Wafer box carrying equipment with accurate positioning function

Abstract

The invention discloses wafer box carrying equipment capable of accurately positioning. The wafer box carrying equipment comprises an equipment rack, a placing station and a carrying mechanism, the wafer box comprises a box body and a handle. The equipment rack comprises a working table top and a support. Each placing station comprises a limiting block, a positioning sensor, a reflection sensor and a positioning pin. The carrying mechanism comprises a fixing plate, a horizontal moving mechanism, a vertical moving mechanism, a mechanical extension arm, an extraction clamp and a positioner. And the extraction clamp comprises a clamping jaw main body, a jaw part and an extraction clamp limiting block. Compared with the prior art, by arranging the placement station, it is guaranteed that the wafer box is accurately placed in the limiting block, and automatic and accurate placement of the wafer box is achieved. The carrying mechanism is arranged, and the extraction clamp limiting block and the positioner are arranged on the extraction clamp, so that when the wafer box is clamped by the extraction clamp, the position is accurate, and the risk that the wafer box falls off due to unstable clamping can be effectively avoided.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor handling, in particular to a wafer box handling equipment with accurate positioning. BACKGROUND

[0002] The wafer box, also known as wafer carrier, is a kind of semiconductor carrier, which is a precision bearing device specially designed for semiconductor wafers and plays a crucial role in semiconductor production. It is mainly used for placing and transporting wafers, simplifying the transportation process of wafers, reducing the risk of wafer contamination, and ensuring smooth flow of wafers between different production links.

[0003] When storing the wafer box, a crown block is usually used for transportation. However, due to the limited accuracy and movement ability of the crown block, it is not sufficient to accurately place the wafer box into the storage position of the storage warehouse. Therefore, a mechanical hand is needed for clamping. During the transfer process of the wafer box from the crown block to the mechanical hand, accurate positioning is required to ensure that the mechanical hand accurately places the wafer box into the storage position without error. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides a wafer box handling equipment with accurate positioning to solve the above technical problems.

[0005] A precision-positioning wafer cassette handling device includes a frame, two placement stations within the frame, and a handling mechanism mounted on the frame. The wafer cassette includes a body and a pair of handles on either side of the body. The frame includes a worktable and a support on the worktable. The worktable is a flat surface located at the top of the cabinet, parallel to the ground. The two placement stations are arranged side-by-side and spaced apart on the worktable. Each placement station includes four limiting blocks fixed to the worktable, three positioning sensors on the worktable, a reflective sensor positioned between the positioning sensors, and multiple positioning pins on the worktable. The four limiting blocks are L-shaped, spaced apart and forming a rectangular frame whose dimensions match the bottom dimensions of the cassette. The three positioning sensors are triangularly distributed among the four limiting blocks. The reflective sensor is positioned between the three positioning sensors. The conveying mechanism includes a fixed plate mounted on the crossbar, a horizontal moving mechanism mounted on the fixed plate, a vertical moving mechanism mounted on the horizontal moving mechanism, a mechanical arm mounted on the vertical moving mechanism, a lifting clamp mounted on the mechanical arm, and multiple sets of positioners mounted on the lifting clamp. The lifting clamp includes a gripper body connected to the third rotating shaft, two gripper portions connected to the gripper body, and four lifting clamp limiting blocks respectively mounted on the gripper portions. Each gripper portion is an L-shaped structure, and the distance between two gripper portions is the same as the distance between the handles. The lifting clamp limiting blocks are arranged in pairs on two gripper portions, located on the surfaces where the gripper portions abut and contact the handle, and are positioned according to the handle's position. The positioners are located between two lifting clamp limiting blocks and employ pressure sensors or optical sensors.

[0006] Furthermore, the equipment rack also includes a cabinet and a safety light curtain mounted on the bracket.

[0007] Furthermore, the support includes four vertical columns arranged on the workbench and two crossbars that connect the two columns respectively. The columns are vertically fixed at the four corners of the workbench, and the crossbars are connected to the two adjacent columns in the arrangement direction of the placement station and are located at the ends of the columns away from the workbench.

[0008] Furthermore, each of the placement stations also includes a barcode reader disposed on one side of the limiting block.

[0009] Furthermore, the limiting block has an inclined guide bevel on its inner side near the circle.

[0010] Furthermore, the horizontal moving mechanism adopts a lead screw and linear guide structure to drive a connecting plate to reciprocate along the horizontal direction of the placement station arrangement direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the vertical moving mechanism is fixed to the horizontal moving mechanism and adopts a lead screw and linear guide structure to drive a connecting structure to reciprocate along a vertical direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the placement station.

[0012] Furthermore, the mechanical arm includes a first pivot connected to the vertical moving mechanism, an upper arm connected to the first pivot, a second pivot disposed at the end of the upper arm away from the first pivot, a lower arm connected to the second pivot, and a third pivot disposed at the end of the lower arm away from the second pivot.

[0013] Furthermore, the first, second, and third rotating shafts are all motor-controlled rotating mechanisms, including rotating shafts and bushings. The rotation directions of the first, second, and third rotating shafts are consistent, all being circumferential directions consistent with the movement direction of the horizontal moving mechanism.

[0014] Furthermore, the upper and lower arms are spaced apart and arranged in parallel, and are connected at the same end away from the first pivot by the second pivot.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the precision-positioning wafer cassette handling equipment provided by this invention determines the position of the wafer cassette placed by the overhead crane by setting the placement station, and limits the position of the wafer cassette by setting the limiting block. Simultaneously, the positioning sensor and reflection sensor automatically detect the position of the wafer cassette, ensuring that the wafer cassette is accurately placed within the limiting block, thus achieving automated and precise placement of the wafer cassette. By setting the handling mechanism, including the horizontal movement mechanism, the vertical movement mechanism, and the mechanical arm, the three-axis movement of the extraction clamp is achieved. Furthermore, the extraction clamp is equipped with an extraction clamp limiting block and a locator, ensuring accurate positioning of the extraction clamp when gripping the wafer cassette and effectively avoiding the risk of the wafer cassette falling due to unstable gripping. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer cassette handling device for precise positioning provided by the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer cassette being handled by a precision-positioned wafer cassette handling device.

[0018] Figure 3 For Figure 1 The structure schematic view of the precise positioning wafer box conveying equipment from another perspective.

[0019] Figure 4 For Figure 1 The partial structure schematic view of the conveying mechanism of the precise positioning wafer box conveying equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The specific embodiments of the present application are further described below. It should be understood that the description of the embodiments of the present application herein is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0021] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, it is the structure schematic view of the precise positioning wafer box conveying equipment provided by the present application. The precise positioning wafer box conveying equipment comprises a device rack 10, two placing stations 20 arranged in the device rack 10, and a conveying mechanism 30 arranged on the device rack 10. It is conceivable that the precise positioning wafer box conveying equipment further comprises other functional modules such as the electrical box of the device, operation buttons and the like, which are the technology known to those skilled in the art and will not be described one by one here.

[0022] It should be noted that, as Figure 2 shown, it is the structure schematic view of the wafer box 40 placed in the precise positioning wafer box conveying equipment for conveying. The wafer box 40 comprises a box body 41 and a pair of handles 42 arranged on both sides of the box body 41. The box body 41 is a rectangular box with an internal cavity, a single side opening and comprising a box bottom and a box cover buckled thereon to place a wafer storage box for storing wafers inside. The handles 42 are arranged on both sides of the box body 41 to facilitate the grab and hold of the overhead crane and the mechanical hand. The structure of the above-mentioned wafer box 40 is described in detail in the Chinese invention with the publication number CN119673833B, a wafer box with a protective limiting device, which is not the main content of the present application, so only a brief description is made here.

[0023] The device rack 10 comprises a cabinet 11, a workbench 12 arranged on the cabinet 11, a support 13 arranged on the workbench 12, and a safety grating 14 arranged on the support 13.

[0024] The cabinet body 11 is surrounded by a support and a plurality of side plates, which can be built by welding or using fasteners with aluminum profiles, and the side plates are made of stainless steel, alloy or metal material, which can be connected to each other by buckle or screw structure to form a vertical and stable support structure, and is provided with cabinet door, handle, lock, display screen and operation button structure, so as to set the actuator or other equipment in the cabinet body 11. Four feet are also provided on the four corners of the cabinet body 11 close to the ground, which can be used as a structure such as a foma wheel to support and stabilize the main body, and facilitate the movement of the position of the equipment, which is not limited here.

[0025] The workbench 12 is a device plane located at the top of the cabinet body 11, which is parallel to the ground to set the placement station 20. The workbench 12 can be a rectangular sheet metal plate.

[0026] The support 13 includes four vertical columns 131 arranged on the workbench 12, and two crossbars 132 respectively connected to two columns 131.

[0027] The column 131 is vertically fixed on the four corners of the workbench 12 to set the safety grating 14.

[0028] The crossbar 132 is connected to two adjacent columns 131 in the arrangement direction of the placement station 20, and is located at the end of the column 131 away from the workbench 12 to form a stable support structure and install the carrying mechanism 30.

[0029] The safety grating 14 is an optical and electrical device to avoid personnel approaching the moving machine, which can avoid personnel touching the inside of the equipment during equipment operation, causing product loss and personnel injury. Each safety grating 14 includes a group of signal transmitters and a group of signal receivers. The signal transmitter transmits a group of infrared beams, and the signal receiver includes a plurality of light sensors. If an object is between the transmitter and the receiver, the receiver cannot receive a complete signal, and a stop signal will be sent to the monitored equipment.

[0030] Two placement stations 20 are arranged side by side and spaced apart on the workbench 12. Each placement station 20 includes four limit blocks 21 fixed on the workbench 12, three positioning sensors 22 arranged on the workbench 12, a reflective sensor 23 arranged between the positioning sensors 22, a plurality of positioning pins 24 arranged on the workbench 12, and a code reader 25 arranged on one side of the limit block 21.

[0031] Four said limiting blocks 21 are L-shaped structures, spaced from each other and surrounded by a rectangular frame, the size of the rectangular frame is consistent with the size of the bottom of the box 41, so as to put the wafer box 40 and limit. The inner side of the limiting block 21 close to the center point is provided with an inclined guide bevel, so that when the trolley places the wafer box 40, it can play a guiding role.

[0032] Three said positioning sensors 22 are triangularly distributed between four said limiting blocks 21, said positioning sensor 22 is a pressure sensitive sensor, which transmits signals to the control terminal when pressure is felt. At the same time, three said positioning sensors 22 are provided, so that only when the wafer box 40 is completely and accurately placed between the limiting blocks 21, can the three said positioning sensors 22 be triggered at the same time. As long as one of the positioning sensors 22 is not triggered, it will not enter the next handling process, so as to ensure the accurate placement position of the wafer box 40.

[0033] The said reflection sensor 23 is arranged between the three said positioning sensors 22, which is a diffuse reflection photoelectric sensor, which is a device for converting optical signals into electrical signals, for sensing whether the wafer box 40 is placed on the placement station 20.

[0034] The said positioning pin 24 is a plurality of cylindrical protrusions arranged on the workbench surface 12, corresponding to the inflation port, locking device insertion port and the like at the bottom of the wafer box 40, so as to ensure that the wafer box 40 can be placed flat on the placement station 20 and is not easy to move.

[0035] The said code reader 25 is arranged between two said limiting blocks 21, and abuts against the code of the wafer box 40 when the wafer box 40 is placed on the placement station 20, for reading and uploading the code data of each said wafer box 40, to realize accurate data statistics of each said wafer box 40.

[0036] The said handling mechanism 30 includes a fixed plate 31 arranged on the cross bar 132, a horizontal moving mechanism 32 arranged on the fixed plate 31, a vertical moving mechanism 33 arranged on the horizontal moving mechanism 32, a mechanical expansion arm 34 arranged on the vertical moving mechanism 33, a extraction clamp 35 arranged on the mechanical expansion arm 34, and a plurality of positioners 36 arranged on the extraction clamp 35.

[0037] The said fixed plate 31 is fixed on the cross bar 132, for arranging the horizontal moving mechanism 32.

[0038] The horizontal moving mechanism 32 adopts a screw rod and linear guide rail structure to drive a connecting plate to reciprocate along the horizontal direction of the arrangement direction of the placing station 20.

[0039] The vertical moving mechanism 33 is fixed on the horizontal moving mechanism 32 and adopts a screw rod and linear guide rail structure to drive a connecting structure to reciprocate along the vertical direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the placing station 20.

[0040] The horizontal moving mechanism 32 and the vertical moving mechanism 33 are both driven by motors, thereby forming a double-axis moving mechanism.

[0041] The mechanical extension arm 34 comprises a first rotating shaft 341 connected to the vertical moving mechanism 33, an upper extension arm 342 connected to the first rotating shaft 341, a second rotating shaft 343 arranged at one end of the upper extension arm 342 away from the first rotating shaft 341, a lower extension arm 344 connected to the second rotating shaft 343, and a third rotating shaft 345 arranged at one end of the lower extension arm 344 away from the second rotating shaft 343.

[0042] The first rotating shaft 341, the second rotating shaft 343 and the third rotating shaft 345 are all rotating mechanisms controlled by motors, comprising a rotating shaft, a shaft sleeve and other structures, for driving the connecting structure to rotate. The rotating directions of the first rotating shaft 341, the second rotating shaft 343 and the third rotating shaft 345 are consistent, all being the circumferential direction consistent with the moving direction of the horizontal moving mechanism 32.

[0043] The upper extension arm 342 and the lower extension arm 344 are arranged in a spaced and parallel manner and are connected at the same end away from the first rotating shaft 341 by the second rotating shaft 343, so that the lower extension arm 344 can rotate relative to the upper extension arm 342.

[0044] The third rotating shaft 345 is used to connect the lower extension arm 344 and the extraction clamp 35, so that when the first rotating shaft 341, the second rotating shaft 343 and the third rotating shaft 345 rotate simultaneously, the upper extension arm 342 and the lower extension arm 344 can be switched between the coincident state from the head to the tail and the connected state from the head to the tail, thereby changing the distance from the extraction clamp 35 to the horizontal moving mechanism 32 and the vertical moving mechanism 33, realizing the three-axis movement of the extraction clamp 35, having a simple structure, occupying a small space, and being able to ensure the stability of the extraction clamp 35.

[0045] The extraction clamp 35 comprises a clamp jaw main body 351 connected to the third rotating shaft 345, two jaw parts 352 connected to the clamp jaw main body 351, and four extraction clamp limiting blocks 353 arranged on the jaw parts 352 respectively.

[0046] The claw body 351 is a connecting plate for connecting the extraction clamp 35 and the third rotating shaft 345.

[0047] Each claw part 352 is an L-shaped structure, and two claw parts 352 are oppositely arranged, and the distance between the two claw parts 352 is consistent with the distance between the handle 42, so that when the wafer box 40 is clamped, the extraction clamp 35 extends from the side to below the handle 42, and the wafer box 40 is lifted up.

[0048] The extraction clamp limiting block 353 is arranged on the claw part 352, and the side surface of the extraction clamp limiting block 353 is provided with an inclined guide slope for guiding the handle 42 to be clamped between the two extraction clamp limiting blocks 353.

[0049] The positioner 36 is arranged between the two extraction clamp limiting blocks 353, which can be a pressure-sensitive sensor or an optical sensor, so that the wafer box 40 is in a normal clamping state only when the four positioners 36 all sense the handle 42, and as long as one of the positioners 36 does not sense the handle 42, it indicates that the wafer box 40 is not clamped in place and has a risk of falling during transportation, so the whole transportation mechanism 30 is shut down and an alarm is prompted.

[0050] In addition, the claw part 352 can also be provided with a positioning pin according to the structure of the handle 42, which cooperates with the extraction clamp limiting block 353 to guide and limit the handle 42.

[0051] Compared with the prior art, the wafer box transportation device provided by the present application can accurately position the wafer box by setting the placement station 20, so that the position of the crane placing the wafer box 40 is determined, and the position of the wafer box 40 is limited by the limiting block 21, and the position of the wafer box 40 is automatically detected by the positioning sensor 22 and the reflection sensor 23, so that the wafer box 40 is accurately placed in the limiting block 21, and the wafer box 40 is accurately placed in the limiting block 21. The wafer box 40 is accurately placed in the limiting block 21. By setting the transportation mechanism 30, the horizontal moving mechanism 32, the vertical moving mechanism 33 and the mechanical arm 34, the three-axis movement of the extraction clamp 35 is realized, and the extraction clamp limiting block 353 and the positioner 36 are arranged on the extraction clamp 35, so that the position of the extraction clamp 35 is accurate when clamping the wafer box 40, and the risk of the wafer box 40 falling due to unstable clamping can be effectively avoided.

[0052] The above merely provides the preferred embodiment of the present application, and not for limiting the protection scope of the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement, etc. within the spirit of the present application, should be covered within the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A precision positioning FOUP handling apparatus, characterized by: The precise positioning wafer box carrying device comprises a device rack, two placing stations arranged in the device rack, and a carrying mechanism arranged on the device rack, the wafer box comprises a box body and a pair of handles arranged on both sides of the box body, the device rack comprises a workbench and a support arranged on the workbench, the workbench is a device plane located on the top of the cabinet, arranged parallel to the ground, and the two placing stations are arranged side by side and spaced apart on the workbench, each placing station comprises four limiting blocks fixed on the workbench, three positioning sensors arranged on the workbench, a reflection sensor arranged between the positioning sensors, and a plurality of positioning pins arranged on the workbench, the four limiting blocks are L-shaped structures, spaced apart from each other and surrounded to form a rectangular frame, the size of the rectangular frame is consistent with the size of the bottom of the box body, the three positioning sensors are distributed in a triangular shape between the four limiting blocks, and the reflection sensor is arranged between the three positioning sensors, the carrying mechanism comprises a fixing plate arranged on the cross bar, a horizontal moving mechanism arranged on the fixing plate, a vertical moving mechanism arranged on the horizontal moving mechanism, a mechanical extension arm arranged on the vertical moving mechanism, a extraction clamp arranged on the mechanical extension arm, and a plurality of positioners arranged on the extraction clamp, the extraction clamp comprises a jaw body connected to the third rotating shaft, two jaw parts connected to the jaw body, and four extraction clamp limiting blocks arranged on the jaw parts respectively, each jaw part is an L-shaped structure, the distance between the two jaw parts is consistent with the distance between the handles, and the two extraction clamp limiting blocks are arranged on the two jaw parts respectively and located on the surface of the jaw part abutting against and contacting with the handle, according to the position of the handle, the positioner is arranged between the two extraction clamp limiting blocks, and a pressure sensing sensor or an optical sensing sensor is used.

2. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The device rack further comprises a cabinet and a safety grating arranged on the support.

3. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The support comprises four vertical columns arranged vertically on the workbench and two cross bars connected to the two columns respectively, the columns are vertically fixed on the four corners of the workbench, and the cross bars are connected to the columns adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction of the placing stations and located at the end of the columns away from the workbench.

4. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: Each placing station further comprises a code reader arranged on one side of the limiting block.

5. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The inner side close to the circle of the limiting block is provided with an inclined guide bevel.

6. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The horizontal moving mechanism adopts a lead screw and a linear guide rail structure to drive a connecting plate to reciprocate in the horizontal direction along the arrangement direction of the placing stations.

7. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The vertical moving mechanism is fixed on the horizontal moving mechanism and adopts a screw rod and a linear guide rail structure to drive a connecting structure to reciprocate along a vertical direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the placing stations.

8. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The mechanical arm includes a first rotating shaft connected to the vertical moving mechanism, an upper arm connected to the first rotating shaft, a second rotating shaft arranged at an end of the upper arm away from the first rotating shaft, a lower arm connected to the second rotating shaft, and a third rotating shaft arranged at an end of the lower arm away from the second rotating shaft.

9. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The first rotating shaft, the second rotating shaft and the third rotating shaft are motor-controlled rotating mechanisms, each including a rotating shaft and a shaft sleeve, and the rotating directions of the first rotating shaft, the second rotating shaft and the third rotating shaft are consistent, each being a circumferential direction consistent with the moving direction of the horizontal moving mechanism.

10. The precision positioned FOUP handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The upper arm and the lower arm are arranged in parallel and are connected at the same end away from the first rotating shaft through the second rotating shaft.

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