Wafer identification device

Abstract

A wafer identification device comprises a supporting unit and a working unit. The supporting unit comprises a support and a carrying table which can be movably arranged on the support in the longitudinal direction. The working unit comprises a laser module arranged on the carrying table and a detection module which is arranged on the carrying table at an interval with the laser module. The laser module has a light source adapted to emit linear light toward the wafer. The detection module is provided with an image acquisition device and a processor, wherein the image acquisition device is used for shooting the range of the wafer irradiated by the linear light, and the processor is connected to the image acquisition device. And the processor is used for judging whether the number of a plurality of light spots accords with an expected number or not according to the plurality of light spots formed by the linear light on the wafer, and determining the distance between two adjacent light spots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an auxiliary device for a semiconductor production line, and more particularly to a wafer identification device. Background Technology

[0002] See Figure 1 A wafer cassette 1 is used to hold multiple wafers W commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. The wafer cassette 1 defines a receiving space 10 and has a plurality of additional circuit boards 11 extending from the left and right sides of the receiving space 10 toward each other, and adapted to cooperate in pairs to carry the wafers W. Figure 1 (Due to the viewing angle, only one side is visible). The additional circuit board 11 divides the accommodating space 10 into multiple accommodating slots S for placing multiple wafers W. In current mature semiconductor production lines, automated equipment will remove the wafers W from the accommodating space 10 and then guide them into the production line to perform the processes at each station.

[0003] However, whether the wafers W can be successfully introduced into the production line by automated equipment depends in part on whether the wafers W are indeed placed in the respective hoppers S as expected. Therefore, if a wafer W is not placed in a hopper S, multiple wafers W are placed in a hopper S, or a wafer W is not placed flat on the "skewed insertion" of the corresponding auxiliary circuit boards 11, it may affect the automated equipment's operation of correctly introducing the wafers W. Similarly, even when the wafers W are to be returned to the wafer cassette 1 after completing a specific process step, similar situations may occur, affecting subsequent processes and even finished product shipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wafer identification device that can specifically detect wafers placed in a wafer cassette.

[0005] The present invention relates to a wafer identification device suitable for being arranged adjacent to a wafer cassette, the wafer cassette defining an inner space suitable for placing multiple wafers along the longitudinal direction, the wafer identification device comprising a support unit and a working unit mounted on the support unit.

[0006] BCPI-240257 Page 2 of 5

[0007] The support unit includes a bracket and a platform that is movable along the longitudinal direction and mounted on the bracket.

[0008] The working unit includes a laser module disposed on the carrier and a detection module disposed on the carrier and spaced apart from the laser module. The laser module has a light source adapted to emit a linear light on the wafer. The detection module has an image sensor for capturing an image of a capturing range of the linear light irradiated on the wafer, and a processor connected to the image sensor. The processor is used to determine whether the calculated number of light spots formed on the wafer by the linear light in the capturing range corresponds to the expected number corresponding to the capturing range, and to determine whether the measured distance between two adjacent light spots corresponds to the specified distance.

[0009] The wafer recognition device further includes a reduction mechanism mounted on the support and connected to the carrier, and a servo motor connected to the reduction mechanism.

[0010] The wafer recognition device further includes a first adjustment seat mounted on the carrier and capable of adjusting the irradiation direction of the linear light.

[0011] The wafer recognition device further includes a second adjustment seat mounted on the carrier and capable of adjusting the capturing direction of the image sensor.

[0012] The image sensor of the detection module is a charge-coupled light-sensitive component.

[0013] The wafer recognition device further includes a fixing unit adjacent to the support unit and adapted to fix the wafer box.

[0014] The processor of the detection module is further used to determine whether the measured area of each light spot in the capturing range is within a predetermined reasonable range.

[0015] The wafer recognition device has the following advantages: the capturing range of the image sensor of the detection module corresponds to a specific number of wafers, and the expected number can be properly set. Subsequently, the working unit is moved to a suitable position relative to the wafer box to be confirmed by the support unit, and the image sensor is used to capture the image when the light source irradiates the wafer to form a plurality of light spots. The processor determines whether the calculated number of light spots corresponds to the expected number, and whether the measured distance between two adjacent light spots corresponds to the specified distance.

[0016] The calculated number of the plurality of light spots is the number of the wafer pieces actually placed in the shooting range, and then the calculated number is compared with the expected number to confirm whether the measurement interval between two adjacent wafer pieces is correct, so as to know whether the wafer pieces in the shooting range are placed correctly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is an incomplete perspective view illustrating a plurality of wafer pieces placed in a wafer box;

[0018] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a wafer recognition device of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating a support unit and a working unit of the embodiment;

[0020] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the operation of a laser module and a detection module of the working unit;

[0021] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the case that a linear light emitted by the laser module irradiates a plurality of wafer pieces; and

[0022] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view illustrating the case that the linear light forms five light spots on the wafer pieces, in cooperation with Figure 5 FIG. 5; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0024] Referring to Figure 2 , an embodiment of a wafer recognition device of the present application is adapted to be disposed adjacent to a wafer box 9, which defines an inner space 90 adapted for placing a plurality of wafer pieces 80 (see Figure 5 ) in a longitudinal direction H. The embodiment includes a support unit 2, a working unit 3 mounted on the support unit 2, and a fixing unit 4 spaced apart from the support unit 2 and adapted for fixing the wafer box 9. Specifically, the wafer box 9 used in the embodiment is a front opening shipping box (FOSB) and is made of a transparent material.

[0025] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3The support unit 2 includes a bracket 21, a platform 22 movably mounted on the bracket 21 along the longitudinal direction H, a reduction mechanism 23 mounted on the bracket 21 and connected to the platform 22, and a servo motor 24 connected to the reduction mechanism 23. The form of the bracket 21 is not specifically limited and can be freely designed according to the production line environment or the need to fix various components, as long as it provides stable support and meets the requirements of BCPI-240257 (page 4 / 5).

[0026] Sufficient structural strength is sufficient. The platform 22 can be powered by the servo motor 24, and with the speed controlled by the reduction mechanism 23 to optimize adjustment accuracy, it can be adjusted to an appropriate position along the longitudinal direction H on the support 21.

[0027] The working unit 3 includes a laser module 31 disposed on the stage 22, and a detection module 32 disposed on the stage 22 at a distance from the laser module 31. The laser module 31 has a light source 311 suitable for emitting linear light onto the wafer 80, and a first adjustment seat 312 mounted on the stage 22 and capable of adjusting the irradiation direction of the linear light. The detection module 32 has an image capture device 321 for capturing a range of the linear light irradiating the wafer 80, a second adjustment seat 322 mounted on the stage 22 and capable of adjusting the irradiation direction of the image capture device 321, and a processor 323 (labeled as shown in the image capture device 321) connected to the image capture device 321. Figure 4 The image capture device 321 is a charge-coupled device (CCD). The linear light generated by the light source 311 preferably illuminates 4 to 6 wafers 80 in a positioned manner, in accordance with the range that the image capture device 321 can capture. Furthermore, the specific forms of the first adjustment seat 312 and the second adjustment seat 322 are not limited, as long as they allow for free adjustment of the direction of the light source 311 and the image capture device 321.

[0028] See Figure 4 and cooperate Figure 2 Specifically, the processor 323 is a computing chip that can be pre-programmed with logic or installed with image processing software to perform the required calculations and output results. The processor 323 receives information from the image captured by the image capture device 321, and through image recognition, determines the number of multiple light spots formed by the linear light within the shooting range on the wafer 80, determines the calculated number of light spots, and can also determine the measurement distance between two adjacent light spots, as well as the measurement area of ​​each light spot within the shooting range.

[0029] See Figures 4 to 6 and cooperateFigure 2 and Figure 3 When using this embodiment to inspect the wafer 80 placed in the wafer cassette 9, with the wafer cassette 9 stably placed in the fixing unit 4, the orientation of the light source 311 of the laser module 31 and the image capture unit 321 of the detection module 32 can be adjusted in advance using the first adjustment seat 312 and the second adjustment seat 322. Because the wafer cassette 9 is made of transparent material, the linear light emitted by the laser module 31 can penetrate and directly illuminate the wafer 80. It should be noted that when inspecting and confirming the completed wafer 80 (BCPI-240257, page 5 / 5), since the fabricated structural surface is usually placed upwards, to avoid accidental reflections caused by the fabricated structure, the light source 311 is preferably positioned as follows during inspection. Figure 4 The illumination is performed by illuminating the back side of the wafer 80 in an upward, inclined direction.

[0030] Next, in conjunction with the shooting range of the image capture device 321, if we take the setting of shooting five wafers 80 in a single frame as an example, the laser module 31 used to emit the linear light and the detection module 32 responsible for interpreting the image after the light spot is formed can move gradually in a fixed relative position by means of the function of the stage 22 being able to move along the longitudinal direction H to perform the detection operation at a rate of five wafers at a time.

[0031] For each frame containing the light spot captured by the image capturer 321 in conjunction with the illumination of the light source 311, the processor 323 can determine whether the calculated number of the light spots, that is, the number of wafers 80, matches a predetermined number for the corresponding shooting range (in this example, such as...). Figure 6 (The 5 wafers shown). After confirming that the calculated number matches the expected number, it can be generally determined that there are indeed 5 wafers 80 in the shooting range; conversely, if the number does not match, the increase or decrease in the number can be directly determined. Furthermore, considering the possibility that the wafers 80 may be placed overlapping each other, and considering that multiple overlapping wafers 80 together reflect the linear light to form a light spot with a large area, the processor 323 can also detect whether the measured area of ​​each light spot is within a preset reasonable range, thereby achieving the purpose of ensuring that the wafers 80 are not "overlapping". In addition, after pre-setting a standard spacing that two wafers 80 should have in a normal placement, the image recognition method is also used to confirm whether the measured spacing between two adjacent light spots meets the standard spacing, thereby detecting whether there is a situation where the wafers 80 are not placed horizontally but are "inserted".

Claims

1. A wafer identification device, suitable for being disposed adjacent to a wafer cassette, the wafer cassette defining an inner space suitable for placing multiple wafers along a longitudinal direction; characterized in that: The wafer recognition device comprises: a support unit including a support frame and a carrier movably arranged on the support frame along a longitudinal direction; and a working unit installed on the support unit and including a laser module arranged on the carrier and a detection module arranged on the carrier and spaced apart from the laser module, the laser module having a light source adapted to emit a linear light on the wafer, the detection module having an image sensor for capturing an image of a capturing range of the linear light irradiated on the wafer, and a processor connected to the image sensor, the processor being configured to determine whether a calculated number of light spots formed on the wafer by the linear light in the capturing range corresponds to an expected number corresponding to the capturing range, and to determine whether a measured distance between two adjacent light spots corresponds to a standard distance.

2. The wafer recognition device of claim 1, wherein: The support unit further includes a deceleration mechanism installed on the support frame and connected to the carrier, and a servo motor connected to the deceleration mechanism.

3. The wafer recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The laser module of the working unit further has a first adjustment seat installed on the carrier and capable of adjusting an irradiation direction of the linear light.

4. The wafer recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The detection module of the working unit further has a second adjustment seat installed on the carrier and capable of adjusting a capturing direction of the image sensor.

5. The wafer recognition device of claim 1, wherein: The image sensor of the detection module is a charge-coupled light-sensing component.

6. The wafer recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The wafer recognition device further includes a fixing unit adjacent to the support unit and adapted to fix the wafer box.

7. The wafer recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The processor of the detection module is further configured to determine whether a measured area of each of the light spots in the capturing range is within a preset reasonable range.

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