A loading and unloading box device and a semiconductor processing system

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing equipment technology, and more particularly to a loading / unloading box device and a semiconductor processing system. The loading / unloading box device includes a first loading platform, a second loading platform, a transfer platform, a first robotic arm, and a second robotic arm. By adopting an integrated structure of the first loading platform, the second loading platform, the transfer platform, and the two robotic arms, it can replace the traditional loading and unloading machines used with sorting equipment. Furthermore, through the coordinated operation of the first loading platform, the first robotic arm, the second loading platform, the second robotic arm, and the transfer platform, an automated closed loop of "loading and conveying → pushing and picking up wafers → empty box transfer → unloading and receiving wafers → finished product conveying" is formed, achieving simultaneous entry and exit of wafers and boxes, thus solving the problem of traceability confusion between wafers and boxes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing equipment technology, and in particular to a loading and unloading device and a semiconductor processing system. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in semiconductor processing systems, sorting equipment used for sorting and transferring semiconductor wafers requires a loading machine and a unloading machine to enable the loading and unloading of materials from the sorting equipment.

[0003] However, after the feeding machine finishes feeding the sorting equipment, the empty material boxes cannot be automatically transferred to the unloading machine. As a result, the material pieces that cannot be transferred by the sorting equipment cannot be bound to the material boxes. In other words, it is impossible to achieve the same batch of material pieces and material boxes entering and exiting at the same time, which can easily lead to abnormal situations such as confusion in the traceability of material pieces and material boxes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art or related art.

[0005] To address this, the present invention provides a loading and unloading box device that can replace the traditional loading and unloading machines used in conjunction with sorting equipment. It can also achieve the binding of material sheets and boxes so that they can enter and exit together, thus solving the problem of traceability confusion that easily occurs between material sheets and boxes.

[0006] The present invention also provides a semiconductor processing system including the above-described loading and unloading box device.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a loading and unloading device for loading boxes includes a first loading platform, a second loading platform, a transfer platform, a first robotic arm, and a second robotic arm.

[0008] The first loading and moving platform is set close to the pushing station. The first loading and moving platform is used to place the material box containing the material pieces to be sorted and transport it to the position close to the pushing station.

[0009] The first robotic arm is used to move the material box located on the first loading platform and close to the pushing station to the pushing station; after all the material pieces to be sorted in the material box located on the pushing station have been transferred to the loading station in the sorting equipment, the first robotic arm is also used to move the material box on the pushing station to the second loading platform.

[0010] The second loading and unloading platform is located near the feeding station. The second loading and unloading platform is used to transport the material box that has been handled by the first robotic arm to a position near the feeding station.

[0011] The second robotic arm is used to move the material box located on the second loading platform and close to the feeding station to the feeding station; after the material box located at the feeding station is filled with the material pieces that have been sorted by the sorting equipment, the second robotic arm is also used to move the material box at the feeding station to the transfer platform.

[0012] Optionally, the first cargo-carrying mobile platform includes:

[0013] The first platform body is located on the first side near the material pushing station; the first platform body is used to place at least one material box.

[0014] A first drive assembly, disposed on the first platform body, is used to convey the material box located on the first platform body to a first side of the first platform body, so that the material box moves to a position close to the push station.

[0015] Optionally, when at least two material boxes are placed on the first platform body, the at least two material boxes are placed sequentially along the length direction of the first platform body; the first drive assembly includes:

[0016] A pushing mechanism, provided on the first platform body, is used to apply a force to the material box on the second side near the first platform body to move towards the first side of the first platform body, so that all material boxes located on the first platform body move towards the first side of the first platform body under the force.

[0017] The position detection module is located at the edge of the first side of the first platform body and is used to detect whether the material box has moved to a position close to the pushing station of the first platform body;

[0018] The first drive control module controls the pushing mechanism to stop applying force when the position detection module detects that a material box has moved to a position close to the pushing station on the first platform body.

[0019] Optionally, after the first robotic arm moves the material box located on the first platform body and close to the pushing station to the pushing station, the first drive control module is also used to control the pushing mechanism to resume applying force to the material box on the second side close to the first platform body.

[0020] Optionally, the pushing mechanism includes:

[0021] The push plate is movably mounted on the first platform body;

[0022] The slide cylinder is located at the bottom of the first platform body and is connected to the push plate drive. The slide cylinder is used to drive the push plate to reciprocate along the length of the first platform body.

[0023] Optionally, a baffle is provided at the edge of the first side of the first platform body; when the material box moves on the first platform body to a position close to the pushing station, the baffle is used to abut against the bottom of the material box to restrict the movement of the material box on the first platform body.

[0024] Optionally, the second cargo-carrying mobile platform includes:

[0025] The second platform body is located below the first loading and moving platform. The first side of the second platform body is set near the pushing station, and the second side of the second platform body is set near the feeding station.

[0026] The second drive assembly includes a conveyor belt and a drive wheel set. The conveyor belt is arranged along the length of the second platform body, and the drive wheel set is mounted on the second platform body. The drive wheel set is used to drive the conveyor belt to transport the material box that the first robotic arm has moved onto the conveyor belt to a position close to the feeding station.

[0027] Optionally, the reposting platforms include:

[0028] The third platform body is located above the first loading and moving platform, and the third platform body is used to place the material box to be handled by the second robotic arm.

[0029] The detection module, located on the third platform body, is used to detect the number of material boxes located on the third platform body;

[0030] When the detection module detects that the number of material boxes located on the third platform body is the same as the number of material boxes initially placed on the first material moving platform, the second drive control module controls both the first and second material moving platforms to stop running.

[0031] Optionally, both ends of the material box are open, and each of the two opposite inner sidewalls of the material box is provided with a mounting groove; the mounting groove is used to fix the carrier base plate loaded with the material sheet; when the material box is located on the first loading moving platform, both ends of the material box are located on both sides of the axis of the first loading moving platform.

[0032] The loading and unloading box device also includes:

[0033] The pushing component is located near the feeding station. The pushing component includes a pusher plate and a third drive component. The third drive component is used to adjust the movement of the pusher plate so that the carrier substrate located in the material box is pushed one by one to the feeding station in the sorting equipment.

[0034] Optionally, it also includes a machine platform, wherein the first loading and moving platform, the second loading and moving platform and the transfer platform are all mounted on the machine platform, and the pushing station and the feeding station are both mounted on the machine platform; the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm are both movable and mounted on the machine platform.

[0035] A semiconductor processing system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a sorting device and a loading / unloading box device according to the first aspect or various embodiments.

[0036] The loading and unloading box device is used to transfer the material pieces to be sorted in the material box to the loading station in the sorting equipment;

[0037] The sorting equipment is used to sort the material pieces that are transferred from the loading and unloading box device to the loading station.

[0038] The sorting equipment is also used to transfer the material pieces that have been sorted to a feeding station near the loading and unloading box device;

[0039] The loading and unloading box device is also used to collect the material pieces that have been sorted by the sorting equipment and transferred to the feeding station into the box.

[0040] One of the above technical solutions has at least the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a loading and unloading box device is adopted. By using an integrated structure of a first loading platform, a second loading platform, a transfer platform, and two robotic arms, it can replace the traditional loading and unloading machines used with sorting equipment. At the same time, through the coordinated cooperation of the first loading platform, the first robotic arm, the second loading platform, the second robotic arm, and the transfer platform, an automated closed loop of "loading and conveying → pushing and picking up pieces → empty box transfer → unloading and receiving pieces → finished product conveying" is formed, realizing the binding of pieces and boxes for simultaneous entry and exit, so as to solve the problem of traceability confusion between pieces and boxes.

[0042] The semiconductor processing system provided in this embodiment of the invention is equipped with the loading and unloading box device described above. Since the loading and unloading box device has the above-mentioned technical effects, the semiconductor processing system equipped with the loading and unloading box device should also have the corresponding technical effects. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an loading and unloading box device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0044] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the loading and unloading box device according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0045] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A partial schematic diagram of point A in the diagram;

[0046] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the loading and unloading box device according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0047] Figure 5It shows Figure 4 A partial schematic diagram at point B in the diagram;

[0048] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the structure of an additional embodiment of the loading and unloading box device provided by the present invention.

[0049] Figure 7 It shows Figure 6 A partial schematic diagram at point C in the diagram;

[0050] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the loading and unloading box device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0051] Figure 9 It shows Figure 8 A partial schematic diagram at point D in the diagram;

[0052] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of the loading and unloading box device according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0053] Figure 11 It shows Figure 10 A partial schematic diagram at point E in the diagram;

[0054] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the structure of a material box according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0055] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of a fully loaded material box according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0056] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0057] 1. First cargo-carrying mobile platform; 101. First platform body; 102. Pushing mechanism; 103. Position detection module; 1011. Slide rail; 1012. Baffle; 1021. Push plate; 1022. Slide cylinder.

[0058] 2. Second cargo-carrying mobile platform; 201. Second platform body; 202. Second drive component; 2021. Conveyor belt;

[0059] 3. Reprinting platform, 301, third-party platform entity;

[0060] 4. First robotic arm;

[0061] 5. Second robotic arm;

[0062] 6. Material box; 601. Mounting slot;

[0063] 7. Code reader;

[0064] 8. Sheets;

[0065] 9. Carrier substrate;

[0066] 10. Push component; 1001. Push board; 1002. Third drive component;

[0067] 11. Machine tool. Detailed Implementation

[0068] To better explain and facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0069] Currently, the feeding and unloading solutions available on the market for sorting equipment use separate feeding and unloading machines, placed at opposite ends of the overall equipment, with cutting and sorting machines located in between. Because the feeding and unloading machines are two independent devices, empty boxes finished by the sorting equipment cannot be automatically transferred from the feeding machine to the unloading machine, nor can the binding of material sheets to boxes be achieved—that is, simultaneous feeding and unloading of boxes and material sheets from the same batch. When simultaneous feeding and unloading of boxes and material sheets from the same batch is required, manual intervention is necessary. Empty boxes must be manually removed from the feeding machine and moved to the unloading machine to await feeding. However, manual handling is prone to errors, such as incorrect transfer order or delayed handling causing equipment downtime due to waiting for material, leading to abnormal situations such as confusion in the tracking of material sheets and boxes.

[0070] To at least address one of the technical problems existing in the prior art or related technologies, the present invention provides a loading and unloading box device, comprising a first loading and unloading platform, a second loading and unloading platform, a transfer platform, a first robotic arm, and a second robotic arm. The first loading and unloading platform is positioned close to the pushing station and is used to place and transport the box containing the material to be sorted to the position close to the pushing station. The first robotic arm is used to move the box located on the first loading and unloading platform and close to the pushing station to the pushing station. The material to be sorted in the box located at the pushing station... After the flakes are transferred to the loading station in the sorting equipment, the first robotic arm is also used to transport the material boxes on the pushing station to the second loading platform. The second loading platform is located near the feeding station and is used to transport the material boxes transported by the first robotic arm to a position near the feeding station. The second robotic arm is used to transport the material boxes located on the second loading platform and near the feeding station to the feeding station. After the material boxes at the feeding station are filled with flakes that have been sorted by the sorting equipment, the second robotic arm is also used to transport the material boxes at the feeding station to the transfer platform. The device provided in this application can realize the binding of flakes and material boxes for simultaneous entry and exit, so as to solve the problem of traceability confusion between flakes and material boxes.

[0071] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes some embodiments of the loading / unloading bin device and semiconductor processing system provided according to the present invention.

[0072] See Figures 1 to 13 The present invention provides a loading and unloading box device for use in a semiconductor processing system. The loading and unloading box device includes a first loading and moving platform 1, a second loading and moving platform 2, a transfer platform 3, a first robotic arm 4, and a second robotic arm 5.

[0073] The first loading platform 1 is located near the material pushing station. The first loading platform 1 is used to place the material box 6 containing the material pieces 8 to be sorted and transport it to the position near the material pushing station.

[0074] Here, the material pushing station can be located below one side of the first loading and unloading platform 1.

[0075] It should be noted that the material boxes 6 on the first material carrier platform 1 contain material pieces 8 to be sorted from the same batch, and when there are multiple material boxes 6 on the first material carrier platform 1, all material pieces 8 in each material box 6 are also from the same batch.

[0076] The first robotic arm 4 is used to move the material box 6 located on the first loading platform 1 and close to the pushing station to the pushing station; after all the material pieces 8 to be sorted in the material box 6 located on the pushing station have been transferred to the loading station in the sorting equipment, the first robotic arm 4 is also used to move the material box 6 on the pushing station to the second loading platform 2.

[0077] After the sheet material 8 to be sorted is transferred to the loading station in the sorting equipment, the sorting equipment can move the sheet material 8 to a position close to the semiconductor processing equipment so that the semiconductor processing equipment can process the sheet material 8. After the sheet material 8 has been processed, the semiconductor processing equipment puts the sheet material 8 back into the sorting equipment, and the sorting equipment then transfers the processed sheet material 8 to its unloading station to complete the sorting of the sheet material 8.

[0078] The first robotic arm 4 can be a clamping robotic arm. The clamping part of the first robotic arm 4 can move relative to the first loading platform 1 on the X-axis and Z-axis so that the clamping part of the first robotic arm 4 can clamp the material box 6 located on the first loading platform 1 and close to the pushing station, and transport it to the pushing station.

[0079] Therefore, by using the first robotic arm 4 to move the material box 6 located on the first loading platform 1 and close to the pushing station to the pushing station, the first robotic arm 4 can simplify the action of picking up the material box 6 and improve the efficiency and reliability of the first robotic arm 4 in grasping and transferring the material box 6.

[0080] The second loading platform 2 is positioned close to the feeding station. The second loading platform 2 is used to transport the material box 6, which has been handled by the first robotic arm 4, to a position close to the feeding station. The second robotic arm 5 is used to move the material box 6, which is located on the second loading platform 2 and close to the feeding station, to the feeding station. After the material box 6 at the feeding station is filled with the material pieces 8 that have been sorted by the sorting equipment, the second robotic arm 5 is also used to move the material box 6 at the feeding station to the transfer platform 3.

[0081] It should be noted that the material pieces 8 that are sorted by the sorting equipment in the material box 6 are: the material pieces 8 to be sorted in the material box 6 placed on the first material carrying moving platform 1, after being sorted by the sorting equipment, are the material pieces 8 that are sorted by the sorting equipment in the material box 6 and the material pieces 8 to be sorted in the material box 6 located on the first material carrying moving platform 1. They are the same batch of material pieces 8.

[0082] The second robotic arm 5 can be a clamping robotic arm. The clamping part of the second robotic arm 5 can move relative to the second loading platform 2 on the X and Z axes, so that the clamping part of the second robotic arm 5 can clamp the material box 6 located on the second loading platform 2 and close to the feeding station, and transport it to the feeding station. After the material box 6 located at the feeding station is filled with the material pieces 8 that have been sorted by the sorting equipment, the clamping part of the second robotic arm 5 can transport the material box 6 to the transfer platform 3.

[0083] Here, a barcode reader 7 is provided above the transfer platform 3. The barcode reader 7 is used to read the QR code located on the material box 6 to obtain the batch information of the material box 6 and / or the material piece 8 located on the transfer platform 3.

[0084] It should also be noted that, during use, the loading and unloading box device is positioned close to the loading and unloading stations of the sorting equipment, and the pushing station of the loading and unloading box device corresponds to the loading station of the sorting equipment. This allows the sheet material 8 to be sorted, pushed directly from the box 6 at the pushing station, to the loading station of the sorting equipment. The sorting equipment then transfers the sheet material 8 to a position close to the semiconductor processing equipment, so that the robotic arm on the semiconductor processing equipment can place the sheet material 8 into the semiconductor processing equipment for processing. After the processing equipment completes the processing of the material piece 8, the robot arm is controlled to put the processed material piece 8 into the sorting equipment. When the sorting equipment places the material piece 8 on the unloading station, the sorting of the material piece 8 is completed. At the same time, the feeding station of the upper and lower material box device is set to correspond to the unloading station of the sorting equipment, so that the sorting equipment can directly transport the material piece 8 that has been sorted by the sorting equipment from the unloading station to the material box 6 located at the feeding station of the upper and lower material box 6, so as to quickly complete the collection of the material piece 8 that has been sorted by the sorting equipment in the material box 6.

[0085] Furthermore, when using the loading and unloading device in this embodiment, the material box 6 containing the material pieces 8 to be sorted is placed on the first loading platform 1. The first loading platform 1 is used to transport the material box 6 to a position close to the pushing station. Then, the first robotic arm 4 is controlled to move the material box 6 to the pushing station. After all the material pieces 8 to be sorted in the material box 6 located at the pushing station have been transferred to the loading station in the sorting equipment, the first robotic arm 4 is controlled to move the material box 6 on the pushing station to the second loading platform 2. The moving platform 2 transports the material box 6 to a position close to the feeding station, and then controls the second robotic arm 5 to move the material box 6, which is located on the second loading platform 2 and close to the feeding station, to the feeding station. Finally, after the material box 6 is filled with the material pieces 8 that have been sorted by the sorting equipment, the second robotic arm 5 is controlled to move the material box 6 on the feeding station to the transfer platform 3, so as to complete the conveying of the material pieces 8 to be sorted in the material box 6 to the sorting equipment by the loading and unloading material box device, and the collection of the material pieces 8 after being sorted by the sorting equipment by the same batch of material boxes 6.

[0086] In this embodiment, a first loading platform 1, a second loading platform 2, and a transfer platform 3 are set up. A first robotic arm 4 is used to transport the material box 6 located on the first loading platform 1 to the pushing station, so that the material pieces 8 to be sorted in the material box 6 are pushed to the loading station of the sorting equipment, so that the material pieces 8 to be sorted are sorted by the sorting equipment. Then, the first robotic arm 4 is used to place the empty material box 6 on the second loading platform 2. After the second loading platform 2 moves the empty material box 6 to near the feeding station, the second robotic arm places the material box 6 on the feeding station, so that the sorted material pieces 8 transferred by the sorting equipment are loaded into the material box 6. After the material box 6 is full, the second robotic arm 5 transports the material box 6 on the feeding station to the transfer platform 3. In this way, the material box 6 containing the material pieces 8 to be sorted can be loaded onto the sorting equipment through the cooperation of the first loading platform 1 and the first robotic arm 4. Then, the empty material box 6 is transferred to the feeding station through the position transfer between the first robotic arm 4, the second loading platform 2 and the second robotic arm 5, so that the sorted material pieces 8 located at the unloading station of the sorting equipment can be collected in the empty material box 6, thereby improving the loading and unloading efficiency of the sorting equipment.

[0087] Therefore, the loading and unloading box device provided in this application, by adopting an integrated structure of a first loading platform 1, a second loading platform 2, a transfer platform 3, and two robotic arms, can replace the traditional loading and unloading machines used with sorting equipment. At the same time, through the coordinated cooperation of the first loading platform 1, the first robotic arm 4, the second loading platform 2, the second robotic arm 5, and the transfer platform 3, it can form an automated closed loop of "loading and conveying → pushing and picking up pieces → empty box transfer → unloading and receiving pieces → finished product conveying", so as to realize the binding of the material pieces 8 and the material boxes 6 to enter and exit together, thereby solving the problem of traceability confusion between the material pieces 8 and the material boxes 6.

[0088] In some possible embodiments, the first loading and moving platform 1 includes a first platform body 101 and a first driving component. The first side of the first platform body 101 is located near the pushing station. The first platform body 101 is used to place at least one material box 6. The first driving component is disposed on the first platform body 101 and is used to transport the material box 6 located on the first platform body 101 to the first side of the first platform body 101, so that the material box 6 moves to a position near the pushing station.

[0089] Here, the first drive component transports the material box 6 located on the first platform body 101 to the first side near the push station, which ensures that the material box 6 can be moved to the position near the push station without manual adjustment. This is the preset picking position where the material box 6 can be picked up by the first robotic arm 4, thereby improving the moving efficiency of the material box 6 on the first platform body and improving the moving positioning accuracy of the material box 6 to the corresponding position near the push station.

[0090] Furthermore, by placing at least one material box 6 on the first platform body 101, the loading and unloading box device can continuously load multiple material boxes 6 containing material pieces 8 to be sorted onto the sorting equipment, reducing the frequent replenishment of material boxes 6 in the loading and unloading box device, ensuring the continuity of the loading process of material boxes 6 onto the sorting equipment, thereby improving the loading efficiency of the loading and unloading box device onto the sorting equipment and reducing the risk of waiting for material on the sorting equipment.

[0091] In this embodiment, by selecting the first loading platform 1 as the first platform body 101 and the first drive component, the cooperation between the first drive component and the first platform body 101 can form an independent automated material box 6 conveying unit. This enables the material box 6 to be conveyed and positioned without human intervention, thereby seamlessly connecting the first loading platform 1 with the subsequent handling by the first robotic arm 4 and the pushing process of the material piece 8 in the material box 6 located at the pushing station, ensuring the automation of the overall material feeding process of the sorting equipment.

[0092] Furthermore, when at least two material boxes 6 are placed on the first platform body 101, the at least two material boxes 6 are placed sequentially along the length direction of the first platform body 101; the first driving assembly includes a pushing mechanism 102, a position detection module 103, and a first driving control module. The pushing mechanism 102 is disposed on the first platform body 101 and is used to apply a force to the material boxes 6 near the second side of the first platform body 101 to move towards the first side of the first platform body 101, so that all material boxes 6 located on the first platform body 101 move towards the first side of the first platform body 101 under the force; the position detection module 103 is disposed at the edge of the first side of the first platform body 101 and is used to detect whether the material box 6 has moved to a position near the pushing station of the first platform body 101; when the position detection module 103 detects that a material box 6 has moved to a position near the pushing station of the first platform body 101, the first driving control module is used to control the pushing mechanism 102 to stop applying the force.

[0093] Here, when at least two material boxes 6 are placed on the first platform body 101, the outer walls between two adjacent material boxes 6 are in contact with each other. When the pushing mechanism 102 applies a force to the material box 6 on the second side near the first platform body 101, moving it towards the first side of the first platform body 101, the material box 6 on the second side near the first platform body 101 can move to a position close to the pushing station under the force between the material boxes 6. It can be seen that by placing at least two material boxes 6 sequentially along the length of the first platform body 101 and applying a force to the material box 6 on the second side near the first platform body 101, moving it towards the first side of the first platform body 101, continuous feeding of the sorting equipment by multiple material boxes 6 can be achieved, improving the continuous feeding of the sorting equipment, and thus improving the continuity and operating efficiency of the feeding process of the sorting equipment by the loading and unloading material box device.

[0094] Furthermore, by setting a position detection module 103 at the edge of the first side of the first platform body 101, it is possible to detect whether the material box 6 has moved to a position close to the pushing station of the first platform body 101, so as to achieve accurate positioning of the material box 6 when it moves to the preset picking position. At the same time, when the position detection module 103 detects that a material box 6 has moved to a position close to the pushing station on the first platform body 101, the first drive control module promptly controls the pushing mechanism 102 to stop applying force, ensuring that the material box 6 can be stably stopped at the preset picking position, providing a guarantee for the first robotic arm 4 to accurately and reliably grasp the material box 6, and avoiding the problem that the first robotic arm 4 fails to grasp the material box 6 due to inaccurate positioning of the material box 6.

[0095] Simultaneously, by controlling the pushing mechanism 102 to apply a force to the material box 6 near the second side of the first platform body 101, the first platform body 101 is moved towards the first side of the first platform body 101. This drives all material boxes 6 to move simultaneously towards the first side of the first platform body 101. When the position detection module 103 detects that a material box 6 has moved to a position close to the pushing station on the first platform body 101, the first drive control module controls the pushing mechanism 102 to stop applying the force. This achieves closed-loop control of the pushing mechanism 102 and the position detection module 103, thereby reducing the control complexity of the first drive component. In other words, without the need to configure a separate control unit for each material box 6, it is possible to push each material box 6 on the first platform body 101 one by one to a position close to the pushing station.

[0096] Taking the first platform body 101 as an example, with five material boxes 6 placed on it, such as Figure 8 As shown, the five material boxes 6 are material boxes A, B, C, D and E arranged sequentially along the length of the first platform body 101, and the material sheets contained in material boxes A, B, C, D and E are from the same batch; the pushing mechanism applies a pushing force to material box E to move it toward the first side of the first platform body 101, and material boxes A, B, C, D and E all move toward the first side of the first platform body 101. When the position detection module 103 detects that material box A has moved to a position close to the pushing station on the first platform body 101, the first drive control module controls the pushing mechanism 102 to stop applying the force so that the five material boxes 6 stop moving on the first platform body 101.

[0097] In this embodiment, by selecting the first driving component as a structure including a pushing mechanism 102, a position detection module 103 and a first driving control module, it is possible to push at least two material boxes 6 located on the first platform body 101 one by one to a position close to the pushing station, thereby realizing continuous material supply from multiple material boxes 6 to the sorting equipment, and thus improving the continuity and operating efficiency of the loading and unloading device for the sorting equipment.

[0098] Furthermore, after the first robotic arm 4 moves the material box 6 located on the first platform body 101 and close to the pushing station to the pushing station, the first drive control module is also used to control the pushing mechanism 102 to resume applying force to the material box 6 on the second side close to the first platform body 101.

[0099] Following the previous example, after the first robotic arm 4 moves box A to the pushing station, there are still boxes B, C, D, and E on the first platform body 101. At this time, the first drive control module controls the pushing mechanism 102 to resume applying force to box E, causing boxes B, C, D, and E to move towards the first side of the first platform body 101. When the position detection module 103 detects that box B has moved to a position close to the pushing station on the first platform body 101, the first drive control module controls the pushing mechanism 102 to stop applying force.

[0100] Here, after the first robotic arm 4 has moved the material box 6 located on the first platform body 101 and near the pushing station to the pushing station, the first drive control module controls the pushing mechanism 102 to resume applying force to the material box 6 on the second side near the first platform body 101. This enables automatic pushing of the material box 6 on the first platform body 101 near the pushing station. After all the material pieces 8 in the material box 6 located at the pushing station have been pushed to the loading station of the sorting equipment, the first robotic arm 4 can quickly grasp the material box 6 on the first platform body 101 near the pushing station, realizing the following... A material box 6 is fed to the sorting equipment at the pushing station, thereby ensuring the uninterrupted feeding process of the material box loading and unloading device to the sorting equipment. That is, after the first robotic arm 4 removes the material box 6 located on the first platform body 101 and close to the pushing station, the pushing mechanism 102 immediately resumes the pushing action, so that the subsequent material box 6 is automatically replaced to the picking position, thus forming a closed loop of continuous pushing of removing one material box 6 and automatically replacing the next material box 6, thereby ensuring the continuous feeding process of the sorting equipment by the material box loading and unloading device, and thus improving the overall automation level and operating efficiency of the material box loading and unloading device.

[0101] Furthermore, the pushing mechanism 102 includes a push plate 1021 and a slide cylinder 1022. The push plate 1021 is movably mounted on the first platform body 101. The slide cylinder 1022 is located at the bottom of the first platform body 101 and is drivenly connected to the push plate 1021. The slide cylinder 1022 is used to drive the push plate 1021 to reciprocate along the length direction of the first platform body 101.

[0102] It should be noted that the first platform body 101 is provided with a slide groove 1011. The length direction of the slide groove 1011 is the same as the length direction of the first platform body 101. The push plate 1021 is slidably connected to the slide groove 1011 and can move back and forth along the length direction of the slide groove 1011.

[0103] In this embodiment, by selecting the pushing mechanism 102 as a structure including a push plate 1021 and a slide cylinder 1022, and driving the slide cylinder 1022 to the push plate 1021, the push plate 1021 is driven to reciprocate along the length direction of the first platform body 101 by the slide cylinder 1022, thereby pushing the material box 6 located on the first platform body 101. It can be seen that the pushing mechanism 102 is not only easy to integrate on the first platform body 101, but also can effectively save the equipment installation space of the pushing mechanism 102, so as to meet the compact layout requirements of the semiconductor processing system.

[0104] Optionally, a baffle 1012 is also provided at the edge of the first side of the first platform body 101; when the material box 6 moves on the first platform body 101 to a position close to the pushing station, the baffle 1012 is used to abut against the bottom of the material box 6 to restrict the movement of the material box 6 on the first platform body 101.

[0105] Here, by setting a baffle 1012 at the edge of the first side of the first platform body 101, it is possible not only to prevent the material box 6 from rushing out of the platform due to inertia or excessive pushing force when it moves to a position close to the pushing station on the first platform body 101, thus ensuring the safety of the material box 6 and the material piece 8 inside the material box 6, but also to precisely limit the position of the material box 6 so that the material box 6 is precisely limited to the preset picking position of the first robotic arm 4, avoiding the overtravel deviation of the first robotic arm 4 and improving the stability and success rate of the first robotic arm 4 in grasping.

[0106] Meanwhile, the baffle 1012 and the position detection module 103 can form a dual protection for the material box 6. The position detection module 103 serves as a signal control limit and the baffle 1012 serves as a mechanical hard limit, so as to form a dual positioning protection for the material box 6, further improving the positioning accuracy of the material box 6 and preventing the material box 6 from rushing out of the station due to control delay or failure.

[0107] In some possible embodiments, the second loading platform 2 includes a second platform body 201 and a second drive assembly 202. The second platform body 201 is located below the first loading platform 1. The first side of the second platform body 201 is located near the pushing station, and the second side of the second platform body 201 is located near the feeding station. The second drive assembly 202 includes a conveyor belt 2021 and a drive wheel set. The conveyor belt 2021 is arranged along the length of the second platform body 201, and the drive wheel set is mounted on the second platform body 201. The drive wheel set is used to drive the conveyor belt 2021 to operate, so as to transport the first robotic arm 4 to the material box 6 on the conveyor belt 2021 to the position near the feeding station.

[0108] A positioning sensor is provided on the second side near the second platform body 201. The positioning sensor is used to detect whether the material box 6 has moved to a position near the second side of the second platform body 201. The second drive assembly 202 is also used to control the drive wheel set to stop rotating so as to stop the movement of the material box 6 on the second platform body 201 when the positioning sensor detects that the material box 6 has moved to a position near the second side of the second platform body 201.

[0109] Here, the length direction of the first platform body 101 can be parallel to the length direction of the second platform body 201.

[0110] It should be noted that after the material pieces 8 in the material box 6 located at the pushing station are pushed to the loading station of the sorting equipment, the first robotic arm 4 transports the material box 6 located at the pushing station to the position of the second platform body 201 near its first side. When the material box 6 is moved to the second side of the second platform body 201 by the second drive component 202, the second robotic arm 5 transports the material box 6 to the feeding station.

[0111] In this embodiment, by placing the second platform body 201 below the first loading and unloading platform 1, the vertical space of the device can be fully utilized, the horizontal footprint can be significantly reduced, and the overall layout of the device can be optimized. At the same time, by selecting the second drive component 202 as a structure including a conveyor belt 2021 and a drive wheel set, and setting the conveyor belt 2021 along the length direction of the second platform body 201, and using the drive wheel set to drive the conveyor belt 2021 to transport the material box 6 on the conveyor belt 2021 from the first side of the second platform body 201 to the second side of the second platform, it is possible to realize the automated flow of the material box 6 located at the pushing station to the feeding station, ensuring the continuous operation of the unloading process of the sorting equipment by the loading and unloading device, thereby improving the overall automation level and operating efficiency of the loading and unloading device.

[0112] In some possible embodiments, the transfer platform 3 includes a third platform body 301, a detection module, and a second drive control module. The third platform body 301 is located above the first loading platform 1 and is used to place the material box 6 transported by the second robotic arm 5. The detection module is located on the third platform body 301 and is used to detect the number of material boxes 6 on the third platform body 301. When the detection module detects that the number of material boxes 6 on the third platform body 301 is the same as the number of material boxes 6 initially placed on the first loading platform 1, the second drive control module is used to control both the first loading platform 1 and the second loading platform 2 to stop running.

[0113] Here, the length direction of the third platform body 301 can be parallel to the length direction of the first platform body 101.

[0114] In this embodiment, a detection module is set on the third platform body 301. When the number of full boxes 6 on the transfer platform 3 is detected to be the same as the number of initial boxes 6 on the first loading and unloading platform 1, it is determined that the number of boxes 6 containing the material pieces 8 to be sorted entering the loading and unloading box device is the same as the number of boxes 6 finally containing the material pieces 8 sorted by the sorting equipment. The second drive control module controls the first loading and unloading platform 1 and the second loading and unloading platform 2 to stop running, thereby ensuring that the number of boxes 6 entering and leaving the loading and unloading box device is the same. This realizes the loading, processing and unloading steps of the material pieces 8 to be sorted in the same batch of boxes 6 under the cooperation of the loading and unloading box device and the sorting equipment. This strictly realizes the same entry and exit of the same batch of material pieces 8 and boxes 6 from the quantity level, forming a closed-loop control for the processing of the same batch of material pieces 8, thereby avoiding the situation of traceability confusion between different batches of material pieces 8 and boxes 6.

[0115] In some possible implementations, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 12 and Figure 13 Both ends of the material box 6 are open, and the two opposite inner sidewalls of the material box 6 are provided with mounting grooves 601; the mounting grooves 601 are used to fix the carrier base plate 9 loaded with the material sheet 8; when the material box 6 is located on the first loading moving platform 1, both ends of the material box 6 are located on both sides of the axis of the first loading moving platform 1.

[0116] In this embodiment, by providing an installation groove 601 on the inner sidewall of the material box 6, the carrier substrate 9 loading the material sheet 8 can be precisely fixed, preventing the material sheet 8 from shaking, shifting, or being damaged by collision during conveying and transfer. At the same time, by selecting an open design at both ends of the material box 6, the material box 6 can cooperate with the pushing action of the pushing station, making it easy for the pushing mechanism to push the carrier substrate 9 and the material sheet 8 directly out from the end of the material box 6, thereby improving the smoothness and efficiency of the pushing process.

[0117] Accordingly, the loading and unloading box device also includes a pushing component 10, which is set close to the feeding station. The pushing component 10 includes a pusher plate 1001 and a third drive component 1002. The third drive component 1002 is used to adjust the movement of the pusher plate 1001 so that the carrier base plate 9 located in the material box 6 is pushed one by one to the loading station in the sorting equipment.

[0118] It should be noted that the third drive component 1002 can drive the pusher plate 1001 to move along the Z-axis and Y-axis, so that the carrier base plate 9 located in the material box 6 is pushed one by one by the pusher plate to the loading station in the sorting equipment.

[0119] Here, by cooperating with the pusher plate 1001 and the third drive component 1002, the carrier substrates 9 in the material box 6 can be stably pushed one by one to the loading station, realizing the automated loading of the material pieces 8 to be sorted, thereby ensuring the continuous operation of the sorting equipment. At the same time, the pusher component 10 here can also work in coordination with the first robotic arm 4. That is, after the first robotic arm 4 places the material box 6 on the pusher station, the third drive component 1002 adjusts the pusher plate 1001 to move, so that the carrier substrates 9 in the material box 6 are pushed one by one to the loading station in the sorting equipment, further improving the overall automation and integration of the loading and unloading device.

[0120] In some possible embodiments, the loading and unloading box device further includes a machine base 11, on which the first loading moving platform 1, the second loading moving platform 2 and the transfer platform 3 are all mounted, and the pushing station and the feeding station are both mounted on the machine base 11; the first robotic arm 4 and the second robotic arm 5 are both movably mounted on the machine base 11.

[0121] In this embodiment, by setting the first loading platform 1, the second loading platform 2, and the transfer platform 3 on the machine base 11, each loading platform, workstation, and robotic arm can be integrated on the same machine base 11 to form an integrated whole structure, thereby reducing the footprint of the entire device and enabling the device to adapt to the intensive installation requirements of semiconductor processing systems.

[0122] A semiconductor processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a sorting device and a loading / unloading bin device as described in any of the above embodiments. The loading / unloading bin device is used to transfer wafers 8 to be sorted in a bin 6 to a loading station in the sorting device; the sorting device is used to sort the wafers 8 transferred to the loading station by the loading / unloading bin device; the sorting device is also used to transfer the wafers 8 that have been sorted to a position close to the feeding station of the loading / unloading bin device; the loading / unloading bin device is also used to collect the wafers 8 that have been sorted by the sorting device and transferred to the feeding station into the bin 6.

[0123] Since the semiconductor processing system of this embodiment includes any of the loading and unloading box devices in the first aspect described above, it has the beneficial effects of any of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0124] Furthermore, the semiconductor processing system also includes semiconductor processing equipment, which is used to process the wafers 8 to be sorted on the sorting equipment; the sorting equipment is also used to transfer the wafers 8 processed by the semiconductor processing equipment to a feeding station near the loading and unloading box device.

[0125] Here, semiconductor processing equipment may include at least one of grinding equipment, packaging equipment, film application equipment, and cleaning equipment.

[0126] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0127] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0128] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that they are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," or "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," or "beneath" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0129] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0130] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make modifications, alterations, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A loading and unloading box device, characterized in that, It includes a first cargo-carrying mobile platform, a second cargo-carrying mobile platform, a transfer platform, a first robotic arm, and a second robotic arm. The first loading and moving platform is located close to the pushing station. The first loading and moving platform is used to place the material box containing the material pieces to be sorted and transport it to the position close to the pushing station. The first robotic arm is used to transport the material box located on the first loading platform and close to the pushing station to the pushing station; after all the material pieces to be sorted in the material box located on the pushing station are transferred to the loading station in the sorting equipment, the first robotic arm is also used to transport the material box on the pushing station to the second loading platform. The second loading platform is positioned close to the feeding station and is used to transport the material box, which has been handled by the first robotic arm, to a position close to the feeding station; the second loading platform is located below the first loading platform. The second robotic arm is used to transport the material box located on the second loading platform and close to the feeding station to the feeding station; after the material box located at the feeding station is filled with the material pieces that have been sorted by the sorting equipment, the second robotic arm is also used to transport the material box at the feeding station to the transfer platform; the transfer platform is located above the first loading platform; wherein, the material pieces that have been sorted by the sorting equipment and loaded into the material box are: the material pieces to be sorted placed in the material box on the first loading platform after being sorted by the sorting equipment.

2. The loading and unloading box device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first cargo-carrying mobile platform includes: A first platform body is disposed on a first side near the material pushing station; the first platform body is used to place at least one of the material boxes. A first drive component, disposed on the first platform body, is used to convey a material box located on the first platform body to a first side of the first platform body, so that the material box moves to a position close to the push station.

3. The loading and unloading box device according to claim 2, characterized in that, When at least two material boxes are placed on the first platform body, the at least two material boxes are placed sequentially along the length direction of the first platform body; the first drive component includes: A pushing mechanism, provided on the first platform body, is used to apply a force to the material box near the second side of the first platform body to move towards the first side of the first platform body, so that all the material boxes located on the first platform body move towards the first side of the first platform body under the force. A position detection module is located at the edge of the first side of the first platform body, and is used to detect whether the material box has moved to a position of the first platform body close to the pushing station; The first drive control module controls the pushing mechanism to stop applying force when the position detection module detects that a material box has moved to a position close to the pushing station on the first platform body.

4. The loading and unloading box device according to claim 3, characterized in that, After the first robotic arm moves the material box located on the first platform body and close to the pushing station to the pushing station, the first drive control module is also used to control the pushing mechanism to resume applying force to the material box on the second side close to the first platform body.

5. The loading and unloading box device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pushing mechanism includes: The push plate is movably mounted on the first platform body; A slide cylinder is located at the bottom of the first platform body and is driven to drive the push plate. The slide cylinder is used to drive the push plate to reciprocate along the length direction of the first platform body.

6. The loading and unloading box device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A baffle is also provided at the edge of the first side of the first platform body; when the material box moves on the first platform body to a position close to the pushing station, the baffle is used to abut against the bottom of the material box to restrict the movement of the material box on the first platform body.

7. The loading and unloading box device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second cargo-carrying mobile platform includes: The second platform body is located below the first loading and moving platform. The first side of the second platform body is located near the pushing station, and the second side of the second platform body is located near the feeding station. The second drive assembly includes a conveyor belt and a drive wheel set. The conveyor belt is arranged along the length of the second platform body, and the drive wheel set is mounted on the second platform body. The drive wheel set is used to drive the conveyor belt to transport the material box that the first robotic arm has moved onto the conveyor belt to a position close to the feeding station.

8. The loading and unloading box device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reposting platforms include: The third platform body is located above the first loading and moving platform, and the third platform body is used to place the material box carried by the second robotic arm; A detection module, located on the third platform body, is used to detect the number of the material boxes located on the third platform body; When the detection module detects that the number of material boxes located on the third platform body is the same as the number of material boxes initially placed on the first material moving platform, the second drive control module controls both the first material moving platform and the second material moving platform to stop running.

9. The loading and unloading box device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Both ends of the material box are open, and each of the two opposite inner sidewalls of the material box is provided with a mounting groove; the mounting groove is used to fix the carrier base plate loaded with the material sheet; when the material box is located on the first loading and moving platform, both ends of the material box are located on both sides of the axis of the first loading and moving platform. The loading and unloading box device also includes: A pushing component is positioned close to the pushing station. The pushing component includes a pusher plate and a third driving component. The third driving component is used to adjust the movement of the pusher plate so that the carrier base plate located in the material box is pushed one by one to the loading station in the sorting equipment.

10. The loading and unloading box device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, It also includes a machine platform, on which the first loading and moving platform, the second loading and moving platform and the transfer platform are all mounted, and the pushing station and the feeding station are both located on the machine platform; the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm are movably mounted on the machine platform.

11. A semiconductor processing system, characterized in that, Includes sorting equipment and loading / unloading box device as described in any one of claims 1 to 10; The loading and unloading box device is used to transfer the material pieces to be sorted in the material box to the loading station in the sorting equipment; The sorting equipment is used to transfer the material pieces from the loading and unloading box device to the loading station for sorting. The sorting equipment is also used to transfer the material pieces that have been sorted by it to a position close to the feeding station of the loading and unloading box device; The loading and unloading box device is also used to collect the material pieces that have been sorted by the sorting equipment and transferred to the feeding station into the material box.

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