Manipulator and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a manipulator and semiconductor process equipment. The manipulator comprises a base, a first bearing beam, a second bearing beam and a first detection assembly, wherein at least one of the first bearing beam and the second bearing beam is connected with the base through the first detection assembly; the first detection assembly comprises a connecting seat, an elastic piece and a first detection piece, the elastic piece and the first detection piece are arranged on the connecting seat, the elastic piece is matched with the first supporting beam or the second supporting beam, and the connecting seat is connected with the base; when the mechanical arm bears the bearing boats or bears the preset number of bearing boats, the first bearing beam or the second bearing beam is used for being driven by the gravity of the bearing boats to overcome the elastic force of the elastic piece so as to trigger the first detection piece. According to the scheme, the problem that the process efficiency is low due to the fact that a mechanical arm related to the related technology cannot detect whether the bearing boats are grabbed or not or whether enough bearing boats are grabbed or not during grabbing work can be solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of semiconductor, and particularly relates to a mechanical hand and a semiconductor process equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the preparation process of a solar cell, a diffusion furnace is a key process equipment for doping the surface of a silicon wafer to prepare a PN junction. In the process involved in the related art, a carrier boat carrying silicon wafers is supported by a special carrier, and then the carrier is placed on a conveying mechanism by a mechanical hand and is conveyed into or out of the diffusion furnace by the conveying mechanism.

[0003] Due to various problems caused by the carrier, the related art further designs a mechanical hand capable of directly grabbing the carrier boat and driving the carrier boat to enter or exit the diffusion furnace. In the process of grabbing the carrier boat by the mechanical hand, the carrier boat may not be grabbed or the number of the grabbed carrier boats does not reach the requirement, which will lead to substandard grabbing work. However, the semiconductor process equipment involved in the related art cannot detect this, and eventually the mechanical hand that does not grab the carrier boat or does not grab a sufficient number of carrier boats cannot work efficiently, which will eventually affect the process efficiency. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application discloses a mechanical hand and a semiconductor process equipment to solve the problem of low process efficiency caused by the fact that the mechanical hand involved in the related art cannot detect whether the carrier boat is grabbed or whether a sufficient number of carrier boats are grabbed during the grabbing work.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application discloses a mechanical hand for taking and placing a carrier boat, which comprises a base, a first supporting beam, a second supporting beam and a first detection assembly, wherein:

[0007] At least one of the first supporting beam and the second supporting beam is connected to the base through the first detection assembly; the first detection assembly comprises a connecting seat, an elastic member and a first detection member arranged on the connecting seat, the elastic member is matched with the first supporting beam or the second supporting beam, and the connecting seat is connected to the base.

[0008] When the mechanical hand carries a carrier boat or a preset number of carrier boats, the first supporting beam or the second supporting beam is used to trigger the first detection member by overcoming the elastic force of the elastic member under the gravity of the carrier boat.

[0009] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application disclose a semiconductor process equipment, which comprises a bearing boat and the manipulator of the first aspect, and the bearing boat is provided with boat ears on opposite sides thereof, and the first supporting beam and the second supporting beam support the corresponding boat ears of the bearing boat when the manipulator is in a grabbing state.

[0010] The technical scheme adopted by the present application can achieve the following technical effects:

[0011] The manipulator disclosed by the embodiments of the present application improves the structure of the manipulator in the related art, so that at least one of the first supporting beam and the second supporting beam is connected to the base through the first detection assembly. The first detection assembly can not only realize the installation of the first supporting beam or the second supporting beam on the base, but more importantly, the first detection assembly can connect the base with the first supporting beam or the second supporting beam. Therefore, the manipulator can play a bearing role when the manipulator grabs the bearing boat and bears the bearing boat or bears a preset number of bearing boats. Then, the bearing boat presses the first supporting beam and the second supporting beam under the action of gravity, and at least one of the first supporting beam and the second supporting beam presses the corresponding elastic piece, and triggers the first detection piece, so that the first detection piece finally detects that the manipulator bears the bearing boat or the preset number of bearing boats. The manipulator with such a structure can not only take and place the bearing boat, but also detect whether the manipulator bears the bearing boat or the preset number of bearing boats through the first detection assembly, so as to achieve the purpose of detecting whether the manipulator has the boat or lacks the boat. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the manipulator disclosed by the embodiments of the present application;

[0013] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of part of the structure in FIG. 1; Figure 1

[0014] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of part of the structure in FIG. 1 from another perspective; Figure 1

[0015] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the manipulator grabbing the bearing boat disclosed by the embodiments of the present application;

[0016] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a local structural schematic diagram of the manipulator disclosed by the embodiments of the present application;

[0017] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a local structural schematic diagram of the manipulator in FIG. 5;

[0018] Figure 7 ​​is a schematic view of a mechanical hand disclosed by embodiments of the present application when carrying a carrier boat, and when the position of the carrier boat is normal;

[0019] Figure 8 is a schematic view of a mechanical hand disclosed by embodiments of the present application when carrying a carrier boat, and when the position of the carrier boat is abnormal;

[0020] Figure 9 is a schematic view of a part of a mechanical hand disclosed by embodiments of the present application;

[0021] Figure 10 is Figure 9 a schematic view of a structure from another perspective;

[0022] Figure 11 is a schematic view of a structure of a first sub-base;

[0023] Figure 12 is a schematic view of a part of a mechanical hand disclosed by embodiments of the present application in a grasping state;

[0024] Figure 13 is Figure 12 a schematic view of a structure of the structure shown in an unloading state;

[0025] Figure 14 and Figure 15 is a schematic view of a structure of a carrier boat disclosed by embodiments of the present application from different perspectives;

[0026] Figure 16 is a schematic view of a carrier boat disclosed by embodiments of the present application in a process chamber;

[0027] Figure 17 is a schematic view of the arrangement of a plurality of carrier boats in embodiments of the present application;

[0028] Figure 18 is a schematic view of a structure of a first support beam or a second support beam disclosed by embodiments of the present application;

[0029] Figure 19 is a schematic view of a structure of a semiconductor process equipment disclosed by embodiments of the present application;

[0030] Figure 20 is a schematic view of a structure of a feeding mechanism disclosed by embodiments of the present application;

[0031] Figure 21 is a schematic view of a structure of a storage support disclosed by embodiments of the present application;

[0032] Figure 22 is a schematic view of a structure of a boat temporary storage rack disclosed by embodiments of the present application;

[0033] Figure 23is a structural schematic view of a support unit of a boat temporary storage rack disclosed by embodiments of the present application;

[0034] Figure 24 is a schematic view of the cooperation between the support unit and the carrier boat disclosed by embodiments of the present application;

[0035] Figure 25 is a structural schematic view of a plurality of carrier boats placed on a paddle of a conveying mechanism.

[0036] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] 10-robot, 11-base, 111-first sub-base, 112-second sub-base, 12-driving mechanism, 121-motor, 122-commutator, 123-first lead screw, 124-second lead screw, 125-first threaded sleeve, 126-second threaded sleeve, 127-first connecting frame, 128-second connecting frame, 13-first supporting beam, 131-beam body, 132-boat gripper, 133-third detection assembly, 14-second supporting beam, 15-first detection assembly, 151-connection seat, 1511-receiving cavity, 152-elastic member, 153-first detection switch, 154-cover body, 155-guiding structure, 1551-guiding hole, 156-rolling body, 16-adaptor block, 17-second detection assembly, 171-first light emitter, 172-first light receiver, 18-rotating adapter, 191-second detection member, 192-third detection member, 193-triggering component,

[0038] 20-carrier boat, 21-boat lug, 22-spaced protrusion, 23-first end plate, 24-second end plate, 25-slot bar, 26-supporting member, 261-supporting leg, 262-connection plate, 263-first positioning groove, 27-detection cooperation protrusion, 28-second positioning groove,

[0039] 30-process chamber,

[0040] 40-conveying mechanism, 41-paddle, 42-driving body, 43-first sensor, 44-second sensor,

[0041] 50-material storage rack, 51-boat temporary storage rack, 511-frame, 512-support unit, 5121-supporting platform, 5122-inclined guiding part, 5123-positioning protrusion, 52-rack seat,

[0042] 60-feeding mechanism, 61-base. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the present application with reference to the embodiments of the present application and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0044] The technical solutions disclosed by the embodiments of the present application will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] Please refer to Figures 1 to 25 The disclosed mechanical hand 10 belongs to a semiconductor process equipment, and is used for taking and placing a carrier boat 20. The disclosed mechanical hand 10 comprises a base 11, a first supporting beam 13, a second supporting beam 14 and a first detection assembly 15.

[0046] The base 11 is a basic component of the mechanical hand 10, and can provide mounting positions for other components of the mechanical hand 10. The other components of the mechanical hand 10 can be directly or indirectly mounted on the base 11. For example, in the embodiments of the present application, the first supporting beam 13, the second supporting beam 14 and the first detection assembly 15 are directly or indirectly mounted on the base 11.

[0047] The first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 are spaced apart. When the mechanical hand 10 carries the carrier boat 20, the carrier boat 20 is located between the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14, and the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 support the boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of the carrier boat 20 respectively, thereby achieving the purpose of supporting the carrier boat 20. The disclosed mechanical hand 10 in the embodiments of the present application can take and place one carrier boat 20, and can also take and place multiple carrier boats 20 simultaneously, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Regardless of the number of the carrier boats 20 carried, the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 support the boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of each carrier boat 20 respectively. In the case of carrying the carrier boat 20, the carrier boat 20 will be pressed on the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 under the action of its own gravity, in other words, the weight of each carrier boat 20 is shared by the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14.

[0048] In one embodiment, the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 can be parallel. In other embodiments, the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 can also be not parallel, and have a small angle between the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14. As long as the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 can support the boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of the carrier boat 20 respectively when the mechanical hand 10 carries the carrier boat 20, the embodiments of the present application do not make too many limitations.

[0049] At least one of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 is connected with the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15. Specifically, only the first support beam 13 can be connected with the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15, only the second support beam 14 can be connected with the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15, or the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 can be respectively connected with the base 11 through the corresponding first detection assembly 15. The embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0050] The first detection assembly 15 is used to detect whether the robot hand 10 carries the carrier boat 20 or carries a preset number of carrier boats 20. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific value of the preset number. In the specific design process, the robot hand 10 is considered to carry the carrier boat 20 when it is designed to carry a preset number of carrier boats 20, and the carrier boat 20 carried is sufficient, and there is no phenomenon of lacking carrier boats 20.

[0051] In the embodiments of the present application, the first detection assembly 15 includes a connecting seat 151, an elastic member 152, and a first detection member 153.

[0052] The connecting seat 151 not only plays a connecting role, but also provides a mounting basis for the elastic member 152 and the first detection member 153. In the embodiments of the present application, the elastic member 152 and the first detection member 153 are both arranged on the connecting seat 151, and the connecting seat 151 is connected with the base 11. The elastic member 152 cooperates with the first support beam 13 or the second support beam 14. In the embodiment in which only the first support beam 13 is connected with the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15, the first support beam 13 cooperates with the elastic member 152. In the embodiment in which only the second support beam 14 is connected with the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15, the second support beam 14 cooperates with the elastic member 152. In the embodiment in which the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 are respectively connected with the base 11 through the corresponding first detection assembly 15, the first support beam 13 cooperates with the elastic member 152 of the corresponding first detection assembly 15, and the second support beam 14 cooperates with the elastic member 152 of the corresponding first detection assembly 15.

[0053] In the case that the robot hand 10 carries the carrier boat 20 or carries a preset number of carrier boats 20, the first support beam 13 or the second support beam 14 is used to be driven by the gravity of the carrier boat 20 to trigger the first detection member 153 to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member 152. As long as the first detection member 153 is triggered, it can be explained that the robot hand 10 indeed grasps the carrier boat 20 or grasps a number of carrier boats 20 that meets the requirement (i.e., the preset number). The first detection member 153 can be a detection switch, or a pressure sensor or some other detection member that is triggered after being stressed, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific type of the first detection member 153.

[0054] In the specific design process, whether the robot 10 carries the carrier boat 20 or carries the preset number of carrier boats 20 can be determined by designing the pressure threshold at which the first detection piece 153 is triggered. The skilled in the art can design according to the specific circumstances, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited.

[0055] In the case that the robot 10 does not carry the carrier boat 20 or the number of the carrier boats 20 carried is less than the preset number, the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 is driven by the elastic piece 152 to separate from the first detection piece 153. In this case, the first detection piece 153 is not triggered, which is essentially detecting that the robot 10 does not grab the carrier boat 20, resulting in no carrier boat 20 being grabbed or the number of the carrier boats 20 grabbed is less than the preset number, resulting in the lack of carrier boats 20.

[0056] The robot 10 disclosed in the embodiments of the present application improves the structure of the robot in the related art, so that at least one of the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 is connected to the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15. The first detection assembly 15 not only can realize the installation of the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 on the base 11, but more importantly, the first detection assembly 15 can connect the base 11 with the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14, so that the robot 10 can play a carrying role as long as it grabs the carrier boat 20 and carries the carrier boat 20 or the preset number of carrier boats 20, and then the carrier boat 20 presses the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 under the action of its gravity, and then at least one of the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 presses the corresponding elastic piece 152, and triggers the first detection piece 153, so that the robot 10 carrying the carrier boat 20 or the preset number of carrier boats 20 is finally detected by the first detection piece 153. The robot 10 with such a structure not only can take and place the carrier boat 20, but also can detect whether the robot 10 carries the carrier boat 20 or the preset number of carrier boats 20 through the first detection assembly 15, achieving the purpose of detecting whether the robot 10 has a boat or lacks a boat.

[0057] In the embodiment of the present application, the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 can press the elastic member 152 when under pressure, and the elastic member 152 is arranged on the connecting seat 151. In essence, the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 needs to be movably connected with the connecting seat 151, so as to be able to be lifted relative to the connecting seat 151. The structure for achieving such assembly can be various, for example, the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 can be directly slidably connected with the connecting seat 151, specifically, the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 can be provided with a sliding protrusion, and the connecting seat 151 can be provided with a sliding groove slidably connected with the sliding protrusion. Alternatively, the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 can be provided with a sliding groove, and the connecting seat 151 can be provided with a sliding protrusion. Through the sliding connection between the sliding groove and the sliding protrusion, the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 can be lifted to compress the elastic member 152 to be deformed.

[0058] In other embodiments, at least one of the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 can be fixed with an adapter block 16, and the connecting seat 151 can be provided with a receiving cavity 1511, the adapter block 16 at least partially extends into the receiving cavity 1511, and the adapter block 16 is slidably connected with the connecting seat 151 by slidably connecting with the inner wall of the receiving cavity 1511, and the adapter block 16 is connected with the elastic member 152 to realize the contact or separation with the first detection member 153. In this case, the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 is indirectly connected with the elastic member 152 through the adapter block 16. In order to ensure the bearing strength, the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 are relatively thick, and it is not easy to achieve the sliding connection assembly, and by adding the adapter block 16, it is beneficial to design the size of the adapter block 16, and then the sliding connection assembly is more easily achieved through the adapter block 16. In the specific design process, the adapter block 16 can be designed to be relatively thin, so that it is more easily extended into the receiving cavity 1511, and it is more easily to form a sliding connection structure with the inner wall of the receiving cavity 1511. The adapter block 16 can be connected with the elastic member 152, or can only be in contact, so as to realize the mutual connection.

[0059] In the embodiment in which only the first supporting beam 13 is connected with the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15, only the first supporting beam 13 is fixed with the adapter block 16, and then the connection with the first detection assembly 15 is indirectly realized through the adapter block 16. In the embodiment in which only the second supporting beam 14 is connected with the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15, only the second supporting beam 14 is fixed with the adapter block 16, and then the connection with the first detection assembly 15 is indirectly realized through the adapter block 16. In the embodiment in which the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 are respectively connected with the base 11 through the corresponding first detection assembly 15, the first supporting beam 13 is fixed with the adapter block 16, and then the connection with the corresponding first detection assembly 15 is indirectly realized through the adapter block 16, and meanwhile the second supporting beam 14 is fixed with the adapter block 16, and then the connection with the corresponding first detection assembly 15 is indirectly realized through the adapter block 16.

[0060] The adapter block 16 can be designed as a detachable structure, and the adapter block 16 is detachably connected with the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14. For example, the adapter block 16 can be detachably connected with the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 through clamping, connecting members or the like, and the specific mounting mode of the adapter block 16 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present application, the first detection assembly 15 can further include a cover body 154, and the connecting seat 151 can be a groove-shaped body, and the cover body 154 is fixedly connected with the connecting seat 151 and covers the slot of the groove-shaped body. The first end of the elastic member 152 is fixed to the cover body 154, the second end of the elastic member 152 extends into the accommodating cavity 1511, and cooperates with the adapter block 16. The adapter block 16 can be supported and cooperated with the elastic member 152, and then is elastically supported by the elastic member 152. The space in the slot of the groove-shaped body can be considered as the above-mentioned accommodating cavity 1511. Such a structure can cover the slot of the groove-shaped body through the cover body 154, and meanwhile the cover body 154 serves as the mounting base of the elastic member 152, and the installation of the elastic member 152 is more easily realized. The cover body 154 can be connected with the connecting seat 151 through adhesion, clamping, threaded connecting members or the like, and the specific connection mode between them is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0062] In the embodiment of the present application, the elastic member 152 can be a spring, a rubber member or the like, and the specific type of the elastic member 152 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. In order to improve the regularity of the elastic member 152 in the extension and deformation, in a further embodiment, the first detection assembly 15 can further include a guide structure 155, and the guide structure 155 can be arranged in the accommodating cavity 1511, and the elastic member 152 is guided and cooperated with the guide structure 155. Such a structure can make the elastic member 152 deform along the guide structure 155, and thus the deformation effect is improved.

[0063] The guiding structure 155 can have various structures. For example, the guiding structure 155 can be a guiding column, and the elastic member 152 can be sleeved outside the guiding column and guidedly matched with the guiding column. In other embodiments, the guiding structure 155 can be provided with a guiding hole 1551, and the elastic member 152 is located in the guiding hole 1551 and guidedly and slidably matched with the guiding hole 1551. In this structure, the elastic member 152 does not need to be sleeved outside the guiding structure 155, thereby facilitating the elastic member 152 to be designed into various structures without necessarily being designed into a sleeve structure. In further embodiments, the first detection member 153 can be fixed to the guiding structure 155, and specifically, the first detection member 153 is located outside the guiding hole 1551. In this case, the guiding structure 155 not only plays a guiding function, but also plays a function of providing a mounting position for the first detection member 153. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific mounting position of the first detection member 153, as long as the first detection member 153 can overcome the elastic force of the elastic member 152 to trigger the first detection member 153 in the case that the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14 carries the carrier boat 20 or carries a preset number of carrier boats 20.

[0064] In the embodiments of the present application, the adapter block 16 can be directly slidably matched with the inner wall of the connecting seat 151 (i.e., the inner wall of the accommodating cavity 1511), or indirectly slidably matched. In order to reduce wear, in an embodiment, a plurality of rolling bodies 156 can be arranged between the adapter block 16 and the connecting seat 151, and the adapter block 16 is slidably matched with the connecting seat 151 through the plurality of rolling bodies 156. Specifically, the rolling body 156 can be a ball or a roller, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific shape of the rolling body 156.

[0065] The mechanical hand 10 disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can further include a plurality of rotating link members 18, and the rotating link members 18 are rotatably installed on the base 11. The first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 are rotatably installed on the base 11 through the rotating link members 18, and the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 are driven to rotate and approach or move away from each other under the rotation of the corresponding rotating link members 18. When the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 approach each other, the boat gripper 132 of the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 clamps the boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of the carrier boat 20, and when the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 move away from each other, the boat gripper 132 of the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 releases the boat ears 21 of the carrier boat 20, thereby realizing the switching of the mechanical hand 10 between the unloading state and the grabbing state.

[0066] Specifically, at least one of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 is matched with the elastic piece 152 of the corresponding first detection assembly 15 respectively, and is connected with the corresponding rotating connecting piece 18 through the connecting seat 151 of the corresponding first detection assembly 15, and then is matched with the base 11 through the corresponding rotating connecting piece 18. In the specific working process, the rotation of the rotating connecting piece 18 can drive the rotation of at least one of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 through the first detection assembly 15, thereby realizing the state switching of the manipulator 10.

[0067] In order to make the rotation of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 more convenient, in a further embodiment, the two ends of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 can be matched with the elastic piece 152 of the corresponding first detection assembly 15 respectively, and are connected with the corresponding rotating connecting piece 18 through the connecting seat 151 of the corresponding first detection assembly 15.

[0068] In the embodiment of the application, in order to improve the installation stability of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14, the two ends of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 are connected with the base 11 through the corresponding rotating connecting piece 18 respectively. The base 11 can be a one-piece structure or a split structure. In the case of the split structure, in an embodiment, the base 11 can include a first sub-base 111 and a second sub-base 112, and the first sub-base 111 and the second sub-base 112 are distributed at intervals. The first end of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 is connected to the first sub-base 111 through the corresponding first detection assembly 15 and rotating connecting piece 18. The second end of the first support beam 13 and the second end of the second support beam 14 are connected to the second sub-base 112 through the corresponding first detection assembly 15 and rotating connecting piece 18. In this structure, the first sub-base 111 and the second sub-base 112 support and connect the two ends of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 respectively, and at the same time, the first sub-base 111 and the second sub-base 112 can be distributed at intervals, thereby better avoiding the load boat 20 carried on the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14.

[0069] As described above, the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 are driven to rotate by the corresponding rotating links 18 to move closer to or farther away from each other, thereby switching the robot 10 between the picking state and the unloading state. In one embodiment, the first sub-base 111 and the second sub-base 112 can each be provided with a driving mechanism 12, which drives the two ends of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 respectively, thereby driving the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 to rotate to move closer to or farther away from each other. Specifically, the first support beam 13 rotates around the rotation center of the corresponding rotating link 18, and the second support beam 14 rotates around the rotation center of the corresponding rotating link 18, thereby realizing the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 to rotate to move closer to or farther away from each other.

[0070] In the specific process preparation process, when the robot 10 picks up the carrier boat 20 and places the carrier boat 20 on the conveying mechanism 40 of the semiconductor process equipment or takes the carrier boat 20 from the conveying mechanism 40, one end of the robot 10 is close to the furnace port of the process chamber 30, and the other end of the robot 10 is away from the furnace port. The position close to the furnace port of the process chamber 30 has a higher temperature, which is more likely to cause the driving mechanism 12 close to the furnace port to malfunction or be damaged due to high temperature. Based on this, in another embodiment, the robot 10 disclosed in the embodiment of the application includes a driving mechanism 12, the rotating link 18 connected to the first sub-base 111 is a driving link, and the rotating link 18 connected to the second sub-base 112 is a driven link. The driving mechanism 12 is arranged on the first sub-base 111 and connected to the driving link. The driving mechanism 12 drives the driving link to drive the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 to rotate to move closer to or farther away from each other through the corresponding first detection assembly 15. In the robot 10 disclosed in this embodiment, only the driving mechanism 12 is arranged on the first sub-base 111, so that only the driving mechanism 12 arranged on the first sub-base 111 drives the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 to rotate to move closer to or farther away from each other through the driving link, and the driven link 18 is driven to rotate by the first support beam 13 or the second support beam 14, thereby enabling the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 to rotate relative to the first sub-base 111 and the second sub-base 112 at the same time and move closer to or farther away from each other.

[0071] In this structure, the first sub-base 111 can be located in a position farther away from the furnace port in the process chamber 30, so that only the driving mechanism 12 arranged thereon is not easily damaged due to high temperature, which is beneficial to improve the service life of the robot 10.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present application, the driving mechanism 12 can be of various types, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the driving mechanism 12. In one embodiment, the driving mechanism 12 can include a motor 121, a commutator 122, a first lead screw 123, a second lead screw 124, a first threaded sleeve 125, and a second threaded sleeve 126.

[0073] The motor 121 is a power source of the driving mechanism 12, and the motor 121 can be a servo motor or other types of motors, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the motor 121. The motor 121 is arranged on the first sub-base 111 and connected to the input end of the commutator 122.

[0074] The first lead screw 123 and the second lead screw 124 are rotatably arranged on the first sub-base 111. The commutator 122 can be a gearbox. The commutator 122 has a first output end and a second output end. The first output end is connected to the first lead screw 123 for driving the first lead screw 123 to rotate. The second output end is connected to the second lead screw 124 for driving the second lead screw 124 to rotate.

[0075] The first threaded sleeve 125 and the second threaded sleeve 126 are threadedly engaged with the first lead screw 123 and the second lead screw 124 respectively and form a lead screw mechanism. The first threaded sleeve 125 and the second threaded sleeve 126 are connected to the corresponding rotating linkers 18 through the first connecting frame 127 and the second connecting frame 128 respectively, so as to push the corresponding rotating linkers 18 to rotate through linear movement, that is, to push the corresponding driving linkers to rotate through linear movement. The rotation of the rotating linkers 18 on the first sub-base 111 realizes the rotating approach or away of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 to each other, and further realizes the switching of the manipulator 10 between the grabbing state and the unloading state. It should be noted that the first connecting frame 127 and the second connecting frame 128 are movably connected to the corresponding rotating linkers 18, so as to realize the cooperation between the linear movement of the first connecting frame 127 and the second connecting frame 128 and the rotation of the corresponding rotating linkers 18.

[0076] The driving mechanism 12 with such a structure can use fewer motors 121 to achieve the purpose of simultaneously driving the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 to rotate, which is conducive to simplifying the structure of the driving mechanism 12. Meanwhile, the use of the driving mechanism 12 can form a lead screw mechanism, and the lead screw mechanism is a relatively fine transmission structure, which is conducive to realizing the more fine driving of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14.

[0077] In other embodiments, the rotating link 18 can also be replaced by a moving link capable of moving relative to the base 11, and the moving link can be moved relative to the base 11 to move closer to or farther away from each other, thereby switching the manipulator 10 between the grasping state and the unloading state. Since the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 are relatively long, a driving mechanism is required to drive the moving link to move the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 closer to or farther away from each other, which requires a relatively large power and results in a high energy consumption of the driving mechanism 12. In the above embodiments, the driving mechanism 12 drives the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 closer to or farther away from each other by rotating the rotating link 18, which does not require a high power, which is conducive to reducing the energy consumption. In this case, the driving mechanism 12 can be a bidirectional linear motor.

[0078] The manipulator 10 disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can further include a second detection assembly 17. The second detection assembly 17 can include a first light emitter 171 and a first light receiver 172. The first light emitter 171 and the first light receiver 172 are respectively arranged on the first sub-base 111 and the second sub-base 112, and are oppositely arranged. When the manipulator 10 grasps the carrier boat 20 and the carrier boat 20 is in an abnormal position, the first detection light emitted by the first light emitter 171 is blocked by the carrier boat 20 in the abnormal position, and thus cannot be received by the first light receiver 172, and the first light receiver 172 can emit an abnormal position signal. It should be noted that when the manipulator 10 grasps the carrier boat 20 and the carrier boat 20 is in an abnormal position, the carrier boat 20 is not normally positioned, deflected, or laterally shifted after being grasped by the manipulator 10, and at this time, part of the structure of the carrier boat 20 will block the first detection light, so that the first light receiver 172 cannot receive the first detection light.

[0079] In order to more comprehensively realize the position abnormality detection, the second detection assembly 17 can be two, and the two second detection assemblies 17 can be arranged on the opposite sides of the carrier boat 20, so as to implement abnormality detection when the carrier boat 20 is shifted on the opposite sides.

[0080] In order to realize the detection of the state of the manipulator 10, the rotating connecting piece 18 of at least one of the first sub-base 111 and the second sub-base 112 of the manipulator 10 disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can be provided with a triggering component 193, and at least one of the first sub-base 111 and the second sub-base 112 can be provided with a second detection component 191 and a third detection component 192 corresponding to the triggering component 193. When the manipulator 10 is in the grabbing state, the triggering component 193 triggers the second detection component 191 and separates from the third detection component 192. In this case, the second detection component 191 is triggered and can send a signal representing that the manipulator 10 is in the grabbing state. When the manipulator 10 is in the unloading state, the triggering component 193 triggers the third detection component 192 and separates from the second detection component 191. In this case, the third detection component 192 is triggered and can send a signal representing that the manipulator 10 is in the unloading state. It should be noted that the second detection component 191 and the third detection component 192 can be detection switches or force sensors, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific types of the second detection component 191 and the third detection component 192.

[0081] In the embodiment of the present application, the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 can have the same structure to support the boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of the carrier boat 20, respectively, so as to realize the grabbing of the carrier boat 20 by cooperation. Specifically, the first supporting beam 13 and the second supporting beam 14 can each include a beam body 131 and a plurality of boat grippers 132 spaced along the extension direction of the beam body 131, and the boat grippers 132 of the first supporting beam 13 and the boat grippers 132 of the second supporting beam 14 can be opposite to each other and used to support the boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of the carrier boat 20, respectively. Each pair of opposite boat grippers 132 can support one carrier boat 20, thereby realizing the grabbing of the carrier boat 20. The beam body 131 of the first supporting beam 13 and the beam body 131 of the second supporting beam 14 are connected to the base 11 through the first detection assembly 15 and the corresponding rotating connecting piece 18, respectively. Specifically, the beam body 131 can cooperate with the elastic piece 152 of the first detection assembly 15 and movably cooperate with the connecting seat 151. Alternatively, the beam body 131 is fixed with the adapter block 16 mentioned above to indirectly cooperate with the elastic piece 152 and movably cooperate with the connecting seat 151.

[0082] In a further embodiment, at least one of the beam bodies 131 of the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 can be provided with a third detection assembly 133, and the boat gripper 132 of the first support beam 13 and the boat gripper 132 of the second support beam 14 can be one-to-one opposite to the third detection assembly 133. The third detection assembly 133 can be a light transceiver, and the third detection assembly 133 can be used to detect whether the corresponding carrier boat 20 is gripped. If the corresponding position of the third detection assembly 133 lacks the carrier boat 20, it proves that the carrier boat 20 is not gripped at this position. In a specific detection process, the third detection assembly 133 can emit a second detection light. If the corresponding position of the third detection assembly 133 grips the carrier boat 20, the second detection light is projected onto the corresponding carrier boat 20 and is reflected back to the third detection assembly 133 by the carrier boat 20. In other words, the third detection assembly 133 can receive the reflected second detection light, which proves that the corresponding position of the third detection assembly 133 grips the carrier boat 20. If the third detection assembly 133 does not receive the second detection light, it proves that the second detection light is not reflected back by the carrier boat 20, and the corresponding position of the third detection assembly 133 does not grip the carrier boat 20.

[0083] The third detection assembly 133 is multiple, and is distributed opposite to the boat gripper 132. In other words, the boat gripper 132 of the first support beam 13 and the boat gripper 132 of the second support beam 14 can be distributed in pairs, and when there are multiple pairs, each pair of boat grippers 132 can grip one carrier boat 20, and correspondingly one third detection assembly 133. When the manipulator 10 grips multiple carrier boats 20, whether each carrier boat 20 is gripped can be detected by the corresponding third detection assembly 133. This structure can further improve the detection of whether the manipulator 10 lacks the carrier boat 20 or has the carrier boat 20.

[0084] In the embodiment of the application, the first detection assembly 15 can detect whether the manipulator 10 carries the carrier boat 20 or carries the preset number of carrier boats 20, but once it is detected that the carrier boat 20 is lacking, the position where the carrier boat 20 is lacking cannot be detected. The third detection assembly 133 is multiple and is used to correspond to multiple carrier boats 20, so that the specific position where the carrier boat 20 is lacking can be accurately determined.

[0085] The applicant needs to emphasize that, in this embodiment of the invention, the third detection component 133 cannot replace the first detection component 15, thus omitting the first detection component 15. This is because, during the process, the propeller 41 (mentioned later) may break. When the robotic arm 10 is open (i.e., the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 are separated and spread apart) and is about to grab the carrier boat 20 on the propeller 41, if the propeller 41 breaks after the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 of the robotic arm 10 have moved to opposite sides of the carrier boat 20, the robotic arm 10 will be unable to continue moving to grab the carrier boat 20. At this time, the third detection component 133 can... The robot arm 10 is already in a position relative to the carrier boat 20 that it is cooperating with for detection. The third detection component 133 may be blocked and actually triggered, but at this time the robot arm 10 has not actually grabbed the carrier boat 20. It is only in a state of about to grab the carrier boat 20, but at this time the robot arm 10 has not actually grabbed the carrier boat 20. At this time, the judgment is not accurate. The first detection component 15 in this embodiment of the invention can more accurately detect whether the robot arm 10 is carrying the carrier boat 20 or whether it is carrying a preset number of carrier boats 20. On this basis, it can further combine with the third detection component 133 to determine which specific position of the robot arm 10 is missing a carrier boat 20.

[0086] Based on the robotic arm 10 disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention, the present invention further discloses a semiconductor process apparatus, which includes a carrier boat 20 and the robotic arm 10 described in the above embodiments. Carrier boat 20 has lugs 21 on opposite sides. A first support beam 13 and a second support beam 14 are respectively used to support the lugs 21 on opposite sides of the carrier boat 20, thereby enabling the grasping of the carrier boat 20. Of course, the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 can separate from the lugs 21 through movement, thereby enabling the lowering of the carrier boat 20.

[0087] In the semiconductor process equipment disclosed in this invention, the number of carrier boats 20 can be one or more. To improve process throughput, the number of carrier boats 20 can be multiple. In embodiments with multiple carrier boats 20, at least one of two adjacent carrier boats 20 can be provided with a spacer protrusion 22, which is used to form a flow gap between the two adjacent carrier boats 20. This structure can prevent two adjacent carrier boats 20 from being too close together, and the flow gap facilitates the passage of process gas during the process, thereby allowing the silicon wafer carried on the carrier boat 20 to have more sufficient contact with the process gas, which can improve the process effect.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present application, the structure of the carrier boat 20 can be various. In one embodiment, the carrier boat 20 can include a first end plate 23, a second end plate 24, and a plurality of slot bars 25 connected between the first end plate 23 and the second end plate 24, and the plurality of slot bars 25 are spaced apart. The plurality of slot bars 25 enclose a silicon wafer positioning space. The slot bars 25 are provided with a plurality of positioning slots arranged along the extending direction of the slot bars 25. The silicon wafer is placed in the silicon wafer positioning space and positioned in the opposite positioning slots of the plurality of slot bars 25, so as to realize the placement of the silicon wafer in the carrier boat 20.

[0089] As described above, the carrier boat 20 in the embodiment of the present application does not need a special carrier and is directly grabbed by the robot 10, then is transported to the conveying mechanism 40, and finally is conveyed into the process chamber 30 by the conveying mechanism 40. After the carrier boat 20 is placed in the process chamber 30, it is directly supported by the inner wall of the process chamber 30. Based on this, the carrier boat 20 disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can also include at least two support members 26 spaced apart along the extending direction of the first supporting beam 13. The at least two support members 26 are spaced apart along the extending direction of the first supporting beam 13. Each support member 26 includes two support feet 261 arranged opposite to the first end plate 23 and the second end plate 24, respectively, and the support feet 261 are used for supporting contact with the inner wall of the process chamber 30 of the semiconductor process equipment. The support feet 261 are plate-shaped structural members perpendicular to the first end plate 23 or the second end plate 24. The first end plate 23 and the second end plate 24 can be parallel, or the first end plate 23 and the second end plate 24 can have a small angle therebetween. The boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of the carrier boat 20 are arranged on the opposite surfaces of the first end plate 23 and the second end plate 24, respectively. The opposite surfaces of the first end plate 23 and the second end plate 24 are essentially part of the outer surface of the carrier boat 20.

[0090] The semiconductor process equipment includes a conveying mechanism 40. The carrier boat 20 grabbed by the robot 10 is placed on the supporting shaft 41 of the conveying mechanism 40. The supporting shaft 41 is essentially arranged between the two support feet 261 of each support member 26. The extending direction of the supporting shaft 41 can be parallel to the first end plate 23 or the second end plate 24. In this structure, since the support feet 261 are perpendicular to the first end plate 23 or the second end plate 24, the increase in the thickness of the support feet 261 does not affect the passing of the supporting shaft 41 between the two support feet 261 of each support member 26. Therefore, the carrier boat 20 of this structure can make the thickness of the support feet 261 designed to be larger, thereby improving the carrying capacity of the support member 26, making the support member 26 not easy to deform in the process chamber 30, finally improving the stability of the structure, and making the supporting shaft 41 of the conveying mechanism 40 not fail to support the carrier boat 20 when cooperating with the carrier boat 20 due to the deformation of the carrier boat 20.

[0091] In a specific conveying process, the robot 10 places the carrier boat 20 on the support blade 41. When the carrier boat 20 is one or more, the first positioning slot 263 of each carrier boat 20 is positioned and matched with the support blade 41, which is equivalent to the support blade 41 penetrating the first positioning slot 263 of each carrier boat 20. The support blade 41 will lift the carrier boat 20 and drive the carrier boat 20 into the process chamber 30. Then, the support blade 41 drives the carrier boat 20 to fall until the carrier boat 20 falls onto the inner wall of the process chamber 30. The support blade 41 then descends to separate from the carrier boat 20 and is finally withdrawn to separate from the carrier boat 20. After the process (for example, a diffusion process) is completed, the support blade 41 will extend into the process chamber 30 and penetrate the first positioning slot 263 of the carrier boat 20. Then, the support blade 41 rises to lift the carrier boat 20 and drives the carrier boat 20 out of the process chamber 30.

[0092] As can be known from the description of the process, the support blade 41 needs to support the carrier boat 20 for transportation. In the process, the weight of the carrier boat 20 and the silicon wafer loaded in the carrier boat 20 will be borne by the support blade 41. In an embodiment, the support blade 41 can be directly supported and matched with the slot rod 25 located at the bottom of the carrier boat 20 in the plurality of slot rods 25, thereby achieving the support of the carrier boat 20 and the silicon wafer thereon. However, the slot rod 25 is provided with a plurality of positioning slots, and the strength of the slot rod 25 is limited and is prone to breakage and other damage, which can eventually lead to process failure. Based on this, in another embodiment, the support piece 26 can further include a connecting plate 262. In each support piece 26, the connecting plate 262 connects the two support feet 261 and forms the first positioning slot 263, and the support piece 26 is connected with the first end plate 23 and the second end plate 24. The first positioning slot is through in the extension direction of the first supporting beam 13 or the second supporting beam 14, which is also the direction of the support blade 41 penetrating the support piece 26. As described above, the semiconductor process chamber disclosed in the embodiment of the application further includes a conveying mechanism 40, and the support blade 41 of the conveying mechanism 40 is used to cooperate with the first positioning slot 263. In this structure, the connecting plate 262 connects the two support feet 261 in the same support piece 26, which is similar to a rib plate and can improve the strength of the support piece 26 to achieve better support effect. At the same time, the connecting plate 262 constitutes the bottom wall of the first positioning slot 263 and can be directly supported and matched with the support blade 41, thereby achieving the support of the support blade 41 to the carrier boat 20. Since the support piece 26 containing the connecting plate 262 has high strength, it can better achieve the support cooperation between the carrier boat 20 and the support blade 41. At the same time, the connecting plate 262 protrudes from the slot rod 25 located at the bottom of the carrier boat 20 in the plurality of slot rods 25, thereby isolating the plurality of slot rods 25 from the support blade 41, so that the connecting plate 262 is directly matched with the support blade 41, avoiding the contact between the slot rod 25 and the support blade 41, and thereby avoiding the problem that the slot rod 25 is easily damaged by a large bearing force.

[0093] The semiconductor process equipment disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can not only include the process chamber 30 and the conveying mechanism 40, but also include the storage rack 50 and the feeding mechanism 60. As described above, the conveying mechanism 40 includes the support 41 opposite to the process chamber 30, and the feeding mechanism 60 is used to carry the carrying boat 20 carrying the untreated silicon wafer. The robot 10 is movably arranged on the storage rack 50, and a driving device can be arranged between the robot 10 and the storage rack 50. The driving device can drive the whole robot 10 to move and enable the robot 10 to move in multiple directions in space, so as to realize the robot 10 to grab or put down the carrying boat 20 in different positions.

[0094] In the specific working process, the robot 10 is used to transfer the carrying boat 20 carrying the untreated silicon wafer from the feeding mechanism 60 to the support 41. The conveying mechanism 40 drives the support 41 to convey the carrying boat 20 carrying the untreated silicon wafer into the process chamber 30 and convey the carrying boat 20 carrying the processed silicon wafer out of the process chamber 30, and the robot 10 is also used to transfer the carrying boat 20 carrying the processed silicon wafer from the support 41 to the storage rack 50. In the process of transferring the carrying boat 20, the robot 10 can realize the grabbing and putting down of the carrying boat 20 through state switching. Specifically, the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 are respectively close to each other and then move to the lower side of the boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of the carrying boat 20, so as to be supported and matched with the corresponding boat ears 21, and the grabbing of the carrying boat 20 is realized by lifting the boat ears 21. After the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 are respectively away from each other and then move away from the lower side of the boat ears 21 on the opposite sides of the carrying boat 20, the support and matching between the first support beam 13 and the second support beam 14 and the corresponding boat ears 21 is released, and finally the robot 10 is released from the carrying boat 20.

[0095] In the embodiments of the present application, the conveying mechanism 40 includes the support 41 and the driving body 42 capable of driving the support 41 to move. The support 41 is movably arranged on the driving body 42, and the driving body 42 can drive the support 41 to move in multiple dimensions. As known from the description of the working process above, the driving body 42 can at least drive the support 41 to move in and out of the process chamber 30, so that the support 41 can be withdrawn from the process chamber 30 or enter the process chamber 30. The driving body 42 can also drive the support 41 to lift or lower, so as to lower the carrying boat 20 into the process chamber 30 or lift the carrying boat 20 from the process chamber 30.

[0096] As described above, in a specific process, in order to improve the process efficiency, the robot 10 picks up multiple carrier boats 20 each time, the carrier boats 20 arranged in a row are picked up and transported to the carrier boat carrier 41. In order to better determine the number of carrier boats 20 input into or output from the process chamber 30, in a specific embodiment, the driving body 42 can be provided with a first sensor 43, the top of the carrier boat 20 can have a detection matching protrusion 27, the carrier boats 20 are multiple and arranged along the moving direction of the carrier boat carrier 41, and the first sensor 43 can be used to cooperate with the detection matching protrusion 27 of each carrier boat 20. In a specific working process, the carrier boat carrier 41 moves under the drive of the driving body 42 to drive each carrier boat 20 on it to move relative to the driving body 42, so that each carrier boat 20 passes through the first sensor 43 one by one with the movement of the carrier boat carrier 41, and each carrier boat 20 passes through the first sensor 43. The detection matching protrusion 27 on each carrier boat 20 cooperates with the first sensor 43, which in turn triggers the first sensor 43. In the process of inputting and outputting carrier boats 20, the number of times the first sensor 43 is triggered is equal, indicating that there is no omission of carrier boats 20 in the process of entering and exiting the process chamber 30.

[0097] In a further optional scheme, the driving body 42 can also be provided with a second sensor 44. The first sensor 43 and the second sensor 44 can be spaced apart in the moving direction of the carrier boat carrier 41. The second sensor 44 can also cooperate with the detection matching protrusion 27 on the carrier boat 20 to achieve the detection purpose. As described above, the carrier boats 20 can be multiple and arranged in a row. The first sensor 43 is used to cooperate with the detection matching protrusion 27 of the carrier boat 20 located at one end, and the second sensor 44 is used to cooperate with the detection matching protrusion 27 of the carrier boat 20 located at the other end. After the robot 10 places multiple carrier boats 20 arranged in a row on the carrier boat carrier 41, the first sensor 43 and the second sensor 44 are respectively triggered by the detection matching protrusions 27 of the carrier boats 20 opposite to each other, in which case it indicates that the placement position of the robot 10 when placing multiple carrier boats 20 on the carrier boat carrier 41 is accurate and there is no deviation. This structure can detect whether multiple carrier boats 20 are placed in place, which is conducive to the accurate driving of the driving body 42 to the multiple carrier boats 20.

[0098] From the above working process description, it can be known that the untreated carrier boats 20 are temporarily stored on the feeding mechanism 60 and then wait for the robot 10 to pick them up, and the treated carrier boats 20 are placed on the storage support 50 after being picked up by the robot 10. In order to facilitate accurate placement of the carrier boats 20, at least one of the storage support 50 and the feeding mechanism 60 can include at least one boat temporary storage rack 51.

[0099] In one embodiment, the storage rack 50 may further include a base 52, and the boat storage racks 51 included in the storage rack 50 may be fixedly mounted on the base 52. Specifically, the storage rack 50 may include one boat storage rack 51 or multiple boat storage racks 51, and the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the specific number of boat storage racks 51 included in the storage rack 50. In embodiments where the storage rack 50 includes multiple boat storage racks 51, the multiple boat storage racks 51 may be distributed at intervals, for example, in a vertical direction.

[0100] In another embodiment, the feeding mechanism 60 may also include a base 61, and the boat storage rack 51 included in the feeding mechanism 60 may be fixedly mounted on the base 61.

[0101] In this embodiment of the invention, the boat storage rack 51 may include a frame 511 and paired support units 512, which are disposed on the frame 511. Each support unit 512 is used to support the opposite boat ears 21 of the carrying boat 20. The support unit 512 includes a support platform 5121 and an inclined guide 5122. The inclined guide 5122 is connected to the support platform 5121 and is used to guide the carrying boat 20 onto the support platform 5121 and position it on the support platform 5121 in a first direction. This structure allows the robot arm 10 to place the carrying boat 20 onto the boat storage rack 51, so that even if there is a deviation in the carrying boat 20, the boat ears 21 will contact the inclined guide 5122 and be correctly transferred to the support platform 5121 under the guidance of the inclined guide 5122, and finally set up on the support platform 5121. The first direction can be the distribution direction of the paired support units 512, or the distribution direction of the opposite sides of the boat bearing ears 21 on the boat 20.

[0102] In a further embodiment, in the boat storage rack 51 disclosed in this embodiment of the invention, each support unit 512 may further include a positioning protrusion 5123. The positioning protrusion 5123 may be a columnar protrusion or a protrusion of other shapes, and the positioning protrusions 5123 are distributed at intervals with the support platform 5121. The bottom of the carrying boat 20 may be provided with a second positioning groove 28, and the positioning protrusion 5123 is used to position and cooperate with the second positioning groove 28 in the arrangement direction of the carrying boat 20, thereby preventing the carrying boat 20 from shifting in the arrangement direction of multiple carrying boats 20. It should be noted that in this embodiment of the invention, the arrangement direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and both the first direction and the arrangement direction are perpendicular to the support direction of the support platform 5121. In this structure, the positioning protrusion 5123 cooperates with the second positioning groove 28, thereby realizing the positioning in the arrangement direction. The boat storage rack 51 with this structure can achieve relatively accurate positioning on the boat storage rack 51 after the carrying boat 20 is put down, avoiding the problem of the carrying boat 20 shifting and causing inconvenience in subsequent grasping.

[0103] In one embodiment, the carrier boat 20 can be provided with one boat ear 21 on each of the opposite sides, or can be provided with a plurality of boat ears 21, for example, the carrier boat 20 can be provided with two spaced-apart boat ears 21 on each of the opposite sides. More boat ears 21 can improve the stability of the robot hand 10 in grabbing the carrier boat 20, and also facilitate the carrier boat 20 to be placed more stably on the boat temporary storage rack 51.

[0104] In the embodiment in which the carrier boat 20 is provided with two boat ears 21 on each of the opposite sides, each support unit 512 can include two support platforms 5121 and two inclined guide portions 5122. The two boat ears 21 on the same side of the carrier boat 20 can be correspondingly matched with the two inclined guide portions 5122 and the two support platforms 5121, respectively. Further, the positioning protrusion 5123 can be located between the two support platforms 5121 and the two inclined guide portions 5122 in the same support unit 512.

[0105] The above embodiments of the present application mainly describe the differences between the embodiments. The different optimization features of the embodiments can be combined to form a more optimal embodiment as long as they are not contradictory. In view of the brevity of the writing, the details will not be repeated here.

[0106] The embodiments of the present application are described above in combination with the drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above specific embodiments. The above specific embodiments are only illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many forms under the inspiration of the present application without departing from the scope of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A robotic arm for picking up and placing a carrier boat (20), characterized in that, The robotic arm (10) includes a base (11), a first support beam (13), a second support beam (14), and a first detection component (15), wherein: At least one of the first support beam (13) and the second support beam (14) is connected to the base (11) through the first detection component (15); the first detection component (15) includes a connecting seat (151), an elastic element (152) disposed on the connecting seat (151), and a first detection element (153), the elastic element (152) cooperating with the first support beam (13) or the second support beam (14), and the connecting seat (151) being connected to the base (11); When the robotic arm (10) carries a carrier boat (20) or carries a preset number of carrier boats (20), the first support beam (13) or the second support beam (14) is driven by the gravity of the carrier boat (20) to overcome the elastic force of the elastic member (152) and trigger the first detection member (153).

2. The robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the robotic arm (10) is not carrying the carrier boat (20) or the number of carrier boats (20) it carries is less than the preset number, the first support beam (13) or the second support beam (14) is driven by the elastic element (152) to separate from the first detection element (153).

3. The robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the first support beam (13) and the second support beam (14) is fixed with a transition block (16). The connecting seat (151) is provided with a receiving cavity (1511). The transition block (16) extends at least partially into the receiving cavity (1511) and slides in cooperation with the connecting seat (151). The transition block (16) cooperates with the elastic member (152) to contact or separate from the first detection member (153).

4. The robotic arm according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first detection component (15) further includes a cover (154), the connecting seat (151) is a groove, the cover (154) is fixedly connected to the connecting seat (151) and covers the groove opening of the groove, the groove space inside the groove is the receiving cavity (1511), the first end of the elastic member (152) is fixed to the cover (154), the second end of the elastic member (152) extends into the receiving cavity (1511) and is supported and cooperated with the adapter block (16).

5. The robotic arm according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first detection component (15) further includes a guide structure (155), which is disposed in the receiving cavity (1511), and the elastic element (152) is guided and cooperates with the guide structure (155).

6. The robotic arm according to claim 5, characterized in that, The guide structure (155) has a guide hole (1551), the elastic element (152) is located in the guide hole (1551) and slides with the guide hole (1551), and the first detection element (153) is fixed on the guide structure (155).

7. The robotic arm according to claim 3, characterized in that, A plurality of rolling elements (156) are provided between the adapter block (16) and the connecting seat (151), and the adapter block (16) slides with the connecting seat (151) through the plurality of rolling elements (156).

8. The robotic arm according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The robotic arm (10) also includes a plurality of rotating connectors (18), which are rotatably mounted on the base (11). The two ends of the first support beam (13) and the second support beam (14) respectively cooperate with the elastic element (152) of their respective first detection components (15) and are connected to the corresponding rotating connectors (18) through the connecting seat (151) of their respective first detection components (15).

9. The robotic arm according to claim 8, characterized in that, The base (11) includes a first sub-base (111) and a second sub-base (112) spaced apart. The first end of the first support beam (13) and the first end of the second support beam (14) are connected to the first sub-base (111) through the first detection component (15) and the rotating connector (18) corresponding to each other. The second end of the first support beam (13) and the second end of the second support beam (14) are connected to the second sub-base (112) through the first detection component (15) and the rotating connector (18) corresponding to each other.

10. The robotic arm according to claim 9, characterized in that, The robotic arm (10) also includes a drive mechanism (12). The rotating connector (18) connected to the first sub-base (111) is an active connector, and the rotating connector (18) connected to the second sub-base (112) is a driven connector. The drive mechanism (12) is located on the first sub-base (111) and connected to the active connector. The drive mechanism (12) drives the active connector to drive the first support beam (13) and the second support beam (14) to move closer to or further away from each other by rotation through the corresponding first detection component (15).

11. The robotic arm according to claim 10, characterized in that, The drive mechanism (12) includes a motor (121), a commutator (122), a first lead screw (123), a second lead screw (124), a first threaded sleeve (125), and a second threaded sleeve (126). The motor (121) is mounted on the first sub-base (111) and is connected to the input end of the commutator (122). The first output terminal and the second output terminal of the commutator (122) are respectively connected to the first lead screw (123) and the second lead screw (124) to drive the first lead screw (123) and the second lead screw (124) to rotate. The first threaded sleeve (125) and the second threaded sleeve (126) are respectively threaded with the first lead screw (123) and the second lead screw (124) to form a lead screw mechanism. The first threaded sleeve (125) and the second threaded sleeve (126) are respectively connected to the corresponding rotating connecting member (18) through the first connecting frame (127) and the second connecting frame (128) to drive the corresponding rotating connecting member (18) to rotate by linear movement.

12. The robotic arm according to claim 9, characterized in that, The robotic arm (10) also includes a second detection component (17), which includes a first light emitter (171) and a first light receiver (172). The first light emitter (171) and the first light receiver (172) are respectively disposed on the first sub-base (111) and the second sub-base (112) and are arranged opposite to each other. When the position of the carrier boat (20) is abnormal, the first detection light emitted by the first light emitter (171) is blocked.

13. The robotic arm according to claim 9, characterized in that, The rotating connector (18) on at least one of the first sub-base (111) and the second sub-base (112) is provided with a triggering component (193), and at least one of the first sub-base (111) and the second sub-base (112) is provided with a second detection component (191) and a third detection component (192) that cooperate with the triggering component (193); When the robotic arm (10) is in a grasping state, the triggering component (193) triggers the second detection element (191) and separates from the third detection element (192); or When the robotic arm (10) is in the unloading state, the triggering component (193) triggers the third detection component (192) and separates from the second detection component (191).

14. The robotic arm according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, Both the first supporting beam (13) and the second supporting beam (14) include a beam body (131) and a plurality of boat grippers (132) spaced apart along the extension direction of the beam body (131). The boat grippers (132) of the first supporting beam (13) and the boat grippers (132) of the second supporting beam (14) are opposite to each other and are used to support the boat ears (21) of the carrying boat (20) that are distributed opposite to each other.

15. The robotic arm according to claim 14, characterized in that, At least one of the beam bodies (131) of the first support beam (13) and the second support beam (14) is provided with a third detection component (133), which is opposite to the boat grab (132) of the first support beam (13) and the boat grab (132) of the second support beam (14).

16. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, The device includes a carrier boat (20) and a robotic arm (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 15. The carrier boat (20) has boat ears (21) on opposite sides. When the robotic arm (10) is in a grasping state, the first support beam (13) and the second support beam (14) support the boat ears (21) corresponding to the carrier boat (20) respectively.

17. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that, There are multiple carrier boats (20), and at least one of two adjacent carrier boats (20) is provided with a separation protrusion (22), which is used to form a flow gap between two adjacent carrier boats (20).

18. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that, The support boat (20) includes a first end plate (23), a second end plate (24), and a plurality of slotted bars (25) that connect the first end plate (23) and the second end plate (24) and are spaced apart. The plurality of slotted bars (25) form a silicon wafer positioning space. The support boat (20) also includes at least two support members (26). The at least two support members (26) are spaced apart along the extension direction of the first support beam (13). Each support member (26) includes two support feet (261) that are respectively disposed opposite to the first end plate (23) and the second end plate (24). The support feet (261) are used to support and contact the inner wall of the process chamber (30) of the semiconductor process equipment. The support feet (261) are plate-shaped structural members perpendicular to the first end plate (23) or the second end plate (24).

19. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 18, characterized in that, The support member (26) further includes a connecting plate (262). In each support member (26), the connecting plate (262) connects two support feet (261) and forms a first positioning groove (263). The support member (26) is connected to the first end plate (23) and the second end plate (24). The first positioning groove (263) extends through the first support beam (13) in the extension direction. The semiconductor process equipment further includes a conveying mechanism (40). The paddle (41) of the conveying mechanism (40) is used to cooperate with the first positioning groove (263).

20. The semiconductor process equipment according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that, The semiconductor process equipment further includes a conveying mechanism (40), which includes a driving body (42) and a propeller (41). The propeller (41) is movably mounted on the driving body (42). The driving body (42) is provided with a first sensor (43) and a second sensor (44). The first sensor (43) and the second sensor (44) are distributed at intervals in the moving direction of the propeller (41). The top of the carrier boat (20) has a detection engagement protrusion (27). There are multiple carrier boats (20) arranged along the moving direction of the propeller (41). The first sensor (43) is used to engage with the detection engagement protrusion (27) of the carrier boat (20) located at one end. The second sensor (44) is used to engage with the detection engagement protrusion (27) of the carrier boat (20) located at the other end.

21. The semiconductor process equipment according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that, The semiconductor process equipment also includes at least one boat storage rack (51), which includes a frame (511) and a pair of support units (512) disposed on the frame (511). Each pair of support units (512) is used to support the boat ears (21) opposite to each other of the carrier boat (20). The support unit (512) includes a support platform (5121), an inclined guide (5122), and a positioning protrusion (5123). The bottom of the carrier boat (20) is provided with a second positioning groove (28). The inclined guide part (5122) is connected to the support platform (5121) and is used to guide the carrier boat (20) onto the support platform (5121) and position it on the support platform (5121) in a first direction. The positioning protrusion (5123) and the second positioning groove (28) are positioned and cooperated in the arrangement direction of the carrier boat (20). The first direction is perpendicular to the arrangement direction and perpendicular to the support direction of the support platform (5121).

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