Wafer storage device and wafer storage position adjustment method

Abstract

This invention provides a wafer storage device and a method for adjusting the wafer storage position. The wafer storage device includes a position adjustment unit comprising a guide rail assembly and a support pad. Since the support pad can slide relative to the guide rail assembly, it can support the wafer while simultaneously causing the wafer to slide relative to the guide rail assembly, thereby achieving position adjustment of the wafer. Furthermore, since both the guide rail assembly and the support pad are located inside the cavity of the wafer housing, when the wafer's position shifts, there is no need to open the load locking chamber; the wafer position can be adjusted solely within the cavity. This not only avoids the adverse effects on the wafer caused by opening the cavity but also improves the efficiency of wafer position adjustment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a wafer memory device and a method for adjusting the wafer memory position. Background Technology

[0002] Ion implantation (IMP) is a material surface modification technique that can alter the electrical properties of devices and is one of the important process steps in semiconductor manufacturing. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 1 During the ion implantation process, wafer W is temporarily stored in an integrated load lock cassette 10. The integrated load lock cassette 10 has multiple storage locations for wafer W. However, wafer W is prone to positional misalignment during transport. That is, wafer W may shift relative to its storage location along the positive and negative Y-axis. The integrated load lock cassette 10 has four laser emitters 100 on its top surface and four laser receivers 101 on its bottom surface. When all wafers W are accurately placed in their storage locations, each laser receiver 101 can receive the laser emitted by its corresponding laser emitter 100. However, if a wafer W is misaligned, it will block laser propagation, resulting in at least one of the four laser receivers 101 failing to receive laser light. If any laser receiver 101 fails to receive laser light, the machine system will issue a wafer misalignment alarm. Currently, the solution is for equipment engineers to manually inspect the wafers to determine if there is a risk of them being broken by valves. When the risk is deemed too high by manual assessment, equipment engineers may risk disengaging the machine interlock, opening the integrated load lock box 10, and using an electric pen to touch the back of wafer W to straighten it. However, this process may result in the wafer W being contaminated, scratched, cracked, or even rendered unusable.

[0003] Therefore, a new method for adjusting the wafer storage location is urgently needed to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wafer memory device and a method for adjusting the wafer memory position, as well as a semiconductor device, to solve at least one of the problems of how to improve the efficiency of wafer position adjustment and how to reduce damage to the wafer during the wafer position adjustment process.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a wafer storage device, comprising: a wafer cassette body and a position adjustment unit;

[0006] The wafer cassette body has a load locking chamber, and multiple slots are formed on the cavity wall of the load locking chamber for holding and placing multiple wafers.

[0007] The position adjustment unit includes a guide rail assembly and a support pad; the guide rail assembly is disposed on the cavity wall, one end of the support pad is connected to the guide rail assembly, and the support pad can slide along the guide rail assembly so that the other end of the support pad can support and adjust the position of the wafer.

[0008] Optionally, in the wafer memory device, the guide rail assembly includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail; the first guide rail extends along a first direction, and the second guide rail extends along a second direction; one end of the support pad is connected to the second guide rail so that the support pad can slide along the extension direction of the second guide rail.

[0009] Furthermore, the second guide rail is located on the first guide rail, and the first and second guide rails are capable of driving the support pad to slide along the extension direction of the first guide rail.

[0010] Optionally, in the wafer memory device, the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0011] Optionally, in the wafer memory device, a plurality of the slots are spaced apart on the cavity wall along the first direction and are spaced apart from the first guide rail and the second guide rail.

[0012] Optionally, in the aforementioned wafer memory device, the load locking chamber has opposing first and second chamber walls, and the guide rail assembly includes two first guide rails and two second guide rails; and the position adjustment unit includes two support pads; wherein,

[0013] One first guide rail is disposed on the first cavity wall, and another first guide rail is disposed on the second cavity wall; two second guide rails are respectively disposed on the two first guide rails, and two support pads are respectively disposed on the two second guide rails.

[0014] Optionally, in the aforementioned wafer memory device, the position adjustment unit has an operating state and a non-operating state; wherein,

[0015] In the operating state, the support pad first slides relative to the first guide rail along the first direction to the position of the wafer to be adjusted, and supports the wafer; then, the support pad drives the wafer relative to the second guide rail, and drives the wafer to slide along the second direction to adjust the position of the wafer;

[0016] In the non-working state, the support pad and the connected second guide rail are stationary at one end of the first guide rail.

[0017] Optionally, in the wafer storage device, the load locking chamber has a storage area and a receiving area, the storage area being used to store the wafer; the receiving area is located at one end of the storage area and is used to store the support pad and the second guide rail in the non-working state.

[0018] Optionally, in the aforementioned wafer memory device, the wafer memory device further includes a position detection unit; the position detection unit includes multiple pairs of transmitters and receivers; each pair of transmitters and receivers is arranged opposite to each other and is respectively located on the top wall and bottom wall of the load locking chamber; and,

[0019] When the load-locking chamber is closed, if any of the receivers fails to receive the detection light emitted by the corresponding transmitter, the wafer's position shifts away from the target position, and the position adjustment unit enters the operating state.

[0020] Optionally, in the wafer memory device, the position adjustment unit further includes a drive motor; the drive motor is connected to the guide rail assembly and / or the support pad to drive the support pad to slide along the guide rail assembly.

[0021] Based on the same concept, the present invention also provides a method for adjusting the wafer storage location, using the aforementioned wafer storage device, the method for adjusting the wafer storage location includes:

[0022] When the position detection unit detects that the wafer's position deviates from the target position, the support pad slides along the guide rail assembly to support the wafer to be adjusted; and the support pad slides along the guide rail assembly to drive the wafer to slide and adjust the wafer's position.

[0023] Based on the same concept, the present invention also provides a semiconductor device, including the aforementioned wafer memory device.

[0024] In summary, this invention provides a wafer memory device, a method for adjusting the wafer memory position, and a semiconductor device. Compared to the prior art, the wafer memory device includes a position adjustment unit, which comprises a guide rail assembly and a support pad. Since the support pad can slide relative to the guide rail assembly, it can support the wafer while simultaneously causing the wafer to slide relative to the guide rail assembly, thereby achieving position adjustment of the wafer. Furthermore, since both the guide rail assembly and the support pad are located inside the cavity of the wafer housing, when the wafer experiences positional shift, there is no need to open the load locking chamber; the wafer position can be adjusted solely within the cavity. This not only avoids adverse effects on the wafer caused by opening the cavity but also improves the efficiency of wafer position adjustment. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Those skilled in the art will understand that the accompanying drawings are provided to better understand the invention and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of the invention.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated load lock box in the prior art.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer memory device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional distribution of the first guide rail, the second guide rail, and the support pad in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a side view schematic diagram of the support pad contacting the wafer to be adjusted in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a bottom view schematic diagram of the support pad driving the wafer to move along the second guide rail in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] And, in the attached image:

[0032] 10 - Integrated load cell; 100 - Laser emitter; 101 - Laser receiver;

[0033] 200 - Card slot; 201 - First cavity wall; 202 - Second cavity wall;

[0034] 300 - Guide rail assembly; 3001 - First guide rail; 3002 - Second guide rail; 301 - Support pad;

[0035] 400 - Transmitter; 401 - Receiver;

[0036] W - wafer; A - target location. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To make the objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and are not drawn to scale, and are only used to facilitate and clearly illustrate the objectives of the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the structures shown in the drawings are often part of the actual structures. In particular, different figures may emphasize different aspects and sometimes use different scales. It should also be understood that, unless specifically stated or indicated, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., in the specification are only used to distinguish the various components, elements, steps, etc., in the specification, and are not used to indicate the logical or sequential relationships between the various components, elements, steps, etc.

[0038] Furthermore, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions referred to in this application specification are three mutually perpendicular directions in three-dimensional space; and the first direction is the Z-axis direction, and the second direction is the Y-axis direction.

[0039] Please see Figure 2 This embodiment provides a wafer storage device, including: a wafer cassette body and a position adjustment unit; the wafer cassette body has a load locking chamber, and a plurality of slots 200 are formed on the cavity wall of the load locking chamber for placing a plurality of wafers W; the position adjustment unit includes a guide rail assembly 300 and a support pad 301; the guide rail assembly 300 is disposed on the cavity wall, one end of the support pad 301 is connected to the guide rail assembly 300, and the support pad 301 can slide along the guide rail assembly 300 so that the other end of the support pad 301 supports and adjusts the position of the wafer W.

[0040] As can be seen, the wafer storage device provided in this embodiment is equipped with the position adjustment unit, and the position adjustment unit includes: the guide rail assembly 300 and the support pad 301. Since the support pad 301 can slide relative to the guide rail assembly 300, the support pad 301 can support the wafer W while driving the wafer W to slide relative to the guide rail assembly 300, thereby realizing the position adjustment of the wafer W. Furthermore, since the guide rail assembly 300 and the support pad 301 are disposed inside the cavity of the wafer cassette body, when the wafer W experiences positional shift, it is not necessary to open the load locking cavity; the position adjustment of the wafer W can be completed solely within the cavity, effectively avoiding the adverse effects on the wafer W caused by cavity opening and improving the efficiency of wafer W position adjustment.

[0041] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 2 to 5 This embodiment will provide a detailed description of the wafer storage device.

[0042] Please see Figure 2 and Figure 3 The wafer storage device includes a wafer cassette body and a position adjustment unit. The wafer cassette body is used to store wafer W, and the position adjustment unit is used to adjust the storage position of wafer W.

[0043] Specifically, the wafer cassette body is typically used in conjunction with a robotic arm, and the wafer cassette body has a load-locking chamber. When the robotic arm transports or picks up the wafer W, the load-locking chamber opens; when the robotic arm is not needed to transport or pick up the wafer W, the load-locking chamber remains locked, forming a closed space to protect the wafer W stored within. The load-locking chamber has multiple slots 200 formed on its walls, allowing the wafer W to be inserted into these slots 200 for stable storage. Preferably, the load-locking chamber has opposing first and second walls 201 and 202. The multiple slots 200 are spaced apart along a first direction on the first wall 201 and the second wall 202, and the slots 200 on the first wall 201 and the second wall 202 correspond one-to-one, so that each wafer W can be simultaneously inserted into the corresponding slot 200 on the first wall 201 and the second wall 202. Wherein, the first direction is the Z-axis direction.

[0044] For example, two rows of slots 200 are provided on the opposing surfaces of the first cavity wall 201 and the second cavity wall 202. Each row of slots 200 includes multiple slots 200, and the slots 200 in each row are spaced apart along the first direction. The two rows of slots 200 in the first cavity wall 201 correspond one-to-one with the two rows of slots 200 in the second cavity wall 202. Each wafer W is received and carried by one slot 200 in each row of the first cavity wall 201 and one slot 200 in each row of the second cavity wall 202. That is, the wafer W is simultaneously inserted into and supported by four slots 200. Based on this, multiple wafers W are stacked and spaced apart along the first direction under the support of each slot 200.

[0045] Please continue reading. Figure 2 and Figure 3The position adjustment unit includes a guide rail assembly 300 and a support pad 301. The guide rail assembly 300 is disposed on the cavity wall. One end of the support pad 301 is connected to the guide rail assembly 300, and the support pad 301 can slide along the guide rail assembly 300 so that the other end of the support pad 301 supports and adjusts the position of the wafer W. Preferably, the guide rail assembly 300 includes a first guide rail 3001 and a second guide rail 3002; the first guide rail 3001 extends along a first direction, and the second guide rail 3002 extends along a second direction; one end of the support pad 301 is connected to the second guide rail 3002 so that the support pad 301 can slide along the extending direction of the second guide rail 3002. Furthermore, the second guide rail 3002 is located on the first guide rail 3001, and the second guide rail 3002 can drive the support pad 301 to slide along the extending direction of the first guide rail 3001. The second direction is the Y-axis direction and is perpendicular to the first direction. Based on this, the support pad 301 can slide relative to the first guide rail 3001 and the second guide rail 3002. That is, the support pad 301 can move along the Z-axis and Y-axis directions under the action of the guide rail assembly 300.

[0046] Preferably, the support pad 301 is a silicone anti-slip pad, which helps to stably support the wafer W. Furthermore, to further improve the support stability for the wafer W, the guide rail assembly 300 includes two first guide rails 3001 and two second guide rails 3002. And, the position adjustment unit includes two of the support pads 301. Figure 3 As shown, a pair of first guide rails 3001 and second guide rails 3002 are provided on the first cavity wall 201, and a pair of first guide rails 3001 and second guide rails 3002 are also provided on the second cavity wall 202. Each second guide rail 3002 is connected to a support pad 301. The two support pads 301 can slide on their respective first guide rails 3001 and second guide rails 3002, and simultaneously support the wafer W. It should be noted that each first guide rail 3001 and second guide rail 3002 is spaced apart from the slot 200 to avoid affecting the sliding of the second guide rail 3002 and the support pad 301. For example, as... Figure 3As shown, two rows of slots 200 are respectively provided on the first cavity wall 201 and the second cavity wall 202. The first guide rail 3001 is disposed in the interval area between the two rows of slots 200 on the same cavity wall, and the length of the second guide rail 3002 is less than the interval length of the two rows of slots 200 on the same cavity wall in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the second guide rail 3002 can drive the support pad 301 to slide up and down in the interval area, and facilitate the contact position between the support pad 301 and the wafer W to be closer to the center area of ​​the wafer W, which is beneficial to improving the load-bearing stability and avoiding the wafer W from slipping and breaking due to unstable force. In addition, in order to ensure that the wafer W can be stably supported, the support pad 301 is parallel to the plane in the X-Y axis direction.

[0047] Furthermore, the position adjustment unit also includes a drive motor. The drive motor is connected to the guide rail assembly 300 and / or the support pad 301 to drive the support pad 301 to slide along the guide rail assembly 300. For example, if both the first guide rail 3001 and the second guide rail 3002 are ball screw guides, then the drive motor is connected to the ball screw guide. Alternatively, both the first guide rail 3001 and the second guide rail 3002 are mechanical linear guides or slotted guides, and each of the second guide rail 3002 and the support pad 301 is connected to a drive motor to drive the second guide rail 3002 and the support pad 301 to slide respectively.

[0048] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The position adjustment unit has a working state and a non-working state. When the wafer W is offset from the target position A within the wafer cassette body, the position adjustment unit is in the working state. In the working state, the second guide rail 3002 moves along the first guide rail 3001 to the position of the wafer W to be adjusted. Since the support pad 301 is located on the second guide rail 3002, the support pad 301 also moves to the position of the wafer W to be adjusted under the drive of the second guide rail 3002, and the support pad 301 contacts and supports the wafer W to be adjusted. Furthermore, when the first cavity wall 201 and the second cavity wall 202 are both provided with the first guide rail 3001, the second guide rail 3002, and the support pad 301, the two second guide rails 3002 and the two support pads 301 move synchronously.

[0049] like Figure 5As shown, since the wafer W is offset towards the positive Y-axis relative to the target position A, after the support pad 301 carries the wafer W, it moves relative to the second guide rail 3002 along the negative Y-axis to move the wafer W along the negative Y-axis until it reaches the target position A, thus completing the position adjustment of the wafer W. After the position adjustment is completed, the position adjustment unit enters the non-working state. In the non-working state, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the support pad 301 and the connected second guide rail 3002 are stationary at one end of the first guide rail 3001.

[0050] It should be noted that the load locking chamber has a storage area and a receiving area. The storage area is used to store the wafer. The receiving area is located at one end of the storage area and is used to store the support pad 301 and the second guide rail 3002 in the non-working state. Since the robotic arm generally stores the wafer W sequentially from top to bottom, to avoid the movement of the support pad 301 and the second guide rail 3002 affecting the wafer W at the corresponding target position A, preferably, the receiving area is located at the bottom of the storage area, i.e., the lowest end of the first guide rail 3001. For example, 26 slots 200 are provided along the Z-axis direction in the load locking chamber. The first to 25th slots 200 from top to bottom are the storage area, and the 26th slot 200 is the receiving area.

[0051] Preferred, such as Figure 2 As shown, the wafer storage device further includes a position detection unit. The position detection unit includes multiple pairs of transmitters 400 and receivers 401, used to detect whether the position of the wafer W deviates from the target position A when the load-locking chamber is in the closed state. Specifically, each pair of transmitters 400 and receivers 401 is arranged opposite to each other and is located on the top and bottom walls of the load-locking chamber, respectively. When the load-locking chamber is in the closed state, the transmitters 400 emit detection light towards the corresponding receivers 401. When the wafer is at the target position A, all receivers 401 will receive the detection light emitted by their respective receivers 401; however, when the wafer deviates from the target position A, it will block the propagation of the detection light, and at least one receiver 401 will not receive the detection light emitted by its corresponding receiver 401. Optionally, the detection light is a laser.

[0052] For example, the position detection unit includes four pairs of transmitters 400 and receivers 401. Four transmitters 400 are disposed on the top wall of the load locking chamber, and four receivers 401 are disposed on the bottom wall of the load locking chamber. When the wafer W deviates from the target position A, two receivers 401 fail to receive the detection light emitted by the corresponding transmitter 400. At this time, the position detection unit sends an alarm to the machine indicating wafer W position deviation. The machine then switches the position adjustment unit from its non-working state to its working state to directly adjust the position within the load locking chamber, effectively avoiding adverse effects on the wafer W caused by opening the chamber and improving the efficiency of wafer W position adjustment. After the position adjustment unit completes the adjustment, all four receivers 401 can receive the detection light emitted by the corresponding transmitter 400. At this time, the alarm of the position detection unit is deactivated.

[0053] Based on the same concept, this embodiment also provides a method for adjusting the wafer storage location. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 2-5 The wafer storage position adjustment method uses the wafer storage device described above. When the position detection unit detects that the wafer W deviates from the target position A, the support pad 301 first moves with the second guide rail 3002 to the position of the wafer W to be adjusted and supports the wafer W to be adjusted. The support pad 301 then slides relative to the second guide rail 3002 to drive the wafer W to move in the opposite direction to the offset direction, so that the wafer W is located at the target position A, thereby achieving efficient adjustment of the position of the wafer W without the need for manual processing, which can greatly reduce the risk of contamination or damage to the wafer W during position adjustment.

[0054] Based on the same concept, this embodiment also provides a semiconductor device, including the wafer memory device described above. Exemplarily, the semiconductor device includes, but is not limited to, an ion implantation device.

[0055] In summary, this embodiment provides a wafer memory device, a method for adjusting the wafer memory position, and a semiconductor device. The wafer memory device includes a position adjustment unit, which comprises a guide rail assembly 300 and a support pad 301. The guide rail assembly 300 includes a first guide rail 3001 and a second guide rail 3002 arranged perpendicularly to each other. The support pad 301 can slide relative to the first guide rail 3001 and the second guide rail 3002, thus supporting the wafer W while simultaneously causing the wafer W to slide relative to the guide rail assembly 300, thereby achieving position adjustment of the wafer W. Furthermore, since both the guide rail assembly 300 and the support pad 301 are located inside the cavity of the wafer cassette body, when the wafer W experiences positional shift, there is no need to open the load locking chamber; the position adjustment of the wafer W can be completed solely within the cavity. This not only avoids the adverse effects on the wafer W caused by opening the cavity but also improves the efficiency of wafer W position adjustment.

[0056] Furthermore, it should be understood that although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention. For any person skilled in the art, many possible variations and modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention based on the disclosed technical content, or equivalent embodiments can be modified accordingly, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention, without departing from the content of the present invention, shall still fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer memory device, characterized in that, include: Wafer box body and position adjustment unit; The wafer cassette body has a load locking chamber, and multiple slots are formed on the cavity wall of the load locking chamber for placing multiple wafers; The position adjustment unit includes a guide rail assembly and a support pad; the guide rail assembly is disposed on the cavity wall, one end of the support pad is connected to the guide rail assembly, and the support pad can slide along the guide rail assembly so that the other end of the support pad supports and adjusts the position of the wafer.

2. The wafer memory device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide rail assembly includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail; the first guide rail extends along a first direction, and the second guide rail extends along a second direction; one end of the support pad is connected to the second guide rail so that the support pad can slide along the extension direction of the second guide rail; Furthermore, the second guide rail is located on the first guide rail, and the second guide rail is capable of driving the support pad to slide along the extension direction of the first guide rail.

3. The wafer memory device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

4. The wafer memory device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple slots are spaced apart on the cavity wall along the first direction and are spaced apart from the first guide rail and the second guide rail.

5. The wafer memory device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The load locking chamber has opposing first and second chamber walls, and the guide rail assembly includes two first guide rails and two second guide rails; and the position adjustment unit includes two support pads; wherein... One first guide rail is disposed on the first cavity wall, and the other first guide rail is disposed on the second cavity wall; two second guide rails are respectively disposed on the two first guide rails, and two support pads are respectively disposed on the two second guide rails.

6. The wafer memory device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The position adjustment unit has a working state and a non-working state; wherein... In the operating state, the support pad first slides relative to the first guide rail to the position of the wafer to be adjusted and supports the wafer; then, the support pad drives the wafer to slide relative to the second guide rail to adjust the position of the wafer. In the non-working state, the support pad and the connected second guide rail are stationary at one end of the first guide rail.

7. The wafer memory device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The load locking chamber has a storage area and a receiving area. The storage area is used to store the wafer. The receiving area is located at one end of the storage area and is used to store the support pad and the second guide rail in the non-working state.

8. The wafer memory device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The wafer memory device further includes a position detection unit; the position detection unit includes multiple pairs of transmitters and receivers; each pair of transmitters and receivers is arranged opposite to each other and is located on the top wall and bottom wall of the load locking chamber, respectively; as well as, When the load locking chamber is closed, if any of the receivers fails to receive the detection light emitted by the corresponding transmitter, the wafer's position deviates from the target position, and the position adjustment unit enters the operating state.

9. The wafer memory device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The position adjustment unit further includes a drive motor; the drive motor is connected to the guide rail assembly and / or the support pad to drive the support pad to slide along the guide rail assembly.

10. A method for adjusting the location of a wafer storage device, characterized in that, Using the wafer storage device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, the method for adjusting the wafer storage location includes: When the position detection unit detects that the wafer's position deviates from the target position, the support pad slides along the guide rail assembly to support the wafer to be adjusted; and the support pad slides along the guide rail assembly to drive the wafer to slide and adjust the wafer's position.

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