Vacuum wafer turnover device, control method thereof and vacuum wafer transmission cavity
By designing a vacuum wafer flipping device, stable wafer flipping and multi-degree-of-freedom control in a vacuum environment are achieved, solving the pollution risk in atmospheric environments and the connection problem of process chambers, and improving the cleanliness and efficiency of semiconductor processes.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing wafer flipping solutions operate in atmospheric environments, leading to contamination risks. They cannot achieve seamless integration of vacuum process chambers in a vacuum environment, failing to meet the high requirements of semiconductor processes for cleanliness, efficiency, and compatibility.
Design a vacuum wafer flipping device, including a docking chamber, an opening and closing mechanism, a flipping mechanism and grippers. Employ a sealed transmission assembly and a magnetohydrodynamic sealed transmission shaft to achieve stable wafer flipping and multi-degree-of-freedom collaborative control in a vacuum environment. The overall modular design allows for connection to vacuum process chambers.
Achieving stable wafer flipping in a vacuum environment improves device yield, avoids contamination, increases production throughput and energy efficiency, and meets the requirements for high cleanliness and high efficiency wafer processing.
Smart Images
Figure CN121815994A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to wafer flipping technology, and more particularly to a wafer flipping device and its control method suitable for a vacuum environment, and a vacuum wafer transfer cavity. Background Technology
[0002] In 3D NAND flash memory manufacturing, to achieve the stacking of dozens or even hundreds of memory cells to form a complex structure similar to a skyscraper, processes such as wafer backside thinning, etching, and deposition are required to release stress, improve device performance, and support complex interconnects. This necessitates precise wafer flipping to complete the backside processing. In advanced packaging, whether it's wafer-level packaging, fan-out packaging, or 3D IC integration, operations such as rewiring, balling, and bonding must be performed on the backside of the wafer. Therefore, wafer flipping is a prerequisite for realizing these processes.
[0003] However, wafer flipping operations face stringent cleanliness requirements. Particulate matter, oxygen, and moisture in the atmosphere can easily contaminate wafers, severely impacting device yield. Current wafer flipping solutions in the industry mainly fall into two categories: one is an atmospheric flipping mechanism integrated within the EFEM (Equipment Front-End Module); the other is an integrated flipping mechanism on the end effector of an atmospheric robotic arm. Both solutions have a fatal flaw: their flipping processes are completed in the atmosphere, making it impossible to avoid the risk of contamination.
[0004] Therefore, a vacuum environment is the only way to fundamentally eliminate the aforementioned contamination. However, existing atmospheric wafer flipping solutions cannot achieve seamless connection between different vacuum process chambers, violating the core design principles of cluster tools. With the continuous improvement of semiconductor process precision and integration, higher requirements are placed on the cleanliness, efficiency, and compatibility of wafer flipping operations. Existing atmospheric wafer flipping mechanisms can no longer meet these requirements. Therefore, how to develop a vacuum wafer flipping solution that can achieve stable wafer flipping in a vacuum environment and connect various vacuum process chambers has become an urgent technical problem to be solved in the current semiconductor equipment field. Summary of the Invention
[0005] Therefore, the main objective of this invention is to provide a vacuum wafer flipping device and its control method, as well as a vacuum wafer transfer cavity, to support the connection of the vacuum transfer cavity and realize wafer flipping control in a vacuum environment.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, a vacuum wafer flipping device is provided, comprising: a docking chamber, an opening and closing mechanism, a flipping mechanism, and grippers, wherein the opening and closing mechanism comprises: a bidirectional linear module and a support arm, and the flipping mechanism comprises: a sealing transmission assembly, a driver, and a telescopic shaft. The docking chamber has shaft holes on both sides and a wafer transfer port on the front docking surface. The sealing transmission assembly is sealed and engaged with the shaft holes. The grippers are connected to the transmission end of the sealing transmission assembly within the docking chamber, and the grippers on both sides are linked by the telescopic shaft. The bidirectional linear module is fixed on one side of the docking chamber. The sealing transmission assembly is connected to each transmission end of the bidirectional linear module via the support arm and is subject to controlled bidirectional displacement, thereby causing the grippers to extend and retract relative to each other within the docking chamber. The driver is fixed on the support arm and is drivenly connected to at least one side of the sealing transmission assembly, thereby causing the grippers to rotate.
[0007] In a possible preferred embodiment, the sealed drive assembly includes: a sealed drive shaft, a first bellows, and a sealed flange, wherein the sealed flange mates with a shaft hole, a first end of the first bellows is connected to the sealed flange, and a second end is connected to the stationary end of the head of the sealed drive shaft that passes through the sealed flange and is inserted into the first bellows, the gripper is connected to the moving end of the head of the sealed drive shaft in the docking chamber, the sealed drive shaft is connected to a support arm via its tail stationary end to be suspended in the sealed flange, and at least one side of the tail moving end of the sealed drive shaft is connected to a driver.
[0008] In a possible preferred embodiment, the sealed drive shaft is a magnetohydrodynamic sealed drive shaft.
[0009] In a possible preferred embodiment, the gripper includes: a gripper wrist and gripper fingers. The top of the gripper wrist is provided with a wrist platform, and the bottom of the gripper wrist is connected to the transmission end of the sealing transmission assembly. The gripper fingers have an arc-shaped gripper body with finger tips extending laterally from both ends of the gripper body. The finger tips are provided with positioning notches. The gripper fingers are fixed on the wrist platform, and the two ends of the telescopic shaft are connected to the wrist platforms on both sides to be arranged on both sides of the gripper fingers.
[0010] In a possible preferred embodiment, the telescopic shaft includes: a convex shaft, a concave shaft, and a second corrugated tube. One end of the convex shaft is provided with a guide shaft, and one side of the concave shaft is provided with a positioning hole. The convex shaft is inserted into the positioning hole of the concave shaft via the guide shaft to form a telescopic mechanism. The second corrugated tube is sleeved on the convex shaft and the concave shaft to cover and close the telescopic engagement stroke area between the guide shaft and the positioning hole.
[0011] In a possible preferred embodiment, the telescopic shaft further includes an elastic element disposed within a positioning hole of the concave shaft and abutting against a guide shaft of the convex shaft.
[0012] In a possible preferred embodiment, the docking compartment includes: a compartment box, a cover, and a sealing strip. The top of the compartment box is provided with an inspection port, and the top wall of the inspection port is provided with a sealing groove for the sealing strip to be embedded. The cover is closed at the inspection port of the compartment box and presses the sealing strip tightly.
[0013] In a possible preferred embodiment, the bidirectional linear module includes: a track base, a lead screw, a motor, a first slider, and a second slider. The lead screw is connected to the rotating shaft of the track base. The motor is fixed at one end of the track base and driven by the lead screw. The lead screw has opposite threads in each half. The first slider and the second slider are respectively provided with screw holes adapted to the opposite threads of the lead screw, so as to be respectively connected to the left and right ends of the lead screw. The motor drives the lead screw to rotate and make relative linear motion.
[0014] To achieve the above objectives, according to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for a vacuum wafer flipping apparatus as described in any of the above examples is also provided, comprising the steps of:
[0015] The bidirectional linear module is activated to control the support arm to close, which in turn moves the gripper to complete the wafer clamping motion.
[0016] The driver is activated to rotate, controlling the sealed drive assembly to flip the wafer to a preset angle;
[0017] The bidirectional linear module is activated to control the support arm to open, which in turn drives the gripper to complete the wafer release motion.
[0018] To achieve the above objectives, according to another aspect of the present invention, a vacuum wafer transfer cavity is also provided, comprising: a vacuum cavity, a wafer transfer robot, and a vacuum wafer flipping device as described in any of the above examples, wherein the wafer transfer robot is disposed within the vacuum cavity, and the vacuum wafer flipping device is docked and connected to the vacuum cavity and arranged within the working coverage area of the wafer transfer robot.
[0019] The vacuum wafer flipping device and its control method, along with the vacuum wafer transfer cavity provided by this invention, ingeniously design an integrated opening and flipping linkage scheme suitable for vacuum environments and possessing a full-link vacuum cleanliness protection system. This supports the wafer grippers to achieve multi-degree-of-freedom coordinated control of "extension and opening / closing - rotation and flipping" in a vacuum environment, and stably maintains a high-cleanliness vacuum environment within the docking chamber, fundamentally improving device yield. Furthermore, the vacuum wafer flipping device features a modular design, with its opening and closing mechanism, flipping mechanism, and gripper assembly all integrated into the docking chamber. Therefore, it can be directly connected to existing vacuum process chambers via the docking chamber to connect the flipping and transfer processes in the wafer processing and transfer flow, effectively avoiding the cumbersome processes of frequent vacuum breaking, wafer transfer, and vacuuming in existing technologies, significantly improving production throughput and energy efficiency. Attached Figure Description
[0020] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:
[0021] Figures 1 to 2 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum wafer flipping device of the present invention;
[0022] Figure 3 This is a partial perspective view of the vacuum wafer flipping device of the present invention, with the docking chamber shown in perspective.
[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the opening and closing mechanism, the flipping mechanism, and the gripper in the vacuum wafer flipping device of the present invention.
[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the opening and closing mechanism, the flipping mechanism, and the grippers in the vacuum wafer flipping device of the present invention.
[0025] Figure 6 This is a half-section schematic diagram of the vacuum wafer flipping device of the present invention;
[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the control method steps of the vacuum wafer flipping device of the present invention.
[0027] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures
[0028] Docking compartment 1, opening and closing mechanism 2, flipping mechanism 3, gripper 4, wafer 9, wafer transfer port 11, shaft hole 12, bidirectional linear module 21, support arm 22, sealed transmission assembly 31, driver 32, telescopic shaft 33, coupling 34, gripper wrist 41, gripper finger 42, track seat 211, lead screw 212, motor 213, first slider 214, second slider 215, sealed transmission shaft 311, first bellows 312, sealing flange 313, convex shaft 331, concave shaft 332, second bellows 333, guide shaft 334, positioning hole 335, wrist rest 411, fingertip 421, positioning notch 422. Detailed Implementation
[0029] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the specific technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with embodiments, so as to help those skilled in the art further understand the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described in this application are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other without departing from the concept of the present invention and without conflict. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the disclosure and protection scope of the present invention.
[0030] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "S1," "S2," etc., used in the specification, claims, and drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such features can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those described herein. At the same time, the stages described in each step are not necessarily to be implemented in the same step; it should be understood that the implementation order of the contents of each step stage can be adjusted and interchanged without violating the inventive concept, so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those described herein. Additionally, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set," "arrange," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; or a connection within two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this case based on the specific circumstances and in conjunction with existing technology.
[0031] To enable stable wafer flipping in a vacuum environment and to connect to a vacuum process chamber, such as Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the present invention provides a vacuum wafer flipping device, an example of which includes: a docking chamber 1, an opening and closing mechanism 2, a flipping mechanism 3, and grippers 4. The internal structure of the docking chamber 1 is shown in the diagram. Figures 1 to 3The top cover of docking chamber 1 has been removed, so those skilled in the art will understand that docking chamber 1 in this example is an integral structure. Docking chamber 1 has shaft holes 12 on both sides and a docking surface on the front for docking with the vacuum process chamber. A wafer 9 transfer port 11 is provided on the docking surface. The shaft holes 12 and the wafer 9 transfer port 11 communicate with the inner chamber of docking chamber 1. One end of the flipping mechanism 3 is sealed and driven by the shaft holes 12. The gripper 4 is connected to the control end of the flipping mechanism 3 inside the docking chamber 1. The other end of the flipping mechanism 3 is connected to the opening and closing mechanism 2 fixed outside the docking chamber 1. This controlled displacement causes the gripper 4 to open and close within the docking chamber to hold the wafer 9, and the flipping mechanism 3 completes the flipping of the wafer 9.
[0032] Specifically, such as Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the opening and closing mechanism 2 includes a bidirectional linear module 21 and a support arm 22. The flipping mechanism 3 includes a sealing transmission assembly 31, a driver 32, and a telescopic shaft 33. The sealing transmission assembly 31 is sealed and fitted with the shaft holes 12 on both sides. The grippers 4 are connected to the transmission end of the sealing transmission assembly 31 in the docking chamber 1, and the grippers 4 on both sides are linked by the telescopic shaft 33. The bidirectional linear module 21 is fixed on one side of the docking chamber 1. The sealing transmission assembly 31 is connected to each transmission end of the bidirectional linear module 21 via the support arm 22 and is controlled to move bidirectionally to link the grippers 4 to extend and retract relative to each other in the docking chamber 1. At the same time, the driver 32 is fixed on the support arm 22 and driven to connect with at least one side of the sealing transmission assembly 31 to drive at least one side of the grippers 4 to rotate. The driver 32 is also linked to the other side of the grippers 4 to rotate synchronously via the telescopic shaft 33, thereby completing the flipping action of the wafer 9 at any angle.
[0033] Among them, such as Figure 5 As shown, the bidirectional linear module 21 example includes: a track base 211, a lead screw 212, a motor 213, a first slider 214, and a second slider 215. The lead screw 212 is connected to the rotating shaft of the track base 211. The motor 213 is fixed to one end of the track base 211 and driven by the lead screw 212. The lead screw 212 has two sections with opposite left and right helical threads. The first slider 214 and the second slider 215 are respectively provided with screw holes adapted to the opposite threads of the lead screw 212, so as to be respectively fitted to the left and right sections of the lead screw 212. Thus, after the motor 213 drives the lead screw 212 to rotate, the first slider 214 and the second slider 215 can perform relative linear motion.
[0034] Among them, such as Figure 5As shown, the gripper 4 example includes: a gripper arm 41 and gripper fingers 42. The gripper arm 41 has a wrist platform 411 at its top and its bottom is connected to the transmission end of the sealing transmission assembly 31. The gripper fingers 42 have a claw body that is arc-shaped to fit the outer diameter of the wafer 9, and finger tips 421 extend laterally from both ends of the claw body. The finger tips 421 have positioning notches 422 for engaging the outer contour of the wafer 9, forming a four-point gripping of the wafer 9. The gripper fingers 42 are fixed on the wrist platform 411, and the telescopic shafts 33 are arranged in pairs around the gripper. The claw 4 is arranged with a rotating axis. The two ends of the telescopic shaft 33 are connected to the two wrist posts 411 on both sides, so as to be arranged on both sides of the claw finger 42. This arrangement can create a positioning channel that allows the wafer 9 to pass through. The positioning channel corresponds to the position of the wafer 9 transmission port 11 of the docking compartment 1. When both are unobstructed, the wafer 9 is allowed to enter. This structure makes it easy for the outside to observe the actual position of the telescopic shaft 33 in the wafer 9 transmission port 11 through the monitoring equipment, so as to distinguish the current position of the claw 4, and provide a more significant judgment basis for subsequent intelligent joint control and troubleshooting.
[0035] To prevent debris generated during the telescopic movement of the telescopic shaft 33 from contaminating the vacuum environment inside the docking chamber 1, such as... Figure 5 As shown, this example provides a telescopic shaft 33, which includes: a convex shaft 331, a concave shaft 332, and a second bellows 333. The convex shaft 331 has a guide shaft 334 at one end, and the concave shaft 332 has a positioning hole 335 on one side. The convex shaft 331 is inserted into the positioning hole 335 of the concave shaft 332 via the guide shaft 334 to form a telescopic mechanism. The second bellows 333 is sleeved on the convex shaft 331 and the concave shaft 332 to cover and close the telescopic engagement stroke area between the guide shaft 334 and the positioning hole 335, thereby preventing the diffusion of debris generated by the friction of the telescopic movement of the convex shaft 331 and the concave shaft 332.
[0036] Furthermore, to enhance the elastic recovery capability of the telescopic shaft 33 and ensure the stability of the two-axis telescopic connection structure, in an optional embodiment, the telescopic shaft 33 further includes a spring, which is disposed within the positioning hole 335 of the concave shaft 332 and abuts against the guide shaft 334 of the convex shaft 331. This ensures that when the opening and closing mechanism 2 drives the gripper 4 to open, the telescopic shaft 33 and the support arm 22 maintain relatively synchronous displacement during opening and closing, preventing jamming.
[0037] To ensure that after docking chamber 1 docks with the vacuum process chamber, a certain vacuum level can be maintained within docking chamber 1, while simultaneously enabling the mechanism to rotate wafer 9, and to minimize debris and particulate contaminants generated by structural friction, such as... Figures 5 to 6As shown, this example provides a sealed transmission assembly 31, which includes: a sealed transmission shaft 311, a first bellows 312, and a sealed flange 313. To ensure vacuum sealing performance, the sealed transmission shaft 311 in this example is preferably a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) sealed transmission shaft, which, through its magnetic coupling transmission and non-contact MHD sealing, fundamentally eliminates lubricant and particulate contamination of the vacuum environment. The sealed flange 313 mates with the shaft hole 12, and the first end of the first bellows 312 is connected to the nozzle end of the sealed flange 313. The second end is connected to the stationary end of the head of the sealing drive shaft 311, which passes through the sealing flange 313 and is inserted into the first bellows 312, to establish a reversible sealed connection. The gripper 4 is connected to the moving end of the head of the sealing drive shaft 311 in the docking chamber 1. The sealing drive shaft 311 is connected to the support arm 22 via its stationary tail end to be suspended in the sealing flange 313, so that it will not rub against the docking chamber 1 and the sealing flange 313. At least one side of the moving tail end of the sealing drive shaft 311 is directly or by means of a coupling 34 connected to the driver 32.
[0038] With this configuration, the mating design of the first bellows 312, sealing flange 313, and sealing drive shaft 311 can not only seal and isolate the inner and outer spaces of the docking chamber 1 to maintain a vacuum environment, but also support the sealing drive shaft 311 to be rotated by the opening and closing mechanism 2 and the driver 32, so as to drive the gripper 4 to open, close, and rotate within the shaft hole 12 of the docking chamber 1. Thus, while maintaining the vacuum level inside the docking chamber 1, it supports the gripper 4 to achieve two-axis freedom control. Furthermore, since most of the mechanisms that generate particulate matter through friction (such as the opening and closing mechanism 2 and the driver 32) are outside the docking chamber 1 or are encased (such as the telescopic shaft 33), the cleanliness of the vacuum environment inside the chamber can be guaranteed, avoiding contamination of the wafer 9.
[0039] Furthermore, in the above example, the docking compartment 1 can be understood as an integral structure. In another optional embodiment, for the convenience of maintenance, the docking compartment 1 includes: a compartment box, a cover, and a sealing strip. The top of the compartment box is provided with an inspection port, and the top wall of the inspection port is provided with a sealing groove for the sealing strip to be embedded. The cover is closed at the inspection port of the compartment box and presses the sealing strip tightly. In practical applications, the cover can be made of acrylic glass as an observation cover. After the compartment box is evacuated, the negative pressure suction cover forms a seal at the inspection port.
[0040] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a vacuum wafer transfer cavity, which includes: a vacuum cavity, a wafer 9 transfer robot, and a vacuum wafer flipping device as described in any of the above examples, wherein the wafer 9 transfer robot is disposed in the vacuum cavity, and the vacuum wafer flipping device is docked and connected to the vacuum cavity and arranged within the working coverage area of the wafer 9 transfer robot.
[0041] On the other hand, such as Figure 7As shown, the present invention also provides a control method for the vacuum wafer flipping device described in any of the above examples, the steps of which include:
[0042] Step S1 starts the bidirectional linear module 21, controls the support arm 22 to close, and stops when the gripper 4 completes the wafer 9 clamping movement.
[0043] Step S2 starts the driver 32 to rotate, and controls the sealing transmission assembly 31 to flip the wafer 9 to a preset angle;
[0044] Step S3 restarts the bidirectional linear module 21, controls the support arm 22 to open, and stops when the gripper 4 completes the release movement of the wafer 9.
[0045] In the implementation process, the bidirectional linear module 21 and driver 32 can be connected to the existing wafer 9 processing control system. After the wafer 9 is transported to the vacuum wafer flipping device according to the preset wafer 9 processing steps, the control system selectively controls the bidirectional linear module 21 and driver 32 to start according to the above steps S1-S3 to complete the entire wafer 9 flipping process.
[0046] In summary, the vacuum wafer flipping device and its control method, along with the vacuum wafer transfer cavity provided by this invention, ingeniously design an integrated opening and flipping linkage scheme suitable for vacuum environments and possessing a full-link vacuum cleanliness protection system. This supports the wafer 9 gripper 4 to achieve multi-degree-of-freedom coordinated control of "extension opening and closing - rotation flipping" in a vacuum environment, and stably maintains a high-cleanliness vacuum environment within the docking chamber 1, thereby fundamentally improving device yield. Furthermore, the vacuum wafer flipping device features a modular design, with its opening and closing mechanism 2, flipping mechanism 3, and gripper 4 components all integrated into the docking chamber 1. Therefore, it can be directly connected to existing vacuum process chambers via the docking chamber 1 to connect the flipping and transfer processes in the wafer 9 processing and transfer flow, effectively avoiding the cumbersome processes of frequent vacuum breaking, wafer transfer, and vacuuming in existing technologies, significantly improving production throughput and energy efficiency.
[0047] The preferred embodiments of the present invention disclosed above are merely illustrative of the invention. These preferred embodiments do not exhaustively describe all details, nor do they limit the invention to the specific implementations described. Clearly, many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of this specification. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments to better explain the principles and practical applications of the invention, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and utilize the invention. The present invention is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the invention should be included within the protection scope of the invention.
[0048] Those skilled in the art will understand that, besides implementing the system, apparatus, unit, and its modules provided by this invention in purely computer-readable program code, the same program can be implemented in the form of logic gates, switches, application-specific integrated circuits, programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontrollers by logically programming the method steps. Therefore, the system, apparatus, and its modules provided by this invention can be considered a hardware component, and the modules included therein for implementing various programs can also be considered structures within the hardware component; alternatively, modules for implementing various functions can be considered both software programs implementing the method and structures within the hardware component.
[0049] Furthermore, all or part of the steps in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. This program is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a microcontroller, chip, or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.
[0050] Furthermore, various different implementations of the present invention can be combined arbitrarily, as long as they do not violate the spirit of the present invention, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed in the present invention.
Claims
1. A vacuum wafer flipping device, comprising: The assembly includes a docking chamber, an opening and closing mechanism, a flipping mechanism, and grippers. The opening and closing mechanism comprises a bidirectional linear module and a support arm. The flipping mechanism comprises a sealing transmission assembly, a driver, and a telescopic shaft. The docking chamber has shaft holes on both sides and a wafer transfer port on the front docking surface. The sealing transmission assembly is sealed and fitted with the shaft holes. The grippers are connected to the transmission end of the sealing transmission assembly inside the docking chamber, and the grippers on both sides are linked by the telescopic shaft. The bidirectional linear module is fixed to one side of the docking chamber. The sealing transmission assembly is connected to each transmission end of the bidirectional linear module via the support arm, and is subject to controlled bidirectional displacement, which in turn causes the grippers to extend and retract relative to each other inside the docking chamber. The driver is fixed on the support arm and is driven to connect to at least one side of the sealing transmission assembly, which in turn causes the grippers to rotate.
2. The vacuum wafer flipping device according to claim 1, wherein the sealed transmission assembly comprises: The package includes a sealed drive shaft, a first bellows, and a sealing flange, wherein the sealing flange is fitted with a shaft hole, a first end of the first bellows is connected to the sealing flange, and a second end is connected to the stationary end of the head of the sealed drive shaft that passes through the sealing flange and is inserted into the first bellows, the gripper is connected to the moving end of the head of the sealed drive shaft in the docking chamber, the sealed drive shaft is connected to a support arm via its tail stationary end to be suspended in the sealing flange, and at least one side of the tail moving end of the sealed drive shaft is connected to a driver.
3. The vacuum wafer flipping device according to claim 2, wherein the sealed drive shaft is a magnetohydrodynamic sealed drive shaft.
4. The vacuum wafer flipping device according to claim 1, wherein the grippers comprise: The claw wrist and claw fingers are provided. The top of the claw wrist is provided with a wrist platform. The bottom of the claw wrist is connected to the transmission end of the sealing transmission assembly. The claw body of the claw fingers is arc-shaped, and finger tips extend laterally from both ends of the claw body. The finger tips are provided with positioning notches. The claw fingers are fixed on the wrist platform. The two ends of the telescopic shaft are connected to the wrist platforms on both sides to be arranged on both sides of the claw fingers.
5. The vacuum wafer flipping device according to claim 1, wherein the telescopic shaft comprises: A convex shaft, a concave shaft, and a second corrugated tube are provided. One end of the convex shaft is provided with a guide shaft, and one side of the concave shaft is provided with a positioning hole. The convex shaft is connected to the positioning hole of the concave shaft via the guide shaft to form a telescopic mechanism. The second corrugated tube is sleeved on the convex shaft and the concave shaft to cover and close the telescopic engagement stroke area between the guide shaft and the positioning hole.
6. The vacuum wafer flipping device according to claim 5, wherein the telescopic shaft further comprises: The elastic element is disposed in the positioning hole of the concave shaft and abuts against the guide shaft of the convex shaft.
7. The vacuum wafer flipping device according to claim 1, wherein the docking chamber comprises: The compartment includes a container, a cover, and a sealing strip. The top of the container has an inspection port, and the top wall of the inspection port has a sealing groove for the sealing strip to be embedded. The cover is closed at the inspection port of the container and tightly presses the sealing strip.
8. The vacuum wafer flipping device according to claim 1, wherein the bidirectional linear module comprises: The system comprises a track base, a lead screw, a motor, a first slider, and a second slider. The lead screw is connected to the rotating shaft of the track base. The motor is fixed at one end of the track base and driven by the lead screw. The lead screw has opposite threads in each half. The first slider and the second slider have screw holes adapted to the opposite threads of the lead screw, so as to be respectively connected to the left and right ends of the lead screw. The motor drives the lead screw to rotate and make relative linear motion.
9. A control method for a vacuum wafer flipping apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising the steps of: The bidirectional linear module is activated to control the support arm to close, which in turn moves the gripper to complete the wafer clamping motion. The driver is activated to rotate, controlling the sealed drive assembly to flip the wafer to a preset angle; The bidirectional linear module is activated to control the support arm to open, which in turn drives the gripper to complete the wafer release motion.
10. A vacuum wafer transport cavity, comprising: The invention comprises a vacuum chamber, a wafer transfer robot, and a vacuum wafer flipping device as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the wafer transfer robot is disposed within the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum wafer flipping device is connected to and disposed within the working coverage area of the wafer transfer robot.