An automated wafer feeding device

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of semiconductor device manufacturing technology, and more particularly to an automated wafer feeding device, comprising a rack, a basket lifting mechanism, a pick-and-place fixture mechanism, a wafer lower identification mechanism, a transfer mechanism, a wafer upper identification mechanism, a flipping mechanism, a transfer platform, a wafer receiving mechanism, and a cover plate holding assembly. The wafer receiving mechanism provides wafers, the transfer platform transfers wafers, the flipping mechanism flips wafers, the wafer lower identification mechanism identifies the characteristic information of the wafer and the cover plate, the pick-and-place fixture mechanism removes the carrier fixture from the basket lifting mechanism and returns the fixture assembly to the basket lifting mechanism, the transfer mechanism transfers the wafer and the cover plate, and the wafer upper identification mechanism images the wafer in the wafer receiving mechanism and outputs angular position information. The device provided by this invention automatically removes the wafer and places it on the carrier fixture, improving production efficiency, preventing microcracks or breakage of the wafer, and ensuring precise placement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor device manufacturing technology, and in particular to an automated wafer feeding device. Background Technology

[0002] A wafer is a silicon wafer used to fabricate silicon semiconductor circuits; its raw material is silicon. High-purity polycrystalline silicon is dissolved, doped with silicon seed crystals, and then slowly pulled out to form a cylindrical single-crystal silicon ingot. After grinding, polishing, and slicing, the silicon ingot forms a silicon wafer. This wafer undergoes photolithography and other processes to obtain the final wafer. Because wafers are prone to microcracks or breakage, after production, they are first placed in protective pads, then stacked in a wafer holder, with an optical disc storing information about the wafers in the holder placed on top. Foam is placed between the optical disc and the top wafer to prevent contact between the disc and the wafer. The wafer holder is then covered. During the semiconductor manufacturing process, the holder is typically opened manually, the optical disc and foam are removed, the wafer is removed from the protective pads, and then manually transferred to a carrier fixture. Manual wafer handling is not only inefficient, but also prone to microcracks or breakage due to uneven force, and the placement position can be significantly off, affecting the accuracy of subsequent processes. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an automatic wafer feeding device that can automatically take wafers out of the wafer holding box and place them on the carrier fixture, thereby improving production efficiency and preventing wafers from developing microcracks or breakage, and the placement position is relatively accurate.

[0004] This invention is achieved through the following scheme:

[0005] An automated wafer feeding device includes a rack and mounted on the rack a basket mechanism, a pick-and-place fixture mechanism, a wafer lower identification mechanism, a transfer mechanism, a wafer upper identification mechanism, a flipping mechanism, a transfer platform, a wafer receiving mechanism, and a cover plate holding assembly. The wafer receiving mechanism is used to provide the recycling of wafers and the optical discs, foam, and gaskets used to package the wafers. The transfer platform is used for the transfer of wafers before flipping. The flipping mechanism is used to flip the wafers to be flipped on the transfer platform. The wafer lower identification mechanism is used to identify the characteristic information of the wafers and cover plates adsorbed by the transfer mechanism and obtain angle and position information. The pick-and-place fixture mechanism is used to remove the carrying fixture from the basket mechanism and return the assembled fixture to the basket mechanism. The transfer mechanism is used to transfer wafers and cover plates between the pick-and-place fixture mechanism, the wafer receiving mechanism, the transfer platform, and the cover plate holding assembly. The wafer upper identification mechanism is used to capture images of the wafers in the wafer receiving mechanism and output angle and position information.

[0006] Furthermore, the wafer receiving mechanism is located on the right side of the rack. The wafer receiving mechanism includes a wafer receiving mechanism support, a recycling bin, a wafer holding box base, a sealed bin, and a sealed bin drive device. The wafer receiving mechanism support is fixedly installed on the rack. The recycling bin and the wafer holding box base are both fixedly installed on the wafer receiving mechanism support. The sealed bin includes a fixed plate and a movable bin body. The fixed plate is fixedly installed on the wafer receiving mechanism support and is located between the recycling bin and the wafer holding box base. The fixed plate has multiple vent holes that communicate with the nitrogen supply device. The movable bin body is driven by the sealed bin drive device to move along the wafer receiving mechanism support. When the movable bin body is above the wafer holding box base, it forms a sealed bin together with the fixed plate.

[0007] Furthermore, the transfer platform is located above the wafer supply and receiving mechanism. The transfer platform includes a transfer platform mounting plate, a transfer platform vacuum adsorption component, a platform body, and a platform lifting device. The transfer platform mounting plate is fixedly installed on the frame, the transfer platform vacuum adsorption component is fixedly installed on the lower surface of the platform body, and the platform lifting device drives the transfer platform to move up and down.

[0008] Furthermore, the flipping mechanism is located above the transfer platform. The flipping mechanism includes an X-axis moving module, a Y-axis moving module, an R-axis rotating module, and a suction cup assembly. The X-axis moving module is mounted on the frame, and the Y-axis moving module is mounted on the X-axis moving module. The R-axis rotating module includes a mounting plate, a hollow rotating shaft, and a drive device. The mounting plate is fixedly mounted on the Y-axis moving module, the hollow rotating shaft is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate, and the drive device drives the shaft to rotate. The suction cup assembly includes a suction cup, which is fixedly mounted on the end of the hollow rotating shaft.

[0009] Furthermore, the transfer mechanism is located next to the flipping mechanism. The transfer mechanism includes a transfer mechanism support, an X-axis moving module, a Y-axis moving module, a Z-axis moving module, and a transfer robot assembly. The transfer mechanism support is fixedly mounted on the frame. The Y-axis moving module is mounted on the transfer mechanism support, the X-axis moving module is mounted on the Y-axis moving module, and the Z-axis moving module is mounted on the X-axis moving module. The transfer robot assembly includes a transfer robot mounting plate, an inner suction nozzle, and an outer... The system includes a suction nozzle, a suction nozzle switching device, and a transfer suction nozzle R-axis rotating device. The transfer robot mounting plate is mounted on the Z-axis moving module of the transfer mechanism. The transfer suction nozzle R-axis rotating device is fixedly mounted on the transfer robot mounting plate, and a suction nozzle support frame is mounted on the rotating shaft of the transfer suction nozzle R-axis rotating device. The inner suction nozzle is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the suction nozzle support frame. The suction nozzle switching device includes a drive cylinder, a guide rail, and a slider. The guide rail is located on the suction nozzle support frame, and the slider is slidably mounted on the guide rail and driven up and down by the drive cylinder. The bottom of the slider is fixedly connected to the outer suction nozzle.

[0010] Furthermore, the transfer mechanism also includes a visual recognition module and a laser height measurement module, both of which are mounted on the Z-axis moving module and located next to the transfer robot assembly.

[0011] In the optimized configuration, the wafer under-identification mechanism is located on the left side of the transfer platform, while the wafer upper-identification mechanism is located below the wafer supply and receiving mechanism.

[0012] The optimized cover plate holding assembly is located below the wafer under-identification mechanism, and includes a cover plate holding box and a full-load sensor mounted above the cover plate holding box.

[0013] Furthermore, the pick-and-place fixture mechanism is located on the left side of the wafer identification mechanism. It includes a Y-axis moving module of the pick-and-place fixture mechanism, a tray, a clamping device, and a limiting plate. The tray is fixedly mounted on the tray mounting plate and is driven to reciprocate by the Y-axis moving module of the pick-and-place fixture mechanism. A cam guide groove is provided on the tray. The limiting plate is fixedly mounted on the end of the Y-axis moving module of the pick-and-place fixture mechanism and has a limiting groove. The clamping device includes a clamping connecting plate, a cam, a clamping column, a tension spring, and a limiting block. The clamping connecting plate slides relative to the tray mounting plate and has a limiting stop at its lower part. The cam is mounted on the clamping connecting plate and passes through the cam guide groove. The clamping column is fixedly mounted on the end of the tray. The tension spring is installed between the limiting stop and the tray mounting plate. The limiting block is fixedly mounted on the end of the Y-axis moving module of the pick-and-place fixture mechanism.

[0014] Furthermore, the basket lifting mechanism is located below the pick-and-place fixture mechanism, and includes a basket, a ball screw, a ball screw drive motor, a fixed plate, a movable plate, and a guide shaft. The ball screw drive motor is fixedly installed below the fixed plate to drive the ball screw to rotate. The movable plate is connected to the ball screw by a nut sleeve. The basket is fixedly installed on the movable plate, and the guide shaft is installed between the fixed plate and the movable plate.

[0015] Beneficial effects of the invention:

[0016] 1. The automatic wafer feeding device provided by the present invention can automatically complete the functions of wafer and carrier fixture transfer, vision-based positioning and wafer presence detection, wafer flipping, wafer protection and wafer storage, realizing the full automation of the wafer transfer process, effectively replacing manual operation, and significantly improving the stability and reliability of the transfer process.

[0017] 2. The transfer mechanism features a switchable dual-layer nozzle design. The inner nozzle is dedicated to fragile wafers, while the outer nozzle handles auxiliary materials. This physical isolation design effectively prevents contamination, which is crucial in the semiconductor industry. The switchable dual-layer nozzle design also makes the structure more compact, increases transfer stability, and provides a new approach for products requiring adsorption of significantly different characteristics within the same process flow.

[0018] 3. Significantly reduce manual operations and achieve full automation of the transfer process. The wafer clamping process becomes controllable and stable, while reducing the risk of wafer breakage or microcracks caused by manual clamping, thereby achieving automatic and safe wafer supply. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer supply and receiving mechanism of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wafers stored in the wafer holding box according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the transfer platform structure of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the flipping mechanism of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the transfer mechanism of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer robot component of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of the cover plate holding component structure of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 9 This is a top view schematic diagram of the pick-and-place fixture mechanism of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the tooling mechanism of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the basket lifting mechanism of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the fixture assembly of the present invention.

[0031] In the diagram: 1. Wafer identification mechanism; 2. Wafer supply and receiving mechanism; 201. Wafer supply and receiving mechanism support; 202. Recycling bin; 203. Wafer holding box base; 204. Moving bin body; 205. Sealed bin drive device; 206. Fixing plate; 3. Transfer platform; 301. Transfer platform mounting plate; 302. Transfer platform vacuum adsorption assembly; 303. Platform body; 304. Platform lifting device; 4. Flipping mechanism; 401. Flipping mechanism X-axis moving module; 402. Flipping mechanism Y-axis moving module; 403. Flipping mechanism R-axis rotation module; 4031. Flipping mechanism mounting plate; 4032, Hollow Rotary Shaft; 4033, Hollow Rotary Shaft Drive Device; 404, Tilting Mechanism Suction Cup Assembly; 4041, Air Source Interface; 4042, Air Vent Block; 4043, Suction Air Hole; 4044, Tilting Mechanism Suction Cup; 5, Transfer Mechanism; 501, Transfer Mechanism Support; 502, Transfer Mechanism Y-axis Moving Module; 503, Transfer Mechanism X-axis Moving Module; 504, Transfer Mechanism Z-axis Moving Module; 505, Transfer Robot Assembly; 5051, Transfer Robot Mounting Plate; 5052, Drive Cylinder; 5053, Inner Suction Nozzle; 5054, Outer Suction Nozzle; 5055. 5056. Transfer nozzle R-axis rotation device; 5057. Nozzle support frame; 5058. Guide rail; 5059. Slider; 5000. Vision recognition module; 501. Laser height measurement module; 6. Wafer under-identification mechanism; 7. Cover plate holding assembly; 701. Cover plate holding box; 702. Full material sensor; 8. Pick-and-place fixture mechanism; 801. Pick-and-place fixture mechanism Y-axis moving module; 802. Tray; 8021. Cam guide groove; 803. Limiting plate; 8031. Limiting groove; 804. Tray mounting plate; 805. Clamping device; 8051. Clamping column; 8052. Cam; 8053. Clamping 8054. Connecting plate; 8055. Tension spring; 8056. Limiting block; 9. Basket lifting mechanism; 901. Basket; 902. Guide shaft; 903. Ball screw; 904. Ball screw drive motor; 905. Fixed plate; 906. Movable plate; 10. Frame; 11. Wafer container; 12. Gasket; 13. Wafer; 1301. Wafer positioning hole; 14. Foam; 15. Optical disc; 16. Top cover; 17. Support fixture; 1701. Cover plate positioning pin; 1702. Wafer positioning pin; 1703. Magnet; 18. Cover plate; 1801. Cover plate positioning hole. Detailed Implementation

[0032] A schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automated wafer feeding device is shown below. Figure 1As shown, the system includes a rack 10 and mounted on the rack a basket mechanism 9, a pick-and-place fixture mechanism 8, a wafer lower identification mechanism 6, a transfer mechanism 5, a wafer upper identification mechanism 1, a flipping mechanism 4, a transfer platform 3, a wafer supply and receiving mechanism 2, and a cover plate holding assembly 7. The wafer supply and receiving mechanism is used to provide the recycling of wafers and the optical discs, foam, and gaskets used to package the wafers. The transfer platform is used for the transfer of wafers before flipping. The flipping mechanism is used to flip the wafers that need to be flipped on the transfer platform. The wafer lower identification mechanism is used to identify the characteristic information of the wafers and cover plates adsorbed by the transfer mechanism and obtain angle and position information. The pick-and-place fixture mechanism is used to remove the carrying fixture from the basket mechanism and send the assembled fixture back to the basket mechanism. The transfer mechanism is used to transfer wafers and cover plates between the pick-and-place fixture mechanism, the wafer supply and receiving mechanism, the transfer platform, and the cover plate holding assembly. The wafer upper identification mechanism is used to capture images of the wafers in the wafer supply and receiving mechanism and output angle and position information.

[0033] The automated wafer feeding device provided by this invention, through the cooperation of various mechanisms, can automatically complete the functions of wafer and carrier fixture transfer, vision-based positioning and wafer presence / absence detection, wafer flipping, wafer protection, and wafer storage. It realizes full automation of the wafer transfer process, effectively replaces manual operation, greatly reduces manual labor, and achieves full automation of the transfer process. It significantly improves the efficiency, stability, and reliability of the transfer process, and makes the wafer clamping process controllable and stable, reducing the risk of wafer breakage or microcracks caused by manual clamping.

[0034] Furthermore, a schematic diagram of the wafer supply and receiving mechanism is shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the wafer receiving mechanism is located on the right side of the rack. It includes a wafer receiving mechanism support 201, a recovery bin 202, a wafer holding box base 203, a sealed bin, and a sealed bin drive device 205. The wafer receiving mechanism support is fixedly installed on the rack. The recovery bin and the wafer holding box base are both fixedly installed on the wafer receiving mechanism support. The sealed bin includes a fixed plate 206 and a movable bin body 204. The fixed plate is fixedly installed on the wafer receiving mechanism support and is located between the recovery bin and the wafer holding box base. The fixed plate has multiple vent holes that communicate with a nitrogen supply device. The movable bin body is driven by the sealed bin drive device to move along the wafer receiving mechanism support. When the movable bin body is above the wafer holding box base, it forms a sealed bin together with the fixed plate.

[0035] The wafer holder 11 is placed on the wafer holder base. A schematic diagram of the structure in which the wafers are stored within the wafer holder is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the gasket 12 is inserted into the wafer holder, the outer edge of the wafer 13 is inserted into the gasket, the wafer is covered with foam 14 and optical disc 15, and the wafer holder is provided with a top cover 16.

[0036] During wafer loading and unloading operations, the sealing chamber drive mechanism moves the movable chamber to a first position to expose the opening of the wafer cassette. When the wafer cassette is not in operation, the sealing chamber drive mechanism moves the movable chamber to a second position to cover the opening of the wafer cassette. The fixed plate has multiple vent holes communicating with a nitrogen supply device. Nitrogen gas can be continuously supplied to the sealed chamber in the second position through the vent holes to prevent oxidation of the wafer surface inside the wafer cassette.

[0037] When the transfer mechanism performs wafer pick-and-place operations, the operator first removes the top cover, and then the transfer mechanism removes the foam and optical disc and places them in the recycling bin. Finally, the gasket is removed from the wafer container together with the wafer to prevent wafer damage or microcracks during the transfer process.

[0038] Furthermore, the transfer platform is located above the wafer supply and receiving mechanism, and a schematic diagram of the transfer platform structure is shown below. Figure 4 As shown, it includes a transfer platform mounting plate 301, a transfer platform vacuum adsorption component 302, a platform body 303, and a platform lifting device 304. The transfer platform mounting plate is fixedly installed on the frame, the transfer platform vacuum adsorption component is fixedly installed on the lower surface of the platform body, and the platform lifting device drives the transfer platform to move up and down.

[0039] Furthermore, the tilting mechanism is located above the transfer platform, and a schematic diagram of the tilting mechanism is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the device includes a flipping mechanism X-axis moving module 401, a flipping mechanism Y-axis moving module 402, a flipping mechanism R-axis rotating module 403, and a flipping mechanism suction cup assembly 404. The flipping mechanism X-axis moving module is mounted on a frame, the flipping mechanism Y-axis moving module is mounted on the flipping mechanism X-axis moving module, and the flipping mechanism R-axis rotating module includes a flipping mechanism mounting plate 4031, a hollow rotating shaft 4032, and a hollow rotating shaft drive device 4033.

[0040] The flipping mechanism mounting plate is fixedly mounted on the flipping mechanism Y-axis moving module. The hollow rotating shaft is rotatably mounted on the flipping mechanism mounting plate. The hollow rotating shaft driving device is mounted on the flipping mechanism mounting plate to drive the hollow rotating shaft to rotate. The flipping mechanism suction cup assembly includes a flipping mechanism suction cup 4044, which is fixedly mounted on the end of the hollow rotating shaft.

[0041] Specifically, the hollow rotating shaft drive device can preferably be a hollow rotating shaft drive motor, the motor shaft of which is connected to the hollow rotating shaft via a synchronous belt to drive the hollow rotating shaft to rotate.

[0042] An air source interface 4041 can be set on the hollow rotating shaft, and then the hollow rotating shaft is connected to the ventilation block 4042 installed on the flipping mechanism suction cup. The surface of the flipping mechanism suction cup is provided with multiple adsorption air holes 4043. The multiple adsorption air holes are connected to the ventilation block through the flow channel set in the flipping mechanism suction cup. This not only solves the problem of air tube entanglement during flipping, but also ensures the stability during adsorption, ensuring that the flipping mechanism suction cup can adsorb the gasket together with the wafer.

[0043] Furthermore, the transfer mechanism is located next to the tilting mechanism, and the structural diagram of the transfer mechanism is shown below. Figure 6 As shown, it includes a transfer mechanism support 501, a transfer mechanism X-axis moving module 503, a transfer mechanism Y-axis moving module 502, a transfer mechanism Z-axis moving module 504, and a transfer robot assembly 505. The transfer mechanism support is fixedly mounted on the frame. The transfer mechanism Y-axis moving module is mounted on the transfer mechanism support. The transfer mechanism X-axis moving module is mounted on the transfer mechanism Y-axis moving module. The transfer mechanism Z-axis moving module is mounted on the transfer mechanism X-axis moving module. The structural schematic diagram of the transfer robot assembly is shown below. Figure 7 As shown, it includes a transfer robot mounting plate 5051, an inner suction nozzle 5053, an outer suction nozzle 5054, a suction nozzle switching device, and a transfer suction nozzle R-axis rotating device 5055. The transfer robot mounting plate is mounted on the Z-axis moving module of the transfer mechanism. The transfer suction nozzle R-axis rotating device is fixedly mounted on the transfer robot mounting plate, and a suction nozzle support frame 5056 is mounted on the rotating shaft of the transfer suction nozzle R-axis rotating device. The inner suction nozzle is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the suction nozzle support frame. The suction nozzle switching device includes a drive cylinder 5052, a guide rail 5057, and a slider 5058. The guide rail is located on the suction nozzle support frame, and the slider is slidably mounted on the guide rail and driven up and down by the drive cylinder. The bottom of the slider is fixedly connected to the outer suction nozzle.

[0044] The transfer robot assembly has two working states. The first working state is that the inner suction nozzle is exposed below the outer suction nozzle, and the inner suction nozzle is configured to be used for adsorbing wafers. The second working state is that the suction nozzle switching device is activated, so that the outer suction nozzle is exposed below the inner suction nozzle, and the outer suction nozzle is configured to adsorb cover plates, gaskets, optical discs and foam.

[0045] Furthermore, the transfer mechanism also includes a visual recognition module 506 and a laser height measurement module 507, both of which are mounted on the Z-axis moving module and located next to the transfer robot assembly.

[0046] The vision recognition module is used to capture images of the wafer or cover plate located at the working position and output the corresponding position and angle information. The laser height measurement module is used to measure the height of the wafer surface to be adsorbed.

[0047] In the optimized configuration, the wafer under-identification mechanism is located on the left side of the transfer platform, while the wafer upper-identification mechanism is located below the wafer supply and receiving mechanism.

[0048] The optimized cover plate housing is positioned below the wafer under-wafer identification mechanism. A schematic diagram of the cover plate housing structure is shown below. Figure 8 As shown, it includes a cover plate container 701 and a full material sensor 702 installed above the cover plate container.

[0049] The cover plate is placed in the cover plate container. When the full material sensor detects that the cover plate container is full, an alarm will be triggered.

[0050] Furthermore, the pick-and-place fixture mechanism is located to the left of the wafer under-wafer identification mechanism. A schematic diagram of the pick-and-place fixture mechanism is shown below. Figure 9 , Figure 10 As shown, it includes a Y-axis moving module 801 for picking and placing fixtures, a tray 802, a clamping device 805, and a limiting plate 803. The tray is fixedly installed on a tray mounting plate 804 and is driven to reciprocate by the Y-axis moving module of the picking and placing fixtures mechanism. A cam guide groove 8021 is provided on the tray. The limiting plate is fixedly installed at the end of the Y-axis moving module of the picking and placing fixtures mechanism and is provided with a limiting groove 8031. The clamping device includes a clamping connecting plate 8053, a cam 8052, a clamping column 8051, a tension spring 8054, and a limiting block 8056. The clamping connecting plate slides relative to the tray mounting plate and is provided with a limiting stop 8055 at the lower part of the clamping connecting plate. The cam is installed on the clamping connecting plate and passes through the cam guide groove. The clamping column is fixedly installed at the end of the tray. The tension spring is installed between the limiting stop and the tray mounting plate. The limiting block is fixedly installed at the end of the Y-axis moving module of the picking and placing fixtures mechanism.

[0051] The support fixture is placed inside the basket of the lifting mechanism. When the support fixture needs to be removed, the Y-axis moving module of the fixture removal and placement mechanism moves the tray to extend under the top support fixture inside the basket and support it. At this time, the clamping connecting plate also moves with the tray, and the tension spring is stretched until the limit stop hits the limit block. Then the clamping connecting plate stops moving forward with the tray. As the lifting mechanism then descends, the tray of the fixture removal and placement mechanism lifts the support fixture out of the lifting mechanism. Then the tray moves along the Y-axis moving module of the fixture removal and placement mechanism to the limit stop. At the positioning slot, the limiting slot can limit the position of the inner and outer sides of the carrying fixture. Due to the restoring force of the tension spring, the clamping connecting plate and the tray will move relative to each other during the movement of the tray. That is, the cam slides in the cam guide slot, so that the left and right ends of the carrying fixture are clamped between the cam and the clamping column. Then, the assembly of the carrying fixture, wafer and cover plate is completed by the transfer robot assembly. The fixture picking and placing mechanism then transfers the assembled fixture assembly to the basket lifting mechanism. This process is the reverse of the carrying fixture process.

[0052] Specifically, the schematic diagram of the explosive structure of the jig assembly is as follows: Figure 12 As shown, the support fixture 17 is located at the bottom and is equipped with wafer positioning pins 1702, cover plate positioning pins 1701, and magnets 1703. The wafer is placed on the support fixture, and the wafer has two wafer positioning holes 1301 corresponding to the wafer positioning pins. The cover plate 18 is located above the wafer and has cover plate positioning holes 1801 corresponding to the cover plate positioning pins. After assembly, the wafer positioning pins are inserted into the wafer positioning holes, the cover plate positioning pins are inserted into the cover plate positioning holes, and the support fixture and the cover plate are attracted together by magnets.

[0053] Furthermore, the basket lifting mechanism is located below the loading and unloading fixture mechanism, as shown in the schematic diagram of the basket lifting mechanism. Figure 11 As shown, it includes a basket 901, a ball screw 903, a ball screw drive motor 904, a fixed plate 905, a movable plate 906, and a guide shaft 902. The ball screw drive motor is fixedly mounted below the fixed plate to drive the ball screw to rotate. The movable plate is connected to the ball screw via a nut sleeve. The basket is fixedly mounted on the movable plate, and the guide shaft is installed between the fixed plate and the movable plate. The basket is used to hold a supporting fixture, and the ball screw drive motor drives the ball screw to rotate, thereby raising and lowering the basket to the target workstation.

[0054] The specific workflow of this invention is as follows:

[0055] Wafer transfer side process:

[0056] The fully loaded wafer cassette is manually placed into the wafer receiving mechanism, and the top cover is removed. During non-receiving periods, the movable hopper covers the wafer cassette, and nitrogen gas is introduced to prevent wafer oxidation. The outer nozzle of the transfer robot component picks up the optical disc and foam, and transfers them to the recycling bin of the wafer receiving mechanism. The camera of the wafer identification mechanism photographs the pad area to determine the presence status of the wafer and whether it needs to be flipped. If the wafer identification mechanism determines there is no wafer, the outer suction nozzle of the transfer robot assembly removes the empty pad to the recycling bin. If a wafer is detected, the camera of the wafer identification mechanism outputs the wafer's deflection angle through the two wafer positioning holes on the wafer. The outer suction nozzle picks up the wafer along with the pad. The transfer nozzle's R-axis rotation device compensates for the corresponding deflection angle and then transfers the wafer to the transfer platform. The transfer platform's vacuum adsorption assembly fixes the bottom surface of the pad, ensuring the wafers are on the same plane. The platform lifting device adjusts the platform to the working height. The transfer mechanism's vision recognition module and laser height measurement module simultaneously collect the wafer's position, angle, and height information. If the wafer does not need to be flipped, the inner suction nozzle directly picks the wafer from the pad from the transfer platform. After secondary positioning by the camera of the wafer identification mechanism, angle compensation is performed. The vision recognition module identifies the wafer positioning pins of the fixture in the limit slot of the pick-and-place fixture mechanism, and the transfer mechanism moves the wafer... After aligning the positioning holes with the wafer positioning pins, the wafer is placed. If the wafer needs to be flipped, the flipping mechanism moves above the wafer, the transfer platform rises so that the flipping mechanism's suction cup assembly contacts and adsorbs the wafer, the transfer platform descends to avoid it, and the flipping mechanism's R-axis rotation module performs a 180° flip. The transfer platform rises again, and the wafer is replaced in the transfer platform's pad. The wafer transfer to the transfer platform is detected again, and the process for wafers that do not need to be flipped is executed. The laser height measurement module confirms the wafer placement height, and the outer suction nozzle picks up the cover plate from the cover plate holding assembly. The wafer lower identification mechanism positions the cover plate positioning holes, the vision identification module positions the cover plate positioning pins on the carrier fixture, and after the transfer suction nozzle's R-axis rotation device compensates for the angle deviation, the cover plate positioning holes and cover plate positioning pins are aligned and placed on the carrier fixture. Because the carrier fixture has magnets, the cover plate and the carrier fixture are attracted together to form a fixture assembly, which facilitates the automatic supply of wafers for subsequent semiconductor production.

[0057] The process of supplying and receiving the load-bearing fixture is as follows: The operator places the basket fully loaded with the load-bearing fixture into the basket lifting mechanism and places the cover plate into the cover plate holding assembly. The basket lifting mechanism is then raised and lowered to the target workstation. The Y-axis moving module of the load-bearing fixture picking and placing mechanism moves the pallet into the basket and supports the load-bearing fixture from below. At this time, the clamping connecting plate also moves with the pallet, and the tension spring is stretched until the limit block collides with the limit block. Then the clamping connecting plate stops moving forward with the pallet. As the basket lifting mechanism then descends, the pallet of the load-bearing fixture picking and placing mechanism lifts the load-bearing fixture out of the basket lifting mechanism. The pallet then moves along the Y-axis moving module of the load-bearing fixture picking and placing mechanism to the limit groove. During the movement of the pallet, the clamping connecting plate moves relative to the pallet under the action of the tension spring's restoring force, causing the cam to slide in the cam guide groove. Thus, the left and right ends of the load-bearing fixture are clamped between the cam and the clamping column. Then, the transfer robot assembly places the wafer and cover plate onto the carrier fixture according to their respective positioning, thereby completing the assembly of the carrier fixture, wafer, and cover plate. The fixture picking and placing mechanism then transfers the assembled fixture assembly to the basket lifting mechanism.

[0058] In summary, the automatic wafer feeding device proposed in this invention can automatically remove wafers from the wafer holder and place them on the carrier fixture, thereby realizing automatic and safe wafer feeding, improving production efficiency, preventing wafers from developing microcracks or breakage, and ensuring precise placement.

[0059] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated wafer feeding device, characterized in that: The system includes a rack and mounted on it a basket lifting mechanism, a pick-and-place fixture mechanism, a wafer lower identification mechanism, a transfer mechanism, a wafer upper identification mechanism, a flipping mechanism, a transfer platform, a wafer supply and receiving mechanism, and a cover plate holding assembly. The wafer supply and receiving mechanism is used to provide the recycling of wafers and the optical discs, foam, and gaskets used to package the wafers. The transfer platform is used for wafer transfer. The flipping mechanism is used to flip and store the wafers that need to be flipped on the transfer platform. The wafer lower identification mechanism is used to identify the characteristic information of the wafers and cover plates adsorbed by the transfer mechanism and obtain angle and position information. The pick-and-place fixture mechanism is used to remove the carrier fixture from the basket lifting mechanism and send the assembled fixture back to the basket lifting mechanism. The transfer mechanism is used to transfer wafers and cover plates between the pick-and-place fixture mechanism, the wafer supply and receiving mechanism, the transfer platform, and the cover plate holding assembly. The wafer upper identification mechanism is used to capture images of the wafers in the wafer supply and receiving mechanism and output angle and position information.

2. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer receiving mechanism is located on the right side of the rack. The wafer receiving mechanism includes a wafer receiving mechanism support, a recycling bin, a wafer holding box base, a sealed bin, and a sealed bin drive device. The wafer receiving mechanism support is fixedly installed on the rack. The recycling bin and the wafer holding box base are both fixedly installed on the wafer receiving mechanism support. The sealed bin includes a fixed plate and a movable bin body. The fixed plate is fixedly installed on the wafer receiving mechanism support and is located between the recycling bin and the wafer holding box base. The fixed plate has multiple vent holes that communicate with the nitrogen supply device. The movable bin body is driven by the sealed bin drive device to move along the wafer receiving mechanism support. When the movable bin body is above the wafer holding box base, it forms a sealed bin together with the fixed plate.

3. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transfer platform is located above the wafer supply and receiving mechanism. The transfer platform includes a transfer platform mounting plate, a transfer platform vacuum adsorption component, a platform body, and a platform lifting device. The transfer platform mounting plate is fixedly installed on the frame, the transfer platform vacuum adsorption component is fixedly installed on the lower surface of the platform body, and the platform lifting device drives the transfer platform to move up and down.

4. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flipping mechanism is located above the transfer platform. The flipping mechanism includes an X-axis moving module, a Y-axis moving module, an R-axis rotating module, and a suction cup assembly. The X-axis moving module is mounted on the frame, and the Y-axis moving module is mounted on top of the X-axis moving module. The R-axis rotating module includes a mounting plate, a hollow rotating shaft, and a drive device. The mounting plate is fixedly mounted on the Y-axis moving module, and the hollow rotating shaft is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate. The drive device drives the hollow rotating shaft. The suction cup assembly includes a suction cup, which is fixedly mounted on the end of the hollow rotating shaft.

5. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transfer mechanism is located next to the flipping mechanism. The transfer mechanism includes a transfer mechanism support, an X-axis moving module, a Y-axis moving module, a Z-axis moving module, and a transfer robot assembly. The transfer mechanism support is fixedly mounted on the frame. The Y-axis moving module is mounted on the transfer mechanism support. The X-axis moving module is mounted on the Y-axis moving module, and the Z-axis moving module is mounted on the X-axis moving module. The transfer robot assembly includes a robot mounting plate, an inner suction nozzle, and an outer suction nozzle. The device includes a nozzle switching device, a transfer nozzle R-axis rotating device, and a transfer robot mounting plate mounted on the transfer mechanism Z-axis moving module. The transfer nozzle R-axis rotating device is fixedly mounted on the transfer robot mounting plate, and a nozzle support frame is mounted on the rotating shaft of the transfer nozzle R-axis rotating device. The inner nozzle is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the nozzle support frame. The nozzle switching device includes a drive cylinder, a guide rail, and a slider. The guide rail is located on the nozzle support frame, and the slider is slidably mounted on the guide rail and driven up and down by the drive cylinder. The bottom of the slider is fixedly connected to the outer nozzle.

6. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transfer mechanism also includes a visual recognition module and a laser height measurement module, both of which are mounted on the Z-axis moving module and located next to the transfer robot assembly.

7. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer lower identification mechanism is located on the left side of the transfer platform, and the wafer upper identification mechanism is located below the wafer supply and receiving mechanism.

8. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cover plate holding assembly is fixedly disposed below the wafer under-identification mechanism, and includes a cover plate holding box and a full material sensor installed above the cover plate holding box.

9. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pick-and-place fixture mechanism is located on the left side of the wafer identification mechanism. It includes a Y-axis moving module, a tray, a clamping device, and a limiting plate. The tray is fixedly mounted on the tray mounting plate and is driven to reciprocate by the Y-axis moving module. A cam guide groove is provided on the tray. The limiting plate is fixedly mounted on the end of the Y-axis moving module and has a limiting groove. The clamping device includes a clamping connecting plate, a cam, a clamping column, a tension spring, and a limiting block. The clamping connecting plate slides relative to the tray mounting plate and has a limiting stop at its lower part. The cam is mounted on the clamping connecting plate and passes through the cam guide groove. The clamping column is fixedly mounted on the end of the tray. The tension spring is installed between the limiting stop and the tray mounting plate. The limiting block is fixedly mounted on the end of the Y-axis moving module.

10. The automatic wafer feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The basket lifting mechanism is located below the pick-and-place fixture mechanism. It includes a basket, a ball screw, a ball screw drive motor, a fixed plate, a movable plate, and a guide shaft. The ball screw drive motor is fixedly installed below the fixed plate to drive the ball screw to rotate. The movable plate is connected to the ball screw by a nut sleeve. The basket is fixedly installed on the movable plate. The guide shaft is installed between the fixed plate and the movable plate.

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