Wafer bonding equipment and multi-station scheduling method

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of semiconductors, and particularly discloses wafer bonding equipment and a multi-station scheduling method. According to the invention, the manipulator, the aligner calibrator, the material box and the bonding cavity assembly are integrally arranged on the base station, the wafer and the glass sheet in the material box are taken out by the manipulator, the wafer and the glass sheet are placed in the bonding cavity assembly for bonding, and then the bonded material is sent back to the material box by the manipulator. The operation of the manipulator and the bonding cavity is controlled by the aligner calibrator, and the limiting time of the manipulator and the bonding cavity is shortened, so that the connection among the stations is compact, and the production efficiency of the wafer bonding equipment is effectively improved under the condition of avoiding uneven load or excessive load of the production equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductors, and particularly relates to a wafer bonding device and a multi-station scheduling method. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor packaging, the wafer bonding process is a crucial step, which involves high-precision docking of different materials. For example, it is necessary to dock silicon wafers and glass wafers. Existing wafer bonding production equipment has a manipulator for moving and flipping materials, which is required to transfer materials such as silicon wafers and glass wafers from the cassette to the inside of the bonding chamber, and then send the bonded materials back to the cassette.

[0003] The personnel of the present application found in actual operation that there are defects in the use of existing wafer bonding production lines. Generally, there are often unreasonable distributions between the station tasks of wafer bonding equipment and the manipulators, resulting in equipment idleness, uneven loads on some equipment, and long switching times between stations due to the lack of efficient station scheduling, which causes a large waste of time in the production process and leads to low production efficiency of the wafer bonding equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer bonding device and a multi-station scheduling method to solve the problems of unreasonable structural design and unreasonable station scheduling of existing equipment, which in turn lead to low production efficiency of the wafer bonding equipment.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] A wafer bonding device, comprising:

[0007] A base;

[0008] A manipulator, connected to the base, for driving the movement of the wafer and the glass wafer;

[0009] An aligner, connected to the base, for aligning the wafer and the glass wafer;

[0010] A cassette, connected to the base, for placing the wafer and the glass wafer;

[0011] A bonding chamber assembly, connected to the base, for bonding the wafer and the glass wafer.

[0012] Preferably, the manipulator includes a connecting plate connected to the base platform. A first manipulator for dispensing glass wafers and a second manipulator for dispensing silicon wafers are connected to the connecting plate. Both the first manipulator and the second manipulator are three-vertical-axis rotating robotic arms, and a pick-up fork is telescopically connected to the end of each robotic arm. The pick-up fork at the end of the first manipulator is higher than the pick-up fork at the end of the second manipulator.

[0013] Preferably, a plurality of material boxes are provided, and the plurality of material boxes are arranged in a curve around the manipulator.

[0014] Preferably, the bonding cavity assembly includes two bonding cavities, and both of the two bonding cavities are arranged on one side of the manipulator, and the opening positions face the manipulator.

[0015] A multi-station scheduling method for a wafer bonding device, which is applied to a wafer bonding device. The station switching steps are as follows:

[0016] Station 1: The second manipulator takes out a four-inch wafer from the first material box, and the first manipulator takes out a six-inch glass wafer from the second material box. The second manipulator and the first manipulator drive the materials to park at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator places the wafer in the first bonding cavity, and then the first manipulator places the glass wafer in the first bonding cavity for bonding. After the first time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third material box.

[0017] Station 2: The second manipulator takes out a four-inch wafer from the first material box, and the first manipulator takes out a six-inch glass wafer from the second material box. The second manipulator and the first manipulator drive the materials to park at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator places the wafer in the second bonding cavity, and then the first manipulator places the glass wafer in the second bonding cavity for bonding. After the second time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third material box.

[0018] Station 3: The second manipulator takes out a four-inch wafer from the first material box, and the first manipulator takes out a six-inch glass wafer from the second material box. The second manipulator and the first manipulator drive the materials to park at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator places the wafer in the first bonding cavity, and then the first manipulator places the glass wafer in the first bonding cavity for bonding. After the third time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third material box.

[0019] Station Four: The second manipulator takes out a 4-inch wafer from the first cassette, and the first manipulator takes out a 6-inch glass sheet from the second cassette. The second manipulator and the first manipulator carry the materials and park them at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator places the wafer into the second bonding cavity, and then the first manipulator places the glass sheet into the second bonding cavity for bonding. After the fourth time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third cassette.

[0020] Preferably, the first time period is configured as 36s, the second time period is configured as 42s, the third time period is configured as 21s, the fourth time period is configured as 0s, and the stations one, two, three, and four are carried out in sequence.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] In the present invention, by integrally arranging a manipulator, an aligner calibrator, a cassette, and a bonding cavity assembly on a base, the manipulator takes out the wafer and the glass sheet from the cassette, places the wafer and the glass sheet into the bonding cavity assembly for bonding, and then the manipulator sends the bonded material back to the cassette. The operations of the manipulator and the bonding cavity are both controlled by the aligner calibrator, reducing the limited time of the manipulator and the bonding cavity, making the connection between each station compact, and effectively improving the production efficiency of the wafer bonding equipment while avoiding uneven load or overloading of the production equipment. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0025] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention Figure 3 ;

[0026] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the manipulator structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 Multi-station scheduling flowchart of the present invention;

[0028] In the figure: 1. Base; 2. Manipulator; 21. First manipulator; 22. Second manipulator; 3. Aligner calibrator; 4. Cassette; 5. Bonding cavity assembly. Detailed Embodiments

[0029] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0030] Embodiment 1:

[0031] Please refer to Figure 1 - Figure 5 as shown in the figure, a wafer bonding device includes:

[0032] Base 1;

[0033] Manipulator 2, connected to the base 1, for driving the movement of the wafer and the glass sheet;

[0034] Aligner calibrator 3, connected to the base 1, for aligning the wafer and the glass sheet;

[0035] Cassette 4, connected to the base 1, for placing the wafer and the glass sheet;

[0036] Bonding chamber assembly 5, connected to the base 1, for bonding the wafer and the glass sheet.

[0037] As can be seen from the above, by integrally arranging the manipulator 2, the aligner calibrator 3, the cassette 4 and the bonding chamber assembly 5 on the base, the manipulator 2 takes out the wafer and the glass sheet from the cassette 4, places the wafer and the glass sheet in the bonding chamber assembly 5 for bonding, and then the manipulator 2 sends the bonded materials back to the cassette 4. The operation of the manipulator 2 and the bonding chamber is controlled by the aligner calibrator 3, reducing the limited time of the manipulator 2 and the bonding chamber, making the connection between each station compact, and effectively improving the production efficiency of the wafer bonding device while avoiding uneven load or overloading of the production equipment.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 3 - Figure 4As shown, the manipulator 2 includes a connecting plate connected to the base 1. A first manipulator 21 for dispensing glass wafers and a second manipulator 22 for dispensing silicon wafers are connected to the connecting plate. Both the first manipulator 21 and the second manipulator 22 are three-vertical-axis rotating robotic arms, facilitating the first manipulator 21 and the second manipulator 22 to pick up materials from the material box 4. And a pick-up fork is telescopically connected to the end of each robotic arm. The pick-up fork can pick up silicon wafers and glass wafers. The pick-up fork at the end of the first manipulator 21 is higher than the pick-up fork at the end of the second manipulator 22, avoiding operation interference between the first manipulator 21 and the second manipulator 22, and also facilitating the overlapping observation of the glass wafers on the first manipulator 21 and the silicon wafers on the second manipulator 22.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 1 - Figure 3 As shown, there are multiple material boxes 4, and the multiple material boxes 4 are arranged in a curve around the manipulator 2. The multiple material boxes 4 are respectively used to load four-inch silicon wafers, six-inch glass wafers, and the completed bonded products.

[0040] The bonding chamber assembly 5 includes two bonding chambers. Both of the two bonding chambers are arranged on one side of the manipulator 2, and the opening positions face the manipulator 2. The two bonding chambers work alternately, which can effectively avoid the idle state of the manipulator 2, improve the operation efficiency of the manipulator 2, and further improve the production efficiency.

[0041] Refer to Figures 3 - 5 , a multi-station scheduling method for a wafer bonding device, which is applied to a wafer bonding device. The station switching steps are as follows:

[0042] Station 1: The second manipulator 22 takes out a four-inch wafer from the first material box 4, and the first manipulator 21 takes out a six-inch glass wafer from the second material box 4. The second manipulator 22 and the first manipulator 21 drive the materials to park at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator 22 places the wafer in the first bonding chamber, and then the first manipulator 21 places the glass wafer in the first bonding chamber for bonding. After the first time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third material box 4.

[0043] Station 2: The second manipulator 22 takes out a four-inch wafer from the first material box 4, and the first manipulator 21 takes out a six-inch glass wafer from the second material box 4. The second manipulator 22 and the first manipulator 21 drive the materials to park at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator 22 places the wafer in the second bonding chamber, and then the first manipulator 21 places the glass wafer in the second bonding chamber for bonding. After the second time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third material box 4.

[0044] Station 3: The second robot 22 takes out a four-inch wafer from the first cassette 4, and the first robot 21 takes out a six-inch glass sheet from the second cassette 4. The second robot 22 and the first robot 21 drive the materials to the waiting position. The second robot 22 places the wafer in the first bonding cavity, and the first robot 21 then places the glass sheet in the first bonding cavity for bonding. After a third period of time, the second robot transfers the bonded materials to the third cassette 4.

[0045] Workstation four: The second robot 22 takes out a four-inch wafer from the first material box 4, and the first robot 21 takes out a six-inch glass piece from the second material box 4. The second robot 22 and the first robot 21 drive the materials to park in the waiting position respectively. The second robot 22 places the wafer in the second bonding cavity, and the first robot 21 places the glass piece in the second bonding cavity for bonding. After the fourth time period, the second robot transfers the bonded material to the third material box 4.

[0046] The above four groups of workstations are operated in a cross-wise manner, which can avoid the situation where the robot arm 2 and the bonding chamber assembly 5 are idle as much as possible, and effectively improve the wafer bonding efficiency.

[0047] Example 2:

[0048] See also Figure 1 - Figure 5 As shown, a wafer bonding device includes:

[0049] Abutment 1;

[0050] A robot 2 connected to the base 1 and used to move the wafer and the glass sheet;

[0051] An aligner 3, connected to the base 1, for aligning the wafer and the glass sheet;

[0052] A material box 4 is connected to the base 1 and is used to place the wafers and glass sheets;

[0053] The bonding chamber assembly 5 is connected to the base 1 and is used for bonding the wafer and the glass sheet.

[0054] As can be seen from the above, by integrally arranging a manipulator 2, an aligner calibrator 3, a cassette 4, and a bonding cavity assembly 5 on a base, the manipulator 2 takes out wafers and glass wafers from the cassette 4, places the wafers and glass wafers in the bonding cavity assembly 5 for bonding, and then the manipulator 2 sends the bonded materials back to the cassette 4. The operations of the manipulator 2 and the bonding cavity are both controlled by the aligner calibrator 3, reducing the limited time of the manipulator 2 and the bonding cavity, making the connection between each station compact. Without the situation of uneven load or overloading of the production equipment, the production efficiency of the wafer bonding equipment is effectively improved.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 3 - Figure 4 As shown, the manipulator 2 includes a connecting plate connected to the base 1. A first manipulator 21 for dispensing glass wafers and a second manipulator 22 for dispensing silicon wafers are connected to the connecting plate. Both the first manipulator 21 and the second manipulator 22 are three-vertical-axis rotating robotic arms, which are convenient for the first manipulator 21 and the second manipulator 22 to pick up materials on the cassette 4. And a pick-up fork is telescopically connected to the end of the robotic arm. The pick-up fork can pick up silicon wafers and glass wafers. The pick-up fork at the end of the first manipulator 21 is higher than the pick-up fork at the end of the second manipulator 22, avoiding operation interference between the first manipulator 21 and the second manipulator 22, and also facilitating the overlapping observation of the glass wafer on the first manipulator 21 and the silicon wafer on the second manipulator 22.

[0056] Please refer to Figure 1 - Figure 3 As shown, a plurality of cassettes 4 are provided, and the plurality of cassettes 4 are arranged in a curve around the manipulator 2. The plurality of cassettes 4 are respectively used for loading four-inch silicon wafers, six-inch glass wafers, and finished products after bonding.

[0057] The bonding cavity assembly 5 includes two bonding cavities. Both of the two bonding cavities are arranged on one side of the manipulator 2, and the opening positions face the manipulator 2. The two bonding cavities work alternately, which can effectively avoid the idleness of the manipulator 2, improve the operating efficiency of the manipulator 2, and further improve the production efficiency.

[0058] Referring to Figures 3 - 5 , a multi-station scheduling method for a wafer bonding equipment, which is applied to a wafer bonding equipment. The steps of station switching are as follows:

[0059] Station 1: The second manipulator 22 performs the first step of taking out a four-inch wafer from the first cassette 4. The first manipulator 21 performs the first step of taking out a six-inch glass sheet from the second cassette 4. The second manipulator 22 performs the second and third steps, and the second manipulator 22 moves the material to the waiting position. The first manipulator 21 performs the second and third steps, and the first manipulator 21 moves the material to the waiting position. The second manipulator 22 performs the fourth step of placing the wafer in the first bonding cavity. The first manipulator 21 performs the fourth step of placing the glass sheet in the first bonding cavity for bonding. After the first time period of 36S, the second manipulator 22 performs the fifth step, and the first manipulator 21 performs the sixth step. Then, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third cassette 4;

[0060] Station 2: In Station 1, before the first manipulator 21 performs the fourth step, the second manipulator 22 performs the first step of taking out a four-inch wafer from the first cassette 4. The first manipulator 21 performs the first step of taking out a six-inch glass sheet from the second cassette 4. The second manipulator 22 performs the second and third steps, and the second manipulator 22 moves the material to the waiting position. The first manipulator 21 performs the second and third steps, and the first manipulator 21 moves the material to the waiting position. The second manipulator 22 performs the fourth step of placing the wafer in the second bonding cavity. The first manipulator 21 performs the fourth step of placing the glass sheet in the second bonding cavity for bonding. After the second time period of 42S, the second manipulator 22 performs the fifth step, and the first manipulator 21 performs the sixth step. Then, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third cassette 4;

[0061] Station 3: In Station 2, before the first manipulator 21 performs the fourth step, the second manipulator 22 performs the first step of taking out a four-inch wafer from the first cassette 4. The first manipulator 21 performs the first step of taking out a six-inch glass sheet from the second cassette 4. The second manipulator 22 performs the second and third steps, and the second manipulator 22 moves the material to the waiting position. In Station 1, after the second manipulator 22 performs the fifth step, the first manipulator 21 performs the second and third steps, and the first manipulator 21 moves the material to the waiting position. In Station 1, before the first manipulator 21 performs the sixth step, the second manipulator 22 performs the fourth step of placing the wafer in the first bonding cavity. The first manipulator 21 performs the fourth step of placing the glass sheet in the first bonding cavity for bonding. The second manipulator 22 performs the fifth step. After the third time period of 21S, the first manipulator 21 performs the sixth step. Then, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third cassette 4;

[0062] Station 4: In station 3, before the first manipulator 21 performs the fourth step, the second manipulator 22 performs the first step and takes out a four-inch wafer from the first material box 4. In station 3, after the first manipulator 21 performs the fourth step, the first manipulator 21 performs the first step and takes out a six-inch glass sheet from the second material box 4. The second manipulator 22 performs the second and third steps. The second manipulator 22 drives the material to park in the waiting position. In station 2, after the second manipulator 22 performs the fifth step, the first manipulator 21 performs the second and third steps. In the work step, the first robot 21 drives the material to park in the waiting position. In the second work station, before the first robot 21 performs the sixth work step, the second robot 22 performs the fourth work step and places the wafer in the second bonding cavity. In the third work station, before the first robot 21 performs the sixth work step, the first robot 21 performs the fourth work step and places the glass sheet in the second bonding cavity for bonding. After the bonding is completed, the second robot 22 performs the fifth work step, and the first robot 21 performs the sixth work step. The second robot then transfers the bonded material to the third material box 4.

[0063] The above four groups of workstations are operated in a cross-wise manner, which can avoid the situation where the robot arm 2 and the bonding chamber assembly 5 are idle as much as possible, and effectively improve the wafer bonding efficiency.

[0064] All standard parts used in the present invention can be purchased commercially, and special-shaped parts can be customized according to the description in the specification and drawings. The specific connection methods of each part adopt conventional means such as bolts, rivets, welding, etc. that are mature in the prior art. The machinery, parts and equipment all adopt conventional models in the prior art. In addition, the circuit connections adopt conventional connection methods in the prior art and will not be described in detail here. Any matters not described in detail in this specification belong to the prior art known to professionals in this field.

[0065] In the description of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. "Multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0066] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "connect," "fixed," etc. should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection or electrical connection; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0067] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are indirectly in contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" and "on top of" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

[0068] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to terms such as "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplifications", "specific exemplifications" or "some exemplifications" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or exemplification are included in at least one embodiment or exemplification of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not have to be directed to the same embodiment or exemplification. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or exemplifications. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or exemplifications described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or exemplifications.

[0069] In the drawings of the disclosed embodiments of the present invention, only the structures related to the disclosed embodiments are involved, and other structures may refer to the general design. Without conflict, the same embodiment and different embodiments of the present invention may be combined with each other.

Claims

1. A wafer bonding device, characterized in that, Comprising: A base (1); A manipulator (2) connected to the base (1) for driving the movement of the wafer and the glass sheet; An aligner calibrator (3) connected to the base (1) for aligning the wafer and the glass sheet; A cassette (4) connected to the base (1) for placing the wafer and the glass sheet; A bonding chamber assembly (5) connected to the base (1) for bonding the wafer and the glass sheet.

2. The wafer bonding device according to claim 1, wherein: The manipulator (2) includes a connecting plate connected to the base (1). A first manipulator (21) for dispensing the glass sheet and a second manipulator (22) for dispensing the silicon wafer are connected to the connecting plate. Both the first manipulator (21) and the second manipulator (22) are three-vertical-axis rotating robotic arms, and a pick-up fork is telescopically connected to the end of each robotic arm. The pick-up fork at the end of the first manipulator (21) is higher than the pick-up fork at the end of the second manipulator (22).

3. A wafer bonding device according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of the cassettes (4) are provided, and the plurality of cassettes (4) are arranged in a curve around the manipulator (2).

4. A wafer bonding device according to claim 1, wherein: The bonding chamber assembly (5) includes two bonding chambers, and both of the two bonding chambers are arranged on one side of the manipulator (2) and the opening positions face the manipulator (2).

5. A multi-station scheduling method for a wafer bonding device, characterized in that: Applied to a wafer bonding device according to any one of claims 1-4, the station switching steps are as follows: Station 1: The second manipulator (22) takes out a four-inch wafer from the first cassette (4), the first manipulator (21) takes out a six-inch glass sheet from the second cassette (4). The second manipulator (22) and the first manipulator (21) drive the materials to be parked at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator (22) places the wafer in the first bonding chamber, and then the first manipulator (21) places the glass sheet in the first bonding chamber for bonding. After the first time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third cassette (4); Station 2: The second manipulator (22) takes out a four-inch wafer from the first cassette (4), the first manipulator (21) takes out a six-inch glass sheet from the second cassette (4). The second manipulator (22) and the first manipulator (21) drive the materials to be parked at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator (22) places the wafer in the second bonding chamber, and then the first manipulator (21) places the glass sheet in the second bonding chamber for bonding. After the second time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third cassette (4); Station 3: The second manipulator (22) takes out a four-inch wafer from the first cassette (4), the first manipulator (21) takes out a six-inch glass sheet from the second cassette (4). The second manipulator (22) and the first manipulator (21) drive the materials to be parked at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator (22) places the wafer in the first bonding chamber, and then the first manipulator (21) places the glass sheet in the first bonding chamber for bonding. After the third time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third cassette (4); Station Four: The second manipulator (22) takes out a four-inch wafer from the first cassette (4), and the first manipulator (21) takes out a six-inch glass sheet from the second cassette (4). The second manipulator (22) and the first manipulator (21) carry the materials and park them at the waiting positions respectively. The second manipulator (22) places the wafer into the second bonding cavity, and then the first manipulator (21) places the glass sheet into the second bonding cavity for bonding. After the fourth time period, the second manipulator transfers the bonded material to the third cassette (4).

6. A multi-station scheduling method for a wafer bonding apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first time period is configured to be 36 s, the second time period is configured to be 42 s, the third time period is configured to be 21 s, the fourth time period is configured to be 0 s, and Stations One, Two, Three, and Four are carried out in a stepped manner.

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