a connecting frame (31) fixedly connected to the push rod (29), a rotating block (32) being rotatably mounted on one end of the connecting frame (31) away from the push rod (29), a round rod (33) being slidably sleeved in the rotating block (32), one end of the round rod (33) being fixedly connected to a chute frame (34), and a push column (35) being slidably connected in the chute frame (34); The opening and closing control mechanism (4) is responsible for pushing the push rod (29) to slide into the housing (1).

2. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A snap-fit ​​block (23) is fixedly connected to the top surface of the rotating column (21), and a snap-fit ​​groove (211) is provided on the bottom surface of the rotating column (21).

3. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting post (210) is rotatably mounted on one end of the bracket (27) away from the rotating post (21), and the limiting post (210) and the pushing post (35) are in contact with the side of the wafer placed on the bracket (27).

4. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A symmetrical first slide rail (15) is fixedly connected to the inner bottom surface of the housing (1), a plurality of sliders (16) are slidably connected inside the first slide rail (15), and one end of the round rod (33) away from the slide groove frame (34) is hinged to the slider (16).

5. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening and closing control mechanism (4) comprises a side shell (41) fixedly connected to the back of the housing (1), a sliding frame (44) being slidably connected in the side shell (41), and the sliding frame (44) is translatively movable in the direction of the housing (1).

6. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The central thread of the sliding frame (44) is connected to a threaded column (43) that passes through the outer side of the side shell (41). When the threaded column (43) rotates in the forward direction, it drives the sliding frame (44) to approach the supporting mechanism (2).

7. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The sliding frame (44) is fixedly connected to a symmetrical second slide rail (46) on the side facing the housing (1), and the second slide rail (46) is in a vertical state. One end of the push rod (29) passes through the through slot (14) and is slidably connected to the second slide rail (46).

8. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A rotating column (11) is rotatably mounted on the top surface of the housing (1), and the rotating column (11) is fixedly engaged with a locking block (23) at the top of the uppermost rotating column (21).

9. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top surface of the housing (1) is fixedly connected to a first motor (12), and the output shaft of the first motor (12) and the outer side surface of the rotating column (11) are respectively fixedly sleeved with first bevel gears (13) that mesh with each other.

10. The semiconductor processing wafer conversion equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The outer side surface of the side shell (41) is fixedly connected to a second motor (42), and the output shaft of the second motor (42) and the outer side surface of the threaded column (43) are respectively fixedly sleeved with second helical gears (45) that mesh with each other.

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