Switching structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of wafer loading, and particularly relates to a switching structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes, which comprises an eight-inch wafer cassette switching assembly and a six-inch wafer cassette switching assembly, and is characterized in that the eight-inch wafer cassette switching assembly comprises a foundation bottom plate, a front positioning block A, a rear positioning block A and a side positioning block A; the six-inch wafer box switching assembly comprises a six-inch wafer box switching base, a front positioning block B, a rear positioning block B and a side positioning block B. The foundation bottom plate is arranged on the box opener body, and the middle position of the bottom face of the six-inch wafer box switching base extends downwards to form a clamping inner edge. Through the arrangement of the eight-cun wafer box switching assembly and the six-cun wafer box switching assembly which form a spliced structure, loading of more six-cun and eight-cun wafer boxes of different specifications can be reliably compatible, switching of six-cun and eight-cun working modes can be achieved on single SMIF equipment through simple and convenient adjustment, the structure is relatively simple, disassembly and assembly are easy, and the working efficiency is improved. And the refitting operation difficulty of workers is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of wafer loading, in particular to a switching structure compatible with multiple sizes of wafer boxes. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, SMIF equipment in the field of wafer loading has become mature. SMIF technology is mainly used for the transmission of six-inch, eight-inch and the following size wafers. Six-inch wafers are the traditional wafer size, and the yield is huge. The emergence of eight-inch wafers better supports chip manufacturing, alleviates the six-inch bottleneck problem, and improves the wafer manufacturing capacity.

[0003] In order to avoid the waste of resources of six-inch or eight-inch single loading and detection integrated devices, in the face of growing demand, it is urgent to have a loading and detection integrated device compatible with six-inch and eight-inch wafer boxes, which can realize the switching of six-inch and eight-inch working modes through simple function module switching on one device, and finally reduce the manufacturing cost of the device and the difficulty of personnel operation.

[0004] At present, the wafer box adapter of the device can generally be used only for loading a specific wafer box, and cannot be compatible with the loading of six-inch and eight-inch wafer boxes. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the above problems, the purpose of the present application is to provide a switching structure compatible with multiple sizes of wafer boxes.

[0006] The purpose of the present application is achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0007] A switching structure compatible with multiple sizes of wafer boxes, comprising an eight-inch wafer box switching assembly and a six-inch wafer box switching assembly;

[0008] The eight-inch wafer box switching assembly comprises a base plate, a front positioning block A, a rear positioning block A and a side positioning block A, the front positioning block A and the rear positioning block A are arranged on the base plate, the front positioning block A and the rear positioning block A are arranged in corresponding positions from front to back, the side positioning block A is provided with two, both of the side positioning blocks A are arranged on the base plate and are located between the front positioning block A and the rear positioning block A, and a side positioning protrusion A is provided on the top surface of each side positioning block A; the base plate is arranged on the box opener body;

[0009] The six-inch wafer box adapter assembly comprises a six-inch wafer box adapter base, a front positioning block B, a rear positioning block B and side positioning blocks B, the front and rear positioning blocks B are arranged on the six-inch wafer box adapter base, the front and rear positioning blocks B are arranged in a front-to-back corresponding manner, the side positioning blocks B are provided in two, both of the side positioning blocks B are arranged on the six-inch wafer box adapter base and are located between the front and rear positioning blocks B, and a side positioning protrusion B is arranged on the top surface of each side positioning block B;

[0010] When the adapter structure is used to load an eight-inch wafer box, the side positioning protrusions A of the side positioning blocks A abut against the positioning protruding edges on the bottom surface of the eight-inch wafer box respectively, so as to directly position the six-inch wafer box;

[0011] When the adapter structure is used to load a six-inch wafer box, the six-inch wafer box adapter base is placed on the base bottom plate, the front and rear positioning blocks A abut against the inner side surfaces of the clamping inner edges of the six-inch wafer box adapter base respectively, so as to position the six-inch wafer box adapter base, and the side positioning protrusions B of the side positioning blocks B abut against the positioning protruding edges on the bottom surface of the six-inch wafer box respectively, so as to position the six-inch wafer box.

[0012] The front and rear positioning blocks A and the side positioning blocks A are respectively arranged on the top surface of the base bottom plate, and a positioning block inlay groove A is arranged at each of the positions of the front and rear positioning blocks A and the side positioning blocks A, the front and rear positioning blocks A and the side positioning blocks A are respectively inlaid in the corresponding positioning block inlay grooves A and are fixed to the base bottom plate by screws.

[0013] A plurality of long holes A for penetrating screws are arranged on the rear positioning block A, and the length direction of each long hole A is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear positioning block A.

[0014] The in-place detection sensor A is arranged on the base bottom plate.

[0015] The six-inch wafer box adapter base is arranged on the top surface of the base bottom plate, and a positioning block inlay groove B is arranged on the top surface of the six-inch wafer box adapter base, the front and rear positioning blocks B and the side positioning blocks B are fixed to the bottom surface of the positioning block inlay groove B by screws.

[0016] A plurality of long holes B for penetrating screws are arranged on the rear positioning block B, and the length direction of each long hole B is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear positioning block B.

[0017] The in-place detection sensor B is arranged on the bottom surface of the positioning block inlay groove B.

[0018] On the bottom surface of the base plate, corresponding to the adapter positioning pins on the box opener body, positioning pin pads are respectively provided. Each positioning pin pad has a positioning pin positioning hole for a corresponding adapter positioning pin on the box opener body to pass through. Each positioning pin pad is also provided with a positioning pin set screw by thread, and each positioning pin set screw abuts against a corresponding adapter positioning pin on the box opener body.

[0019] The bottom surface of the base plate is provided with a contact piece for the adapter in place detection sensor, which corresponds to the adapter in place detection sensor on the box opener body.

[0020] The top surface of the base plate is provided with several leveling pads by positioning screws, and each leveling pad is connected with several leveling screws by threads; the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface of the six-inch wafer box adapter base extends downward to form a support outer edge;

[0021] When loading an 8-inch wafer cassette, the leveling screws on the corresponding leveling pads are rotated to make the corresponding leveling pads press against the bottom surface of the 8-inch wafer cassette to level it. When loading a 6-inch wafer cassette, the leveling screws on the corresponding leveling pads are rotated to make the corresponding leveling pads press against the bottom surface of the supporting outer edge of the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base to level the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base and the 6-inch wafer cassette as a whole.

[0022] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows:

[0023] This invention, through the configuration of an 8-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly and a 6-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly with a spliced ​​structure, can reliably accommodate the loading of a large number of 6-inch and 8-inch wafer cassettes of different specifications. It can easily switch between 6-inch and 8-inch working modes on a single SMIF device through simple adjustments. The structure is relatively simple, easy to disassemble and assemble, reduces the difficulty of modification operations for staff, and achieves cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Fig. 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the entire invention;

[0025] Fig. 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall rear structure of the present invention;

[0026] Fig. 3 This is one of the schematic diagrams showing the configuration structure of the eight-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly of the present invention;

[0027] Fig. 4 This is a second schematic diagram of the configuration structure of the eight-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly of the present invention;

[0028] Fig. 5This is one of the schematic diagrams showing the arrangement structure of the six-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly of the present invention;

[0029] Fig. 6 This is the second schematic diagram of the configuration structure of the six-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure: 1 is the base plate, 101 is the positioning block inlay groove A, 102 is the leveling pad inlay groove, 2 is the front positioning block A, 3 is the rear positioning block A, 301 is the elongated hole A, 4 is the side positioning block A, and 401 is the side positioning protrusion A.

[0031] 5 is the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base, 501 is the snap-fit ​​inner edge, 502 is the positioning block inlay groove B, 503 is the support outer edge, 6 is the front positioning block B, 7 is the rear positioning block B, 701 is the elongated hole B, 8 is the side positioning block B, and 801 is the side positioning protrusion B.

[0032] 9 is the in-situ detection sensor A, 10 is the in-situ detection sensor B, 11 is the positioning pin pad, 1101 is the positioning pin positioning hole, 12 is the positioning pin set screw, 13 is the adapter in-situ detection sensor contact piece, 14 is the leveling pad, 15 is the positioning screw, and 16 is the leveling set screw. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figs. 1-6 The present invention will be described in further detail below.

[0034] An adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes, such as Figs. 1-6 As shown, this embodiment includes an 8-inch wafer cell adapter assembly and a 6-inch wafer cell adapter assembly.

[0035] like Figs. 3-4 As shown, in this embodiment, the 8-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly includes a base plate 1, a front positioning block A2, a rear positioning block A3, and side positioning blocks A4. The front positioning block A2 and the rear positioning block A3 are respectively disposed on the base plate 1, and their positions are corresponding. There are two side positioning blocks A4, both of which are disposed on the base plate 1 and are located between the front positioning block A2 and the rear positioning block A3. Each side positioning block A4 has two side positioning protrusions A401 protruding from its top surface. The base plate 1 is disposed on the cassette opener body.

[0036] like Figs. 5-6As shown, in this embodiment, the six-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly includes a six-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5, a front positioning block B6, a rear positioning block B7, and side positioning blocks B8. The front positioning block B6 and the rear positioning block B7 are respectively disposed on the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5, and their positions are corresponding. There are two side positioning blocks B8, both of which are disposed on the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5 and are located between the front positioning block B6 and the rear positioning block B7. Each side positioning block B8 has a side positioning protrusion B801 protruding from its top surface. The bottom surface of the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5 extends downward from the middle to form a snap-fit ​​inner edge 501 for splicing with the eight-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly.

[0037] Specifically, in this embodiment, the top surface of the base plate 1 is provided with a positioning block inlay groove A101 at the location of the front positioning block A2, the rear positioning block A3, and each side positioning block A4. The front positioning block A2, the rear positioning block A3, and each side positioning block A4 are respectively inlaid in the corresponding positioning block inlay groove A101 and fixed to the base plate 1 by screws, which facilitates the initial installation and positioning of the front positioning block A2, the rear positioning block A3, and each side positioning block A4. The front positioning block A2 is used as a reference for positioning the positioning protrusion on the bottom surface of the 8-inch wafer cassette. In this embodiment, the rear positioning block A3 has two elongated holes A301 for screws to pass through. The length direction of each elongated hole A301 is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear positioning block A3, which facilitates the appropriate adjustment of the installation distance between the front positioning block A2 and the rear positioning block A3 to accommodate the loading and positioning of 8-inch wafer cassettes of different specifications. In this embodiment, a presence detection sensor A9 is installed on the base plate 1 to detect whether the 8-inch wafer cassette is loaded in place. The presence detection sensor A9 is a commercially available trigger-type sensor. When the 8-inch wafer cassette is loaded in place, the weight of the 8-inch wafer cassette triggers the presence detection sensor A9, and the presence detection sensor A9 sends a signal to the host computer to indicate that the 8-inch wafer cassette is in place.

[0038] Specifically, in this embodiment, the top surface of the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5 is recessed with a positioning block inlay groove B502. The front positioning block B6, the rear positioning block B7, and the side positioning blocks B8 are fixed to the bottom surface of the positioning block inlay groove B502 by screws, facilitating the initial installation and positioning of the front positioning block B6, the rear positioning block B7, and the side positioning blocks B8. The front positioning block B6 serves as a reference for positioning the positioning protrusion on the bottom surface of the six-inch wafer cassette. In this embodiment, the rear positioning block B7 has two elongated holes B701 for screws to pass through. The length direction of each elongated hole B701 is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear positioning block B7, which facilitates the appropriate adjustment of the installation spacing between the front positioning block B6 and the rear positioning block B7 to accommodate the loading and positioning of six-inch wafer cassettes of different specifications. In this embodiment, an in-situ detection sensor B10 is installed on the bottom surface of the positioning block mounting slot B502 to detect whether the six-inch wafer cassette is loaded in place. The in-situ detection sensor B10 is a commercially available trigger-type sensor and is installed between the front positioning block B6 and the rear positioning block B7. When the six-inch wafer cassette is loaded in place, the weight of the six-inch wafer cassette triggers the in-situ detection sensor B10, and the in-situ detection sensor B10 sends a signal to the host computer to indicate that the six-inch wafer cassette is in place.

[0039] Specifically, in this embodiment, positioning pin pads 11 are respectively provided on the bottom surface of the base plate 1 at positions corresponding to the adapter positioning pins on the box opener body. Each positioning pin pad 11 has a positioning pin positioning hole 1101 for a corresponding adapter positioning pin on the box opener body to pass through. Each positioning pin pad 11 is also provided with a positioning pin set screw 12 by thread, and each positioning pin set screw 12 abuts against a corresponding adapter positioning pin on the box opener body. By inserting each adapter positioning pin on the box opener body into the corresponding positioning pin pad 11 on the base plate 1, and by rotating the positioning pin set screw 12, the gap between the adapter positioning pin and the positioning pin positioning hole 1101 can be adjusted, effectively ensuring the installation accuracy between the base plate 1 and the box opener body.

[0040] Specifically, in this embodiment, a connector presence detection sensor contact 13 is provided on the bottom surface of the base plate 1, corresponding to the connector presence detection sensor on the box opener body. When the base plate 1 is correctly placed on the box opener body, the connector presence detection sensor contact 13 will activate the connector presence detection sensor on the box opener body and send a signal to the host computer to indicate that the base plate 1, i.e., the connector structure, is in place.

[0041] Specifically, in this embodiment, four leveling pads 14 are provided on the top surface of the base plate 1 by positioning screws 15. Each leveling pad 14 is also recessed in a leveling pad inlay groove 102. Each leveling pad 14 is embedded in its corresponding leveling pad inlay groove 102, and each leveling pad 14 is initially positioned in the leveling pad inlay groove 102 by two positioning screws 15. Each leveling pad 14 is threaded with four leveling set screws 16. The outer periphery of the bottom surface of the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5 extends downwards to form a supporting outer edge 503.

[0042] When loading an 8-inch wafer cassette, the leveling screw 16 on the corresponding leveling pad 14 is rotated to make the corresponding leveling pad 14 abut against the bottom surface of the 8-inch wafer cassette to level it. When loading a 6-inch wafer cassette, the leveling screw 16 on the corresponding leveling pad 14 is rotated to make the corresponding leveling pad 14 abut against the bottom surface of the support outer edge 503 of the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5 to level the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5 and the 6-inch wafer cassette as a whole. By setting multiple leveling pads 14 with leveling screws 16, the horizontal posture of the loaded 8-inch or 6-inch wafer cassette can be better ensured, ensuring the accuracy requirements between the equipment and the robot during operation.

[0043] Working principle:

[0044] When the adapter structure is used to load an 8-inch wafer cassette, the side positioning protrusions A 401 of each side positioning block A, the front positioning block A 2, and the rear positioning block A 3 respectively abut against the positioning protrusions on the bottom surface of the 8-inch wafer cassette to directly position the 6-inch wafer cassette.

[0045] When the adapter structure is used to load a 6-inch wafer cassette, the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5 is placed on the base plate 1. The front positioning block A2 and the rear positioning block A3 abut against the inner side of the snap-fit ​​inner edge 501 of the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5 to position the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base 5. The side positioning protrusions B801 of each side positioning block B, together with the front positioning block B6 and the rear positioning block B7, abut against the positioning protrusions on the bottom surface of the 6-inch wafer cassette to position the 6-inch wafer cassette.

Claims

1. A connector structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes, characterized in that: Including 8-inch wafer cell adapters and 6-inch wafer cell adapters; The eight-inch wafer box adapter assembly includes a base plate (1), a front positioning block A (2), a rear positioning block A (3), and a side positioning block A (4). The front positioning block A (2) and the rear positioning block A (3) are respectively disposed on the base plate (1). The front positioning block A (2) and the rear positioning block A (3) are positioned in a front-to-back correspondence. There are two side positioning blocks A (4). Both side positioning blocks A (4) are disposed on the base plate (1) and are located between the front positioning block A (2) and the rear positioning block A (3). Each side positioning block A (4) has a side positioning protrusion A (401) protruding on its top surface. The base plate (1) is disposed on the box opener body. The six-inch wafer cassette adapter assembly includes a six-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5), a front positioning block B (6), a rear positioning block B (7), and a side positioning block B (8). The front positioning block B (6) and the rear positioning block B (7) are respectively disposed on the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5). The front positioning block B (6) and the rear positioning block B (7) are positioned in a front-to-back correspondence. There are two side positioning blocks B (8). Both side positioning blocks B (8) are disposed on the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5) and are located between the front positioning block B (6) and the rear positioning block B (7). Each side positioning block B (8) has a side positioning protrusion B (801) protruding on its top surface. The bottom surface of the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5) extends downward to form a snap-fit ​​inner edge (501). When the adapter structure is used to load an eight-inch wafer cassette, the side positioning protrusions A (401) of each of the side positioning blocks A, together with the front positioning block A (2) and the rear positioning block A (3), abut against the positioning protrusions on the bottom surface of the eight-inch wafer cassette to directly position the six-inch wafer cassette. When the adapter structure is used to load a six-inch wafer cassette, the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5) is placed on the base plate (1). The front positioning block A (2) and the rear positioning block A (3) abut against the inner side of the snap-fit ​​inner edge (501) of the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5) to position the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5). The side positioning protrusions B (801) of each side positioning block B abut against the positioning protrusions on the bottom surface of the six-inch wafer cassette, along with the front positioning block B (6) and the rear positioning block B (7), to position the six-inch wafer cassette.

2. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top surface of the base plate (1) is provided with a front positioning block A (2), a rear positioning block A (3) and a side positioning block A (4) respectively, and a positioning block inlay groove A (101) is provided. The front positioning block A (2), the rear positioning block A (3) and the side positioning block A (4) are respectively inlaid in the corresponding positioning block inlay groove A (101) and fixed to the base plate (1) by screws.

3. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rear positioning block A (3) has a plurality of elongated holes A (301) for screws to pass through, and the length direction of each elongated hole A (301) is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear positioning block A (3).

4. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: An in-situ detection sensor A (9) is installed on the base plate (1).

5. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top surface of the six-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5) is recessed with a positioning block inlay groove B (502), and the front positioning block B (6), the rear positioning block B (7) and each side positioning block B (8) are respectively fixed to the bottom surface of the positioning block inlay groove B (502) by screws.

6. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 5, characterized in that: The rear positioning block B (7) has a plurality of elongated holes B (701) for screws to pass through, and the length direction of each elongated hole B (701) is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear positioning block B (7).

7. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 5, characterized in that: An in-situ detection sensor B (10) is installed on the bottom surface of the positioning block mounting groove B (502).

8. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: On the bottom surface of the base plate (1), a positioning pin pad (11) is provided at the position corresponding to the adapter positioning pin on the box opener body. Each positioning pin pad (11) is provided with a positioning pin positioning hole (1101) for a corresponding adapter positioning pin on the box opener body to pass through. Each positioning pin pad (11) is also provided with a positioning pin set screw (12) by thread. Each positioning pin set screw (12) abuts against a corresponding adapter positioning pin on the box opener body.

9. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base plate (1) is provided with a connector in-situ detection sensor contact piece (13) at the position corresponding to the connector in-situ detection sensor on the box opener body.

10. The adapter structure compatible with multi-size wafer cassettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base plate (1) has several leveling pads (14) on its top surface by positioning screws (15), and each leveling pad (14) is connected by several leveling screws (16) by thread; the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the six-inch wafer box adapter base (5) extends downward to form a support outer edge (503). When loading an 8-inch wafer cassette, the leveling screw (16) on the corresponding leveling pad (14) is rotated to make the corresponding leveling pad (14) abut against the bottom surface of the 8-inch wafer cassette to level the 8-inch wafer cassette; when loading a 6-inch wafer cassette, the leveling screw (16) on the corresponding leveling pad (14) is rotated to make the corresponding leveling pad (14) abut against the bottom surface of the support outer edge (503) of the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5) to level the 6-inch wafer cassette adapter base (5) and the 6-inch wafer cassette as a whole.

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