Wafer flipping device

Abstract

The application relates to a wafer overturning device, which comprises a supporting bracket, oppositely arranged clamping units movably arranged on the supporting bracket in a first direction to clamp a wafer, the clamping unit comprising an overturning piece and a clamping jaw rotatably arranged on the overturning piece in a vertical direction, the top of the clamping jaw being a first position and the bottom being a second position, the opening at the first position being larger than the opening at the second position, a clamping film arranged on the clamping jaw and extending from the first position to the second position, the clamping film being used for supporting wafers of different sizes, during clamping, the oppositely arranged clamping units moving close to each other to make the clamping film abut against the edge of the wafer to clamp the wafer, and an overturning module arranged on the supporting bracket and connected with the overturning piece, used for driving the overturning piece and the clamping jaw to overturn to overturn the wafer. The application can adapt to the overturning of wafers of different sizes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and more particularly to a wafer flipping device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of advanced packaging and power device manufacturing technologies, the demand for double-sided wafer processing is becoming increasingly prominent. In processes such as wafer backside thinning, backside metallization, and double-sided photolithography, the backside of the wafer needs to be exposed to the processing environment, thus requiring wafer flipping operations.

[0003] In the existing technology, wafer flipping devices lack a universal clamping structure that can be compatible with wafers of various sizes (such as 6 inches to 12 inches). Different sizes of wafers require the replacement of special clamps, resulting in low equipment utilization and long changeover time.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new wafer flipping device to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide a wafer flipping device that can adapt to the flipping of wafers of different sizes.

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, according to embodiments of this application, a wafer flipping device is provided, comprising a support bracket; a clamping unit disposed opposite to the support bracket and movably disposed along a first direction to clamp a wafer; the clamping unit includes a flipping element and clamping jaws rotatably disposed on the flipping element along a vertical direction; the top of the clamping jaws is a first position and the bottom is a second position; the distance between the openings at the first position is greater than the distance between the openings at the second position; a clamping film disposed on the clamping jaws and extending from the first position to the second position, the clamping film being used to support wafers of different sizes; during the clamping process, the oppositely disposed clamping units move closer to each other so that the clamping film abuts against the edge of the wafer to clamp the wafer; and a flipping module disposed on the support bracket and connected to the flipping element, for driving the flipping element and the clamping jaws to flip the wafer.

[0007] According to an embodiment of this application, the distance between the openings at the first position is greater than 30cm, and the distance between the openings at the second position is less than 15cm.

[0008] According to an embodiment of this application, the clamping jaws include a rotating portion and opposing clamping portions; the rotating portion is rotatably disposed on the flipping member, and the opposing clamping portions are rotatably disposed at both ends of the rotating portion; both ends of the rotating portion are provided with torsion springs, which are used to drive the opposing clamping portions to move in a direction away from each other, so as to stretch the clamping film; wherein, the opposing clamping units are close to each other, the edge of the wafer abuts against the clamping film, so that the opposing clamping portions are close to each other, and the clamping portions are in contact with the wafer or have a gap from the wafer, so as to clamp the wafer.

[0009] According to an embodiment of this application, at least two sets of clamping portions are provided opposite to each other, and the at least two sets of clamping portions opposite to each other are distributed at intervals along a second direction, so that the clamping units opposite to each other form at least four clamping points on the wafer; the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0010] According to an embodiment of this application, a limiting groove is formed on the flipping component, and the limiting groove is arc-shaped; the clamping claw further includes a counterweight and a counterweight connecting rod; the counterweight is movably disposed in the limiting groove; one end of the counterweight connecting rod is connected to the counterweight, and the other end is connected to the rotating part; after the wafer is flipped, the counterweight moves to the bottom of the limiting groove so that the opening at the first position is larger than the opening at the second position.

[0011] According to an embodiment of this application, a plurality of clamping units are arranged sequentially from top to bottom on the support bracket, and the distance between two adjacent clamping units is greater than 15cm.

[0012] According to an embodiment of this application, the flipping module is provided in multiple ways, and the multiple flipping modules are provided corresponding to multiple clamping units; a connector is provided on the support bracket movably along the first direction, and the multiple flipping modules are fixedly provided on the connector, so that the multiple flipping modules simultaneously move closer to or further away from the wafer.

[0013] According to an embodiment of this application, the clamping film is made of perfluoroether rubber.

[0014] According to an embodiment of this application, it further includes a positioning unit and a driving unit; the positioning unit includes a rotary driving member disposed opposite to each other along a first direction and a plurality of positioning members disposed between the oppositely disposed rotary driving members; the driving unit is used to drive the rotary driving member and the positioning members to approach or move away from the wafer; wherein, the driving unit drives the rotary driving member and the positioning members to approach the wafer along a second direction and contact the edge of the wafer, the rotary driving member drives the wafer to rotate, so that the positioning members contact the orientation mark on the edge of the wafer; when the orientation mark is a groove, one of the positioning members engages with the groove to position the wafer; when the orientation mark is a plane, the plurality of positioning members abut against the plane to position the wafer.

[0015] According to an embodiment of this application, the driving unit includes a movable driving member and a connecting strip disposed opposite to each other; the two ends of the connecting strip are respectively placed on the movable driving member disposed opposite to each other, and the connecting strip passes through the rotating driving member and the positioning member to drive the rotating driving member and the positioning member to move closer to or away from the wafer.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, using clamping claws with inclined openings in conjunction with an elastic clamping film, compatible clamping of wafers ranging from 6 inches to 12 inches is achieved, meeting the flipping requirements of wafers of different specifications without the need to change to special fixtures. The passive mechanical cooperation of the counterweight and the limiting groove ensures that the wafer remains in an inclined opening state before and after flipping, facilitating the safe handling of the wafer. At the same time, the soft properties of the clamping film effectively buffer the vibration transmission during the flipping process, reducing the risk of wafer breakage. In addition, the synergistic effect of the rotary drive and positioning components can directly complete the identification and positioning of wafer orientation marks while clamped, ensuring wafer orientation consistency and avoiding the inefficiency and risk of misoperation caused by visual recognition or manual adjustment. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of a wafer flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping jaws of a wafer flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping film state when a wafer is placed in a clamping film according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping film state of a wafer during the clamping process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the clamping film state after wafer clamping is completed, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part A in the middle.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the positioning clip and the grooved orientation mark when the wafer flipping device of this invention is engaged during wafer positioning.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the positional relationship between a positioning element and a planar orientation mark during wafer positioning in a wafer flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multilayer wafer flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure label: 100, Support bracket; 200, Clamping unit; 210, Clamping jaws; 211, Clamping film; 212, Rotating part; 213, Clamping part; 214, Counterweight; 215, Counterweight connecting rod; 220, Flipping part; 221, Limiting groove; 230, First position; 240, Second position; 250, Flipping module; 251, Support; 252, Flipping motor; 300, Positioning unit; 310, Rotation drive; 311, Second support rod; 312, Drive shaft; 313, Drive motor; 314, Control groove; 320, Positioning part; 321, First support rod; 322, Positioning end; 323, Positioning latch; 400, Drive unit; 410, Moving drive; 420, Connecting belt; X, First direction; Y, Second direction. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein should have the ordinary meaning understood by those skilled in the art. The terms "comprising" and similar expressions used herein mean that the element or object preceding the word covers the element or object listed after the word and its equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or objects.

[0028] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-9The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below.

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention provide a wafer flipping device, which is used in semiconductor equipment, especially before process steps such as wafer backside thinning, backside metallization and double-sided photolithography, where it is necessary to expose the backside of the wafer to the processing environment to facilitate the processing; at the same time, the flipped wafer is convenient for quality monitoring such as backside defect detection and film thickness measurement, thereby meeting the process requirements for double-sided wafer processing in advanced packaging and power device manufacturing. Existing wafer flipping devices suffer from the following main problems: First, they lack a universal clamping structure compatible with various wafer sizes (e.g., 6-inch to 12-inch), requiring the replacement of specialized clamps for different wafer sizes, resulting in low equipment utilization and long changeover times. Second, they lack an integrated design that can utilize the inherent orientation features of the wafer edge for rapid and reliable positioning; traditional devices often rely on secondary recognition by vision systems or manual adjustments, which are inefficient and pose a risk of misoperation. Third, it is difficult to simultaneously identify and position wafer orientation marks during the flipping process, requiring additional orientation adjustment steps after flipping, increasing process complexity and the risk of wafer breakage. Fourth, the clamping structure is prone to vibration transmission during flipping, leading to wafer damage or particle contamination, affecting product yield. Therefore, this application provides a wafer flipping device. Specifically, the wafer flipping device includes a support bracket 100, opposing clamping units 200, a clamping film 211, and a flipping module 250.

[0030] In some embodiments, the clamping units 200 arranged opposite to each other are movably disposed on the support bracket 100 along the first direction X to clamp the wafer; wherein, the support bracket 100 is plate-shaped, and the first direction X is the direction extending along the length direction or width direction of the support bracket 100. In this embodiment, the first direction X is selected as the direction extending along the width direction of the support bracket 100. The clamping unit 200 includes a flipping member 220 and a clamping jaw 210 rotatably disposed on the flipping member 220 in a vertical direction. The flipping member 220 is block-shaped and has a flipping groove. The clamping jaw 210 is placed in the flipping groove and connected to the inner wall of the flipping groove via a rotating shaft, so that the clamping jaw 210 can rotate vertically within the flipping groove. That is, the axis of the rotating shaft of the flipping groove extends in a second direction Y, and the clamping jaw 210 can rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft to achieve vertical rotation. The second direction Y is the direction extending along the length of the support bracket 100, and the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X. In addition, the clamping end of the clamping jaw 210 is open to facilitate the clamping of the wafer. The wafer is clamped; and since the clamping units 200 are arranged opposite each other, the clamping jaws 210 in the clamping units 200 are also arranged opposite each other; more specifically, the top of the clamping jaws 210 is the first position 230 and the bottom is the second position 240; the ends of the clamping jaws 210 arranged opposite each other form openings at the first position 230 and the second position 240, and the distance between the openings at the first position 230 is greater than the distance between the openings at the second position 240, so that the opening ends of the clamping jaws 210 are inclined. During the wafer clamping process, the wafer is placed into the clamping jaws 210 from top to bottom. During the wafer placement process, the end of the clamping jaws 210 at the first position 230 will not interfere with the placement of the wafer.

[0031] In some embodiments, the clamping film 211 is disposed within the clamping jaw 210 and extends from the first position 230 to the second position 240. Specifically, the clamping film 211 is disposed at the open end of the clamping jaw 210 to close the open end of the clamping jaw 210. The clamping film 211 can be disposed by bonding, snap-fitting or other methods, which are not limited here. The main point is that the clamping film 211 is disposed at the open end of the clamping jaw 210 and the connection between the two will not move relative to each other. At the same time, since the open end of the clamping jaw 210 is inclined, the clamping film 211 is also inclined, and its inclination is the same as that of the open end of the clamping jaw 210. More specifically, the clamping film 211 is used to support wafers of different sizes. During the clamping process, since the clamping film 211 is tilted and the wafer is placed in the clamping jaws 210 from top to bottom, the clamping film 211 can support wafers of different sizes. After the wafer is placed, the clamping units 200 that are positioned opposite each other move closer to each other so that the clamping film 211 abuts against the edge of the wafer to clamp the wafer.

[0032] In some embodiments, the flipping module 250 is disposed on the support bracket 100. Its setting method can be adhesive, snap-fit, or bolted, etc., which is not limited here. The main purpose is that the flipping module 250 can drive the flipping component 220 to flip. The flipping module 250 is connected to the flipping component 220 and is used to drive the flipping component 220 and the clamping jaw 210 to flip the wafer. Specifically, the flipping module 250 includes a support component 251 and a flipping motor 252. The support component 251 is disposed on the support bracket 100, and the side wall of the support component 251 has a mounting groove. The flipping motor 252 is installed in the mounting groove, and the rotating shaft of the flipping motor 252 is keyed to the flipping component 220. During the wafer flipping process, the flipping motor 252 is started, and the flipping motor 252 drives the flipping component 220 and the clamping jaw 210 to flip, thereby realizing the wafer flipping.

[0033] In some specific embodiments, the distance between the openings at the first position 230 is greater than 30cm, and the distance between the openings at the second position 240 is less than 15cm, to accommodate wafers of different sizes. For example, if the distance between the openings at the second position 240 is less than 15cm, a 6-inch wafer can be placed without falling out during placement, thus preventing wafer damage. If the distance between the openings at the first position 230 is greater than 30cm, a 12-inch wafer can be placed on the clamping film 211. Therefore, a distance between the openings at the first position 230 (greater than 30cm) and the distance between the openings at the second position 240 (less than 15cm) enables compatibility with wafers from 6 inches to 12 inches, facilitating the flipping of wafers of different sizes. More specifically, to accommodate the clamping of 12-inch wafers, the distance between the openings at the first position 230 is set to be greater than 31cm.

[0034] In some specific embodiments, the clamping jaws 210 include a rotating part 212 and opposing clamping parts 213; wherein, the rotating part 212 has a "V"-shaped cross-section along the second direction Y, that is, the rotating part 212 has a first part and a second part, and the axis of rotation of the rotating part 212 is located at the junction of the first part and the second part, so that the rotating part 212 can rotate on the flipping member 220, that is, the rotating part 212 is rotatably disposed on the flipping member 220, and the opposing clamping parts 213 are respectively rotatably disposed at both ends of the rotating part 212; specifically, the first part and the second part can be plate-shaped or rod-shaped. When only one set of opposing clamping parts 213 is provided, both the first part and the second part are rod-shaped, and the clamping parts 213 are rod-shaped. The opposing clamping parts 213 are respectively rotatably disposed at the ends of the first part and the ends of the second part. At the same time, both ends of the rotating part 212 are provided with torsion springs, which are used to drive the opposing clamping parts 213 to move in a direction away from each other, so as to The stretching clamping film 211, consisting of a torsion spring, a rotating part 212, and a clamping part 213, works together to stretch the clamping film 211 when the wafer is not placed on it, thus facilitating wafer placement and preventing positional shift after placement. During wafer clamping, the wafer is first placed on the opposing clamping films 211, and then the opposing clamping units 200 are brought closer together, at which point the edge of the wafer abuts against the clamping film 211. 1. The position where the clamping film 211 abuts against the edge of the wafer moves toward the rotating part 212, and the end of the clamping part 213 away from the rotating part 212 moves toward the end face of the wafer, thereby bringing the opposing clamping parts 213 closer to each other; it is worth noting that during the wafer clamping process, the clamping part 213 may contact the wafer or be spaced from the wafer to clamp the wafer. Specifically, when the end of the clamping part 213 contacts the wafer, the wafer is completely clamped, and the wafer cannot rotate around its own axis.When the end of the clamping part 213 is spaced from the wafer, wafer clamping can also be achieved. Since the clamping film 211 is a soft film, it applies a force to the wafer from the edge toward the center. Simultaneously, because the wafer has a certain thickness, as the clamping film 211 moves toward the rotating part 212 at the contact point with the wafer, it also contacts the edges of the front and back sides of the wafer. That is, the clamping film 211 simultaneously contacts the edge sidewalls, the edge of the front side, and the edge of the back side, thereby achieving wafer clamping. In addition, the clamping film... The membrane 211 also enables adjustment of the wafer position. As the clamping units 200 approach each other, because the clamping membrane 211 is a soft membrane, the wafer gradually moves towards the center of the clamping membrane 211. For example, during 6-inch wafer clamping, when the clamping units 200 are stationary, the wafer is placed at the bottom of the clamping membrane 211. As the clamping units 200 approach each other, as the portion of the clamping membrane 211 in contact with the wafer moves towards the rotating part 212, the wafer also gradually moves towards the center of the clamping membrane 211, thereby further ensuring the stability of wafer clamping.

[0035] In some embodiments, at least two sets of clamping portions 213 are provided opposite to each other. When at least two sets of clamping portions 213 are provided opposite to each other, both the first part and the second part are plate-shaped. The at least two sets of clamping portions 213 are distributed at intervals along the second direction Y. Each set of clamping portions 213 is rotatably provided at the end of the first part and the end of the second part. The at least two sets of clamping portions 213 cooperate with each other so that the clamping unit 200 opposite to each other forms at least four clamping points on the wafer, thereby ensuring the stability of wafer clamping.

[0036] In some specific embodiments, the clamping film 211 is made of fluororubber or perfluoroether rubber, which can work in the corrosive gas environment commonly found in semiconductor processes. At the same time, its low particulate contamination characteristics can avoid metal ion or organic contamination on the wafer surface, meeting the cleanliness requirements. In addition, its good elastic recovery and wear resistance ensure that the clamping film 211 can maintain stable clamping force and deformation recovery ability when repeatedly clamping wafers of different sizes, extending its service life.

[0037] In some embodiments, the flipping member 220 has a limiting groove 221, which is arc-shaped and extends around the axis of the rotating part 212. The clamping claw 210 also includes a counterweight 214 and a counterweight connecting rod 215. The counterweight 214 is movably disposed in the limiting groove 221. One end of the counterweight connecting rod 215 is connected to the counterweight 214, and the other end is connected to the rotating part 212. After the wafer is flipped, the counterweight 214 moves to the bottom of the limiting groove 221 so that the opening at the first position 230 is larger than the opening at the second position 240. Specifically, there are two counterweight links 215, and both counterweight links 215 are connected to the counterweight 214; that is, one end of one counterweight link 215 is located on the counterweight 214, and the other end is connected to the middle of the first part; one end of the other counterweight link 215 is located on the counterweight 214, and the other end is connected to the middle of the second part. Since the length of the counterweight link 215 does not change, the limiting groove 221 is arc-shaped to facilitate the movement of the counterweight 214 within the limiting groove 221; more specifically, the counterweight 214... 4. A spherical counterweight 214 is movably placed within a limiting groove 221. The width of the limiting groove 221 is greater than the diameter of the counterweight 214, and the weight of the counterweight 214 is greater than the sum of the weights of the counterweight link 215 and the clamping jaws 210, allowing the counterweight 214 to move the clamping jaws 210 under its own weight. Specifically, when no wafer is placed on the clamping film 211, due to the weight of the counterweight 214, it is positioned at the end of the limiting groove 221 near the support bracket 100. The length of the connecting rod 215 is fixed, and the position of the rotating shaft of the rotating part 212 is fixed, so that the rotating shaft is tilted, thereby making the distance between the openings at the first position 230 and the openings at the second position 240 of the clamping film 211 greater than the distance between the openings at the second position 240. After clamping and flipping the wafer, the counterweight 214 will continue to move to the end of the limiting groove 221 near the support bracket 100 under its own weight. At this time, although it is flipped, the clamping film 211 is still tilted due to the limiting effect of the counterweight 214. The distance between the openings at position 230 and 240 is greater than the distance between the openings at the second position, thus facilitating the placement and removal of the wafer. It is worth noting that when wafer flipping is required, the end of the clamping part 213 does not contact the wafer end face; instead, the wafer is held solely by the clamping film 211. This reduces the possibility of wafer damage caused by vibrations transmitted to the wafer due to the movement of the counterweight 214 in the limiting groove 221. In other words, the clamping film 211 weakens vibration transmission, thereby reducing the possibility of wafer damage during flipping. More specifically, the flipping part 220 has a first groove extending vertically to accommodate the rotating part 212. A second groove extending vertically through the flipping part 220 communicates with the first groove. The second groove facilitates the movement of the counterweight connecting rod 215, and the limiting groove 221 is located on the side wall of the second groove to limit the counterweight 214.

[0038] In some embodiments, a plurality of clamping units 200 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom on the support bracket 100, with a distance greater than 15 cm between two adjacent clamping units 200. Specifically, in order to enable the simultaneous flipping of multiple wafers, a plurality of clamping units 200 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom on the support bracket 100, and each pair of opposite clamping units 200 can clamp a wafer. In addition, the distance between two adjacent clamping units 200 in the vertical direction is greater than 15 cm, thereby facilitating the wafer flipping process. Specifically, the distance between two adjacent clamping units 200 in the vertical direction is greater than 16 cm, and the distance between the clamping unit 200 at the bottom and the end face of the support bracket 100 is greater than 16 cm, thereby accommodating the flipping of 12-inch wafers, and preventing interference between adjacent wafers during the flipping process.

[0039] In some embodiments, multiple flipping modules 250 are provided, and multiple flipping modules 250 are set with multiple clamping units 200. That is, each set of clamping units 200 arranged opposite each other in the first direction X can independently drive the wafer to flip. During the wafer flipping process, it can adapt to the need to flip wafers of different sizes at the same time. For example, during the flipping process, one robot arm places the 6-inch wafer in the corresponding station into the clamping unit 200 near the bottom of the support bracket 100, and another robot arm places the 8-inch wafer from other stations into the adjacent clamping unit 200. During the flipping process, since each set of clamping units 200 can flip independently, the flipping process of the 6-inch wafer and the flipping process of the 8-inch wafer will not interfere with each other.

[0040] In some specific embodiments, a connector is movably provided on the support bracket 100 along the first direction X. The connector is plate-shaped, and multiple flip modules 250 are fixedly provided on the connector so that multiple flip modules 250 can simultaneously move closer to or away from the wafer. At the same time, a push cylinder is provided on the support bracket 100. The setting method can be adhesive, snap-fit, or bolt fixed, etc., without limitation, as long as the position of the push cylinder on the support bracket 100 does not change. The piston rod of the push cylinder is connected to the connector. During the wafer clamping process, the push cylinder is activated, pushing the connector to move, thereby driving the flip module 250, the flip member 220 and the clamping claw 210 to move, so that the clamping units 200 arranged opposite to each other move closer to each other, thereby clamping the wafer.

[0041] In some embodiments, the wafer flipping device further includes a positioning unit 300 and a driving unit 400; The positioning unit 300 includes a rotary drive 310 disposed opposite to each other along a first direction X, and a plurality of positioning elements 320 disposed between the oppositely disposed rotary drive 310. During wafer positioning, the rotary drive 310 and the positioning elements 320 cooperate to achieve the rotation and positioning of the wafer. The drive unit 400 is movably disposed on the support bracket 100 along a second direction Y, and is used to drive the rotary drive 310 and the positioning elements 320 to approach or move away from the wafer. During wafer positioning, the wafer is clamped by the clamping unit 200, and then the drive unit 400 is activated to drive the rotary drive 310 and the positioning elements 320 to approach the wafer along the second direction Y and contact the edge of the wafer. The rotary drive 310 drives the wafer to rotate, so that the positioning elements 320 contact the orientation mark on the edge of the wafer. When the orientation mark is a groove, one of the positioning elements 320 engages with the groove to position the wafer. When the orientation mark is a plane, the plurality of positioning elements 320 abut against the plane to position the wafer.

[0042] In some specific embodiments, to facilitate wafer positioning, the positioning member 320 includes a first support rod 321 and a positioning end 322 located at the end of the first support rod 321. Specifically, the positioning end 322 is positioned at the end of the first support rod 321 near the wafer, and the positioning end 322 is arc-shaped to reduce the possibility of wafer damage caused by contact between the positioning end 322 and the orientation mark in the groove. In addition, one end of the first support rod 321 is provided with a positioning latch 323. The positioning latch 323 can be directly provided on the positioning end 322, or the positioning end 322 can be removed, including only the first support rod 321 and the positioning latch 323. The positioning latch 323 is adapted to the groove-shaped orientation mark, that is, the positioning latch 323 can engage with the groove. When the two are engaged, the wafer cannot rotate, thereby achieving wafer positioning. That is, when the orientation mark is a groove, the positioning latch 323 engages with the groove to position the wafer. The positioning connector 323 is flush with the positioning end 322. When the orientation mark is a plane, both the positioning connector 323 and the positioning end 322 abut against the plane, thereby achieving wafer positioning. That is, when the orientation mark is a groove, the connector is used to engage with the groove to position the wafer; when the orientation mark is a plane, both the positioning connector 323 and the positioning end 322 abut against the plane to position the wafer.

[0043] In some specific embodiments, to facilitate wafer rotation, a rotation drive 310 includes a second support rod 311, a drive shaft 312, and a drive motor 313. The second support rod 311 has a slot near its end facing the wafer. The drive shaft 312 is vertically positioned and placed within the slot, allowing it to rotatably reside at the end of the second support rod 311. Simultaneously, a motor slot is formed on the side wall of the second support rod 311, and the drive motor 313 is located within this slot. In other words, the drive motor 313 is located within the second support rod 311 and connected to the drive shaft 312, serving to facilitate contact between the drive shaft 312 and the edge of the wafer. After contact, the drive shaft 312 is rotated to drive the wafer to rotate. Specifically, the end of the drive shaft 312 is provided with a first gear, the outer diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the drive shaft 312. A second gear is keyed to the shaft of the drive motor 313, and the second gear meshes with the first gear so that the drive motor 313 can drive the drive shaft 312 to rotate. During the process of driving the wafer to rotate, the side wall of the drive shaft 312 contacts the side wall of the wafer. The drive motor 313 starts and drives the drive shaft 312 to rotate, thereby driving the wafer to rotate so that the orientation mark on the edge of the wafer rotates synchronously with the wafer to cooperate with the positioning member 320 to position the wafer.

[0044] In some embodiments, since the edge of the wafer is arc-shaped, in order to drive the rotating drive 310 and the positioning member 320 to contact the edge of the wafer, the drive unit 400 includes a moving drive 410 and a plurality of connecting strips 420 arranged opposite each other. The two ends of each connecting strip 420 are respectively placed on the moving drive 410 arranged opposite each other. Each connecting strip 420 corresponds to a positioning unit 300, and the connecting strip 420 passes through the rotating drive 310 and the positioning member 320 in the corresponding positioning unit 300. During the movement of the moving drive 410, the positioning member 320 and the rotating drive 310 in the corresponding positioning unit 300 are driven to move, so as to drive the rotating drive 310 and the positioning member 320 to move closer to or away from the wafer. A push cylinder is provided on the support bracket 100. Its installation method can be adhesive, snap-fit, or bolted, etc., without limitation, as long as the position of the push cylinder on the support bracket 100 does not change. The piston rod of the push cylinder is keyed to the moving drive component 410 to push the moving drive component 410 to move along the second direction Y. The two ends of the connecting belt 420 are respectively placed on the oppositely arranged moving drive component 410. Its installation method can be adhesive or snap-fit, etc., without limitation, as long as the movement of the moving drive component 410 can drive the movement of the connecting belt 420. The connecting belt 420 is a flexible belt, passing through the rotating drive component 310 and the positioning component 320 to drive the rotating drive component 310 and the positioning component. 320 moves closer to or further away from the wafer. Specifically, the moving drive 410 moves along the second direction Y, driving the connecting belt 420 to move. Since the connecting belt 420 passes through the rotating drive 310 and the positioning element 320, it drives multiple positioning elements 320 and the relatively positioned rotating drive 310 to move, bringing the positioning elements 320 and the rotating drive 310 closer to the wafer. Simultaneously, because the connecting belt 420 is a flexible belt and the wafer edge is curved, the positioning element 320 in the middle first contacts the edge of the wafer. The positioning elements 320 that have not yet contacted the wafer edge, along with the relatively positioned rotating drive 310, continue to move under the drive of the connecting belt 420 until they all contact the wafer edge. At this point, the moving drive 410 stops moving. Then, the drive motor 313 starts, driving the drive shaft 312 to rotate, thereby causing the wafer to rotate around its own axis. During the wafer rotation, the orientation marks on the wafer edge rotate synchronously until the orientation marks cooperate with the positioning elements 320 for positioning. Then, the drive shaft 312 stops rotating, and the wafer positioning is complete.

[0045] In some embodiments, when the orientation mark is a groove, the positioning latch 323 can achieve positioning by engaging with the groove. When the orientation mark is a plane, wafer positioning cannot be performed by engaging with the groove. Therefore, in order to perform the wafer positioning process when the orientation mark is a plane, control slots 314 are provided at the ends of the first support rod 321 and the second support rod 311 opposite to the wafer. The control slot 314 of the first support rod 321 passes through the first support rod 321 along the first direction X, and the control slot 314 of the second support rod 311 passes through the second support rod 311 along the first direction X. At the same time, the connecting strap 420 passes through the control slot 314. A pressure sensor is provided in the control slot 314. Specifically, the pressure sensor is located in... The pressure sensor is located on the side wall of the control slot 314 near the positioning end 322, and is positioned between the inner side wall of the control slot 314 and the connecting strip 420. During wafer positioning when the orientation mark is a plane, both the positioning clip 323 and the positioning end 322 abut against the plane to position the wafer. At this time, the values ​​of each pressure sensor are the same, indicating that positioning is complete. It is worth noting that due to the error of the pressure sensor and the fluctuation of the pressure applied to each pressure sensor by the connecting strip 420, an error range is set. That is, if the value of each pressure sensor is within the set error range, it is considered that the values ​​of each pressure sensor are the same. The limitation of the error range is not limited here, and it is set according to the requirements in the actual positioning process.

[0046] In some specific embodiments, the connecting strip 420 is made of polyurethane or stainless steel wire rope with a fluororubber sheath, so as to achieve the synchronous movement of multiple positioning elements 320 and rotation drive element 310 through flexible deformation, thereby ensuring the accurate positioning of wafer edge orientation marks.

[0047] In some more specific embodiments, the positioning element 320 is provided with at least three, or an odd number of other than three. In this embodiment, three positioning elements 320 are provided as an example. The central positioning element 320 is composed of a first support rod 321 and a positioning latch 323, and the two edge positioning elements 320 are composed of a first support rod 321 and a positioning end 322, thereby facilitating the positioning of the wafer.

[0048] While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to these embodiments. However, it should be understood that such modifications and variations fall within the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims. Furthermore, the invention described herein may have other embodiments and can be implemented or carried out in various ways.

Claims

1. A wafer flipping device, characterized in that, Including support brackets; The clamping unit is movably disposed on the support bracket in a first direction to clamp the wafer; the clamping unit includes a flipping member and a clamping jaw disposed on the flipping member that is rotatable in a vertical direction. The top of the clamping claw is the first position, and the bottom is the second position; the distance of the opening at the first position is greater than the distance of the opening at the second position; A clamping film is disposed on the clamping jaws and extends from the first position to the second position. The clamping film is used to support wafers of different sizes. During the clamping process, the clamping units arranged opposite to each other move closer together so that the clamping film abuts against the edge of the wafer to clamp the wafer; as well as A flipping module, located on the support bracket and connected to the flipping component, is used to drive the flipping component and the clamping jaws to flip the wafer.

2. The wafer flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the openings at the first location is greater than 30cm, and the distance between the openings at the second location is less than 15cm.

3. The wafer flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping jaws include a rotating part and a clamping part arranged opposite to each other; the rotating part is rotatably disposed on the flipping member, and the clamping parts arranged opposite to each other are rotatably disposed at both ends of the rotating part; both ends of the rotating part are provided with torsion springs, which are used to drive the clamping parts arranged opposite to each other to move in a direction away from each other, so as to stretch the clamping film. The clamping units arranged opposite to each other are close to each other, and the edge of the wafer abuts against the clamping film, so that the clamping parts arranged opposite to each other are close to each other. The clamping parts are in contact with the wafer or have a gap from the wafer to clamp the wafer.

4. The wafer flipping device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The clamping portions are arranged opposite to each other, and the at least two sets of clamping portions are distributed at intervals along a second direction so that the clamping units arranged opposite to each other form at least four clamping points on the wafer; the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

5. The wafer flipping device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flipping component has a limiting groove, which is arc-shaped; The clamping jaws also include a counterweight and a counterweight connecting rod; the counterweight is movably disposed within the limiting groove; one end of the counterweight connecting rod is connected to the counterweight, and the other end is connected to the rotating part; after the wafer is flipped, the counterweight moves to the bottom of the limiting groove so that the opening at the first position is larger than the opening at the second position.

6. The wafer flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support bracket is provided with multiple clamping units arranged sequentially from top to bottom, and the distance between two adjacent clamping units is greater than 15cm.

7. The wafer flipping apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The flipping module is provided in multiple ways, and the multiple flipping modules are configured to correspond to the multiple clamping units; The support bracket is movably provided with a connector along the first direction, and multiple flip modules are fixedly mounted on the connector so that multiple flip modules can simultaneously move closer to or further away from the wafer.

8. The wafer flipping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping film is made of perfluoroether rubber.

9. The wafer flipping apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, It also includes a positioning unit and a driving unit; The positioning unit includes a rotary drive member disposed opposite to each other along a first direction and a plurality of positioning members disposed between the oppositely disposed rotary drive members; the drive unit is used to drive the rotary drive member and the positioning members to move closer to or away from the wafer; The driving unit drives the rotary drive and the positioning member to approach the wafer along the second direction and contact the edge of the wafer. The rotary drive causes the wafer to rotate, so that the positioning member contacts the orientation mark on the edge of the wafer. When the orientation mark is a groove, one of the positioning members engages with the groove to position the wafer. When the orientation mark is a plane, multiple positioning members abut against the plane to position the wafer.

10. The wafer flipping apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The driving unit includes a moving driving component and a connecting belt arranged opposite to each other; the two ends of the connecting belt are respectively placed on the moving driving component arranged opposite to each other, and the connecting belt passes through the rotating driving component and the positioning component to drive the rotating driving component and the positioning component to move closer to or away from the wafer.

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