Wafer storage box and use method
By improving the door structure of the wafer storage cassette and automatically regulating the gas supply, the problems of inert gas escape and particulate contamination were solved, enabling low-cost and efficient wafer storage and retrieval operations.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing front-opening wafer transfer boxes pose a risk of rapid inert gas escape and external particulate contamination during wafer storage and retrieval, increasing operating costs and affecting chip yield.
The system employs a conveyor door assembly and a toggle assembly to pick up and place wafers through a small operating window, and dynamically adjusts the inert gas supply to reduce gas loss and contamination risks.
It effectively reduces the loss of inert gas and particulate contamination, lowers operating costs, and ensures cleanliness and wafer yield within the wafer storage box.
Smart Images
Figure CN121815997A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and more specifically, to a wafer memory cell and its usage method. Background Technology
[0002] A wafer pod (FOUP) is an essential device in the wafer manufacturing process used to store and transfer wafers. During wafer manufacturing, wafers need to be removed from the FOUP multiple times and sent to processing stations. After processing, the wafers are returned to the FOUP for storage or transfer. The FOUP consists of a FOUP door panel and the FOUP body.
[0003] In semiconductor manufacturing, as the precision of semiconductor processes increases, the environmental sensitivity of wafers rises exponentially. As the primary carrier of wafers within cleanrooms, the wafer cassette's anti-contamination performance directly impacts wafer yield. Filling the wafer cassette with high-purity inert gas has become a core method for protecting wafers, and its protective mechanism is particularly crucial in advanced processes, primarily manifested in the following aspects: Anti-oxidation and moisture protection: The wafer surface is highly susceptible to reaction with oxygen and moisture in the air, leading to oxidation or performance degradation. Filling the wafer cell with high-purity inert gas can effectively reduce oxygen and humidity inside the wafer cell, maintaining the stability of the wafer surface; Maintaining a clean environment: Wafer boxes must maintain a high level of cleanliness during wafer transportation and storage. The introduction of inert gas creates a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the wafer box, preventing external contaminants from entering and avoiding wafer yield issues caused by particulate or chemical contamination. Eliminating the risk of electrostatic damage: A dry, inert gas environment can reduce the resistivity of the wafer surface and suppress the generation of static electricity.
[0004] Semiconductor chip manufacturing involves precision processes such as thin-film deposition, photolithography, etching, ion implantation, and multilayer interconnects. Among these, the temporary storage management of wafers between processes is particularly critical. Due to the time differences between different process steps, wafers need to be stored under specific conditions awaiting subsequent processing. This requires packaging in wafer casks filled with high-purity inert gases (such as nitrogen, purity ≥99.999%) and placing them on racks in a clean environment. Temperature and humidity must be simultaneously controlled during this storage process to prevent micro-defects caused by thermal stress or electrostatic adsorption. When needed for subsequent processes, the wafers must be precisely removed from the wafer casks using an automated system to ensure the continuity of the process chain and the stability of yield.
[0005] The existing front-opening wafer transfer box adopts a front-mounted integrated door design. Its sealed door needs to be fully opened during wafer retrieval operations so that the robot can access the internal wafers.
[0006] However, this design raises two key issues during wafer access: First, the opening of the entire door causes the high-purity inert gas inside to escape rapidly, requiring frequent gas replenishment to maintain the protective environment, which significantly increases operating costs; second, the large opening makes it easier for external particles to penetrate and adhere to the wafer surface, increasing the risk of contamination and thus affecting chip yield. Summary of the Invention
[0007] The purpose of this application is to provide a wafer memory box and a method of using it, which can solve the technical problems mentioned above.
[0008] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a wafer storage box, comprising: a storage box body, a conveyor belt door assembly, a toggle assembly, an inflation and filtration assembly, a control system, and a communication unit; The conveyor belt door assembly is disposed at the front end of the storage box body and is used to form a closed box cavity of the storage box body; The conveyor door assembly is provided with an operation window for picking up and placing wafers. The toggle assembly can drive the conveyor door assembly to move, so as to adjust the operation window to the position corresponding to picking up and placing wafers. The gas-filled filter assembly is used to fill the interior of the storage box with inert gas; The control system is used to control the action of the actuating component on the conveyor door component, and to control the replenishment state of the inert gas in the air-filling filter component. The communication unit is used to establish communication connections with the outside world.
[0009] In an optional embodiment, the actuating assembly includes a lever assembly and a lever movement assembly, wherein the lever assembly is vertically and elliptically connected to the lever movement assembly. The lever motion assembly includes a support column, on which a lifting seat is provided, and the lever assembly is connected to the lifting seat.
[0010] In an optional embodiment, the lever assembly includes a lever cylinder, a telescopic lever, and a positioning pin connected to the lifting seat; The telescopic lever is arranged horizontally and connected to the telescopic end of the lever cylinder. The positioning pin is set at both ends of the telescopic lever and protrudes vertically toward the storage box body. The conveyor door assembly has a window assembly at the operation window. The window assembly includes positioning blocks on both sides, and the positioning blocks are provided with positioning holes that can be inserted and cooperate with the positioning pins.
[0011] In an optional embodiment, the conveyor door assembly includes a drive belt and a roller shutter belt, the operation window is disposed on the roller shutter belt, the drive belt is disposed on both sides of the roller shutter belt, and a roller is connected between the drive belts.
[0012] In an optional embodiment, when the conveyor belt door assembly is completely closed to the storage box body, the longitudinal section of the roller shutter belt is a transverse U-shaped structure, and the middle section of the roller shutter belt is completely closed to the lateral opening of the storage box body. The top of the storage box is provided with a sealing block, which follows the shape of the operation window.
[0013] In an optional embodiment, the roller includes a front upper support roller, a front lower support roller, a rear upper support roller, and a rear lower support roller, with the transmission belts on both sides wound between the rollers. The corner of the roller shutter belt is provided with a front door top roller and a front door bottom roller. The front door top roller and the front door bottom roller are located at the front end of the storage box body and between the transmission belt and the roller shutter belt.
[0014] In an optional embodiment, a door panel cover is also included. An upper limit position sensor and a lower limit position sensor are provided on a side panel on the same side of the door panel cover. The upper limit position sensor and the lower limit position sensor are located on the top and bottom sides of the side panel. A sensor baffle is connected to the positioning block on one side. The sensor baffle corresponds to and cooperates with the upper limit position sensor and the lower limit position sensor.
[0015] In an optional implementation, the positioning block includes a left positioning block and a right positioning block, and the left positioning block, the right positioning block and the operation window are located at the same height; The upper limit position sensor and the lower limit position sensor are electrically connected to the control system and are disposed on the side plate on the left side of the door panel cover. The sensor baffle is connected to the left positioning block.
[0016] In an optional embodiment, the air-filled filter assembly is installed at the rear end of the storage box body and includes an air inlet pipe and a pressure regulating valve, a main air source valve, a flow control unit, and a gas filter unit arranged sequentially on the air inlet pipe. The pressure regulating valve is connected to a pressure detection unit, the inlet end of the inlet pipe is connected to an external inert gas source, and the outlet end is connected to the storage box body. The flow control unit is electrically connected to the control system.
[0017] Secondly, the present invention provides a method for using a wafer storage cell, which is carried out using the wafer storage cell described in any of the foregoing embodiments, and includes the following steps: The communication module receives task information from the factory EAP and transmits the task information to the control system; The control system controls the toggle assembly to adjust the operation window on the conveyor door assembly to the corresponding wafer position in the task information, and at the same time the control system controls the inflation filter assembly to increase the inflation flow rate. After the operating window on the conveyor door assembly reaches the designated wafer position, the control system controls the toggle assembly to retract to avoid the operating window, and the robot arm begins to pick up and place wafers through the operating window. After the wafer is picked up and placed, the control system controls the toggle assembly to adjust the operation window on the conveyor door assembly to the initial waiting position, the wafer storage box is closed, and at the same time the control system controls the gas filling and filtering assembly to reduce the flow rate, thus completing the wafer picking and placing process.
[0018] The wafer storage box and its usage method described in this application can effectively solve the problems of increased operating costs caused by the rapid escape of inert gas when the entire door is opened during the existing wafer handling process, and the problem of increased contamination risk caused by the large opening allowing external particles to enter the wafer storage box. By reducing the door size and dynamically adjusting the inert gas supply, the present application can effectively solve these problems.
[0019] Other features and advantages of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description
[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the wafer memory cell in this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the toggle assembly in this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the mating structure between the actuating component and the conveyor door component of this application; Figure 4 This is a front structural diagram of the transmission belt and roller shutter belt of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the reverse structure of the transmission belt and roller shutter belt of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the air-filled filter assembly of this application; Figure 7This is a flowchart illustrating the method of using the wafer memory cell in this application.
[0022] icon: 1-Storage box body; 2-Conveyor belt door assembly; 21-Rear upper support roller; 22-Front upper support roller; 23-Rear lower support roller; 24-Front lower support roller; 25-Front door top roller; 26-Front door bottom roller; 27-Upper limit position sensor; 28-Lower limit position sensor; 29-Roller belt; 210-Window assembly; 2101-Sensor baffle; 2102-Left positioning block; 2103-Right positioning block; 3-Door panel guard; 4-Actuating assembly; 41-Lever assembly; 411-Lever cylinder; 412-Telescopic lever; 413-Positioning pin; 42-Lever motion assembly; 5-Inflation filter assembly; 51-Inlet pipe; 52-Pressure regulating valve; 53-Main air supply valve; 54-Flow control unit; 55-Gas filter unit; 56-Pressure detection unit. Detailed Implementation
[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.
[0024] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "inner" and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product is in use. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0025] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "setup" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0026] The wafer storage cassette and its usage method described in this application are mainly applied in the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and are particularly applied to the lateral placement and removal of wafers in the wafer storage cassette.
[0027] By improving the door structure of the storage enclosure and adding an automatic adjustment function, the loss of protective gas inside the storage enclosure is significantly reduced, thereby ensuring that the temperature and humidity inside the storage enclosure are within a reasonable range. This enhances the cleanliness protection capability inside the wafer storage enclosure and prevents microparticles in the environment from contaminating the wafer.
[0028] See Figure 1 and combined Figures 2-3 The main improvement of the wafer storage box in this invention is the adoption of a conveyor belt door structure. The operating window on the conveyor belt door is adjusted to the position where wafers need to be picked up or placed by a lever mechanism, and then a robotic arm is used to pick up or place wafers at the operating window.
[0029] The main structure of the wafer storage box includes the storage box body 1, the conveyor door assembly 2, the actuation assembly 4, the air filling and filtering assembly 5, the control system, and the communication unit.
[0030] The conveyor belt door assembly 2 is disposed at the front end of the storage box body 1 and is used to form a closed cavity of the storage box body 1.
[0031] The storage box 1 can store wafers. Specifically, it has a semi-enclosed structure with an opening on the side. The storage box 1 and the conveyor belt door assembly 2 installed at the front end of the box together form a closed structure, constituting the closed cavity of the storage box 1.
[0032] The sealed chamber can prevent external particulate contaminants from entering the chamber and slow down the outward diffusion of the inert gas introduced by the gas filling filter assembly 5, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the storage chamber and avoiding the risk of wafer contamination.
[0033] The conveyor door assembly 2 is equipped with an operation window for picking up and placing wafers. After the position of the conveyor door assembly 2 is controlled and adjusted, the operation window can directly communicate with the internal space of the box. The robotic arm can enter the storage box 1 through the operation window to pick up and place wafers. The main purpose of setting up the operation window is to reduce the opening area for picking up and placing wafers, thereby sacrificing the diffusion of inert gas in a small area in exchange for the overall opening of the side door of the storage box 1.
[0034] Since the position of the operation window on the conveyor door assembly 2 is fixed, the toggle assembly 4 can drive the conveyor door assembly 2 to move. Specifically, it moves up and down to adjust the operation window to the position corresponding to picking up and placing the wafer. This allows the operation window to correspond to the layer height of the wafer inside the storage box 1, which facilitates the robot arm to reach into the corresponding layer of picking up and placing the wafer through the operation window.
[0035] The air-filled filter assembly 5 is used to fill the inside of the storage box 1 with inert gas, thereby maintaining a clean environment inside the storage box 1.
[0036] In the normally closed state, the operation window remains in the initial waiting position at the top of the storage box 1. At the same time, the operation window is blocked by the corresponding block at the top of the storage box 1, keeping the inside of the box isolated from the external environment.
[0037] When wafers need to be picked up or placed, the position of the operation window is adjusted by controlling the toggle component 4, so that the wafer picking and placing operation can be performed in the open small area, that is, in the open operation window area.
[0038] It should be noted that, regardless of the state, the air-filled filter assembly 5 maintains the supply of inert gas into the storage box 1.
[0039] Under normal closed conditions, the box maintains a clean environment inside by maintaining a positive pressure protection state where the internal pressure of the box is slightly greater than the external pressure.
[0040] When the wafer is partially open for loading and unloading, the gas filling and filtering component 5 will increase the amount of inert gas filling in the closed state, thereby increasing the amount of inert gas added to effectively maintain the inert gas inside the box.
[0041] The control system is used to control the position adjustment action of the toggle assembly 4 on the conveyor door assembly 2, and to control the replenishment state of the inert gas in the gas filling and filtering assembly 5, so as to provide sufficient and reliable control conditions for the wafer picking and placing operations.
[0042] The communication unit is used to communicate with the outside world, specifically to receive wafer pick-and-place command signals sent from the outside. Combined with the electrical connection between the communication unit and the control system, the normal wafer pick-and-place process is carried out.
[0043] The operating angle is adjusted from the position of the conveyor door assembly 2. The toggle assembly 4 includes a lever assembly 41 and a lever motion assembly 42. The lever assembly 41 is specifically used to perform the connection and separation with the conveyor door assembly 2, while the lever motion assembly 42 mainly controls the up and down movement of the connected whole after the lever assembly 41 is connected to the conveyor door assembly 2, thereby controlling and adjusting the part of the operating window.
[0044] Based on this, the lever assembly 41 is vertically connected to the lever motion assembly 42. The vertical movement of the connecting whole consisting of the lever assembly 41 and the conveyor door assembly 2 is controlled by the lifting and lowering action of the lever assembly 41 on the lever motion assembly 42.
[0045] The lever motion assembly 42 includes a support column, and there is at least a space gap between the support column and the storage box body 1 for the robot arm to enter. Preferably, when the lever assembly 41 is in its original state on the support column, there is a width gap between the conveyor door assembly 2 and the lever assembly 41 for the robot arm to enter, so that when the lever assembly 41 is disengaged from the conveyor door assembly 2 and returns to its original state, the robot arm can enter the space between the lever assembly 41 and the conveyor door assembly 2 and pick up and put away the wafer through the operation window.
[0046] A lifting seat is provided on the support column, and the lever assembly 41 is connected to the lifting seat. This application does not limit the specific form of the lever motion assembly 42, as long as it meets the requirement that the lifting seat drives the lever assembly 41 to move up and down. For example, it can be controlled by a lead screw to make the lifting seat drive the lever assembly 41 to move up and down relative to the support column. Simultaneously, the lifting motor controls the drive of the lead screw, and combined with the angle of the electrical connection between the lifting motor and the control system, the control system can control the lifting of the lifting seat. This part is not the focus of this application and will not be elaborated further.
[0047] The lever assembly 41 includes a lever cylinder 411 connected to the lifting base, a telescopic lever 412, and a positioning pin 413. The telescopic lever 412 is arranged laterally and connected to the telescopic end of the lever cylinder 411. The positioning pin 413 is located at both ends of the telescopic lever 412 and protrudes laterally toward the storage box body 1.
[0048] The conveyor door assembly 2 is provided with a window assembly 210 at the operation window. The window assembly 210 includes positioning blocks on both sides, and the positioning blocks are provided with positioning holes that can be inserted and engaged with positioning pins 413.
[0049] The positioning blocks include a left positioning block 2102 and a right positioning block 2103. The left positioning block 2102, the right positioning block 2103 and the operation window are at the same height. The height of the operation window can be directly adjusted by adjusting the position of the positioning blocks on both sides of the operation window.
[0050] When the operating window on the conveyor door assembly 2 needs to be moved, the lever motion assembly 42 drives the lever assembly 41 to move up and down to the front of the operating window on the conveyor door assembly 2. The lever cylinder 411 extends, driving the telescopic lever 412 and the positioning pin 413 to extend forward. At the same time, the positioning pin 413 is inserted into the positioning holes of the left positioning block 2102 and the right positioning block 2103 on both sides of the operating window of the conveyor door assembly 2. The lever motion assembly 42 drives the lever assembly 41 to move up and down to the wafer position to be operated and then stops.
[0051] The retraction of the lever cylinder 411 drives the telescopic lever 412 and the positioning pin 413 to move backward, causing the positioning pin 413 to be pulled out from the positioning block of the operation window of the conveyor door assembly 2. The lever motion assembly 42 drives the lever assembly 41 to move to the waiting position. At this time, the robot can pass through the operation window on the conveyor door assembly 2 to pick up and put in the current wafer. When the wafer is finished being operated, the lever motion assembly 42 can drive the lever assembly 41 to move the operation window of the conveyor door assembly 2 to the initial waiting position, at which time the wafer storage box is closed.
[0052] It should be added that the toggle assembly 4 also includes a lever control module, which is electrically connected to the lifting motor and the lever cylinder 411. Combined with the electrical connection of the lever control module to the control system of the wafer memory box, the toggle assembly 4 can be moved and controlled as a whole.
[0053] From the perspective of the composition of the conveyor belt door assembly 2, the conveyor belt door assembly 2 includes a drive belt and a roller shutter belt 29. The operation window is set on the roller shutter belt 29, the drive belt is set on both sides of the roller shutter belt 29, and rollers are connected between the drive belts.
[0054] From the angle at which the roller shutter 29 completely closes the storage box body 1, a sealing component is provided between the roller shutter 29 and the storage box body 1, which can provide a good seal for the cavity of the storage box body 1.
[0055] Meanwhile, with the conveyor belt door assembly 2 completely closed to the storage box body 1, the longitudinal section of the roller shutter belt 29 is a transverse U-shaped structure. The middle section of the roller shutter belt 29 completely closes the side opening of the storage box body 1. The top and bottom sides of the transverse U-shaped roller shutter belt extend at least a length of roller shutter belt 29. Preferably, the length of the extended roller shutter belt 29 can cover the depth dimension of the storage box body 1, so as to ensure that the roller shutter belt closes the side opening of the storage box body 1 through the extended roller shutter belt 29 during the up and down movement.
[0056] Based on the above-mentioned block on the top of the storage box 1 corresponding to the operation window, the internal environment of the box is isolated from the external environment. The top of the storage box 1 is fixedly equipped with a blocking block, and the shape of the blocking block is consistent with that of the operation window.
[0057] In this application, the initial waiting position of the conveyor belt door assembly 2, more specifically, the initial waiting position of the roller shutter belt 29 is the position where the operation window stays at the top of the storage box body 1 and corresponds to the closing block, which can maintain the complete closure of the storage box body 1.
[0058] Based on the structural composition of the conveyor belt door assembly 2 and the moving angle of the roller belt 29, the rollers include a front upper support roller 22, a front lower support roller 24, a rear upper support roller 21, and a rear lower support roller 23, with the transmission belts on both sides wound between different rollers.
[0059] The corner of the roller shutter belt 29 is provided with a front door top roller 25 and a front door bottom roller 26. The front door top roller 25 and the front door bottom roller 26 are located at the front end of the storage box body 1 and between the transmission belt and the roller shutter belt 29.
[0060] The wafer storage box also includes a door cover 3. The door cover 3 assembly is installed on the storage box body 1 to cover the drive belt door assembly, preventing foreign objects from entering the assembly and providing protection.
[0061] An upper limit position sensor 27 and a lower limit position sensor 28 are provided on the side panel on the same side as the door panel cover 3. The upper limit position sensor 27 and the lower limit position sensor 28 are located on the top and bottom sides of the side panel. A sensor baffle 2101 is connected to the positioning block on one side. The sensor baffle 2101 corresponds to and cooperates with the upper limit position sensor 27 and the lower limit position sensor 28.
[0062] The sensor baffle 2101, the left positioning block 2102, and the right positioning block 2103 together constitute the window assembly 210. The upper limit position sensor 27 and the lower limit position sensor 28 are electrically connected to the control system and act as limit switches. At the same time, the upper limit position sensor 27 and the lower limit position sensor 28 are set on the side plate on the left side of the door panel cover 3. The sensor baffle 2101 is connected to the left positioning block 2102 so that the sensing component and the moving component can correspond to each other.
[0063] Specifically, the upper front support roller 22, the upper rear support roller 21, the lower front support roller 24, and the lower rear support roller 23 are installed at the upper and lower ends of the storage box body 1, and the top front door roller 25 and the bottom front door roller 26 are installed above and below the front end of the storage box body.
[0064] The upper front support roller 22, the upper rear support roller 21, the lower front support roller 24, the lower rear support roller 23, the top front door roller 25, and the bottom front door roller 26 support the roller shutter 29, allowing the roller shutter 29 to slide along the storage box door panel in the up-down direction.
[0065] The operation window includes a 20mm wide elongated window on the roller shutter belt 29. When the operation window moves to the designated wafer position, the wafer storage box 1 communicates with the outside world through this elongated window, and the robotic arm passes through this elongated window to pick up and place the wafer.
[0066] The window assembly 210 is installed at the elongated window position of the roller shutter belt 29. The left positioning block 2102 and the right positioning block 2103 cooperate with the toggle assembly 4 to pull the roller shutter belt 29 up and down and make the roller shutter belt 29 move on the roller, so that the elongated window on the roller shutter belt 29 can reach the designated wafer position.
[0067] When the window assembly 210 moves to the upper limit position sensor 27 or the lower limit position sensor 28, the sensor baffle 2101 blocks the upper limit position sensor 27 or the lower limit position sensor 28. The control system detects that the upper limit position sensor 27 or the lower limit position sensor 28 is blocked and stops immediately to prevent the operating window on the roller shutter belt 29 from exceeding the upper and lower limits. The upper limit position sensor 27 also serves as a marker that the operating window on the roller shutter belt 29 has reached the initial waiting position. When the upper limit position sensor 27 is triggered, the operating window on the roller shutter belt 29 reaches the initial waiting position. At the initial waiting position, the operating window on the roller shutter belt 29 is blocked by the sealing block inside the storage box. The wafer storage box is completely sealed. The positioning pin 413 on the lever assembly 41 is inserted into the left positioning block 2102 and the right positioning block 2103 of the window assembly 210 to drive the operating window on the roller shutter belt 29 to the designated position.
[0068] Combination Figures 4-5 In this application, the transmission belt is specifically a narrow belt structure. To avoid the wafer storage box 1, the narrow transmission belt on the reverse side is distributed on both sides of the wafer storage box. Only a long strip window is cut out on the front roller shutter belt 29 to form an operation window. The front roller shutter belt 29 covers the front end of the wafer storage box and can completely block the front end of the wafer storage box 1, thus sealing the wafer storage box 1.
[0069] Combination Figure 6 The air-filled filter assembly 5 in this application is installed at the rear end of the storage box body 1, and includes an air inlet pipe 51 and a pressure regulating valve 52, an air source main valve 53, a flow control unit 54, and a gas filter unit 55 connected sequentially to the air inlet pipe 51. The intake end of the intake pipe 51 is connected to the plant's inert gas source, and the outlet end is connected to the storage box 1. The pressure regulating valve 52, the main gas source valve 53, the flow control unit 54, and the gas filter unit 55 are sequentially installed on the pipe assembly. The pressure regulating valve 52 is connected to the gas pressure detection unit 56. The pressure regulating valve 52 can adjust the gas pressure flowing into the gas filling filter assembly 5. The gas pressure detection unit 56 detects the gas source pressure in real time. When the gas pressure is too high or too low, the system's control module is triggered to issue an alarm.
[0070] The main gas valve 53 controls the opening and closing of the entire air intake pipeline 51. Inert gas flows into the storage box 1 through the flow control unit 54 and the gas filter unit 55 installed on the air intake pipeline 51. The gas filter unit 55 can filter the plant inert gas, remove impurities in the plant inert gas, and ensure the cleanliness of the gas filling the storage box 1.
[0071] The flow control unit 54 can precisely control and monitor the gas flow rate in real time, and it is electrically connected to the control system. When the robotic arm picks up and places wafers in the wafer storage box, the control system controls the flow control unit 54 to increase the supply of inert gas to replenish the overflowing inert gas and maintain the cleanliness and pressure inside the wafer storage box.
[0072] Combination Figure 7 The present invention also provides a method of using a wafer memory cell, comprising the following steps: The communication module of the wafer storage box receives task information from the factory EAP and transmits the task information to the control system; The control system, in conjunction with the lever control module, controls the lever assembly 41 and lever movement assembly 42 in the lever assembly 4 to adjust the operation window on the roller shutter belt 29 of the conveyor door assembly 2 to the corresponding wafer position in the task information. At the same time, the control system controls the gas filling and filtering assembly 5 to increase the inert gas filling flow rate to the storage box body 1. After the operation window on the roller shutter belt 29 of the conveyor door assembly 2 reaches the designated wafer position, the control system controls the lever assembly 41 of the toggle assembly 4 to retract, so as to allow the robot arm to move space between the lever assembly 41 and the storage box body 1 and avoid the operation window. The robot arm then begins to pick up and put down wafers through the operation window. After the wafer is picked up and placed, the control system controls the toggle assembly 4 to adjust the operation window on the roller shutter belt 29 of the conveyor door assembly 2 to the initial waiting position, the wafer storage box is closed, and at the same time the control system controls the air filling filter assembly 5 to reduce the flow rate, thus completing the picking and placing process of one wafer.
[0073] This invention addresses the problem of inert gas leakage and microparticle contamination caused by the need to open the entire door when a wafer cassette is filled with inert gas, leading to wafer handling by a robotic arm. The invention provides a wafer storage cassette with a novel door structure and automatic gas flow adjustment. When handling wafers, only a small portion of the front door mechanism needs to be opened, and the inert gas supply is dynamically adjusted, thus solving the problems of inert gas waste and microparticle contamination caused by opening the entire door. It effectively achieves automatic gas replenishment and adjustment, with a very small operating window, greatly reducing inert gas loss.
[0074] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.
[0075] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. A wafer storage cell, characterized in that, include: Storage box body, conveyor belt door assembly, actuation assembly, air filling and filtering assembly, control system, and communication unit; The conveyor belt door assembly is disposed at the front end of the storage box body and is used to form a closed box cavity of the storage box body; The conveyor door assembly is provided with an operation window for picking up and placing wafers. The toggle assembly can drive the conveyor door assembly to move, so as to adjust the operation window to the position corresponding to picking up and placing wafers. The gas-filled filter assembly is used to fill the interior of the storage box with inert gas; The control system is used to control the action of the actuating component on the conveyor door component, and to control the replenishment state of the inert gas in the air-filling filter component. The communication unit is used to establish communication connections with the outside world.
2. The wafer storage cell according to claim 1, characterized in that, The actuation assembly includes a lever assembly and a lever motion assembly, wherein the lever assembly is vertically and flexibly connected to the lever motion assembly; The lever motion assembly includes a support column, on which a lifting seat is provided, and the lever assembly is connected to the lifting seat.
3. The wafer storage cell according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lever assembly includes a lever cylinder, a telescopic lever, and a positioning pin connected to the lifting seat. The telescopic lever is arranged horizontally and connected to the telescopic end of the lever cylinder. The positioning pin is set at both ends of the telescopic lever and protrudes vertically toward the storage box body. The conveyor door assembly has a window assembly at the operation window. The window assembly includes positioning blocks on both sides, and the positioning blocks are provided with positioning holes that can be inserted and cooperate with the positioning pins.
4. The wafer storage cell according to claim 3, characterized in that, The conveyor belt door assembly includes a drive belt and a roller shutter belt. The operation window is disposed on the roller shutter belt, the drive belt is disposed on both sides of the roller shutter belt, and a roller is connected between the drive belts.
5. The wafer storage cell according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the conveyor belt door assembly is completely closed to the storage box body, the longitudinal section of the roller shutter belt is a transverse U-shaped structure, and the middle section of the roller shutter belt is completely closed to the lateral opening of the storage box body. The top of the storage box is provided with a sealing block, which follows the shape of the operation window.
6. The wafer storage cell according to claim 5, characterized in that, The rollers include a front upper support roller, a front lower support roller, a rear upper support roller, and a rear lower support roller, with the transmission belts on both sides wound between the rollers. The corner of the roller shutter belt is provided with a front door top roller and a front door bottom roller. The front door top roller and the front door bottom roller are located at the front end of the storage box body and between the transmission belt and the roller shutter belt.
7. The wafer storage cell according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a door panel cover, on which an upper limit position sensor and a lower limit position sensor are provided on the side panel on the same side. The upper limit position sensor and the lower limit position sensor are located on the top and bottom sides of the side panel. A sensor baffle is connected to the positioning block on one side, and the sensor baffle cooperates with the upper limit position sensor and the lower limit position sensor.
8. The wafer storage cell according to claim 7, characterized in that, The positioning block includes a left positioning block and a right positioning block, and the left positioning block, the right positioning block and the operation window are located at the same height; The upper limit position sensor and the lower limit position sensor are electrically connected to the control system and are disposed on the side plate on the left side of the door panel cover. The sensor baffle is connected to the left positioning block.
9. The wafer storage cell according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air-filled filter assembly is installed at the rear end of the storage box body and includes an air inlet pipe and a pressure regulating valve, a main air source valve, a flow control unit, and a gas filter unit arranged sequentially on the air inlet pipe. The pressure regulating valve is connected to a pressure detection unit, the inlet end of the inlet pipe is connected to an external inert gas source, and the outlet end is connected to the storage box body. The flow control unit is electrically connected to the control system.
10. A method of using a wafer memory cell, performed using the wafer memory cell according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The communication module receives task information from the factory EAP and transmits the task information to the control system; The control system controls the toggle assembly to adjust the operation window on the conveyor door assembly to the corresponding wafer position in the task information, and at the same time the control system controls the inflation filter assembly to increase the inflation flow rate. After the operating window on the conveyor door assembly reaches the designated wafer position, the control system controls the toggle assembly to retract to avoid the operating window, and the robot arm begins to pick up and place wafers through the operating window. After the wafer is picked up and placed, the control system controls the toggle assembly to adjust the operation window on the conveyor door assembly to the initial waiting position, the wafer storage box is closed, and at the same time the control system controls the gas filling and filtering assembly to reduce the flow rate, thus completing the wafer picking and placing process.