Wafer cassette transport module and transport system for a vertical furnace stocker

Abstract

The application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, in particular to a wafer box conveying module and conveying system of a stocker for a vertical furnace. Mainly comprising a wafer box conveying port, an angle avoiding structure and a control system. The wafer box conveying module is arranged outside the vertical furnace equipment instead of inside, so that the wafer box conveying module can be independently installed without changing the overall width of the equipment; the angle avoiding structure with an avoiding angle is arranged on the wafer box conveying module, so that the dependence on the motion complexity of a mechanical hand is reduced, the rotation angle of the front arm of the mechanical hand is reduced by 20-35%, and the pick-and-place cycle of the mechanical hand is shortened by 10-30%; the wafer box conveying module is independently arranged outside, so that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment can be effectively released, path interference can be avoided, the motion track is simplified, and the pick-and-place efficiency, system maintainability and layout flexibility are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer box conveying module and conveying system of a stocker for a vertical furnace. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing, vertical furnace equipment is a key process equipment on the IC production line. Due to the extremely precious clean room space, the floor area of the vertical furnace equipment becomes an important design consideration factor. For example, the width of the current mainstream 12-inch vertical furnace is generally controlled within 1100mm, which puts strict requirements on the design and layout of each functional module inside the equipment. Among them, the wafer box conveying system (stocker) as a key component of the vertical furnace, faces particularly prominent space limitation challenges. The traditional wafer box conveying system is usually embedded in the internal cavity of the vertical furnace equipment, and needs to realize the functions of wafer box receiving, temporary storage and transfer in an extremely limited space. Such space constraints not only limit the movement mode of the robot, but also directly affect the efficiency of wafer box picking and placing. At the same time, in such a narrow space, the traditional horizontal rotating robot is difficult to operate due to the need for a large avoidance space, which has become the main bottleneck restricting the improvement of wafer box conveying efficiency. In addition, the existing wafer box conveying module also lacks real-time monitoring of the running state of the key moving parts, and cannot timely alarm when the drag chain sliding rail or robot moves abnormally, which may cause wafer box transportation interruption or equipment damage, reducing the overall operation reliability. Therefore, the present application provides a wafer box conveying module and conveying system of a stocker for a vertical furnace. SUMMARY

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a wafer box conveying module and conveying system of a stocker for a vertical furnace in view of the above technical problems.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present application, a wafer box conveying module of a stocker for a vertical furnace is provided, which is arranged on the side of the vertical furnace equipment and extends laterally along the vertical furnace equipment to form an independent wafer box receiving, temporary storage and transfer area. The wafer box conveying module comprises: two wafer box conveying ports symmetrically arranged along the width extension direction of the wafer box conveying module; an angle avoidance structure arranged at the wafer box conveying port for avoiding path interference of a vertical swing type robot during conveying from the rear end of the wafer box conveying module to the inside of the vertical furnace equipment; and a control system having an error feedback mechanism for uniformly scheduling the action timing of the execution unit and judging whether to trigger a fault alarm process based on the set key time threshold and the error feedback mechanism.

[0005] Optionally, the angle avoiding structure forms an oblique cutting surface by oblique cutting, the oblique cutting surface forms an avoiding angle a, the avoiding angle a is an included angle between a side of the wafer box conveying module and the oblique cutting edge, and the avoiding angle a ranges from 75 to 89 degrees.

[0006] Optionally, the execution unit comprises a multi-sensor cooperative positioning logic component for closed-loop identification of position information, state information and identity information of the wafer box through a three-level interlock control mechanism.

[0007] Optionally, the multi-sensor cooperative positioning logic component comprises an RFID identification unit, a photoelectric switch unit and a micro switch unit, the RFID identification unit comprises an RFID reader and an RFID antenna, and is used for identifying batch information of the wafer box and determining whether the current wafer box batch is consistent with production operation, the photoelectric switch unit is used for detecting whether the wafer box supported by the support plate is lowered from the initial position of the trolley, and the micro switch unit is used for determining whether the wafer box reaches a specified position.

[0008] Optionally, the execution unit further comprises a cylinder driving unit, the cylinder driving unit comprises a cylinder, a cylinder fixing plate and a clamping mechanism, and is used for clamping the edge of the wafer box by the cylinder driving the clamping mechanism after identifying that the current wafer box reaches the specified position.

[0009] Optionally, the execution unit further comprises a drag chain sliding rail unit, the support plate is installed on the drag chain sliding rail unit, the drag chain sliding rail unit comprises a drag chain, a sliding table, a sliding rail, a first support member slidingly connected to the sliding rail and a second support member slidingly connected to the sliding table, and is used for conveying the wafer box to the rear end of the wafer box conveying module after the support plate receives the wafer box lowered from the initial position of the trolley and completes the closed-loop identification of the wafer box, and waiting for the robot to take and place the wafer box.

[0010] Optionally, the control system comprises a main controller, a human-computer interaction interface unit, a distributed I / O unit and a communication interface unit, the main controller is used for unified scheduling of action time sequence of the execution unit, and judging whether a fault alarm process is triggered based on a set key time threshold and an error feedback mechanism, the human-computer interaction interface unit is used for parameter setting, state monitoring and fault alarm, the distributed I / O unit connects each execution unit through Profinet or EtherCAT, and the communication interface unit supports SECS / GEM protocol and is connected with an upper MES system.

[0011] Optionally, the timing of the unified scheduling execution unit includes: detecting whether the wafer box supported by the support plate is lowered from the initial position of the overhead crane by the optoelectronic switch unit, if yes, triggering the RFID identification unit to identify and read the batch information of the current wafer box, and judging whether the batch of the current wafer box meets the production operation, if no, alarming and refusing to receive, if yes, detecting whether it is completely lowered to the specified position by the micro switch unit, if no, rechecking after a delay, if yes, triggering the cylinder to perform the clamping action, feeding back the clamping completion signal to the main controller, and triggering the drag chain sliding rail unit to start, moving the wafer box supported by the support plate to the rear end of the wafer box conveying module by the drag chain sliding rail unit, and waiting for the robot to take and place the wafer box; until the wafer box is taken away by the robot, feeding back the clamping release signal to the main controller, the main controller controlling the cylinder to perform the loosening action and the drag chain sliding rail unit moving the support plate back to the original position, and waiting for the next control cycle.

[0012] Optionally, the judgment of whether to trigger the fault alarm process based on the set key time threshold and the error feedback mechanism includes: setting the key time threshold, including the standard time of single round trip of the drag chain sliding rail unit and the single taking and placing cycle of the robot; judging whether the measured time of single round trip of the drag chain sliding rail unit or the measured cycle of single taking and placing of the robot exceeds the key time threshold, if yes, determining that it is abnormal, and triggering the three-level fault alarm process, the three-level fault alarm process including popping up a warning prompt on the HMI, uploading the fault code to the MES system through Profinet, and automatically recording the abnormal log.

[0013] According to the second aspect of the application, a conveying system of a wafer box conveying module of a stocker for a vertical furnace is provided, which includes a robot, an internal storage module, a wafer box storage module to be processed, and a wafer box conveying module. The robot, the internal storage module, and the wafer box storage module to be processed are arranged in the interior of the vertical furnace. The robot is a robot that rotates in the vertical direction and is arranged on one side of the wafer box conveying module. The robot is used to grab and convey the wafer box from the overhead crane to the internal storage module or the wafer box storage module to be processed. The internal storage module is used to temporarily store the wafer box to be processed. The wafer box storage module to be processed is used to store the wafer box being processed.

[0014] The wafer box conveying module and conveying system for the stocker of the vertical furnace have the following advantages and beneficial effects: the wafer box conveying module is arranged outside the vertical furnace equipment instead of inside, so that the wafer box conveying module can be independently installed without changing the overall width of the equipment; meanwhile, the angle avoiding structure with the avoiding angle is arranged on the wafer box conveying module to form a diagonal movement channel, so that the movement channel for the robot is "actively" released, thereby reducing the dependence on the movement complexity of the robot, reducing the rotation angle of the robot forearm by 20-35%, and shortening the pick-and-place cycle of the robot by 10-30%; in addition, the wafer box conveying module is independently arranged outside, so that the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment can be effectively released, path interference can be avoided, the movement trajectory can be simplified, and the pick-and-place efficiency, system maintainability and layout flexibility can be improved; the control system with the error feedback mechanism is arranged, so that the fault early warning can be realized, the wafer box conveying process can be completed in a stable time window, and the system operation reliability and maintainability can be significantly improved; the multi-sensor cooperative positioning logic component is arranged, and based on the three-level interlocking control mechanism, the position information, state information and identity information of the wafer box can be closed-loop recognized, so that the wafer box recognition accuracy can reach 99.98%, and the human intervention demand and production error mixing risk can be greatly reduced; the cylinder driving unit is arranged, so that the wafer box can be effectively prevented from falling during the conveying process, the safety and reliability of the wafer box are improved, and the damage risk caused by the wafer box falling is reduced; the drag chain sliding rail unit is arranged, so that the automatic conveying of the wafer box can be realized, the complex movement trajectory of the traditional robot arm can be avoided, the operation process can be simplified, and the production efficiency can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 A structure schematic view of a conveying system of a wafer box conveying module of a stocker for a vertical furnace.

[0016] Figure 2 A structure schematic view of a wafer box conveying module of a stocker for a vertical furnace.

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic view of an avoiding angle of an angle avoiding structure.

[0018] Figure 4 A structure schematic view of a cylinder driving unit.

[0019] Figure 5 An enlarged view of a cylinder driving unit.

[0020] Figure 6 A structure schematic view of a drag chain sliding rail unit.

[0021] Figure 7Partial enlarged view of the assembly of the sliding table and the second support of the present application.

[0022] Figure 8 Partial enlarged view of the assembly of the sliding rail and the first support of the present application.

[0023] Figure 9 Transport path diagram of the wafer box from the front end to the rear end of the wafer box transport module of the present application.

[0024] Figure 10 Transport path diagram of the wafer box lifting process from the rear end of the wafer box transport module of the present application.

[0025] Figure 11 Transport path diagram of the wafer box lifting process from the rear end of the wafer box transport module of the present application.

[0026] Wherein, the wafer box transport module 1, the manipulator 2, the internal storage module 3, the process storage module 4, the angle avoidance structure 1.1, the RFID identification unit 1.2, the air cylinder driving unit 1.3, the air cylinder 1.3.1, the air cylinder fixing plate 1.3.2, the clamping mechanism 1.3.3, the photoelectric switch unit 1.4, the micro switch unit 1.5, the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6, the drag chain 1.6.1, the sliding table 1.6.2, the second support 1.6.3, the first support 1.6.4, the sliding rail 1.6.5, the wafer box 1.7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the drawings, wherein the same or similar notations represent the same or similar elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary only, for the purpose of explanation, and are not to be understood as a limitation of the present application, and the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0028] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connecting" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integrally connected; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0029] Reference is made to the accompanying drawings Figures 1-10A wafer box conveying module of a stocker for a vertical furnace is arranged on the side of the vertical furnace equipment and extends laterally along the side of the vertical furnace equipment to form an independent wafer box receiving, temporary storage and transfer area. The wafer box conveying module 1 mainly comprises a wafer box conveying port, an angle avoiding structure 1.1 and a control system.

[0030] In some optional implementations of the present application, the wafer box conveying module 1 is arranged on the side of the vertical furnace equipment, instead of being traditionally embedded in the inside of the equipment cavity, to realize physical externalization and independent layout of the functional module. The side placement design matches the width L of the wafer box conveying module 1 with the available width of the side of the vertical furnace equipment. For example, in a 12-inch vertical furnace equipment with a total width of 1100 mm, the width L of the wafer box conveying module 1 can be designed as 1060 mm, satisfying the spatial constraint condition of L≤1100 mm of the wafer box conveying module 1 and ensuring that the overall equipment footprint is not increased. The wafer box conveying module 1 is arranged to extend laterally along the equipment, with a length W (e.g. W is set as 1200 mm) and a height H, to form an independent wafer box receiving, temporary storage and transfer area, so as to effectively release the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment, avoid spatial conflicts with key components such as process cavities and door valve mechanisms, and improve system integration and maintenance accessibility.

[0031] In some optional implementations of the present application, two wafer box conveying ports are symmetrically arranged along the width extension direction of the wafer box conveying module 1.

[0032] In some optional implementations of the present application, since the wafer box conveying module 1 is provided with two wafer conveying ports, the actual application width of each wafer conveying port is L / 2, and the width of a standard FOUP wafer box is 428 mm, therefore, the actual application width range of a single wafer conveying port is 428 mm < L / 2 < 550 mm. For example, the width L of the wafer box conveying module 1 is designed as 1060 mm, satisfying the spatial compatibility requirement of high-density production lines, and two wafer conveying ports are symmetrically arranged in the transverse direction, with an actual available width of L / 2 = 530 mm for each port. This size range satisfies the technical condition of 428 mm < L / 2 < 550 mm, which can accommodate a standard FOUP wafer box (with a width of 428 mm) and also reserve sufficient operation space for lateral movement of the robot 2. The structure adopts a high-strength aluminum alloy frame combined with a stainless steel support plate, taking into account the lightweight and rigidity requirements, while ensuring stable bearing while reducing the overall equipment weight and improving dynamic response performance.

[0033] In some optional implementations of the present application, an angle avoiding structure is arranged at the wafer box conveying port to avoid path interference during vertical swing type robot transportation from the rear end of the wafer box conveying module 1 to the inside of the vertical furnace equipment.

[0034] In some optional implementations of the present application, the angle-avoiding structure 1.1 arranged at the wafer box conveying port forms an oblique cutting surface through oblique cutting, and the oblique cutting surface constitutes an avoidance angle a, the avoidance angle a being an included angle between a side of the wafer box conveying module 1 and the oblique cutting edge, the avoidance angle a being in a range of 75-89°, for reducing the arm rotation angle of the robot 2 by 20-35% and shortening the pick-and-place cycle of the robot 2 by 10-30%.

[0035] In some optional implementations of the present application, the angle-avoiding structure 1.1 is arranged at both sides of the rear end of the wafer box conveying module 1, and an oblique cutting surface is formed through numerical control milling, and an avoidance angle a is constituted, the angle a being an included angle between a side of the module and the oblique cutting edge, the avoidance angle a being in a range of 75-89°, for reducing the arm rotation angle of the robot 2 by 20-35% and shortening the pick-and-place cycle of the robot 2 by 10-30% after path avoidance. The preferred value is 84.6°, for reducing the arm rotation angle of the robot 2 by 30% and shortening the pick-and-place cycle of the robot 2 by 25% after path avoidance.

[0036] In some optional implementations of the present application, the avoidance angle a is determined by an avoidance width t, the avoidance width t being a distance of inward shrinkage of a corner of the rear end of the wafer box conveying module 1 along the X-axis direction, satisfying 0 < t < L / 2, and the avoidance width t and the avoidance angle a satisfy a geometric relationship, and the calculation formula of the avoidance angle a is: When the value of the avoidance width t is in the range of 0 < t < L / 2, the value of the avoidance angle a is in the range of 75-89° according to the calculation formula of the avoidance angle a. It should be noted that a is the outside included angle in actual engineering, and through three-dimensional modeling backstepping and actual measurement verification, when the physical structure realizes an included angle of 84.6°, t is approximately 52 mm, and at this time the bevel surface forms an inclined entry channel in space. Based on the CAD motion envelope simulation analysis, this structure can effectively avoid the interference area of the forearm of the six-axis robot 2 in the rotation process, especially reducing the rotation demand in the Y-axis direction. The actual measurement shows that in the traditional design without the avoidance structure, the forearm of the robot 2 needs to rotate about 110° to enter the material taking position; while in this embodiment, the rotation angle is reduced to 77°, with a reduction of 30%. The path is smoother, avoiding multi-segment action switching, significantly reducing the joint motor load and cumulative error, and improving the motion consistency. In addition, if the avoidance angle a < 75°, the robot 2 needs a larger rotation radius to avoid structural interference, which may exceed the available space inside the vertical furnace; if a ≥ 90°, the angle avoidance structure 1.1 will lose the avoidance function (become a horizontal extension). Moreover, by setting the angle avoidance structure 1.1 with an avoidance angle on the wafer box conveying module 1, an inclined motion channel is formed, which can "actively" "create a taking and placing channel" for the robot 2, so that the wafer box conveying module 1 bears part of the avoidance responsibility, thereby reducing the dependence on the motion complexity of the robot 2, so as to allow the use of a robot 2 with a simpler structure and higher reliability.

[0037] In some optional implementations of the present application, the wafer box conveying module 1 further comprises an execution unit, wherein the execution unit is composed of a multi-sensor cooperative positioning logic component, a cylinder driving unit 1.3 and a drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6.

[0038] In some optional implementations of the present application, the multi-sensor cooperative positioning logic component is used to identify the position information, state information and identity information of the wafer box 1.7 through a three-level interlocking control mechanism.

[0039] In some optional implementations of the present application, the multi-sensor cooperative positioning logic component comprises an RFID identification unit 1.2, a photoelectric switch unit 1.4 and a micro switch unit 1.5, the RFID identification unit 1.2 comprises an RFID reader and an RFID antenna, and is used to identify the batch information of the wafer box 1.7 and determine whether the current wafer box 1.7 batch meets the production operation, the photoelectric switch unit 1.4 is used to detect whether the wafer box 1.7 supported by the support plate is lowered from the initial position of the trolley, and the micro switch unit 1.5 is used to determine whether the wafer box 1.7 reaches the specified position.

[0040] In some optional implementations of the present application, the three-level interlock control mechanism is specifically: (1) the light-triggered RFID identification electric switch unit: detects whether the wafer box 1.7 supported by the support plate is lowered from the initial position of the trolley, and if so, triggers the identification action of the RFID identification unit 1.2; (2) the micro switch unit 1.5: judges whether the wafer box 1.7 is completely positioned, and if so, triggers the clamping action of the air cylinder 1.3.1; (3) feeds the clamping completion signal to the main controller, and triggers the starting of the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6. Through the three-level interlock control mechanism, a complete state transition chain of the wafer box 1.7 from “lowering → positioning → identification → clamping → moving” is constructed, and closed-loop control of the function logic of the wafer box conveying module 1 is realized.

[0041] In some optional implementations of the present application, the wafer box conveying module 1 is integrated with the RFID identification unit 1.2, which includes an RF680 reader and a double-antenna array of Siemens, and is used to read the distance set to 80-120 mm, to ensure stable identification of the bottom label of the FOUP wafer box 1.7. After the wafer box 1.7 is placed on the support plate by the trolley, the photoelectric switch unit 1.4 detects whether the support plate is completely lowered, for example, if the infrared beam is blocked for more than 0.5 seconds, it is determined that “lowering is completed”; the micro switch unit 1.5 detects whether the wafer box 1.7 is pushed into the specified parking position (travel limit trigger). The three constitute a three-in-one closed-loop logic based on “position-state-identity”, and only when the position signal is confirmed and the RFID batch information matches the MES system, the clamping process is allowed to start. For example, a batch of wafer boxes 1.7 should perform the “polysilicon deposition” process, but the current device is configured for “oxidation annealing”, and after the system comparison fails, it is automatically intercepted and an alarm is given, to prevent process mismatch. After 10,000 continuous tests, the identification accuracy is 99.98%, which significantly improves the automation level and production safety.

[0042] In some optional implementations of the present application, the air cylinder driving unit 1.3 includes an air cylinder 1.3.1, an air cylinder fixing plate 1.3.2, and a clamping mechanism 1.3.3, which is used to clamp the edge of the wafer box 1.7 by the air cylinder 1.3.1 driving the clamping mechanism 1.3.3 after identifying that the current wafer box 1.7 reaches the specified position, to prevent the wafer box 1.7 from falling during conveying.

[0043] In some optional implementations of the present application, the cylinder driving unit 1.3 can adopt a precise thin cylinder 1.3.1, which is installed on the support plate through a cylinder fixing plate 1.3.2, and the output end is connected to the clamping mechanism 1.3.3 (i.e. height-adjustable clamping arm, similar to L-shaped clamping arm), which acts on the non-sensitive area (i.e. the position of the reinforcing rib 120 mm away from the bottom surface) of the wafer box 1.7. After receiving the “wafer box 1.7 in place” signal sent by the micro switch unit 1.5, the control system controls the cylinder 1.3.1 to perform the clamping action. After the clamping is completed and verified by vibration test, the maximum offset of the wafer box 1.7 is <0.1 mm, which ensures the stability during the subsequent movement of the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6, preventing micro displacement or inclination caused by uneven clamping.

[0044] In some optional implementations of the present application, the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6 is installed on the support plate, which is used to receive the wafer box 1.7 dropped from the initial position of the trolley, and after completing the closed-loop identification of the wafer box 1.7, it transports the wafer box 1.7 to the rear end of the wafer box transport module 1, waiting for the robot 2 to take and place the wafer box 1.7.

[0045] In some optional implementations of the present application, the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6 includes a drag chain 1.6.1, a sliding table 1.6.2, a sliding rail 1.6.5, a first support 1.6.4 slidingly connected to the sliding rail 1.6.5, and a second support 1.6.3 slidingly connected to the sliding table 1.6.2, which are used to realize the smooth movement of the support plate.

[0046] In some optional implementations of the present application, the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6 involved in the present application can be composed of SKF HSR15 type high-precision linear guide rail and igus E2.1 series engineering plastic drag chain 1.6.1, the sliding rail 1.6.5 is fixed on the wafer box transport module 1 and is pre-coated with Molykote long-acting lubricating grease, the support plate is limited by the first support 1.6.4 and the second support 1.6.3, at the same time, the second support 1.6.3 is connected with the drag chain 1.6.1, which is used to realize the smooth movement of the support plate. The sliding table 1.6.2 is driven by a Panasonic MINAS A6 series servo motor to realize the X-axis reciprocating movement. The maximum running speed is set to 200 mm / s, the acceleration and deceleration time is 0.3 s, the one-way stroke is 800 mm, and the theoretical round-trip time is 3.4 s. The internal power line, encoder line and air pipe of the drag chain 1.6.1 are integrated, the follow-up layout avoids entanglement, and guarantees the long-term reliability under high-frequency continuous operation (2000 cycles per day on average). In addition, in order to monitor the position of the support plate in real time, a laser displacement sensor (KEYENCE LC-2400) is also arranged on the wafer box transport module 1, and the actual measured repeatability is ±0.09 mm, which meets the design index of ±0.1 mm.

[0047] In some optional implementation modes of the present application, the control system with error feedback mechanism is used to uniformly schedule the action timing of the execution unit, and based on the set key time threshold and error feedback mechanism, it is judged whether to trigger the fault alarm process.

[0048] In some optional implementation modes of the present application, the control system includes a main controller, a man-machine interface unit, a distributed I / O unit and a communication interface unit, the main controller is used to uniformly schedule the action timing of the execution unit, and based on the set key time threshold and error feedback mechanism, it is judged whether to trigger the fault alarm process, the man-machine interface unit is used for parameter setting, state monitoring and fault alarm, the distributed I / O unit connects each execution unit through Profinet or EtherCAT, and the communication interface unit supports SECS / GEM protocol and interfaces with the upper MES system.

[0049] In some optional implementation modes of the present application, Siemens S7-1500 series PLC can be used as the main controller, and a real-time monitoring module is integrated to uniformly coordinate the action timing of the cylinder driving unit 1.3, the photoelectric switch unit 1.4, the micro switch unit 1.5, the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6 and the manipulator 2.

[0050] In some optional implementation modes of the present application, the uniformly scheduled action timing of the execution unit includes: detecting whether the wafer box 1.7 supported by the support plate is lowered from the initial position of the overhead crane through the photoelectric switch unit 1.4, if yes, triggering the RFID identification unit 1.2 to identify and read the batch information of the current wafer box 1.7, and judging whether the batch of the current wafer box 1.7 conforms to the production operation, if not, alarming and refusing to receive, if yes, detecting whether it is completely positioned to the specified position through the micro switch unit 1.5, if not, delaying and rechecking, if yes, triggering the cylinder 1.3.1 to perform clamping action, feeding the clamping completion signal to the main controller, and triggering the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6 to start, driving the support plate to move the wafer box 1.7 to the rear end of the wafer box conveying module 1 through the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6, and waiting for the manipulator 2 to take and place the wafer box 1.7; until the manipulator 2 takes away the wafer box 1.7, feeding the clamping release signal to the main controller, the main controller controlling the cylinder 1.3.1 to perform the loosening action and the drag chain sliding rail unit 1.6 driving the support plate to reset, and waiting for the next control cycle.

[0051] In some optional implementations of the present application, the key time threshold and error feedback mechanism are set to determine whether to trigger the fault alarm process, including setting the key time threshold, including the single round-trip standard time of the tow chain sliding rail unit 1.6 and the single pick-and-place cycle of the robot 2; determining whether the single round-trip measured time of the tow chain sliding rail unit 1.6 or the single pick-and-place measured cycle of the robot 2 exceeds the key time threshold, if so, determining as abnormal, triggering the three-level fault alarm process, including HMI pop-up warning prompt, uploading fault code to the MES system through Profinet, and automatically recording abnormal logs.

[0052] In some optional implementations of the present application, for example, the key time threshold is set, such as the single round-trip standard time of the tow chain sliding rail unit 1.6 is set to 3.5±0.3 seconds (i.e. 3.2-3.8s), and the single pick-and-place cycle of the robot 2 is set to 6.0±0.5 seconds; when the single round-trip measured time of the tow chain sliding rail unit 1.6 is detected as 4.1s in a certain operation, the control system immediately determines as abnormal, triggering the three-level fault alarm process, including: (1) HMI pop-up warning prompt, such as "slide 1.6.2 movement timeout, please check the lubrication state or slide 1.6.5 wear"; (2) uploading fault code to the MES system through Profinet communication; (3) automatically recording abnormal timestamp, current process batch and previous and next action logs for traceability analysis. The on-site inspection by the maintenance personnel found that the local oil shortage of the slide 1.6.5 caused the increased friction, and after the oil supplement treatment, the normal operation time was restored to 3.55 seconds. This feedback mechanism realizes the fault pre-warning, ensures the whole process of wafer box 1.7 transportation within the stable time window, and significantly improves the system operation reliability and maintainability.

[0053] In some optional implementations of the present application, a wafer box transportation module 1 of a stocker for a vertical furnace is also provided, including a robot 2, an internal storage module 3, a process waiting storage module 4 and the wafer box transportation module 1, the robot 2, the internal storage module 3 and the process waiting storage module 4 are all arranged inside the vertical furnace, the robot 2 is a vertical swing type robot, arranged on one side of the wafer box transportation module 1, used for grabbing and transporting the wafer box 1.7 from the crane opening to the internal storage module 3 or the process waiting storage module 4, the internal storage module 3 is used for temporarily storing the wafer box 1.7 which is not processed, and the process waiting storage module 4 is used for storing the wafer box 1.7 which is being processed.

[0054] In some optional implementations of the present application, the present application adopts a vertical swing type mechanical hand (specifically, a mechanical hand that swings in the vertical direction) to replace the traditional horizontal rotary type mechanical hand through compact mechanical arm structure design. This design can significantly reduce the need for the mechanical hand to avoid in narrow space. At the same time, due to the fact that the vertical swing type mechanical hand still occupies part of the internal space of the vertical furnace equipment, the internal transverse width is less than the total width of the two wafer box transfer ports, and therefore, an angle avoidance structure needs to be provided at the wafer box transfer port. In addition, due to the provision of the vertical swing type mechanical hand, when transferring the wafer box from the wafer box conveying module 1 to the transfer position between the two temporary storage positions, the mechanical arm can swing instead of rotating 180° for transfer, so as to reduce the mechanical hand forearm rotation angle by 20-35%, and shorten the mechanical hand pick-and-place cycle by 10-30%.

[0055] In some optional implementations of the present application, the mechanical hand 2 is installed on one side of the wafer box conveying module 1, and the initial position is located in front of the wafer box conveying module 1. In combination with the diagonal channel provided by the angle avoidance structure 1.1, the control system constructs a continuous and smooth arc trajectory from the initial position → the pick-up position → the transfer position based on the inverse kinematics modeling and trajectory planning algorithm, so as to avoid the pause and vibration caused by the traditional multi-segment rotation. The path planning function is expressed as: ; wherein, is the optimal forearm rotation angle, is the minimum clearance distance (set to ≥25 mm in this embodiment), is the effective arm length of the mechanical hand 2 (650 mm). Taking a certain pick-and-place action as an example: when the avoidance angle α is 84.6°, is 30 mm, is 650 mm, and is calculated by table lookup interpolation method is about 77°, and the control system generates an S-shaped acceleration and deceleration trajectory accordingly, with the maximum angular velocity of 120° / s and the acceleration limit of 800° / s 2 . The actual measurement shows that the single pick-and-place action repeated positioning accuracy is ±0.048 mm, the peak value of the joint motor current is reduced by about 18%, the motion stability is enhanced, the vibration transmission to the wafer box 1.7 is effectively inhibited, and the operation reliability is improved.

[0056] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application but not to limit it, although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: the specific embodiments of the present application can still be modified or replaced equivalently without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, and any modification or equivalent replacement without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application should be covered in the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A wafer cassette transport module for a stocker in a vertical furnace, disposed on the side of the vertical furnace equipment and extending laterally along the furnace equipment to form an independent wafer cassette receiving, temporary storage, and transfer area, characterized in that, The wafer cassette transport module includes: Two wafer box transport ports are symmetrically arranged along the width extension direction of the wafer box transport module; An angle avoidance structure is set at the wafer box conveying port to avoid path interference during the process of the vertical swinging robot arm transporting the wafer box from the rear end of the wafer box conveying module to the interior of the vertical furnace equipment; The control system has an error feedback mechanism to uniformly schedule the action sequence of the execution units, and determines whether to trigger the fault alarm process based on the set key time thresholds and the error feedback mechanism. The process of determining whether to trigger a fault alarm based on a set key time threshold and error feedback mechanism includes: Set key time thresholds, including the standard time for a single round trip of the cable chain slide unit and the cycle time for a single pick-up and drop-off by the robot arm; Determine whether the measured time of a single round trip of the cable chain slide rail unit or the measured cycle of a single pick-up and put-down operation of the robotic arm exceeds the critical time threshold. If so, it is determined to be abnormal and a level three fault alarm process is triggered.

2. The wafer cassette transport module for a vertical furnace stocker as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The angle avoidance structure forms a beveled surface through oblique cutting, and the beveled surface constitutes an avoidance angle α. The avoidance angle α is the angle between the side of the wafer box transport module and the beveled edge, and the value of the avoidance angle α ranges from 75° to 89°.

3. The wafer cassette transport module for a vertical furnace stocker as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The execution unit includes a multi-sensor collaborative positioning logic component, which is used to perform closed-loop identification of the wafer cell's position information, status information, and identity information through a three-level interlocking control mechanism.

4. The wafer cassette transport module for a vertical furnace stocker as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The multi-sensor collaborative positioning logic component includes an RFID identification unit, a photoelectric switch unit, and a micro switch unit. The RFID identification unit includes an RFID reader and an RFID antenna, used to identify the batch information of the wafer cassette and determine whether the current wafer cassette batch meets the production operation requirements. The photoelectric switch unit is used to detect whether the support plate supporting the wafer cassette is lowered from the initial position of the overhead crane. The micro switch unit is used to determine whether the wafer cassette has reached the designated position.

5. The wafer cassette transport module for a vertical furnace stocker as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The execution unit also includes a cylinder drive unit, which includes a cylinder, a cylinder fixing plate, and a clamping mechanism. After recognizing that the current wafer cassette has reached the designated position, the cylinder drives the clamping mechanism to clamp the edge of the wafer cassette.

6. The wafer cassette transport module for a vertical furnace stocker as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The execution unit also includes a cable chain slide rail unit, on which a support plate is mounted. The cable chain slide rail unit includes a cable chain, a slide table, a slide rail, a first support member slidably connected to the slide rail, and a second support member slidably connected to the slide table. After the support plate receives the wafer cassette lowered from the initial position of the overhead crane and completes the closed-loop identification of the wafer cassette, it transports the wafer cassette to the rear end of the wafer cassette transport module, waiting for the robot arm to pick up and place the wafer cassette.

7. The wafer cassette transport module for a vertical furnace stocker as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The control system includes a main controller, a human-machine interface unit, a distributed I / O unit, and a communication interface unit. The main controller is used to uniformly schedule the action sequence of the execution units and, based on the set key time thresholds and error feedback mechanisms, determine whether to trigger a fault alarm process. The human-machine interface unit is used for parameter setting, status monitoring, and fault alarm. The distributed I / O unit connects to each execution unit through Profinet or EtherCAT. The communication interface unit supports the SECS / GEM protocol and interfaces with the upper-level MES system.

8. The wafer cassette transport module for a vertical furnace stocker as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The timing sequence of actions of the unified scheduling execution unit includes: The photoelectric switch unit detects whether the support plate supporting the wafer cassette has been lowered from the initial position of the overhead crane. If so, the RFID identification unit is triggered to identify and read the batch information of the current wafer cassette, and to determine whether the current wafer cassette batch meets the production operation requirements. If not, an alarm is triggered and the wafer cassette is rejected. If so, the micro switch unit detects whether the wafer cassette has been fully lowered to the designated position. If not, a delay is set for re-detection. If so, the cylinder is triggered to perform a clamping action, and a clamping completion signal is sent back to the main controller. The drag chain slide rail unit is also triggered to start, and the support plate is moved to the rear end of the wafer cassette transport module by the drag chain slide rail unit, waiting for the robot arm to pick up and put down the wafer cassette. After the robot arm removes the wafer cassette, a clamping release signal is sent back to the main controller. The main controller controls the cylinder to perform a release action and the drag chain slide rail unit to reset the support plate, waiting to enter the next control cycle.

9. The wafer cassette transport module for a vertical furnace stocker as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The three-level fault alarm process includes HMI pop-up warning prompts, uploading fault codes to the MES system via Profinet, and automatically recording exception logs.

10. A transport system using the wafer cassette transport module of a stocker for a vertical furnace according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, include: The system includes a robotic arm, an internal storage module, a processing-ready storage module, and a wafer cassette transport module. All three components are housed inside the vertical furnace. The robotic arm is a vertically swinging type and is positioned on one side of the wafer cassette transport module. It is used to grab wafer cassettes from the overhead crane opening and transport them to either the internal storage module or the processing-ready storage module. The internal storage module temporarily stores unprocessed wafer cassettes, while the processing-ready storage module stores wafer cassettes currently being processed.

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