Transmission finger, vacuum manipulator and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a transmission finger, a vacuum manipulator and semiconductor process equipment, relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and is designed for solving the problem that a wafer is easy to slip when the transmission speed of the vacuum manipulator is relatively high. The transmission finger is used for semiconductor process equipment and comprises a finger body and a plurality of bearing assemblies, and the bearing assemblies are distributed on the same bearing circumference at intervals; the bearing assembly comprises a bearing piece, the bearing piece is installed on the finger body in a vertically-swinging mode and provided with a supporting part and a blocking part, the supporting part and the blocking part are arranged on the two sides of the swinging axis of the bearing piece, and the radius of the circumference where the supporting part is located is smaller than that of the circumference where the blocking part is located. The supporting part is used for supporting a wafer, and the blocking part is used for swinging upwards when the wafer is supported on the supporting part so as to abut against the outer edge of the wafer. According to the invention, slippage of the wafer can be avoided.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, in particular to a transmission finger, a vacuum manipulator and a semiconductor process equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] The vacuum manipulator is one of the important components in the semiconductor process equipment, and is used to realize the transmission of the wafer between the load chamber and the process chamber. The vacuum manipulator usually comprises a vacuum arm and a vacuum finger installed on the vacuum arm. During the transmission of the wafer, the vacuum finger carries the wafer and provides support force for the transmission of the wafer.

[0003] For some semiconductor process equipment, because the process time of the process chamber is short, the semiconductor process equipment needs to have high transmission capacity. As the important transfer station of the transmission system, the vacuum manipulator needs to have faster transmission speed. However, when the transmission speed of the vacuum manipulator is fast, the wafer is prone to slip, which causes the wafer to move in the XY plane, thereby affecting the smooth progress of the subsequent process. SUMMARY

[0004] The first object of the present application is to provide a transmission finger to solve the technical problem that the wafer is prone to slip when the transmission speed of the vacuum manipulator is fast.

[0005] The transmission finger provided by the present application is used in a semiconductor process equipment, and comprises a finger body and a plurality of bearing assemblies. The plurality of bearing assemblies are distributed at intervals on the same bearing circumference. The bearing assembly comprises a bearing piece which is swingably installed on the finger body. The bearing piece is provided with a support portion and a blocking portion. The support portion and the blocking portion are arranged on both sides of the swing axis of the bearing piece. The radius of the circle on which the support portion is located is smaller than the radius of the circle on which the blocking portion is located. The support portion is used to support the wafer, and the blocking portion is used to swing upward when the wafer is supported on the support portion to abut against the outer edge of the wafer.

[0006] Further, the support portion is elastically and floatingly arranged in the up-down direction relative to the finger body.

[0007] Further, the bearing assembly further comprises a support piece and an elastic element. The elastic element fixedly connects the support piece and the bearing piece. The side of the support piece away from the bearing piece is used to form the support portion.

[0008] Further, the material of the bearing piece is ceramic or heat-resistant resin, and the material of the support piece is ceramic or heat-resistant resin. The heat-resistant temperature of the heat-resistant resin is not less than 300 DEG C.

[0009] Further, the support surface of the support part is an arc surface, and the diameter of the arc surface gradually decreases from bottom to top.

[0010] Further, the finger body is provided with a plurality of mounting notches, the number of the mounting notches is same as the number of the bearing assemblies, and the plurality of mounting notches are used for one-to-one corresponding mounting of the plurality of bearing assemblies respectively; the bearing assembly further comprises a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft penetrates the bearing part, and the rotating shaft is mounted in the mounting notch, and the rotating shaft is used for swinging the bearing part up and down relative to the finger body.

[0011] Further, with the axis of the rotating shaft as a boundary line, in the non-supporting state of the support part, the support part has a tendency to swing upward; the bearing part is further provided with a limiting part, the lower part of the finger body is provided with a limiting surface, and the limiting part is used for abutting against the limiting surface to limit the upward swing of the support part.

[0012] Further, the limiting surface is arranged in the mounting notch, and the limiting surface is higher than the lower surface of the finger body; the limiting part is arranged at one end of the bearing part away from the blocking part.

[0013] Further, at least one side of the finger body located in the mounting notch is provided with a first arc-shaped groove, the bearing assembly further comprises a fixing part, the fixing part is provided with a second arc-shaped groove, the second arc-shaped groove and the first arc-shaped groove are in butt joint to form a mounting cavity, and the rotating shaft is arranged in the mounting cavity.

[0014] Further, the fixing part is at least partially above the bearing part, and the fixing part is located between the swing axis and the blocking part.

[0015] Further, the material of the finger body is ceramic or aluminum alloy, and the material of the fixing part is same as that of the finger body.

[0016] Further, the bearing assembly further comprises a first blocking ring and a second blocking ring, the first blocking ring and the second blocking ring are fixedly sleeved on the rotating shaft, and are separately arranged at two sides of the bearing part.

[0017] Further, the blocking part comprises a blocking surface, in the non-supporting state of the support part, the blocking surface is inclined relative to the horizontal plane, and along the direction from bottom to top, the blocking surface is inclined and extends in the direction away from the support part; the blocking surface is a circular arc surface, and the blocking surface is concentric with the bearing circle.

[0018] The beneficial effects brought by the transmission finger are as follows:

[0019] By setting the transmission finger mainly composed of a finger body and a plurality of bearing assemblies, when a wafer is transported by a vacuum manipulator comprising the transmission finger, the transmission of the wafer from a process chamber to a load chamber is taken as an example for illustration.

[0020] Firstly, the transmission finger can be moved to below the wafer in the process chamber, so that the center of the transmission finger is coincident with the center of the wafer; then, the transmission finger is lifted, the wafer is first in contact with the supporting part of the bearing, at the moment of contact, the wafer is not separated from the three-pin support in the process chamber, at this time, the wafer edge is not in contact with the blocking part; as the transmission finger continues to rise, the wafer will be gradually converted from the three-pin support in the process chamber to the support of the plurality of bearing assemblies of the transmission finger, the plurality of supporting parts are subjected to the gravity of the wafer, so that the bearing swings downward at one end of the supporting part and swings upward at one end of the blocking part, that is, the end of the bearing close to the center of the bearing circle swings downward, and the end of the bearing away from the center of the bearing circle swings upward, until the blocking part is in contact with the outer edge of the wafer, so that the gravity of the wafer is converted into the contact force of the blocking part and the outer edge of the wafer. Under the joint action of the bearings of the plurality of bearing assemblies, the wafer is fixed on the transmission finger.

[0021] The transmission finger is set as above, which ensures the relative position of the wafer and the finger body during the transmission process, so that even when the transmission speed of the vacuum manipulator is fast, the wafer will not move in the XY plane, effectively avoiding the slip of the wafer, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of the subsequent process.

[0022] The second object of the present application is to provide a vacuum manipulator to solve the technical problem that the wafer is prone to slip when the transmission speed of the vacuum manipulator is fast.

[0023] The vacuum manipulator provided by the present application comprises the transmission finger described above.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the vacuum manipulator of the present application are as follows:

[0025] By setting the transmission finger in the vacuum manipulator, the vacuum manipulator has all the advantages of the transmission finger described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0026] The third object of the present application is to provide a semiconductor process equipment to solve the technical problem that the wafer is prone to slip when the transmission speed of the vacuum manipulator is fast.

[0027] The semiconductor process equipment provided by the present application comprises a process chamber, a load chamber and a transmission chamber, the transmission chamber is provided with the vacuum manipulator described above, and the vacuum manipulator is used for transporting a wafer between the process chamber and the load chamber.

[0028] The semiconductor process equipment provided by the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] By arranging the vacuum manipulator in the semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment has all the advantages of the vacuum manipulator, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the related art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the related art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only illustrate the embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of the provided drawings.

[0031] Figure 1 The installation schematic diagram of the vacuum manipulator in the semiconductor process equipment is shown in FIG. 1.

[0032] Figure 2 The top view of the integrated finger provided by the related art is shown in FIG. 2.

[0033] Figure 3 The front view of the integrated finger provided by the related art is shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] Figure 4 The structural schematic diagram of the process chamber of the semiconductor process equipment is shown in FIG. 4.

[0035] Figure 5 The top view of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 5.

[0036] Figure 6 The structural schematic diagram of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 6, in which a set of bearing assemblies is a structural exploded schematic.

[0037] Figure 7 The front view of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 7. Figure 6 The enlarged view of the partial structure at A in FIG. 7 is shown in FIG. 8.

[0038] Figure 8 The top view of the bearing assembly of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application after the hidden fixing part is hidden is shown in FIG. 9.

[0039] Figure 9 The front view of the bearing assembly of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application after the hidden fixing part is hidden is shown in FIG. 10.

[0040] Figure 10 The back structural schematic diagram of the finger body of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 11.

[0041] Figure 11 The front view of the finger body of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 12. Figure 10 The enlarged view of the partial structure at B in FIG. 12 is shown in FIG. 13.

[0042] Figure 12 A partial structure sectional view of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 13 A C-C sectional view in Figure 5

[0044] Figure 14 A partial structure schematic view of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Fig. 15(a) is a top view of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application in a state of contacting the wafer and the wafer not being detached from the support of the three pins of the process chamber;

[0046] Fig. 15(b) is a D-D sectional view in Fig. 15(a);

[0047] Fig. 15(c) is an enlarged view of the relative position between the wafer and the three pins in Fig. 15(b);

[0048] Fig. 16(a) is a top view of the wafer being supported by the support of the three pins of the process chamber being converted to the support of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig. 16(b) is an E-E sectional view in Fig. 16(a);

[0050] Fig. 16(c) is an enlarged view of the relative position between the wafer and the three pins in Fig. 16(b);

[0051] Fig. 17(a) is a top view of the wafer being completely supported by the support of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application while being detached from the support of the three pins of the process chamber;

[0052] Fig. 17(b) is an F-F sectional view in Fig. 17(a);

[0053] Figure 18 A force analysis diagram of the wafer in the action process of the wafer being carried by the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Fig. 19(a) is a front view of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application when not carrying the wafer;

[0055] Fig. 19(b) is an enlarged view of the partial structure at H in Fig. 19(a);

[0056] Fig. 20(a) is a front view of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application when carrying the wafer;

[0057] Fig. 20(b) is an enlarged view of the partial structure at I in Fig. 20(a);

[0058] Fig. 21(a) is a front view of the transmission finger provided by the embodiment of the present application when entering the process chamber to pick up the wafer; ​

[0059] Fig. 21(b) is an enlarged view of the partial structure at J in Fig. 21(a);

[0060] Fig. 22(a) is a front view of the transfer finger provided by the embodiment of the present application when moving out of the process chamber;

[0061] Fig. 22(b) is an enlarged view of the partial structure at K in Fig. 22(a);

[0062] Figure 23 Fig. 23(a) is a schematic diagram of the distance between the highest position and the lowest position of the transfer finger provided by the embodiment of the present application during the whole process of picking up the wafer;

[0063] Figure 24 Fig. 24(a) is a schematic diagram of the minimum height of the wafer transfer port required for the transfer finger provided by the embodiment of the present application to transfer the wafer;

[0064] Figure 25 Fig. 25(a) is a front view of an integrated finger with radial limiting function provided by the related art;

[0065] Figure 26 Fig. 25(b) is a front view of the integrated finger with radial limiting function just entering the process chamber in the related art; Figure 25

[0066] Fig. 25(c) is a front view of the integrated finger with radial limiting function moving the wafer out of the process chamber in the related art; Figure 27 Figure 25 Fig. 25(d) is a schematic diagram of the distance between the highest position and the lowest position of the integrated finger with radial limiting function during the whole process of picking up the wafer in the related art;

[0067] Figure 28 Figure 25 Fig. 25(e) is a schematic diagram of the minimum height of the wafer transfer port required for the integrated finger with radial limiting function to transfer the wafer in the related art;

[0068] Figure 29 Fig. 26(a) is a top view of another transfer finger provided by the embodiment of the present application when carrying the wafer; Figure 25

[0069] Fig. 26(b) is a top view of the transfer finger in Fig. 26(a); Figure 30

[0070] Fig. 26(c) is a top view of the transfer finger in Fig. 26(a); Figure 31 Figure 30

[0071] Legend of reference signs:

[0072] 10 - process chamber; 11 - wafer transfer port; 12 - three-needle support; 13 - focusing ring; 20 - load chamber; 30 - transfer chamber; 40 - vacuum mechanical hand; 41 - integrated finger; 42 - small boss; 43 - limiting block;

[0073] ​​​​010 - wafer; 100 - finger body; 200 - bearing assembly; 300 - bearing circumference;

[0074] 110 - mounting gap; 120 - limiting surface; 130 - first arc-shaped groove; 140 - end scale;

[0075] 210 - bearing; 220 - support; 230 - elastic element; 240 - rotation shaft; 250 - fixing member; 260 - first blocking ring; 270 - second blocking ring;

[0076] 211 - support part; 212 - blocking part; 2121 - blocking surface; 213 - limiting part; 214 - accommodating groove; 251 - second arc-shaped groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0077] A vacuum robot (VAC Robot or VTR for short) is one of the important components in a semiconductor process equipment. As shown in FIG. 1, a vacuum robot 40 is installed in a transfer chamber (TC for short) 30, and functions to transfer a wafer 010 in a load lock (LL for short) 20 to a process module (PM for short) 10, and then transfer the wafer 010 in the process module 10 to the load lock 20 after the wafer 010 in the process module 10 is processed. The vacuum robot 40 uses a vacuum finger to bear the wafer 010, and provides support force for the wafer 010 during the transfer. Figure 1

[0078] At present, the vacuum fingers commonly used in etching equipment include the following two forms: (1) rubber pad type finger; and (2) integrated finger 41. For the rubber pad type finger, the support structure for supporting the wafer 010 is made of rubber material, which can increase the friction between the vacuum finger and the wafer 010, so as to reduce the risk of wafer 010 slipping in the XY plane. However, due to the working temperature limitation of the rubber material, this type of vacuum finger cannot be used in a high temperature environment above 300°C; as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for the integrated finger 41, which is mainly obtained by material removal, the finger structure usually includes three or four small bosses 42, which are used to support the wafer 010 and can meet the use requirements in a high temperature environment. However, the friction between the support structure and the wafer 010 is small during the use of this integrated finger 41, and once the vacuum robot 40 is used for high speed transfer, the wafer 010 will slip in the XY plane, so that this type of vacuum finger cannot be used in high speed transfer conditions. Figure 2 Figure 3

[0079] ​​​In addition, the size of the wafer transfer port 11 of the process chamber 10 also needs to be considered when designing the shape and structure of the vacuum finger. As shown in Figure 4 the wafer transfer port 11 of the process chamber 10 is usually between 20-35mm, the higher the height of the wafer transfer port 11, the greater the influence on the flow field in the process chamber 10, and the greater the adverse effect on the etching speed and uniformity of the process chamber 10. Therefore, the smaller the height of the wafer transfer port 11 of the process chamber 10, the better, which requires the thickness of the vacuum finger to be as small as possible, and the thickness of the vacuum finger is required to be higher.

[0080] Therefore, the purpose of the present application is to provide a transmission finger, a vacuum manipulator and a semiconductor process equipment to at least solve the technical problem that the wafer 010 is easy to slip when the transmission speed of the vacuum manipulator is fast.

[0081] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, characteristics and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and do not limit the present application.

[0082] As shown in Figure 5 , the embodiment provides a transmission finger, which comprises a finger body 100 and a plurality of bearing assemblies 200, and the plurality of bearing assemblies 200 are distributed on the same bearing circumference 300.

[0083] As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the bearing assembly 200 comprises a bearing 210, which is swingably installed on the finger body 100. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8 and Figure 9 , the bearing 210 is provided with a supporting portion 211 and a blocking portion 212, the supporting portion 211 and the blocking portion 212 are separately arranged on both sides of the swing axis of the bearing 210, and the radius of the circumference where the supporting portion 211 is located is smaller than the radius of the circumference where the blocking portion 212 is located. Wherein, the supporting portion 211 is used to support the wafer 010; the blocking portion 212 is used to swing upward when the wafer 010 is supported on the supporting portion 211, so as to abut against the outer edge of the wafer 010.

[0084] When the wafer 010 is transmitted by the vacuum manipulator comprising the transmission finger, the transmission of the wafer 010 from the process chamber 10 to the load chamber 20 is taken as an example for description.

[0085] Firstly, when the wafer 010 is located at the wafer transfer position in the process chamber 10, the three-pin support 12 extends upward from the support plate to support the wafer 010, so that the transfer finger moves to the lower side of the wafer 010 in the process chamber 10, that is, the transfer finger moves to the space between the wafer 010 and the support plate, and the center of the transfer finger coincides with the center of the wafer 010; then, the transfer finger rises, and the wafer 010 first contacts the support part 211 of the support member 210, at the moment of contact, the wafer 010 is not separated from the three-pin support 12 in the process chamber 10, at this time, the edge of the wafer 010 does not contact the blocking part 212; as the transfer finger continues to rise, the wafer 010 is gradually transferred from the three-pin support 12 in the process chamber 10 to the support part 211 of the plurality of support assemblies 200 of the transfer finger, and the plurality of support parts 211 are subjected to the gravity of the wafer 010, so that the support member 210 swings downward at one end of the support part 211 and swings upward at one end of the blocking part 212, that is, the end of the support member 210 close to the center of the bearing circle 300 swings downward, and the end of the support member 210 away from the center of the bearing circle 300 swings upward, until the blocking part 212 contacts the outer edge of the wafer 010, so that part of the gravity of the wafer 010 is converted into the contact force between the blocking part 212 and the outer edge of the wafer 010, at this time, the gravity of the wafer 010 is borne by the support part 211 and the blocking part 212, that is, under the gravity of the wafer 010, the support part 211 and the blocking part 212 generate a counterforce to support the wafer 010, and at the same time, the blocking part 212 limits the wafer 010 at the edge thereof to avoid the wafer 010 from slipping due to inertia during movement, so that the wafer 010 is fixed on the transfer finger under the joint action of the plurality of support assemblies 200.

[0086] The transfer finger bears the wafer 010 by using the counterforce generated by the support part 211 and the blocking part 212, limits the wafer 010 in the axial downward direction, and limits the wafer 010 in the radial direction by using the contact between the blocking part 212 and the edge of the wafer 010, so as to ensure the relative position between the wafer 010 and the finger body 100 during the transfer process, so that even if the transfer speed of the vacuum manipulator is high, the wafer 010 will not move in the XY plane, the slipping of the wafer 010 is effectively avoided, and the subsequent process is ensured to be carried out smoothly.

[0087] It should be noted that in the embodiment, the coordinate system can refer to Figure 6 schematically.

[0088] Please continue to refer to Figure 5In the embodiment, the transmission finger includes three sets of bearing assemblies 200, which are distributed along the bearing circumference 300 at equal intervals, that is, the included angle between the support points of any two adjacent support portions 211 of the three sets of bearing assemblies 200 and the center of the bearing circumference 300 is 120°. The center of the bearing circumference 300 is concentric with the center of the wafer 010 to be transported, that is, the center of the transmission finger, and the center of the bearing circumference 300 is located at point O in the schematic diagram. Figure 5 In the embodiment, the end scale line 140 of the transmission finger is a segment of the bearing circumference 300. Specifically, the radius of the bearing circumference 300 is 150 mm, which is consistent with the radius of a 12-inch wafer.

[0089] The above arrangement can achieve uniform loading of the wafer 010, so that the gravity of the wafer 010 can be evenly distributed to the plurality of bearing assemblies 200, preventing uneven stress on the wafer 010.

[0090] In the embodiment, the support portion 211 is elastically and floatingly arranged relative to the finger body 100 in the up-down direction.

[0091] By arranging the support portion 211 to be elastically and floatingly arranged relative to the finger body 100, the instantaneous contact force can be buffered in the process of transporting the wafer 010 by the transmission finger, so as to reduce the damage to the wafer 010 caused by the transmission finger during the lifting process of the vacuum manipulator.

[0092] It should be noted that, in the embodiment, the "up-down direction" is described based on the state of the semiconductor process equipment during use, specifically, the up-down direction under the visual angle. Figure 9

[0093] Please continue to refer to Figure 7 and Figure 9 In the embodiment, the bearing assembly 200 can further include a support 220 and an elastic element 230. Specifically, the elastic element 230 fixedly connects the support 220 and the bearing 210, and the side of the support 220 away from the bearing 210 is used to form the support portion 211.

[0094] ​By setting the bearing assembly 200 to the above structure, the elastic element 230 is compressed and deformed elastically at the moment when the wafer 010 contacts the support 220, thereby effectively buffering the instantaneous contact force between the wafer 010 and the support 211. The deformed elastic element 230 applies an elastic force to the bearing 210, so that the end of the bearing 210 close to the center of the bearing circumference 300 swings downward, and the end of the bearing 210 away from the center of the bearing circumference 300 swings upward, thereby achieving the purpose of limiting the wafer 010 in the radial direction by the blocking portion 212, so as to prevent the wafer 010 from slipping in the transmission process.

[0095] The structure of the bearing assembly 200 has the following advantages. On the one hand, the elastic deformation direction of the elastic element 230 is consistent with the lifting direction of the transmission finger, i.e., the elastic deformation direction of the elastic element 230 is consistent with the bearing direction of the wafer 010, so that the elastic element 230 can quickly deform elastically to provide a buffering effect at the moment when the support 220 contacts the wafer 010, and the response is timely. On the other hand, the gravity of the wafer 010 can be transmitted to the elastic element 230 through the support 220, and the force transmission path is short, thereby further improving the response speed of the elastic element 230.

[0096] In this embodiment, the elastic element 230 is a spiral spring. The bearing 210 can be provided with a receiving groove 214, and the elastic element 230 is embedded in the receiving groove 214. At the same time, a guide protrusion is arranged on the bottom wall of the receiving groove 214, so that the elastic element 230 is sleeved on the guide protrusion, thereby providing a guide for the extension and contraction of the elastic element 230.

[0097] In other embodiments, the elastic element 230 can also be a torsion spring. In this case, the elastic element 230 is arranged at the position of the swing axis of the bearing 210. Specifically, the torsion spring can be sleeved on the rotating shaft of the bearing assembly 200, and one torsion arm of the torsion spring is fixedly connected with the bearing 210, and the other torsion arm of the torsion spring is fixedly connected with the finger body 100. When the support 220 is subjected to the gravity of the wafer 010, the force can be transmitted to the elastic element 230 through the bearing 210, thereby achieving the buffering purpose.

[0098] In this embodiment, the material of the bearing 210 is ceramic or heat-resistant resin, and the material of the support 220 is also ceramic or heat-resistant resin. The heat-resistant temperature of the heat-resistant resin is not less than 300°C.

[0099] The above materials of the bearing 210 and the support 220 have good thermal stability, and can meet the use requirements in a high-temperature environment.

[0100] Specifically, the heat-resistant resin can be conductive PEEK (Poly Ether Ether Ketone), which can withstand a temperature of 300°C or above.

[0101] Please continue to refer to Figure 9 In this embodiment, the support surface of the support part 211 is an arc surface, wherein the diameter of the arc surface gradually decreases from bottom to top, that is, from the side of the carrier assembly 200, the arc surface is arched towards the direction of the wafer 010.

[0102] This form of supporting the wafer 010 with an arc surface can avoid stress concentration of the wafer 010 at the support position, thereby further reducing the risk of damage to the wafer 010.

[0103] Specifically, the support surface of the support part 211 can be a spherical surface or an elliptical surface.

[0104] Please continue to refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 in combination with Figure 10 In this embodiment, the finger body 100 is provided with a plurality of mounting notches 110, wherein the number of mounting notches 110 is the same as the number of carrier assemblies 200, and in this embodiment, the number of mounting notches 110 is three, and the three mounting notches 110 are used to one-to-one correspondingly mount the three carrier assemblies 200. Specifically, the carrier assembly 200 further comprises a rotating shaft 240, the rotating shaft 240 is provided through the carrier 210, and the rotating shaft 240 is mounted on the wall surface of the mounting notch 110, and the rotating shaft 240 is used to swing the carrier 210 up and down relative to the finger body 100.

[0105] This form of mounting the carrier assembly 200 in the open mounting notch 110, on the one hand, can effectively utilize the height space of the finger body 100 at the position of the mounting notch 110, so as to reduce the occupation of the upper and lower spaces of the finger body 100, which is beneficial to reduce the overall thickness of the transmission finger of this embodiment, thereby reducing the demand for the height of the transmission port 11, on the other hand, it is also convenient for the assembly and connection of the carrier assembly 200 and the finger body 100.

[0106] Please continue to refer to Figure 7 to Figure 9 In this embodiment, the carrier assembly 200 can further comprise a first stop ring 260 and a second stop ring 270, and specifically, the first stop ring 260 and the second stop ring 270 are both fixedly sleeved on the rotating shaft 240 and are arranged on both sides of the carrier 210.

[0107] The above-mentioned first stop ring 260 and second stop ring 270 can prevent the carrier 210 from axially moving on the rotating shaft 240, thereby ensuring the assembly stability of the carrier 210.

[0108] Please continue to refer to Figure 10 , and combine Figure 11 In this embodiment, the axis of the rotating shaft 240 is taken as the demarcation line, and the support part 211 has a tendency to swing upward in the non-supporting state. Therefore, when the carrier 210 is installed on the finger body 100 through the rotating shaft 240, the blocking part 212 always has a tendency to swing downward, and the support part 211 always has a tendency to swing upward. The carrier 210 is further provided with a limiting part 213, and the lower part of the finger body 100 is provided with a limiting surface 120, wherein the limiting part 213 is used to cooperate with the limiting surface 120 to limit the upward swing of the support part 211.

[0109] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the weight of the carrier 210 at one end of the blocking part 212 is greater than the weight of the carrier 210 at one end of the support part 211, so that when the carrier 210 is installed on the finger body 100 through the rotating shaft 240, the blocking part 212 has a tendency to swing downward, and the support part 211 has a tendency to swing upward.

[0110] When the transmission finger is not loaded on the wafer 010, that is, when the support part 211 is not subjected to the gravity of the wafer 010, the carrier 210 is subjected to its own gravity, so that the limiting part 213 abuts against the limiting surface 120 on the lower surface of the finger body 100, thereby limiting the upward swing of the support part 211, so that the support part 211 remains positionally fixed relative to the finger body 100.

[0111] Through the above arrangement, on the one hand, since the support part 211 always has a tendency to swing upward, when the support part 211 is not subjected to force, the support part 211 can stably remain at the position and will not swing downward, so that when the support part 211 swings downward due to the gravity of the wafer 010, the downward movement of the support part 211 completely depends on the gravity of the wafer 010, and the support part 211 will not generate a virtual displacement, so that the support part 211 can continuously provide support to the wafer 010, thereby ensuring the support reliability of the wafer 010, and on the other hand, the maximum swing angle of the support part 211 can be limited, so as to avoid the carrier 210 from swinging at will, and the position of the support part 211 relative to the finger body 100 is fixed.

[0112] Please continue to refer to Figure 11 , and combine Figure 12 In this embodiment, the limiting surface 120 is arranged on the mounting gap 110, and the limiting surface 120 is higher than the lower surface of the finger body 100, and the limiting part 213 is arranged at one end of the carrier 210 away from the blocking part 212.

[0113] Through the above arrangement, when the limiting portion 213 of the bearing member 210 is limited by abutting against the limiting surface 120 of the finger body 100, the limiting portion 213 can be at least partially accommodated in the mounting gap 110, thereby achieving full use of the height space of the mounting gap 110 and facilitating reduction of the thickness of the transmission finger.

[0114] Please continue to refer to Figure 12 In the embodiment, when the limiting portion 213 abuts against the limiting surface 120, the limiting portion 213 is completely accommodated in the mounting gap 110.

[0115] Please continue to refer to Figure 12 In combination with Figure 13 and Figure 14 In the embodiment, the first arc-shaped groove 130 is arranged on both sides of the mounting gap 110 of the finger body 100, and the bearing assembly 200 further comprises a fixing member 250, the fixing member 250 is provided with a second arc-shaped groove 251, wherein the second arc-shaped groove 251 and the first arc-shaped groove 130 are connected to form a mounting cavity, and the rotating shaft 240 is arranged in the mounting cavity.

[0116] When it is needed to assemble the bearing member 210 provided with the rotating shaft 240 to the finger body 100, the two ends of the rotating shaft 240 can be respectively clamped into the first arc-shaped grooves 130 on both sides of the mounting gap 110, and then the second arc-shaped groove 251 of the fixing member 250 is connected to the above-mentioned first arc-shaped grooves 130 to form a mounting cavity for accommodating the rotating shaft 240, so as to achieve the purpose of assembling the bearing member 210 to the finger body 100.

[0117] The arrangement of the fixing member 250 not only can realize the fixation of the bearing member 210 to the finger body 100, but also facilitates the assembly of the rotating shaft 240 by connecting the first arc-shaped grooves 130 and the second arc-shaped groove 251.

[0118] Please continue to refer to Figure 13 In the embodiment, in the horizontal direction, the first arc-shaped groove 130 extends in the direction of the fixing member 250 to form a straight edge, and after the second arc-shaped groove 251 is connected to the first arc-shaped groove 130, the fixing member 250 is embedded in the area opposite to the straight edge.

[0119] On the one hand, the arrangement can limit the rotation of the fixing member 250 around the rotating shaft 240 relative to the finger body 100, thereby playing a certain rotation limiting role for the fixing member 250 and ensuring the assembly stability of the fixing member 250, and on the other hand, the embedded part of the fixing member 250 can also play a supporting role for the rotating shaft 240, so as to prevent the rotating shaft 240 from shaking in the radial direction and ensure the assembly stability of the rotating shaft 240.

[0120] In the embodiment, the fixing member 250 is at least partially above the bearing member 210, and the fixing member 250 is between the swing axis and the blocking part 212.

[0121] The fixing member 250 is arranged in the above manner, so that the maximum swing angle of the blocking part 212 can be limited in the non-supporting state of the supporting part 211, so as to prevent the vacuum manipulator from interfering with the wafer 010 transmission process due to the excessive swing of the blocking part 212.

[0122] Please continue to refer to Figure 7 , specifically, the fixing member 250 is substantially in the shape of a “]”, wherein the second arc-shaped groove 251 is arranged on the end face of the two side walls of the “]”, and the thickness of the connecting wall of the “]” is smaller than the thickness of the side wall, so that when the fixing member 250 is connected to the finger body 100, the connecting wall of the “]” is above the bearing member 210, and the maximum swing angle of the blocking part 212 is limited.

[0123] In the embodiment, the fixing member 250 is adhesively fixed to the finger body 100.

[0124] The fixing member 250 and the finger body 100 are connected in this way, and no other components are required to achieve reliable connection, which not only saves space, but also has a simple structure.

[0125] Specifically, in the embodiment, the fixing member 250 and the finger body 100 are adhesively fixed by epoxy resin.

[0126] In the embodiment, the material of the finger body 100 is ceramic or aluminum alloy, and the material of the fixing member 250 is the same as that of the finger body 100.

[0127] The above material forms of the finger body 100 and the fixing member 250 have good thermal stability, which can meet the use requirements in a high-temperature environment.

[0128] Please continue to refer to Figure 8 , Figure 12 and Figure 13 In the embodiment, the blocking part 212 includes a blocking surface 2121, which is inclined relative to the horizontal plane in the non-supporting state of the supporting part 211, and extends and inclines in the direction away from the supporting part 211 from bottom to top; the blocking surface 2121 is a circular arc surface, and the blocking surface 2121 is concentric with the bearing circumference 300.

[0129] The blocking surface 2121 is arranged in this way, on the one hand, the area surrounded by the blocking surface 2121 between the plurality of bearing assemblies 200 can form a wafer positioning area, ensuring the reliability of the wafer positioning, on the other hand, the blocking surface 2121 and the wafer 010 form a line contact, which will not produce a larger contact area with the wafer 010, reducing friction.

[0130] The working principle and working process of the transmission finger will be described in detail by taking the action process of the transmission finger carrying the wafer 010.

[0131] Preparation state: the transmission finger moves to the lower side of the wafer 010 in the process chamber 10, the center of the transmission finger and the center of the wafer 010 are vertically coincident;

[0132] Wafer 010 contacts the support 220, and the wafer 010 is not separated from the state of the three-pin support 12 in the process chamber: as shown in FIGS. 15(a), 15(b) and 15(c), the transmission finger rises, the wafer 010 first contacts the support 220, at the moment of contact, the wafer 010 is not separated from the three-pin support 12 in the process chamber 10, at this time, the outer edge of the wafer 010 is not in contact with the blocking part 212 of the bearing 210; as shown in FIGS. 16(a), 16(b) and 16(c), as the transmission finger continues to rise, the wafer 010 is transferred from the three-pin support 12 in the process chamber 10 to be supported by the three groups of support 220 of the bearing assembly 200 on the transmission finger, at this time, under the action of the gravity of the wafer 010, the elastic element 230 is compressed to the shortest state;

[0133] Wafer 010 completely detaches from the three-pin support 12 of the process chamber 10: As shown in Figures 17(a) and 17(b), the transmission finger continues to rise, and wafer 010 detaches from the three-pin support 12 of the process chamber 10. The support 220 will be momentarily subjected to the gravity G from wafer 010. At this time, the weight G of wafer 010 is evenly distributed on the three supports 220. The weight of wafer 010 on each support 220 is G / 3. The force on the support 220 is transmitted to the elastic element 230 connected to it, causing the elastic element 230 to undergo elastic deformation. The deformed elastic element 230 applies elastic force to the carrier 210, causing the blocking part 212 of the carrier 210 to swing upward around the rotation axis 240 until the blocking part 212 abuts against the outer edge of wafer 010. Then, wafer 010 continues to compress the elastic element 230. Finally, part of the weight of wafer 010 is converted into the contact force between the blocking part 212 and the outer edge of wafer 010, realizing the radial limit of wafer 010, thereby preventing wafer 010 from sliding radially during movement. At this time, the support members 220 of the three sets of support components 200 form three main supports for the wafer 010, and the blocking parts 212 of the support members 210 of the three sets of support components 200 form three secondary supports for the wafer 010 on the one hand, and form three radial limits on the outer edge of the wafer 010 on the other hand.

[0134] The process of placing wafer 010 with the transfer finger is the reverse of the process of carrying wafer 010 with the transfer finger described above, so it will not be described again.

[0135] The force analysis of wafer 010 is performed by transmitting the action of the finger carrying wafer 010.

[0136] like Figure 18 As shown, when wafer 010 is in contact with support 220 and has not detached from the three-pin support 12 of process chamber 10, wafer 010 is subjected to a support force N1 from the three pins; as the transfer finger rises, the support force N1 from support 220 transitions to wafer 010 being subjected to support 220; further, when wafer 010 is in a steady state, wafer 010 is subjected to a support force N2 from support 220 and a support force N3 from blocking part 212. That is, during the process of carrying wafer 010, the transfer finger converts the gravity of wafer 010 into a support force that inhibits relative sliding between wafer 010 and the transfer finger, thereby ensuring the relative position between wafer 010 and the transfer finger during the transfer process.

[0137] Since the thickness of the transmission finger has a significant impact on the height of the transmission port 11, and in actual use, the height of the transmission port 11 should be as small as possible, the advantages of the transmission finger in terms of thickness in this embodiment will now be explained.

[0138] In this embodiment, the thickness of the finger body 100 of the transfer finger is 2.5 mm. As shown in FIG. 19(a) and FIG. 19(b), when the transfer finger does not carry the wafer 010, the thickness of the transfer finger is 3.45 mm; as shown in FIG. 20(a) and FIG. 20(b), when the transfer finger carries the wafer 010, the total thickness of the transfer finger together with the wafer 010 is 3.7 mm; as shown in FIG. 21(a) and FIG. 21(b), when the transfer finger enters the process chamber 10 to pick up the wafer 010, the height of the three-pin support 12 required to be lifted is 10.98 mm; as shown in FIG. 22(a) and FIG. 22(b), when the transfer finger is removed from the process chamber 10, the lower surface of the transfer finger is 8.28 mm away from the focusing ring 8; as shown in FIG. 23(a) and FIG. 23(b), during the whole process of picking up the wafer 010 by the transfer finger, from entering the process chamber 10 to being removed from the process chamber 10, the distance between the highest position and the lowest position of the transfer finger is 9.48 mm; as shown in FIG. 24(a) and FIG. 24(b), when the transfer finger carries the wafer 010 and passes through the transmission slot 11, the height of the transmission slot 11 required is 13.28 mm, taking 2.5 mm as the safety margin from the upper edge of the transmission slot 11 and 2.5 mm as the safety margin from the lower edge of the transmission slot 11. Figure 23 As shown in FIG. 25(a) and FIG. 25(b), when the wafer 010 is picked up by the transfer finger, the distance between the upper surface of the transfer finger and the lower surface of the wafer 010 is not less than 2.5 mm, and the distance between the lower surface of the transfer finger and the upper surface of the focusing ring 13 is not less than 2.5 mm, at this time, the three-pin support 12 needs to be lifted to 15.4 mm. Figure 24 As shown in FIG. 26(a) and FIG. 26(b), when the wafer 010 is removed from the process chamber 10, the lower surface of the wafer 010 needs to be lifted to be not less than 2.5 mm away from the upper surface of the three-pin support 12 to ensure that the wafer 010 is not scratched by the three-pin support 12 during the removal process. As shown in FIG. 27(a) and FIG. 27(b), during the whole process of picking up the wafer 010 by the transfer finger, from entering the process chamber 10 to being removed from the process chamber 10, the distance between the highest position and the lowest position of the transfer finger is 15.2 mm.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 28(a) and FIG. 28(b), when the wafer 010 is carried by the transfer finger and passes through the transmission slot 11, the height of the transmission slot 11 required is 20.2 mm, taking 2.5 mm as the safety margin from the upper edge of the transmission slot 11 and 2.5 mm as the safety margin from the lower edge of the transmission slot 11. Figure 25 As shown in FIG. 29(a) and FIG. 29(b), the thickness of the integrated finger provided by the related art is 7.9 mm. Figure 26 As shown in FIG. 30(a) and FIG. 30(b), when the integrated finger enters the process chamber 10 to pick up the wafer 010, it is required to ensure that the distance between the upper surface of the integrated finger and the lower surface of the wafer 010 is not less than 2.5 mm, and the distance between the lower surface of the integrated finger and the upper surface of the focusing ring 13 is not less than 2.5 mm, at this time, the three-pin support 12 needs to be lifted to 15.4 mm. Figure 27 As shown in FIG. 31(a) and FIG. 31(b), when the integrated finger is removed from the process chamber 10, it is required to ensure that the lower surface of the wafer 010 is lifted to be not less than 2.5 mm away from the upper surface of the three-pin support 12 to ensure that the wafer 010 is not scratched by the three-pin support 12 during the removal process. Figure 28 As shown in FIG. 32(a) and FIG. 32(b), during the whole process of picking up the wafer 010 by the integrated finger, from entering the process chamber 10 to being removed from the process chamber 10, the distance between the highest position and the lowest position of the integrated finger is 15.2 mm. Figure 29 As shown in FIG. 33(a) and FIG. 33(b), when the wafer 010 is carried by the integrated finger and passes through the transmission slot 11, the height of the transmission slot 11 required is 20.2 mm, taking 2.5 mm as the safety margin from the upper edge of the transmission slot 11 and 2.5 mm as the safety margin from the lower edge of the transmission slot 11.

[0140] The transmission finger has a smaller overall thickness, and compared with the scheme provided by the related art, the overall thickness of the transmission finger can be reduced by more than 50%, the height of the transmission port 11 of the process chamber 10 can be reduced by about 35%, the lifting height of the three-pin support 12 of the process chamber 10 and the inner door opening are more advantageous, thereby reducing the influence on the flow field uniformity of the process chamber 10 in the circumferential direction.

[0141] The above merely takes the transmission finger provided with three sets of bearing assemblies 200 as an example to schematically describe the structure and working principle of the transmission finger, and it can be understood that the transmission finger can also be provided with four sets of bearing assemblies 200.

[0142] As shown in FIGS. Figure 30 and Figure 31 The transmission finger can achieve the same function as the transmission finger with three sets of bearing assemblies 200 described above, and has the same working principle and process, and thus will not be described again.

[0143] In addition, the embodiment also provides a vacuum manipulator comprising the transmission finger. By arranging the transmission finger in the vacuum manipulator, the vacuum manipulator has all the advantages of the transmission finger, which will not be described again.

[0144] In addition, the embodiment also provides a semiconductor process equipment comprising a process chamber 10, a load chamber 20 and a transmission chamber 30, wherein the transmission chamber 20 is provided with the vacuum manipulator, and the vacuum manipulator is used for transmitting a wafer 010 between the process chamber 10 and the load chamber 20. By arranging the vacuum manipulator in the semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment has all the advantages of the vacuum manipulator, which will not be described again.

[0145] Although the present application is disclosed as above, the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, can make various changes and modifications, and therefore the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

[0146] Finally, it should be noted that, in this document, the term "for example" is used to introduce illustrative examples, the terms "include" and / or "comprise," or variations such as "includes" and / or "comprises," as well as the terms "including" and / or "comprising," or variations such as "has," "have," "has" and / or "has," as used herein, are meant to be equivalent to the term "comprising" and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, steps, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, and / or components. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "and / or" means and / or. In addition, the term "about" means that quantities, dimensions, sizes, formulations, parameters, shapes and other characteristics need not be exact, but can be approximated and / or

[0147] In the above embodiments, the orientation terms such as "upper", "lower", "side" and the like are based on the figures shown.

[0148] The foregoing description of the disclosed embodiments enables a person skilled in the art to make or use the application. Numerous modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the application. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A transmission finger, characterized in that The transmission finger for semiconductor process equipment comprises a finger body (100) and multiple sets of bearing assemblies (200), and the multiple sets of bearing assemblies (200) are distributed at intervals on the same bearing circle (300); the bearing assembly (200) comprises a bearing piece (210) which is swingably mounted on the finger body (100), and the bearing piece (210) is provided with a supporting part (211) and a blocking part (212), the supporting part (211) and the blocking part (212) are arranged on the two sides of the swing axis of the bearing piece (210), and the supporting part (211) is arranged on a circle with a smaller radius than the blocking part (212); the supporting part (211) is used for supporting a wafer (010), and the blocking part (212) is used for swinging upward when the wafer (010) is supported on the supporting part (211) to abut against the outer edge of the wafer (010).

2. The transfer finger of claim 1, wherein, The supporting part (211) is elastically and floatingly arranged in the up-down direction relative to the finger body (100).

3. The transfer finger of claim 2, wherein, The bearing assembly (200) further comprises a supporting piece (220) and an elastic element (230), the elastic element (230) fixedly connects the supporting piece (220) and the bearing piece (210), and the side of the supporting piece (220) away from the bearing piece (210) is used for forming the supporting part (211).

4. The transfer finger of claim 3, wherein, The material of the bearing piece (210) is ceramic or heat-resistant resin, the material of the supporting piece (220) is ceramic or heat-resistant resin, and the heat-resistant temperature of the heat-resistant resin is not less than 300 DEG C.

5. The transfer finger of any of claims 1-4, wherein, The supporting surface of the supporting part (211) is an arc surface, and the diameter of the arc surface gradually decreases from bottom to top.

6. The transfer finger of any of claims 1-4, wherein, The finger body (100) is provided with multiple mounting notches (110), the number of the mounting notches (110) is the same as that of the bearing assemblies (200), and the multiple mounting notches (110) are used for one-to-one corresponding mounting of the multiple sets of bearing assemblies (200); the bearing assembly (200) further comprises a rotating shaft (240), the rotating shaft (240) penetrates through the bearing piece (210), and the rotating shaft (240) is mounted on the mounting notch (110), and the rotating shaft (240) is used for swinging the bearing piece (210) up and down relative to the finger body (100).

7. The transfer finger of claim 6, wherein, With the axis of the rotating shaft (240) as a boundary line, in the non-supporting state of the supporting part (211), the supporting part (211) has a tendency to swing upward; the bearing piece (210) is further provided with a limiting part (213), the lower part of the finger body (100) is provided with a limiting surface (120), and the limiting part (213) is used for abutting against the limiting surface (120) to limit the upward swing of the supporting part (211).

8. The transfer finger of claim 7, wherein, The limiting surface (120) is arranged in the mounting gap (110), and the limiting surface (120) is higher than the lower surface of the finger body (100), and the limiting part (213) is arranged at one end of the bearing part (210) away from the blocking part (212).

9. The transfer finger of claim 6, wherein, At least one side of the finger body (100) located in the mounting gap (110) is provided with a first arc-shaped groove (130), and the bearing assembly (200) further comprises a fixing part (250), the fixing part (250) is provided with a second arc-shaped groove (251), the second arc-shaped groove (251) and the first arc-shaped groove (130) are in butt joint to form a mounting cavity, and the rotating shaft (240) is arranged in the mounting cavity.

10. The transfer finger of claim 9, wherein, The fixing part (250) is at least partially above the bearing part (210), and the fixing part (250) is located between the swing axis and the blocking part (212).

11. The transfer finger of claim 9, wherein, The material of the finger body (100) is ceramic or aluminum alloy, and the material of the fixing part (250) is the same as that of the finger body (100).

12. The transfer finger of claim 6, wherein, The bearing assembly (200) further comprises a first blocking ring (260) and a second blocking ring (270), the first blocking ring (260) and the second blocking ring (270) are fixedly sleeved on the rotating shaft (240) and are separately arranged on both sides of the bearing part (210).

13. The transfer finger of any of claims 1-4, wherein, The blocking part (212) comprises a blocking surface (2121), in the non-supporting state of the supporting part (211), the blocking surface (2121) is inclined relative to the horizontal plane, and along the direction from bottom to top, the blocking surface (2121) extends in the direction away from the supporting part (211); the blocking surface (2121) is a circular arc surface, and the blocking surface (2121) is concentric with the bearing circumference (300).

14. A vacuum robot, characterized in that The transmission finger comprises the transmission finger according to any one of claims 1-13.

15. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized by, A process chamber, a load chamber and a transmission chamber are provided with the vacuum manipulator according to claim 14, and the vacuum manipulator is used for transmitting a wafer between the process chamber and the load chamber.

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