Wafer pick-and-place apparatus and method

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing equipment technology, specifically to a wafer handling device and method, comprising a base, a wafer cassette mounted on the base, and a support mechanism inside the wafer cassette to support wafers arranged vertically in the inner cavity of the wafer cassette; a clamping opening is formed on one side of the outer wall of the wafer cassette along a first direction, and an inlet / outlet is formed on the other side, the first direction being horizontal; clamping assemblies are respectively provided on both sides of the wafer cassette along the first direction, each clamping assembly including a vertical beam that can slide and be positioned along the first direction, and a sliding and lifting support arm is mounted on the vertical beam, extending towards the wafer cassette along the first direction, with a stop claw at the end of the support arm near the wafer cassette. The clamping assembly near the clamping opening is the first clamping assembly, and the clamping assembly near the inlet / outlet is the second clamping assembly. The stop claw of the first clamping assembly can enter and exit the wafer cassette along the clamping opening and stop on one side of the wafer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing equipment technology, and in particular to a wafer pick-and-place device and method. Background Technology

[0002] A wafer cassette is a precision carrier used for the vertical storage, transport, and protection of wafers in semiconductor manufacturing. Its core function is to provide a clean, anti-static, and highly accurate storage and transport environment, and it is compatible with automated production lines. Generally, a wafer cassette is cylindrical in shape, with multiple rows of mechanical slots vertically arranged along its inner edge. These slots can flexibly support or clamp the outer periphery of the wafer. In typical configurations, the wafer cassette should be able to accommodate mainstream wafer sizes of 150mm / 200mm / 300mm, with a single cassette capacity of 25 wafers. In related technologies, to remove wafers from the wafer cassette, a gripper arm capable of entering and exiting through an opening at the front of the cassette is required. Currently, there are three main types of grippers: The first type is the vacuum adsorption robotic arm gripper: This type of arm contacts the wafer surface, and the local pressure at the adsorption point may cause micro-bending or stress on the wafer. For ultra-thin or large-sized wafers, this stress may affect the precision of the process and even lead to microcracks. The second type is the tapered stepped edge lifting robotic arm gripper: This type of arm has poor wafer positioning accuracy. At high speeds or with micro-movements, insufficient friction, inertia, or vibration can cause slight slippage, leading to cumulative displacement. The third type is the annular rubber gasket lifting robotic arm gripper: This type of gripper relies on the rubber gasket to contact the wafer, using the friction between them to move and transfer the wafer. Contact with the bottom surface of the wafer can lead to contamination at the contact point, and the lifting movement can result in relative displacement.

[0003] In summary, current wafer retrieval methods primarily use the three types of grippers mentioned above, which can lead to contamination, friction on the wafer, micro-deformation, or poor positioning accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a wafer pick-and-place device and method, which can at least solve one of the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, one or more embodiments of the present invention provide a wafer pick-and-place device, including a base, a wafer box mounted on the base, a support mechanism provided inside the wafer box to support wafers arranged vertically in the inner cavity of the wafer box; a clamping opening is provided on one side of the outer wall of the wafer box along a first direction, and an inlet and outlet are provided on the other side, the first direction being a horizontal direction; clamping assemblies are respectively provided on both sides of the wafer box along the first direction, the clamping assemblies including a vertical beam that can slide and be positioned along the first direction, a sliding and lifting support arm is installed on the vertical beam, the support arm extends towards the wafer box along the first direction, and a stop claw is provided at the end of the support arm near the wafer box.

[0006] The clamping component near the clamping opening is the first clamping component, and the clamping component near the inlet / outlet is the second clamping component. The stop claw of the first clamping component can enter and exit the wafer cassette along the clamping opening and stop one side of the wafer. The stop claw of the second clamping component can enter and exit the wafer cassette along the inlet / outlet and stop the other side of the wafer. The first clamping component and the second clamping component can abut against both sides of the wafer with their stop claws to push the wafer out of or into the wafer cassette along the first direction.

[0007] One or more embodiments of the present invention also provide a wafer handling method, comprising the following steps: Step 1: The device completes the initial positioning and adjusts the height of the support arms in the two clamping components so that the height of the stop claw is adapted to the height of the wafer to be picked up or placed in the wafer box. Step 2: Drive the vertical beams of the two clamping components to approach the wafer cassette simultaneously, so that the stop claw of the first clamping component extends into the wafer cassette through the clamping port, and the stop claw of the second clamping component extends into the wafer cassette through the inlet and outlet, until the two stop claws contact the two sides of the wafer respectively. Step 3: Drive the vertical beams of the two clamping components to move synchronously along the first direction, and push the wafer out of the wafer cassette along the first direction through the support and pushing force of the two stop claws, thus completing the wafer picking process; Step 4: Use the external clamping assembly to clamp the wafer placed between the two stop claws, and then release the stop claws from the wafer; Step 5: Reset the clamping components.

[0008] The beneficial effects of one or more of the above technical solutions are as follows: In existing technologies, wafer cassettes only have a front-end inlet and outlet. Due to structural limitations, the grippers can only extend from the front of the wafer cassette in a single direction. Furthermore, because simultaneous positioning from both sides of the wafer is not possible, only lifting methods (conical steps, annular rubber gaskets) or surface adsorption methods (vacuum adsorption) that contact the bottom surface of the wafer can be used for wafer retrieval, which has inherent defects. This patent solves the structural limitation of existing wafer cassettes with only a single inlet and outlet by opening an inlet and an outlet on both sides, and by using corresponding first and second clamping components on both sides. This allows two stop claws to extend into the wafer cassette from the clamping outlet and the inlet and outlet respectively, achieving bidirectional abutment support for the wafer on both sides along the first direction. This solves the structural limitation of existing wafer cassettes with only a single inlet and outlet, and provides a structural basis for non-bottom-contact wafer retrieval.

[0009] This solution provides bidirectional support to the outer circumference of the wafer within the wafer cassette, eliminating the need for contact with the wafer's bottom surface (supported by an annular rubber gasket) or surface (vacuum adsorption) as required by existing technologies. This avoids contamination from contact with both sides of the wafer, ensuring wafer cleanliness and meeting the high cleanliness requirements of semiconductor processing. Furthermore, this solution eliminates the need for vacuum adsorption, preventing localized pressure and effectively preventing micro-deformation such as micro-bending and microcracks in ultra-thin, large-size wafers due to localized stress.

[0010] The two stop claws of this solution abut against the outer circumference of the wafer on both sides, forming bidirectional positioning and support. Compared with the defects of the existing technology that picks up the wafer in one direction and has a single positioning point, it effectively avoids the slight slippage of the wafer caused by insufficient friction, inertia and vibration under high speed or micro-motion conditions, solves the problem of displacement accumulation of the existing arm claws, and greatly improves the wafer positioning accuracy.

[0011] In this solution, the two clamping components move synchronously (approaching and moving synchronously). Through the coordinated support and pushing force of the two side stop claws, the wafer is smoothly pushed out or pushed into the wafer cassette along the first direction, avoiding the problem of wafer tilting and offset when picking up wafers in the existing single direction, and improving the stability of pick-up and drop operations.

[0012] In this solution, the support arm can slide and lift, and the vertical beam can slide and position along the first direction, which can adapt to mainstream wafer sizes such as 150mm / 200mm / 300mm, as well as wafers of different heights arranged vertically in the wafer box; at the same time, the dual-opening design of the wafer box does not require major modifications to the existing mainstream wafer boxes, has strong compatibility, and reduces equipment upgrade costs. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the arms of the two clamping components extending into the inner cavity of the wafer cassette in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a side view schematic diagram of the clamping arm pushing the wafer out of the wafer cassette in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a top view schematic diagram of the clamping arm pushing the wafer out of the wafer cassette in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the two stop claws stopping the wafer in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0018] Reference numerals: 1. Base; 101. First slide groove; 102. Frustum; 2. First lead screw; 3. First support; 4. First motor; 5. First slider; 6. First vertical beam; 601. Second slide groove; 7. Second motor; 8. Second support; 9. Second lead screw; 10. Second slider; 11. First support arm; 12. First stop claw; 13. Wafer box; 1301. Clamping port; 1302. Inlet / outlet; 14. Wafer; 15. Mechanical slot; 16. Third motor; 17. Second stop claw; 18. Second support arm; 19. Second vertical beam. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, the invention will be described in detail below through specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments are only for explaining the invention and are not intended to limit it. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the invention should be included within the scope of protection of the invention. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely schematic views used to assist in illustrating the structure of the invention and do not constitute a limitation on the actual size or proportions of the invention.

[0020] Example 1 See Figures 1-5 A typical embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer loading and unloading device, including a base 1, which serves as the mounting base for the entire device. A wafer box 13 is fixedly installed on the base 1. The wafer box 13 is made of transparent anti-static material, which makes it easy for operators to observe the storage status and loading and unloading process of the wafers 14 inside the box. Its internal cavity size is adapted to mainstream wafer sizes of 150mm / 200mm / 300mm. A single box can realize the vertical stacking and storage of 25 wafers.

[0021] The wafer cassette 13 is equipped with a support mechanism, which is a mature mechanical slot 15 in the prior art. The mechanical slots 15 are arranged vertically and evenly along the inner cavity of the wafer cassette 13. The slot opening size of the mechanical slots 15 is adapted to the thickness of the wafer 14, and the inner sidewall of the mechanical slots 15 has an arc-shaped fitting surface, which can fit against the outer circumferential side of the wafer 14 to achieve elastic support and limiting of the wafer 14. This not only prevents the wafer 14 from shifting or colliding during storage, but also prevents scratch damage to the edges of the wafer 14. The mechanical slots 15 can stably support the wafers 14 vertically in the inner cavity of the wafer cassette 13, providing a stable initial positioning basis for subsequent loading and unloading operations.

[0022] The outer wall of the wafer cell 13 is along the first direction (defined as the horizontal direction, specifically...) Figure 1 A clamping opening 1301 is provided on one side (in the left-right direction), and an inlet / outlet 1302 is provided on the other side. The clamping opening 1301 and the inlet / outlet 1302 are positioned opposite each other, allowing the stop claws to smoothly enter and exit while preventing the wafer 14 from falling out of the opening. The width of the inlet / outlet 1302 is slightly larger than the wafer diameter, facilitating the smooth exit of the wafer 14 when it is pushed out and reducing the entry of external impurities into the wafer cassette 13 through the inlet / outlet 1302, thus ensuring the cleanliness of the wafer 14. The width of the clamping opening 1301 is slightly larger than the width of the stop claws, and since the clamping opening 1301 does not need to output wafers, its width is much smaller than the width of the inlet / outlet 1302.

[0023] The wafer cassette 13 is symmetrically provided with clamping components on both sides along the first direction. The clamping components are the core execution components for picking up and placing wafers 14. They include a vertical beam that can slide and be positioned along the first direction. A support arm that can slide and rise is installed on the vertical beam. The support arm extends toward the wafer cassette 13 along the first direction. The end of the support arm near the wafer cassette 13 has a stop claw.

[0024] The clamping component near the clamping opening 1301 is the first clamping component, and the clamping component near the inlet / outlet 1302 is the second clamping component. The stop claw of the first clamping component (defined as the first stop claw 12) can enter and exit the wafer cassette 13 along the clamping opening 1301 and stop one side of the wafer 14. The stop claw of the second clamping component (defined as the second stop claw 17) can enter and exit the wafer cassette 13 along the inlet / outlet 1302 and stop the other side of the wafer 14. The first clamping component and the second clamping component can abut against both sides of the wafer 14 through the stop claws to form a bidirectional clamping support, and then move synchronously along the first direction to push or push the wafer 14 into the wafer cassette 13 along the first direction, thus solving the problem of easy tilting and offset when picking up and placing wafers in a single direction in the prior art.

[0025] Specifically, a frustum 102 is centrally located on the upper surface of the base 1. The upper surface of the frustum 102 is in contact with the bottom of the wafer cassette 13. A positioning pin and a positioning hole (not shown in the figure) are provided between the frustum 102 and the wafer cassette 13. The positioning pin and the positioning hole are interference-fitted to facilitate rapid positioning of the wafer cassette 13 when it is installed on the base 1. This ensures that the clamping port 1301 and the inlet / outlet 1302 of the wafer cassette 13 can be aligned with the stop claws on both sides, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the equipment. At the same time, it facilitates the disassembly and replacement of the wafer cassette 13 to adapt to the storage needs of wafers of different specifications.

[0026] Specifically, the support arm in the first clamping assembly is the first support arm 11, and the support arm in the second clamping assembly is the second support arm 18. Both the first support arm 11 and the second support arm 18 adopt a hollow structure design, which reduces their own weight and driving load while ensuring structural rigidity and avoiding deformation during movement.

[0027] In this embodiment, the length of the support arm of the first clamping component is greater than the length of the wafer cassette 13 along the first direction, and the length of the support arm of the second clamping component is less than the length of the wafer cassette 13 along the first direction. Specifically, the length of the first support arm 11 is greater than the length of the wafer cassette 13 along the first direction, and the length of the second support arm 18 is less than the length of the wafer cassette 13 along the first direction. The advantage of this configuration is that when the two stop claws extend into the wafer cassette 13 to stop the wafer 14, the first support arm 11 can pass through the clamping opening 1301 of the wafer cassette 13 and extend partially to the outside of the wafer cassette 13, while the second support arm 18 only extends into the wafer cassette 13 to a suitable length. This ensures that the two stop claws can stably abut against both sides of the wafer 14, while avoiding motion interference caused by excessively long support arms. At the same time, when the wafer 14 is subsequently pushed out of the wafer cassette 13, the first support arm 11 can provide stable support to prevent the wafer 14 from falling.

[0028] In this embodiment, a crossbeam is provided at one end of the support arm near the wafer cassette 13. The crossbeam is along a second direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction (defined as...). Figure 1 Extending vertically (in the front-to-back direction of the paper), the crossbeam is made of the same material as the support arm and is integrally formed with the support arm to improve connection strength. Stop claws are fixed to both ends of the crossbeam along the second direction; that is, two first stop claws 12 are fixed to both ends of the crossbeam at the end of the first support arm 11, and two second stop claws 17 are fixed to both ends of the crossbeam at the end of the second support arm 18. The four stop claws are symmetrically distributed, corresponding to four points on the outer circumference of the wafer 14. This design enables multi-point stop support for the wafer 14, further improving the stability of the wafer 14 during handling and preventing tilting or rotation of the wafer 14. It also disperses the pressure of the stop claws on the edges of the wafer 14, preventing damage to the edges of the wafer 14.

[0029] In this embodiment, the stop claw includes a main body and two wing plates fixed to the main body. The two wing plates are arranged vertically, forming a clamping opening facing the wafer cassette 13. The opening of the clamping opening gradually increases in size as it approaches the wafer cassette 13, forming a trumpet-shaped structure. The inner sidewall of the clamping opening is arc-shaped, abutting against the outer circumferential side of the wafer 14. The trumpet-shaped opening design facilitates the quick alignment of the stop claw with the wafer 14 during insertion, achieving positioning, while preventing hard collisions between the stop claw and the edge of the wafer 14, thus providing a buffering protection. In addition, the distance between the two wing plates is slightly greater than the thickness of the wafer 14, which can limit the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer 14, preventing the wafer 14 from shifting vertically during loading and unloading.

[0030] In this embodiment, the base 1 is provided with a horizontal drive component to drive the vertical beam to translate and position along the first direction; the vertical beam is provided with a lifting drive component to drive the support arm to lift and position. The two drive components work together to realize the movement of the stop claw in the horizontal direction (first direction) and vertical direction, adapting to the wafer picking and placing needs of different heights and specifications.

[0031] Specifically, the base 1 is provided with two first sliding grooves 101 along the first direction. The two first sliding grooves 101 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the wafer cassette 13 along the first direction. The first sliding grooves 101 adopt a T-shaped groove structure, which can improve the stability of the slider during the sliding process. The first sliders 5 are slidably installed in the first sliding grooves 101. The upper ends of the two first sliders 5 are respectively fixedly connected to different vertical beams (i.e., the first vertical beam 6 and the second vertical beam 19). The connection method is bolt fastening, which is convenient for disassembly and maintenance.

[0032] To drive the vertical beam to translate and position along the first direction, a first lead screw 2 is mounted on the base 1 via two first brackets 3. The first lead screw 2 and the first slider 5 are threaded together (the first slider 5 has a threaded hole that mates with the first lead screw 2), forming a lead screw and nut transmission mechanism, which enables the vertical beam to translate and position along the first direction. More specifically, a first lead screw 2 is configured at each vertical beam, and a first motor 4 is configured on each of the two first lead screws 2. The first motor 4 is a servo motor, which can control the speed and direction of rotation, thereby driving the first vertical beam 6 and the second vertical beam 19 to reciprocate along the first direction, respectively. This allows for synchronous movement of the two vertical beams, or individual movement as needed.

[0033] Specifically, vertical second slide grooves 601 are respectively provided on the first vertical beam 6 and the second vertical beam 19. The second slide grooves 601 also adopt a T-slot structure. A second slider 10 capable of lifting and lowering is embedded in the second slide grooves 601. The second slider 10 is fixedly connected to the support arm, and the connection method is also bolt fastening. A second lead screw 9 is also rotatably connected to the first vertical beam 6 and the second vertical beam 19 through a second bracket 8. The second lead screw 9 and the second slider 10 are threaded together to form a vertical lead screw nut transmission mechanism. A second motor 7 is provided on the first vertical beam 6 to drive its own second lead screw 9 to rotate; a third motor 16 is provided on the second vertical beam 19 to drive its own second lead screw 9 to rotate. The second motor 7 and the third motor 16 are also servo motors, which can realize the control of the lifting height of the support arm, thereby driving the lifting and lowering of the stop claw, adapting to the wafers 14 of different heights arranged vertically in the wafer box 13.

[0034] One or more embodiments of the present invention also provide a wafer handling method, implemented based on the above-described wafer handling device, comprising the following steps: Step 1, Initial positioning of the equipment: Start the equipment, and the controller (not shown in the figure) controls each drive component to reset, so that the first clamping component and the second clamping component are in the initial position. At this time, the two support arms are in the lowest position, and the stop claws maintain a preset distance from the wafer box 13. The operator positions the wafer box 13 containing the wafer 14 on the frustum 102 of the base 1 through the positioning pins and positioning holes, thus fixing the wafer box 13. The controller presets parameters such as the lifting height of the support arms and the moving distance of the vertical beam according to the specifications (size, thickness) of the wafer 14 to be picked up and placed and the storage height in the wafer box 13, thus completing the initial positioning of the equipment.

[0035] Step 2, Alignment and Insertion of the Stop Claw Height: The controller synchronously starts the second motor 7 on the first vertical beam 6 and the third motor 16 on the second vertical beam 19, driving the second lead screw 9 to rotate, which in turn drives the second slider 10 to rise and fall along the second slide groove. The second slider 10 drives the support arm to rise and fall synchronously until the height of the stop claw matches the height of the wafer 14 to be picked up or placed in the wafer cassette 13, that is, the clamping jaws of the stop claw are at the same horizontal level as the outer circumferential side of the wafer 14 to be picked up or placed. Subsequently, the controller synchronously starts the two first motors 4, driving the first lead screw 2 to rotate. The first slider 5 is moved along the first slide groove 101 towards the wafer box 13, thereby driving the two vertical beams and support arms to move towards the wafer box 13 simultaneously. This causes the first stop claw 12 of the first clamping assembly to extend into the wafer box 13 through the clamping port 1301, and the second stop claw 17 of the second clamping assembly to extend into the wafer box 13 through the inlet and outlet 1302, until the clamping ports of the four stop claws respectively contact the outer circumferential side of the wafer 14. At this time, the controller controls the first motor 4 to stop working, the vertical beams are positioned, and the stop claws achieve bidirectional clamping and support of the wafer 14.

[0036] Step 3, Wafer Ejection and Retrieval: The controller controls the two first motors 4 to start synchronously again, driving the two vertical beams to move synchronously along the first direction (towards the inlet / outlet 1302). The two support arms drive the stop claws to move synchronously. Through the pushing force of the two stop claws, the wafer 14 is smoothly pushed out of the wafer cassette 13 along the first direction until the wafer 14 completely passes through the inlet / outlet 1302, is located between the two stop claws and is in the preset retrieval position. The controller then controls the first motors 4 to stop working, completing the retrieval action. During this process, since the stop claws only contact the outer circumferential side of the wafer 14 and not the front or back of the wafer 14, contamination can be avoided. At the same time, the bidirectional clamping support prevents the wafer 14 from tilting or shifting.

[0037] Step 4, Wafer Transfer and Claw Release: The wafer 14 placed between two claws is clamped using an external clamping assembly (such as a robotic arm in a semiconductor production line, not shown in the figure). The external clamping assembly also clamps the outer circumference of the wafer (without contacting the bottom and top surfaces of the wafer). After confirming that the clamping is secure, a signal is sent to the controller. The controller controls the two first motors 4 to start in reverse, driving the two vertical beams to move slightly away from the wafer cassette 13, causing the claws to separate from the wafer 14. The claws release the wafer 14 to avoid affecting the transfer operation of the external clamping assembly.

[0038] Step 5, clamping assembly reset: After the external clamping assembly transfers the wafer 14 to the subsequent processing station, the controller controls each drive assembly to reset. The first motor 4 starts, driving the two vertical beams to move away from the wafer box 13. The second motor 7 and the third motor 16 start, driving the support arm to descend to the initial height. The entire wafer picking process is completed, and the machine waits for the next pick-up and drop-off operation.

[0039] If it is necessary to push the wafer 14 into the wafer cassette 13, simply reverse the above steps. That is, the external clamping assembly places the wafer 14 between the two stop claws. After the two stop claws clamp the wafer 14, they move synchronously toward the wafer cassette 13, pushing the wafer 14 into the mechanical slot 15 of the wafer cassette 13 through the inlet / outlet 1302, thus completing the wafer placement.

[0040] Example 2 This embodiment has a basically the same structural setup as Embodiment 1. The core difference is that in this embodiment, the wafer box 13 can be raised and lowered with the cooperation of its own lifting component and the first clamping component, so that the wafers 14 at different heights in the wafer box 13 can be taken out at the same height. This is to cooperate with the subsequent wafer picking clamping structure to pick up the wafers at a certain height, improve the continuity and efficiency of picking and placing operations, and is especially suitable for scenarios where multiple wafers are picked up and placed continuously in automated production lines.

[0041] In this embodiment, the wafer cassette 13 is provided with a lifting assembly (not shown in the figure). The lifting assembly is located on both sides of the wafer cassette 13 along the second direction, which is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction (i.e., Figure 1 The lifting components are symmetrically arranged on both sides (front and back direction) to ensure uniform force distribution during the lifting of the wafer cassette 13 and prevent tilting. The lifting components adopt a screw and nut transmission mechanism, including a vertically arranged lifting screw, a lifting slider that cooperates with the lifting screw, and a lifting motor that drives the lifting screw to rotate. The lifting slider is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the wafer cassette 13, and the lifting motor is fixedly installed on the frustum 102 of the base 1. By driving the lifting screw to rotate, the lifting slider is moved up and down, thereby driving the wafer cassette 13 to move up and down synchronously.

[0042] In this embodiment, the support arm is a telescopic support arm (not shown in the figure). The support arms in the two clamping components can be telescopic and fixed along the first direction to change the relative distance between the two support arms, adapt to wafer cassettes 13 of different specifications (different lengths along the first direction) and wafers 14 of different sizes, improve the versatility of the equipment, and can cooperate with the clamping components to move along the first direction without replacing the support arms, so as to realize the picking and placing of wafers of various specifications.

[0043] Specifically, the outrigger includes an outer sleeve and an inner rod (not shown in the figure). The outer sleeve is fixedly connected to the second slider 10 on the vertical beam. The inner rod is slidably sleeved in the inner cavity of the outer sleeve and can extend and retract along the length direction (first direction) of the outer sleeve. The end of the inner rod away from the outer sleeve is fixedly connected to the stop claw (or crossbeam). A locking bolt (not shown in the figure) is provided on the side wall of the outer sleeve. When the inner rod extends and retracts to the preset length, tightening the locking bolt fixes the inner rod to the outer sleeve, thereby positioning the length of the outrigger. Loosening the locking bolt allows adjustment of the extension and retraction length of the inner rod.

[0044] The wafer picking method in this embodiment is basically the same as that in Embodiment 1, except that a lifting step of the wafer cassette 13 is added: After the initial positioning of the device in step 1 is completed, the controller controls the lifting assembly to start according to the storage height of the wafer 14 to be picked up in the wafer cassette 13, driving the wafer cassette 13 to rise and fall, so that the height of the wafer 14 to be picked up is consistent with the preset picking height; after each wafer is picked up, the controller controls the lifting assembly to drive the wafer cassette 13 to rise and fall by the distance of one mechanical slot 15, so that the next wafer reaches the preset picking height. Without adjusting the height of the support arm, continuous wafer picking can be achieved, greatly improving the picking and placing efficiency. At the same time, the extension length of the support arm can be adjusted according to the length of the wafer cassette 13 and the size of the wafer 14 to ensure that the stop claw can stop on both sides of the wafer 14.

[0045] Example 3 This embodiment is basically the same as Embodiment 1. The core difference is that this embodiment adds a temperature compensation function, which can automatically adapt to wafer pick-and-place operations under different temperature environments, avoid component thermal expansion and wafer size changes caused by temperature changes, and thus affect pick-and-place accuracy. It is especially suitable for scenarios with large temperature fluctuations in semiconductor processing.

[0046] In this embodiment, a first temperature sensor (not shown in the figure) is provided inside the wafer cassette 13. The first temperature sensor is fixedly installed on the inner cavity side wall of the wafer cassette 13, near the mechanical slot 15, and is used to detect the actual temperature T1 inside the wafer cassette 13 in real time (i.e., the actual temperature of the environment where the wafer 14 is located, to characterize the temperature of the wafer). A second temperature sensor (not shown in the figure) is provided on the first arm 11 of the first clamping assembly, and is used to detect the actual temperature T2 of the first clamping assembly (mainly the arm and the stop claw) in real time. A third temperature sensor (not shown in the figure) is provided on the second arm 18 of the second clamping assembly, and is used to detect the actual temperature T3 of the second clamping assembly (mainly the arm and the stop claw) in real time.

[0047] The first, second, and third temperature sensors are all connected to the controller signal, enabling them to transmit the detected actual temperatures T (T1, T2, T3) to the controller in real time. The controller has preset thermal expansion coefficients γ for wafer 14, the first clamping assembly, and the second clamping assembly, specifically including the thermal expansion coefficient γ1 of wafer 14, the thermal expansion coefficient γ2 of the first clamping assembly, and the thermal expansion coefficient γ3 of the second clamping assembly. It also presets the dimensions of each component at temperature T0 (i.e., the standard operating temperature of the equipment), including the preset initial distance L0 between the two arms and the preset dimension L of wafer 14. 02 .

[0048] The controller can calculate the actual initial distance L1 between the two arms and the actual size L2 of the wafer 14 at the current temperature T using the thermal expansion formula, based on the actual temperature T and the coefficient of thermal expansion γ. The specific calculation process is as follows: First, based on the actual temperature T2 and the coefficient of thermal expansion γ2 of the first clamping assembly, the actual length L of the first arm 11 at the current temperature is calculated. 11 = L 110 ×(1+γ2×(T2-T0)), where L 110 To set the preset length of the first arm 11 at temperature T0; similarly, calculate the actual length L of the second arm 18 at the current temperature. 12 = L 120 ×(1+γ3×(T3-T0)), where L 120 To set the preset length of the second support arm 18 at temperature T0; the actual initial distance between the two supports L1 = L0 - (L 11 -L 110 ) - (L 12 -L 120 Secondly, based on the actual temperature T1 and the coefficient of thermal expansion γ1 of wafer 14, the actual dimension L2 of wafer 14 is calculated as L. 02 ×(1+γ1×(T1-T0)).

[0049] Based on the calculated L1 and L2, the controller automatically adjusts the distance L3 of the movement of the two arms along the first direction to accommodate the adjustment of L1 and L2. This ensures that the stop claws can abut against both sides of the wafer 14, preventing problems such as excessive clamping and damage to the wafer 14 due to changes in arm length and wafer size caused by temperature variations, or excessive clamping and wafer 14 displacement. For example, when the ambient temperature rises, both the arms and the wafer will undergo thermal expansion, increasing the arm length and wafer size. The controller will automatically control the two vertical beams to move a certain distance away from each other, increasing the initial distance between the arms, and simultaneously adjust the insertion distance of the stop claws to ensure clamping force.

[0050] The wafer handling method in this embodiment is basically the same as that in Embodiment 1, except that temperature detection and parameter adjustment steps are added: After the initial positioning of the equipment in step 1 is completed, three temperature sensors begin to detect the actual temperature of each part in real time and transmit the data to the controller; the controller automatically calculates the actual initial distance L1 of the support arms and the actual size L2 of the wafer at the current temperature based on the detected actual temperature, and adjusts the movement distance L3 of the two support arms along the first direction. After the parameter adaptation is completed, subsequent steps such as the height adaptation of the stop claw and the extension are performed; throughout the entire handling process, the temperature sensors continuously detect the temperature, and the controller adjusts the relevant parameters in real time to ensure that the handling accuracy is not affected by temperature changes.

[0051] The above specific embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, any alternative improvements or modifications made to the embodiments of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] Any aspects of this invention not described in detail are well-known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A wafer pick-and-place device, characterized in that, Includes a base, on which a wafer box is mounted, and a support mechanism is provided inside the wafer box to support wafers arranged vertically in the inner cavity of the wafer box; The outer wall of the wafer box has a clamping opening on one side along a first direction and an inlet / outlet on the other side. The first direction is horizontal. The wafer cassette is provided with clamping assemblies on both sides along the first direction. The clamping assemblies include vertical beams that can slide and be positioned along the first direction. Support arms that can slide and rise are installed on the vertical beams. The support arms extend toward the wafer cassette along the first direction. The end of the support arm near the wafer cassette has a stop claw. The clamping component near the clamping opening is the first clamping component, and the clamping component near the inlet / outlet is the second clamping component. The stop claw of the first clamping component can enter and exit the wafer cassette along the clamping opening and stop one side of the wafer. The stop claw of the second clamping component can enter and exit the wafer cassette along the inlet / outlet and stop the other side of the wafer. The first clamping component and the second clamping component can abut against both sides of the wafer with their stop claws to push the wafer out of or into the wafer cassette along the first direction.

2. The wafer pick-and-place device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the support arm in the first clamping assembly is greater than the length of the wafer cassette along the first direction, while the length of the support arm in the second clamping assembly is less than the length of the wafer cassette along the first direction.

3. The wafer pick-and-place device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wafer cassette is equipped with a lifting assembly, which is located on both sides or one side of the wafer cassette along a second direction, which is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The wafer pick-and-place device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A crossbeam is provided at one end of the support arm near the wafer cassette. The crossbeam extends along a second direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction. Stop claws are fixed at both ends of the crossbeam along the second direction.

5. The wafer pick-and-place device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The arm is a telescopic arm, and the arms in the two clamping assemblies can extend and retract along the first direction and be fixed to change the relative distance between the two arms.

6. The wafer pick-and-place device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The support arm includes an outer sleeve and an inner rod. The outer sleeve is used to connect with the vertical beam, and the inner rod is used to connect with the stop claw.

7. The wafer pick-and-place device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stop claw includes a body and two wing plates fixed to the body. The two wing plates are arranged vertically and form a clamp with an opening facing the wafer cassette. The opening of the clamp gradually increases in size as it approaches the wafer cassette.

8. The wafer pick-and-place device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base is provided with a horizontal drive assembly for driving the vertical beam to translate along a first direction and to position it; the vertical beam is provided with a lifting drive assembly for driving the outrigger to lift and position itself.

9. The wafer pick-and-place device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer cassette is equipped with a first temperature sensor, the first clamping assembly is equipped with a second temperature sensor, and the second clamping assembly is equipped with a third temperature sensor. The first, second, and third temperature sensors are connected to the controller to transmit the actual temperature T. The controller is preset with the thermal expansion coefficient γ of the wafer, the first clamping assembly, and the second clamping assembly, as well as the preset dimensions at the set temperature. The controller can calculate the initial distance L1 between the two arms at the current temperature T and the wafer size L2 based on the actual temperature T and the thermal expansion coefficient γ. The controller can adjust the distance L3 of the movement of the two arms along the first direction to accommodate the adjustment of L1 and L2.

10. A wafer handling method, utilizing the wafer handling apparatus according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: After the equipment completes its initial positioning, the height of the support arms in the two clamping components is adjusted so that the height of the stop claw is adapted to the height of the wafer to be picked up or placed in the wafer box. The vertical beams of the two clamping components are driven to approach the wafer cassette simultaneously, so that the stop claw of the first clamping component extends into the wafer cassette through the clamping port, and the stop claw of the second clamping component extends into the wafer cassette through the inlet and outlet, until the two stop claws contact the two sides of the wafer respectively. The vertical beams driving the two clamping components move synchronously along the first direction, and the wafer is pushed out of the wafer cassette along the first direction by the support and pushing force of the two stop claws, thus completing the wafer picking process; The wafer is held between two stop claws using an external clamping assembly, and then the stop claws release the wafer. The clamping component is reset.

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