Carrying device and wafer storage device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of wafer carrying equipment, and provides a carrying device and a wafer storage device.The carrying device is used for carrying wafer boxes or wafers, and a basic body is used for being driven by a mechanical arm mechanism to move; the wafer box carrying mechanism is used for fastening a wafer box; the wafer carrying mechanism is used for fastening wafers; the driving piece is slidably arranged on the foundation body. The wafer box carrying mechanism and the wafer carrying mechanism are arranged on the same basic body, integration of two carrying functions is achieved, the size of the carrying device is effectively reduced, and the space utilization rate is increased. The wafer box carrying mechanism and the wafer carrying mechanism both have an idle state and an operation state and can be switched under the action of the driving part. The two carrying mechanisms cannot be unfolded at the same time, space waste is avoided, and meanwhile the risk of component interference is reduced. According to the technical scheme, the technical problem that an existing carrying device in the related technology is large in occupied space is solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of wafer handling equipment, in particular to a handling device and a wafer storage device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the modern semiconductor industry, wafers are the basic materials for manufacturing various types of integrated circuit chips, and the complexity and accuracy of their processing technology determine the performance and quality of the entire semiconductor product. In the entire wafer processing flow, the wafer storage and handling link is crucial, not only affecting production efficiency, but also relating to the safety and integrity of the wafer during the transfer process.

[0003] The wafer storage device is an indispensable equipment in the wafer processing process, and its main function is to store and manage wafers at different process stages. Inside the wafer storage device, the handling device is responsible for transferring the wafer box or wafer between different process areas (such as photolithography, etching, ion implantation, etc.).

[0004] In actual production, on the one hand, in order to store more wafers in a limited space to improve production efficiency and reduce costs, on the other hand, in order to minimize the risk of interference between components, it is necessary to minimize the space occupied by the handling device. In the prior art, the wafer box handling device and the wafer handling device are mostly independently arranged, and the overall space occupied is large.

[0005] Therefore, it is of great significance to develop a handling device that can effectively integrate the wafer box and wafer handling functions and occupy a smaller space, and the corresponding wafer storage device, for improving the production efficiency and competitiveness of semiconductor manufacturing enterprises. SUMMARY

[0006] To overcome the above defects, embodiments of the present application provide a handling device and a wafer storage device, which solve the technical problem of large space occupation of the existing handling device in the related art.

[0007] According to one aspect, at least one embodiment of the present application provides a handling device for handling a wafer box or a wafer, comprising: a base body for being mounted on an execution end of a mechanical arm mechanism and moving under the driving of the mechanical arm mechanism; a wafer box handling mechanism arranged on the base body, the wafer box handling mechanism having an idle state of being folded to the base body and a working state of being unfolded from the base body to transfer a wafer box; a wafer handling mechanism arranged on the base body, the wafer handling mechanism also having an idle state of being folded to the base body and a working state of being unfolded from the base body to transfer a wafer; A driving member is slidably arranged on the base body, and a sliding stroke of the driving member comprises a wafer box carrying area, a transition area and a wafer carrying area; When the driving member is located in the transition area, the wafer box carrying mechanism and the wafer carrying mechanism are both in idle state; When the driving member is located in the wafer box carrying area, only the wafer box carrying mechanism can be driven to unfold from the base body to switch to working state; When the driving member is located in the wafer carrying area, only the wafer carrying mechanism can be driven to unfold from the base body to switch to working state.

[0008] For example, the carrying device provided by at least one embodiment of the present application further comprises: The wafer box carrying mechanism comprises: A clamping jaw is slidably arranged on the base body, and a sliding direction of the clamping jaw is perpendicular to a sliding direction of the driving member, the clamping jaws are arranged in pairs and symmetrically distributed; A first mounting block is slidably arranged on the base body, and a sliding direction of the first mounting block is parallel to the sliding direction of the driving member, the first mounting block is hingedly connected with the two clamping jaws through two first connecting rods, and the first mounting block can drive the two clamping jaws to slide towards or away from each other through the first connecting rods after sliding, so that the two clamping jaws unfold or fold from the base body.

[0009] For example, the carrying device provided by at least one embodiment of the present application further comprises: The wafer carrying mechanism comprises: A tray is swingably arranged on the base body; A second mounting block is slidably arranged on the base body, and a sliding direction of the second mounting block is parallel to the sliding direction of the driving member, the second mounting block is hingedly connected with the tray through a second connecting rod, and the second mounting block can drive the tray to swing through the second connecting rod after sliding, so that the tray unfolds or folds from the base body.

[0010] For example, the carrying device provided by at least one embodiment of the present application further comprises: The first mounting block is located in the wafer box carrying area, the second mounting block is located in the wafer carrying area, the driving member is located between the first mounting block and the second mounting block, a first spring is connected between the driving member and the first mounting block, and a second spring is connected between the driving member and the second mounting block.

[0011] For example, the carrying device provided by at least one embodiment of the present application further comprises: The base body is provided with a driving screw rod and a guide rod along the sliding direction of the driving member, the driving screw rod is rotatably arranged on the base body, and the guide rod is arranged through the driving member and is threadedly connected to the driving screw rod.

[0012] For example, the wafer storage device provided by at least one embodiment of the present application further comprises: The wafer box conveying mechanism and the wafer piece conveying mechanism are arranged on the two sides of the base body and face away from each other. The mechanical arm mechanism comprises a lifting body and a plurality of connecting arms, the lifting body is used for mounting the connecting arms and can drive the connecting arms to slide up and down, and the plurality of connecting arms are sequentially hingedly connected and connected between the lifting body and the base body.

[0013] According to another aspect, at least one embodiment of the present application further provides a wafer storage device, comprising the conveying device, a box body and a wafer storage platform, the wafer storage platform is arranged in the box body and is provided with a plurality of layers, the wafer storage platform is used for storing wafer boxes, and the conveying device is arranged in the box body and is used for conveying wafer boxes or wafer pieces.

[0014] For example, the wafer storage device provided by at least one embodiment of the present application further comprises: The wafer storage platform is provided with a plurality of bearing seats, the bearing seats are used for bearing wafer boxes, and the plurality of bearing seats are distributed around the conveying device so that the plurality of wafer boxes all face the conveying device.

[0015] For example, the wafer storage device provided by at least one embodiment of the present application further comprises: The bearing seat has a plurality of circumferentially arranged mounting positions, the mounting positions are used for mounting wafer boxes, the bearing seat is rotatably arranged on the wafer storage platform, and the bearing seat can switch the wafer boxes facing the conveying device by rotation.

[0016] For example, the wafer storage device provided by at least one embodiment of the present application further comprises: The bottom center of each bearing seat is provided with a belt wheel, the belt wheels of the plurality of bearing seats are sleeved with a synchronous belt, and the synchronous belt is used for driving the plurality of bearing seats to synchronously rotate.

[0017] The embodiment of the present application has the following beneficial effects: In the present application, firstly, the wafer box conveying mechanism and the wafer piece conveying mechanism are arranged on the same base body, the integration of the two conveying functions is realized, the integrated design can effectively reduce the overall volume of the conveying device, and the space utilization is improved.

[0018] Secondly, the wafer box carrying mechanism and the wafer carrying mechanism each have an idle state and a working state, and can be switched flexibly under the action of the driving member. The folding design in the idle state makes the carrying mechanism adhere to the base body, greatly reducing the space occupation of the carrying device in the non-working state. In the working state, the carrying mechanism is unfolded from the base body, can accurately fasten and carry the wafer box or wafer, and ensures the smooth progress of the carrying work.

[0019] Further, by setting the driving member and its specific sliding stroke area, the wafer box carrying mechanism and the wafer carrying mechanism are driven at different times. The sliding of the driving member in different areas can connect and drive the corresponding carrying mechanism to unfold or fold. At the same time, the driving member can only be in one sliding stroke area, so that only one kind of carrying mechanism can be switched to the working state, ensuring that the two kinds of carrying mechanisms cannot be unfolded at the same time, avoiding space waste, and reducing the risk of component interference. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some example embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the contents of the example embodiments of the present application and the drawings without creating labor.

[0021] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic view of a carrying device in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a structural schematic view of another angle of the carrying device in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 1 Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a structural schematic view of the base body in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a structural schematic view of another angle of the base body in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 Figure 1 FIG. 5 is a structural schematic view of the driving member in the transition area in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 FIG. 6 is a structural schematic view of the driving member in the wafer box carrying area in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 1 FIG. 7 is a structural schematic view of the driving member in the wafer carrying area in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 Figure 1 FIG. 8 is a structural schematic view of the driving member in the wafer carrying area in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 7 FIG. 9 is a structural schematic view of the driving member in the wafer carrying area in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 1 FIG. 10 is a structural schematic view of the driving member in the wafer carrying area in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 8 Figure 1 ​​​​Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a wafer box carrying mechanism and a wafer box in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 9 Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a mechanical arm mechanism at one angle in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 1 Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a mechanical arm mechanism at another angle in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 10 Figure 1 Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a wafer storage device in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 11 Fig. 5 is a schematic view of an existing wafer storage platform; Figure 12 Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the wafer storage platform above in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 13 Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the wafer storage platform below in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 11 Fig. 8 is a schematic view of the wafer storage platform and the carrying device in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 14 Figure 11 Fig. 9 is a schematic view of a belt wheel and a synchronous belt in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 15 Fig. 10 is a schematic view of a wafer box carrying mechanism and a wafer box in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 11 Fig. 11 is a schematic view of a wafer box carrying mechanism and a wafer box in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 16 Figure 11 Fig. 12 is a schematic view of a wafer box carrying mechanism and a wafer box in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] In the figures: 100, base body, 200, mechanical arm mechanism, 300, wafer box carrying mechanism, 400, wafer carrying mechanism, 500, driving member, 501, wafer box carrying area, 502, transition area, 503, wafer carrying area, 301, clamping jaw, 3011, insertion plate, 3012, insertion slot, 302, first connecting rod, 303, first mounting block, 401, tray, 402, second connecting rod, 403, second mounting block, 304, first spring, 404, second spring, 600, driving screw, 700, guide rod, 201, lifting body, 202, connecting arm, 800, box body, 801, wafer storage platform, 802, bearing seat, 8021, mounting position, 803, belt wheel, 804, synchronous belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, and are not a limitation of the present application.

[0024] ​​​In order to make the drawings simple, only the parts related to the application are shown in the drawings, and they do not represent the actual structure of the product. In addition, in order to make the drawings simple and easy to understand, in some drawings, only one of the components with the same structure or function is shown schematically, or only one of them is marked. In this document, "one" not only means "only one", but also means "more than one", and "several" includes "two" and "more than two".

[0025] In this document, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mount", "connect", "connect" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside 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.

[0026] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "on" or "under" the first feature of the second feature can include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, "on", "above" and "above" of the first feature of the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" and "below" of the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0027] In the description of the present embodiment, the terms "up", "down", "left", "right" and other orientation or position relationships are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0028] In addition, in the description of the present application, the terms "first", "second" and the like are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] As Figures 1-2 As shown in the figure, it shows a carrying device for carrying wafer boxes or wafer pieces in an embodiment of the present application, which comprises a base body 100, a wafer box carrying mechanism 300, a wafer piece carrying mechanism 400 and a driving member 500. Among them: The base body 100 is the core load-bearing structure of the entire conveying device. It can be a rectangular flat plate or a box body with a receiving cavity. It can be installed at the end of the mechanical arm mechanism 200 and used to install the wafer box conveying mechanism 300, the wafer sheet conveying mechanism 400, and the driving member 500.

[0030] The wafer box conveying mechanism 300 is installed on the base body 100 and can include a fastening assembly and a driving assembly. The fastening assembly can use clamping, magnetic attraction, clamping, supporting, etc. to fasten the wafer box and move close to the wafer box under the driving of the mechanical arm mechanism 200. The driving assembly is used to control the extension or retraction of the fastening assembly to realize the switching of the wafer box conveying mechanism 300 between the idle state and the working state. In the idle state, the driving assembly retracts the fastening assembly to the surface of the base body 100, so that the wafer box conveying mechanism 300 is folded and attached to the base body 100, thereby minimizing the occupied space and reducing the risk of interference with other components. When the driving member 500 drives the wafer box conveying mechanism 300 to switch to the working state, the driving assembly drives the fastening assembly to unfold from the base body 100 and move to the appropriate position to clamp the wafer box.

[0031] The wafer sheet conveying mechanism 400 is also arranged on the base body 100 and can include a supporting assembly and a driving assembly. The supporting assembly is used to fasten the wafer sheet and usually uses a common conveying method in the wafer sheet conveying field such as a vacuum tray 401 or an electrostatic tray 401. The supporting assembly and the base body 100 can be connected in an extension or swing manner. The driving assembly controls the extension or swing of the supporting assembly to switch its idle state or working state. In the idle state, the driving assembly controls the supporting assembly to retract or swing back to the surface of the base body 100, so that the wafer sheet conveying mechanism 400 is folded and attached to the base body 100, thereby reducing the occupied space and reducing the risk of interference with other components. In the working state, the driving assembly controls the supporting assembly to extend or unfold from the base body 100 and move to the appropriate position to support the wafer sheet.

[0032] The driving member 500 is slidingly arranged on the base body 100, which can be in the shape of a block, and the sliding driving force of the driving member 500 can be in the form of a screw rod, a pneumatic or electric push rod, etc. The sliding stroke of the driving member 500 is divided into a wafer box carrying area 501, a transition area 502 and a wafer carrying area 503. In the transition area 502, the driving member 500 does not act on the wafer box carrying mechanism 300 and the wafer carrying mechanism 400, at this time both carrying mechanisms are in an idle state and are folded on the base body 100. When the driving member 500 slides to the wafer box carrying area 501, the driving member 500 can be connected with the driving assembly of the wafer box carrying mechanism 300, and by controlling the driving assembly of the wafer box carrying mechanism 300, the wafer box carrying mechanism 300 is switched from the base body 100 to the working state, while the wafer carrying mechanism 400 remains in an idle state. Similarly, when the driving member 500 slides to the wafer carrying area 503, the driving member 500 is connected with the driving assembly of the wafer carrying mechanism 400, and controls the wafer carrying mechanism 400 to be switched from the base body 100 to the working state, while the wafer box carrying mechanism 300 remains in an idle state.

[0033] Firstly, the wafer box carrying mechanism 300 and the wafer carrying mechanism 400 are arranged on the same base body 100, realizing the integration of the two carrying functions, and the integrated design can effectively reduce the overall volume of the carrying device and improve the space utilization.

[0034] Secondly, the wafer box carrying mechanism 300 and the wafer carrying mechanism 400 each have an idle state and a working state, and can be flexibly switched under the action of the driving member 500. The folding design in the idle state makes the carrying mechanism fit on the base body 100, greatly reducing the space occupation of the carrying device in the non-working state. In the working state, the carrying mechanism is unfolded from the base body 100, which can accurately fasten and carry the wafer box or wafer, ensuring the smooth progress of the carrying work.

[0035] Further, by arranging the driving member 500 and its specific sliding stroke area, the wafer box carrying mechanism 300 and the wafer carrying mechanism 400 are realized. The driving member 500 can be connected with the corresponding carrying mechanism and drive it to be unfolded or folded. At the same time, the driving member 500 can only be in one sliding stroke area, so that only one carrying mechanism can be switched to the working state, ensuring that the two carrying mechanisms cannot be unfolded at the same time, avoiding space waste and reducing the risk of component interference.

[0036] In some examples, as shown in Figures 3-4 The wafer box carrying mechanism 300 of the present scheme has a clamping jaw 301 as the fastening assembly, and a first connecting rod 302 and a first mounting block 303 as the driving assembly.

[0037] Specifically, the clamping jaws 301 are arranged in pairs and symmetrically, and are slidingly arranged on the base body 100, and the sliding direction is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the driving member 500. The clamping jaw 301 is designed as a plate structure, and the inner surface is adaptively designed according to the outer shape of the wafer box to ensure close fitting. The inner surface of the clamping jaw 301 has an insertion plate 3011, and a plurality of insertion plates 3011 are arranged in the up-down direction. The outer wall of the wafer box is designed with corresponding insertion grooves 3012 corresponding to the insertion plates 3011.

[0038] The first connecting rod 302 is also arranged in pairs and corresponds to the clamping jaw 301. The first mounting block 303 is slidingly arranged on the base body 100, and the sliding direction is parallel to the driving member 500. The two ends of the first connecting rod 302 are respectively hinged to the first mounting block 303 and the corresponding clamping jaw 301, forming an articulated connecting rod mechanism. The structure design makes the first mounting block 303 slide, and the two clamping jaws 301 are driven to slide towards or away from each other through the first connecting rod 302. For example, when the first mounting block 303 slides upwards, the two clamping jaws 301 will slide outward and unfold from the base body 100 through the transmission of the first connecting rod 302, and enter the working state; conversely, when the first mounting block 303 slides downward, the clamping jaw 301 is inwardly folded.

[0039] In the wafer carrying mechanism 400 of the scheme, the supporting assembly is a tray 401, and the driving assembly includes a second connecting rod 402 and a second mounting block 403.

[0040] Specifically, the tray 401 is swingingly arranged on the base body 100, and the tray 401 can adopt existing common methods such as vacuum suction type, Bernoulli suction type or gas blowing type to ensure stable loading of the wafer. The tray 401 is connected to the base body 100 through one or more hinge points, and a damping device is installed at the hinge point to control the speed and stability of the swing of the tray 401.

[0041] The second mounting block 403 is slidingly arranged on the base body 100, and the sliding direction is parallel to the driving member 500. The two ends of the second connecting rod 402 are respectively hinged to the second mounting block 403 and the tray 401, forming a connecting rod mechanism. When the second mounting block 403 slides, the tray 401 can be driven to swing through the action of the second connecting rod 402. For example, when the second mounting block 403 slides downward, the second connecting rod 402 drives the tray 401 to swing outward and unfold from the base body 100, and enter the working state; when the second mounting block 403 slides upward, the tray 401 is inwardly folded.

[0042] Further, the first mounting block 303 is located in the wafer box conveying area 501, the second mounting block 403 is located in the wafer conveying area 503, and the driving member 500 is located between the two. The first spring 304 is connected between the driving member 500 and the first mounting block 303, and the second spring 404 is connected between the driving member 500 and the second mounting block 403. During the sliding process of the driving member 500, the spring plays a role in transmitting force and provides a buffering effect to avoid rigid impact during movement.

[0043] As shown in the following, the movement process and state of the driving member 500 are described: Figures 5-8 When the driving member 500 is in the transition area 502, the first spring 304 and the second spring 404 are both in a stretched state, and at this time, the wafer box conveying mechanism 300 and the wafer conveying mechanism 400 are both in an idle state. When the driving member 500 slides to the wafer box conveying area 501, the first spring 304 in the stretched state will first recover to the normal state, and the second spring 404 will be further stretched to ensure that the wafer conveying mechanism 400 continues to be in an idle state. With the continuous sliding of the driving member 500, the first spring 304 will be extruded and synchronously push the first mounting block 303, and then drive the two clamps 301 to expand by means of the first connecting rod 302. After moving to the wafer box position, the driving member 500 slides back to drive the two clamps 301 to clamp the wafer box, and the insertion plate 3011 on the clamp 301 is inserted into the insertion slot 3012 on the wafer box to achieve the fastening of the wafer box (it should be emphasized here that the fastening force of the wafer box is mainly the clamping force provided by the insertion plate 3011 after being inserted into the insertion slot 3012, rather than the transverse clamping force of the clamp 301, and the insertion plate 3011 and the insertion slot 3012 can avoid the problem that the wafer box may be separated from the clamp 301 due to the weight of the wafer box). When the driving member 500 slides to the wafer conveying area 503, the second spring 404 in the stretched state will first recover to the normal state, and the first spring 304 will be further stretched to ensure that the wafer box conveying mechanism 300 continues to be in an idle state. With the continuous sliding of the driving member 500, the second spring 404 will be extruded and synchronously push the second mounting block 403, and then drive the tray 401 to swing and expand to a horizontal state by means of the second connecting rod 402. Under the driving of the mechanical arm mechanism 200, the tray 401 first moves to the lower side of the wafer and supports the wafer, and then under the driving of the mechanical arm mechanism 200, the wafer is conveyed to the working position of other processes or procedures.

[0044] ​In order to control the sliding of the driving member 500, a driving screw rod 600 and a guide rod 700 are arranged on the base body 100 along the sliding direction of the driving member 500. The driving screw rod 600 is rotationally arranged on the base body 100, and one end thereof is connectable to a driving motor (not shown in the figure, which can be mounted on the outer wall or inside of the base body 100 and is drivingly connected with the driving screw rod 600), and the driving motor is used to drive the driving screw rod 600 to rotate. The driving member 500 is connected with the driving screw rod 600 through threads, and when the driving screw rod 600 rotates, the driving member 500 will slide along the axial direction of the screw rod. The guide rod 700 is arranged through the driving member 500, and is used to provide guidance for the sliding of the driving member 500, so that the driving member 500 will not deviate during the sliding process, and the stability of the movement is improved.

[0045] It is emphasized that the orientations of the wafer box carrying mechanism 300 and the wafer carrying mechanism 400 are opposite. The design makes the two carrying mechanisms staggered in space, avoids the mutual interference or interference that can be caused due to the close positions, optimizes the spatial layout of the carrying device, and improves the overall operation stability.

[0046] As shown in Figures 9-10 , the base body 100 is driven by the mechanical arm mechanism 200 to move in three-dimensional space. Specifically, the mechanical arm mechanism 200 includes a lifting body 201 and a plurality of connecting arms 202. The lifting body 201 is used to mount the connecting arms 202, and can be lifted and slid by an external driving unit (such as a motor, a hydraulic cylinder, etc.). The plurality of connecting arms 202 are sequentially hingedly connected between the lifting body 201 and the base body 100. The structure of the plurality of hingedly connected connecting arms 202 enables the base body 100 to move flexibly in three-dimensional space. For example, by controlling the angle change between different connecting arms 202 and the lifting movement of the lifting body 201, the base body 100 can reach different positions, heights and angles, so as to realize the carrying of the wafer box or the wafer between different process areas.

[0047] As shown in Figures 11-16 , a wafer storage device in an embodiment of the present application is shown, which includes the above-mentioned carrying device, further includes a box body 800 and a wafer storage platform 801, wherein: The box 800 is the shell of the whole storage device, and the wafer storage platform 801 is arranged in the box 800. The wafer storage platform 801 is designed as a multi-layer structure to fully utilize the vertical space of the box 800. The shape of each wafer storage platform 801 can be a rectangular plate. A plurality of bearing seats 802 are arranged on the wafer storage platform 801. The bearing seat 802 can rotate around its center. A plurality of mounting positions 8021 are uniformly distributed on the bearing seat 802 along the circumferential direction of the bearing seat 802. In the present scheme, the number of mounting positions 8021 is three. The mounting position 8021 can position and carry the wafer box, and ensure the stability of the wafer box. A belt wheel 803 is arranged at the bottom center of each bearing seat 802. A plurality of belt wheels 803 at the bottom of the bearing seat 802 are sleeved with a synchronous belt 804. The synchronous belt 804 usually adopts a tooth-shaped rubber belt to ensure that there is no slipping phenomenon in the transmission process, and to ensure that the plurality of bearing seats 802 can rotate synchronously.

[0048] The above-mentioned conveying device is arranged in the box 800. The base body 100 can move in three dimensions in the box 800 through the mechanical arm mechanism 200. The wafer box conveying mechanism 300 and the wafer piece conveying mechanism 400 in the conveying device are arranged on the base body 100 in the above-mentioned manner, and are expanded or retracted according to actual needs, to realize the conveying of the wafer box or the wafer piece.

[0049] A plurality of bearing seats 802 are distributed around the conveying device, rather than in the conventional linear arrangement. Since the wafer box on each bearing seat 802 faces the conveying device, the conveying device only needs to rotate around its center by a certain angle to align with different wafer boxes when conveying the wafer box, without the need for complex translational motion. This layout simplifies the motion path of the conveying device and improves the conveying efficiency.

[0050] If the wafer storage capacity of the wafer storage device is to be increased, the conventional way is to increase the height size of the wafer storage device, thereby increasing the number of layers of the wafer storage platform 801. However, increasing the height size of the wafer storage device means that the lifting stroke of the lifting body 201 needs to be increased accordingly. The larger the height stroke is, the more unstable the lifting body 201 is during operation.

[0051] To this end, the carrier seats 802 are arranged on the wafer storage platform 801 to rotate around the center of the carrier seats 802, and one of the pulleys 803 is driven to rotate by a motor, and the other pulleys 803 at the bottom of the carrier seats 802 are driven to rotate synchronously by the synchronous belts 804, so as to realize synchronous rotation of the carrier seats 802. In this way, the wafer boxes at different mounting positions 8021 on each carrier seat 802 can be switched to the position facing the carrying device by rotation, so as to facilitate the carrying device to carry. This design increases the number of wafer boxes that can be placed on each carrier seat 802 by increasing and fully utilizing the circumferential space of the carrier seat 802, without increasing the vertical volume of the wafer storage device, thereby improving the storage capacity of the entire wafer storage device, and avoiding increasing the lifting stroke of the lifting main body 201.

[0052] The transmission mode of the pulleys 803 and the synchronous belts 804 is adopted because the synchronous belts 804 can accurately transmit power to each pulley 803 by using the meshing relationship between the tooth shape of the synchronous belts 804 and the pulleys 803, so as to ensure synchronous rotation of the carrier seats 802, and the rotation angle is always consistent. Not only the accuracy of the rotation of the carrier seats 802 is ensured, but also the position deviation caused by slipping is avoided, so as to ensure the cooperation accuracy between the carrying device and the carrier seats 802.

[0053] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not limit the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions of the present application can be modified or replaced equivalently without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present application, and all of them should be covered in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A carrier for carrying a wafer cassette or a wafer, the carrier comprising: The device comprises: a base body (100) for being installed on the end of a mechanical arm mechanism (200) and moving under the drive of the mechanical arm mechanism (200); a wafer box carrying mechanism (300) arranged on the base body (100), the wafer box carrying mechanism (300) having an idle state of being folded on the base body (100) and a working state of being unfolded from the base body (100) to transfer a wafer box; a wafer carrying mechanism (400) arranged on the base body (100), the wafer carrying mechanism (400) also having an idle state of being folded on the base body (100) and a working state of being unfolded from the base body (100) to transfer a wafer; a driving member (500) slidingly arranged on the base body (100), the sliding stroke of the driving member (500) including a wafer box carrying area (501), a transition area (502) and a wafer carrying area (503); when the driving member (500) is located in the transition area (502), the wafer box carrying mechanism (300) and the wafer carrying mechanism (400) are both in the idle state; when the driving member (500) is located in the wafer box carrying area (501), only the wafer box carrying mechanism (300) can be driven to be unfolded from the base body (100) to switch to the working state; when the driving member (500) is located in the wafer carrying area (503), only the wafer carrying mechanism (400) can be driven to be unfolded from the base body (100) to switch to the working state.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: the wafer box carrying mechanism (300) comprises: a gripper (301) slidingly arranged on the base body (100), the sliding direction of the gripper (301) being perpendicular to the sliding direction of the driving member (500), the gripper (301) being arranged in pairs and symmetrically distributed; a first mounting block (303) slidingly arranged on the base body (100), the sliding direction of the first mounting block (303) being parallel to the sliding direction of the driving member (500), the first mounting block (303) being hingedly connected to two grippers (301) through two first connecting rods (302), the first mounting block (303) being capable of driving the two grippers (301) to slide towards or away from each other through the first connecting rods (302) after sliding, so that the two grippers (301) are unfolded or folded from the base body (100).

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein: the wafer carrying mechanism (400) comprises: a tray (401) swingably arranged on the base body (100). A second mounting block (403) is slidably arranged on the base body (100), a sliding direction of the second mounting block (403) is parallel to a sliding direction of the driving member (500), the second mounting block (403) is hingedly connected to the tray (401) through a second connecting rod (402), the second mounting block (403) can drive the tray (401) to swing through the second connecting rod (402) after sliding, so that the tray (401) is unfolded or folded from the base body (100).

4. A carrier according to claim 3, wherein The first mounting block (303) is located in the wafer box conveying area (501), the second mounting block (403) is located in the wafer conveying area (503), the driving member (500) is located between the first mounting block (303) and the second mounting block (403), a first spring (304) is connected between the driving member (500) and the first mounting block (303), and a second spring (404) is connected between the driving member (500) and the second mounting block (403).

5. A carrier according to claim 3, wherein A driving screw (600) and a guide rod (700) are arranged on the base body (100) along the sliding direction of the driving member (500), the driving screw (600) is rotatably arranged on the base body (100), the guide rod (700) penetrates the driving member (500) and is arranged, and the driving member (500) is threadedly connected to the driving screw (600).

6. The handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein The wafer box conveying mechanism (300) and the wafer conveying mechanism (400) are arranged on the two sides of the base body (100) respectively and face away from each other; The mechanical arm mechanism (200) comprises a lifting body (201) and a plurality of connecting arms (202), the lifting body (201) is used for mounting the connecting arms (202) and can drive the connecting arms (202) to slide up and down, and the plurality of connecting arms (202) are sequentially hingedly connected and connected between the lifting body (201) and the base body (100).

7. A wafer storage device comprising a handling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that Further comprising a box (800) and a wafer storage platform (801), the wafer storage platform (801) is arranged in the box (800) and is provided with a plurality of layers, the wafer storage platform (801) is used for storing wafer boxes, and the conveying device is arranged in the box (800) and is used for conveying wafer boxes or wafers.

8. The wafer storage apparatus of claim 7, wherein A plurality of bearing seats (802) are arranged on the wafer storage platform (801), the bearing seats (802) are used for bearing wafer boxes, and the plurality of bearing seats (802) are distributed around the conveying device, so that the plurality of wafer boxes are all directed to the conveying device.

9. The wafer storage apparatus of claim 8, wherein The bearing seat (802) has a plurality of circumferentially arranged mounting positions (8021), the mounting positions (8021) are used for mounting wafer boxes, the bearing seat (802) is rotatably arranged on the wafer storage platform (801), and the bearing seat (802) can switch wafer boxes directed to the conveying device by rotating.

10. The wafer storage apparatus of claim 9, wherein Each of the bearing seats (802) is provided with a wheel (803) at the bottom center, and a synchronous belt (804) is sleeved on the wheels (803) of the bearing seats (802), and the synchronous belt (804) is used for driving the bearing seats (802) to rotate synchronously.

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