A kind of notch type silicon wafer whole box reference surface consistency positioning device

Abstract

This invention discloses a notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference plane consistency positioning device, specifically relating to the field of semiconductor manufacturing silicon wafer transfer and positioning technology. It includes a chassis, with an upper plate fixedly mounted on the upper part of the chassis, and further includes: a central positioning post, fixedly mounted at the center of the upper plate; a driving assembly, disposed on the left oblique side of the upper part of the chassis; a positioning stop, fixedly mounted on the upper part of the upper plate; and a limiting assembly, disposed between the chassis and the upper plate. This invention uses the central positioning post for the whole-box silicon wafer, combined with the positioning stop precisely adapted to the notch notch, to achieve uniform circumferential angle calibration. Combined with the four-way synchronous concentric clamping structure of the limiting assembly, it can correct minor center offsets and circumferential angle deviations of a single silicon wafer in one go, ensuring that the center offset and notch angle deviation of the whole-box silicon wafer are controlled within the allowable range of the process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing silicon wafer transfer and positioning technology, and particularly to a Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device. Background Technology

[0002] Notch-type silicon wafers have become the mainstream form of advanced process wafer manufacturing due to their advantages of high reference positioning accuracy and small edge damage. In semiconductor production lines, silicon wafers need to be cyclically transferred between dozens of processes such as photolithography, etching, and ion implantation. The consistency between the central reference and the circumferential Notch reference of the entire silicon wafer directly determines the alignment accuracy and product yield of subsequent processes.

[0003] If there is a deviation in the reference surface of the entire box of silicon wafers, it will cause the position to shift when the automatic robotic arm picks up and places the silicon wafers. This may result in minor process alignment errors or, in severe cases, silicon wafer collision and damage.

[0004] Chinese Patent Publication No. CN222097693U discloses a wafer handling and transfer device for silicon wafer production, including a transfer hopper. A first handle is fixedly connected to the surface of the transfer hopper, and a clamping device for easy cleaning is provided inside the transfer hopper. The clamping device includes fourteen clamping members, all of which are rotatably connected to the inside of the transfer hopper. The fourteen clamping members are symmetrically distributed in two pairs inside the transfer hopper.

[0005] The aforementioned patent uses an arc-shaped groove in the clamping device to fit the silicon wafer. When the arc-shaped groove clamps the silicon wafer, it does not adhere to the surface of the silicon wafer. Thus, the arc-shaped groove can clamp the silicon wafer without affecting the surface cleaning of the silicon wafer. Moreover, the clamping of the arc-shaped groove and the silicon wafer can maintain a certain distance between the two silicon wafers, avoiding the problem of low cleaning efficiency of the contact surface between the silicon wafers.

[0006] However, the aforementioned patents lack a unified circumferential Notch reference, making it impossible to align the circumferential angles of the entire silicon wafer box. This results in difficulty in ensuring the consistency of the reference surface of the entire silicon wafer box. The center offset and Notch angle deviation of different silicon wafers often exceed the range allowed by the process, and subsequent processes still need to perform secondary alignment calibration, which further increases the production cycle and cost. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The main objective of this invention is to provide a Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference plane consistency positioning device, which can effectively solve the problems mentioned above.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device includes a chassis, an electric track fixedly mounted on the lower part of the chassis, an upper plate fixedly mounted on the upper part of the chassis, and four rectangular grooves formed on the outer surface of the upper plate. The device also includes: A central positioning post is fixedly installed at the center of the upper part of the upper plate. The central positioning post corresponds to the center hole of the silicon wafer. A placement plate is slidably connected to the outer surface of the central positioning post. A driving component is disposed on the upper left side of the chassis and is used to drive the placement tray to slide on the surface of the central positioning post, so that silicon wafers can be accumulated and placed on the placement tray. A positioning stop bar is fixedly installed on the upper part of the upper plate and located on the opposite part of the drive assembly. The positioning stop bar corresponds to the Notch notch and is made of flexible non-metallic material. A limiting component is disposed between the base and the upper plate, and is used to clamp and limit the silicon wafer placed on the placement plate.

[0009] Preferably, the width of the positioning strip is smaller than the width of the notch in the silicon wafer.

[0010] Preferably, a sliding hole is provided in the middle of the placement tray, and a through hole is provided at the position corresponding to the positioning stop bar on the placement tray to prevent the positioning stop bar from obstructing the sliding of the placement tray; The outer surface of the central positioning post has four sliding grooves corresponding to the sliding holes, which guide the placement plate when it slides.

[0011] Preferably, the limiting component includes: The first motor is fixedly installed at the center of the lower part of the chassis. A cross plate is fixedly installed at the center of the upper part of the chassis, and L-shaped movable plates are slidably connected to the inner cavities on all four sides of the cross plate. A rotating disk is located on the upper part of a cross plate and is fixedly installed at the output end of the rotating disk. The surface of the rotating disk has four arc-shaped holes, and the upper part of the cross plate has corresponding cross holes. Each of the four moving plates has a sliding rod fixedly installed on its horizontal surface, which slides in the cross holes.

[0012] Preferably, the four sliding rods slide on the four arc-shaped holes respectively, so that when the rotating disk rotates, the sliding rods are squeezed, thereby driving the four moving plates to move towards the center point of the rotating disk.

[0013] Preferably, silicone sleeves are fixedly installed on the vertical surfaces of all four movable plates.

[0014] Preferably, the driving component includes: A fixing plate is fixedly installed on the upper part of the chassis and is located opposite the positioning stop bar. A second motor is fixedly installed on the upper part of the fixing plate. A threaded rod, which is fixedly installed at the output end of the second motor and rotatably mounted on the chassis; A threaded block is threadedly connected to the outer surface of a threaded rod, and pulley mechanisms that slide on the surface of a fixed plate are fixedly installed on both sides of the threaded block.

[0015] Preferably, the threaded block and the placement disk are fixedly connected by a rectangular plate.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention establishes a unified radial center reference for the entire silicon wafer cascade through a central positioning post. Combined with a positioning stop bar that precisely matches the notch, it achieves unified calibration of the circumferential angle. Furthermore, by combining the four-way synchronous concentric clamping structure of the limiting component, it can correct the slight center offset and circumferential angle deviation of a single silicon wafer in one go. This ensures that the center offset and notch angle deviation of the entire silicon wafer cascade are controlled within the allowable range of the process. This not only shortens the production preparation cycle but also reduces the manpower and time costs of the process alignment.

[0017] The positioning baffle of this invention is made of a flexible non-metallic material with low friction and high toughness, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, and its width is smaller than the width of the notch of the silicon wafer. While achieving precise circumferential positioning, it avoids scratches and chipping of the silicon wafer edge caused by hard contact. The surface of the moving plate of the limiting component is provided with a silicone sleeve, which can provide elastic buffering during clamping, evenly distribute the clamping force, prevent the silicon wafer from being damaged due to excessive local force, and ensure the safety of silicon wafer during transportation. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention, which removes the electric track. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the limiting component structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the limiting component of the present invention from a second perspective; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the limiting component of the present invention from a thirtieth perspective; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the drive component structure of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the central positioning column and placement disk structure of the present invention.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Chassis; 2. Electric track; 3. Upper plate; 4. Rectangular groove; 5. Center positioning post; 6. Positioning stop; 7. Drive assembly; 8. Limiting assembly; 9. Placement plate; 91. Through hole; 92. Sliding hole; 93. Sliding groove; 81. Moving plate; 82. Silicone sleeve; 83. Rotary disk; 84. Arc-shaped hole; 85. First motor; 86. Sliding rod; 87. Cross plate; 71. Fixed plate; 72. Pulley mechanism; 73. Threaded rod; 74. Threaded block; 75. Second motor. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0021] Example 1, as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 7 As shown, a Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device includes a chassis 1, an electric track 2 fixedly installed on the lower part of the chassis 1, which can realize the autonomous movement of the device in the clean room and adapt to the silicon wafer transfer needs between different process stations. An upper plate 3 is fixedly installed on the upper part of the chassis 1, and four rectangular grooves 4 are opened on the outer surface of the upper plate 3. It also includes: The center positioning post 5 is fixedly installed at the center of the upper plate 3. The center positioning post 5 corresponds to the center hole of the silicon wafer and is used to provide a uniform radial center reference for the whole box of silicon wafers. The outer surface of the center positioning post 5 is slidably connected to the placement plate 9, which is used to carry and stack the silicon wafers to be positioned one by one. The drive component 7 is located on the upper left side of the chassis 1 and is used to drive the placement tray 9 to slide vertically up and down on the surface of the central positioning post 5, so that the silicon wafers can be stably accumulated and placed on the placement tray 9 to form a standard whole box stack state. Positioning baffle 6 is fixedly installed on the upper part of the upper plate 3 and located on the opposite side of the drive assembly 7. Positioning baffle 6 corresponds to the Notch notch and is made of flexible non-metallic material. It is used to provide a uniform circumferential reference for the entire silicon wafer and avoid mechanical contact damage to the edge of the silicon wafer. The limiting component 8 is located between the base plate 1 and the upper plate 3. It is used to perform four-way synchronous clamping and limiting of the entire box of silicon wafers placed on the placement plate 9, and further calibrate the center and circumferential positions of all silicon wafers to ensure that the reference planes of the entire box of silicon wafers are completely consistent.

[0022] Specifically, before implementing this device, the operator moves the device to the silicon wafer loading station using the electric track 2, completes the position calibration of the device and the loading robot, and then starts the drive assembly 7, which drives the placement tray 9 to slide upward along the central positioning column 5 to the highest limit position, ready to receive the first silicon wafer.

[0023] Next, the loading robot aligns the center hole of the first Notch silicon wafer with the center positioning post 5, and at the same time aligns the Notch notch of the silicon wafer with the positioning stop bar 6. The silicon wafer is then slowly placed on the placement tray 9. After placement, the drive assembly 7 moves the placement tray 9 downward by a standard silicon wafer thickness, so that the next silicon wafer can be stably stacked on the upper surface of the previous silicon wafer. The above placement and descent operations are repeated until the entire specified number of silicon wafers in the box are stacked on the placement tray 9.

[0024] In the above process, after the entire box of silicon wafers is placed, the staff will start the limiting component 8 to move from four directions to the center of the device at the same time, so as to uniformly clamp and limit the outer edge of the entire box of silicon wafers, further correct any slight offset that may exist in a single silicon wafer, and ensure that the center of all silicon wafers is completely aligned with the Notch notch. After the reference plane is consistent and the positioning is completed, the entire box of silicon wafers can be transferred to the next process station by the electric conveyor belt 2.

[0025] When it is necessary to remove the positioned silicon wafer, the staff only needs to reverse the start of the limiting component 8 to release the clamping constraint on the silicon wafer, and then drive the placement tray 9 to slide upward through the drive component 7, so that the picking robot can pick out the silicon wafer one by one.

[0026] This device can perform one-time positioning and calibration of an entire box of silicon wafers without processing each wafer individually, greatly improving the efficiency of silicon wafer positioning operations. At the same time, the flexible contact design throughout the process effectively avoids damage to the silicon wafers.

[0027] In the above, a sliding hole 92 is provided in the middle of the placement plate 9, and a through hole 91 is provided at the position corresponding to the positioning stop 6 of the placement plate 9 to prevent the positioning stop 6 from interfering with or hindering the lifting and lowering of the placement plate 9; The outer surface of the central positioning post 5 has four sliding grooves 93 corresponding to the sliding holes 92, which precisely guide the vertical sliding of the placement tray 9, ensuring that the placement tray 9 always moves up and down in a horizontal state, fundamentally avoiding tilting and misalignment when silicon wafers are stacked.

[0028] As described above, the width of the positioning strip 6 is smaller than the width of the silicon wafer notch, ensuring that the positioning strip 6 can be smoothly embedded into the notch of each silicon wafer to achieve accurate circumferential reference positioning. At the same time, the positioning strip 6 is made of a flexible non-metallic material with low friction and high toughness, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, so that it will not produce scratches or chipping when in contact with the silicon wafer notch, effectively protecting the edge integrity of the silicon wafer.

[0029] In the above, the top of the central positioning post 5 has a tapered guide structure, which facilitates the insertion of the silicon wafer.

[0030] Example 2, based on Example 1, further explains the specific structure and working principle of the driving component 7 and the limiting component 8. (See attached document.) Figure 6 The driver component 7 includes: The fixing plate 71 is fixedly installed on the upper part of the chassis 1 and is located opposite to the positioning stop 6; A second motor 75 is fixedly installed on the upper part of the fixed plate 71, serving as the power output source for the drive assembly 7; The threaded rod 73 is fixedly installed at the output end of the second motor 75 and is rotatably mounted on the chassis 1 via a bearing. Threaded block 74 is threadedly connected to the outer surface of threaded rod 73. Both sides of threaded block 74 are fixedly installed with pulley mechanism 72 that slides on the surface of fixed plate 71 to reduce the frictional resistance when threaded block 74 moves and ensure the stability of threaded block 74 when moving. The threaded block 74 is fixedly connected to the placement plate 9 through a rectangular plate, which transmits the vertical linear motion of the threaded block 74 to the placement plate 9, thereby driving the placement plate 9 to achieve lifting and lowering.

[0031] Specifically, when it is necessary to adjust the height of the placement plate 9, the second motor 75 is started. The second motor 75 drives the threaded rod 73 to rotate on a fixed axis. The rotational motion is converted into the vertical linear motion of the threaded block 74 through the threaded transmission pair. Then, the rectangular plate drives the placement plate 9 to slide up and down along the slide groove 93 of the central positioning post 5.

[0032] In the above, the pulley mechanism 72 can effectively counteract the lateral torque on the threaded block 74, avoid jamming or seizing in the threaded transmission, and ensure the stability and positional accuracy of the lifting process of the placement plate 9.

[0033] For further details, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The limiting component 8 includes: The first motor 85 is fixedly installed at the center of the lower part of the chassis 1; A cross plate 87 is fixedly installed at the center of the upper part of the chassis 1. L-shaped movable plates 81 are slidably connected to the inner cavities on all four sides of the cross plate 87 to provide guidance for the radial movement of the movable plates 81. Rotary disk 83 is located on the upper part of cross plate 87 and is fixedly installed at the output end of the first motor 85. Four evenly distributed arc-shaped holes 84 are opened on the surface of the rotary disk 83. Cross-shaped through holes corresponding to the arc-shaped holes 84 are opened on the upper part of the cross plate 87. Sliding rods 86 that slide in the cross-shaped through holes are fixedly installed on the horizontal plane of the four moving plates 81. The four sliding rods 86 slide in the four arc-shaped holes 84 respectively. When the rotating disk 83 rotates, the sliding rods 86 are squeezed by the side wall of the arc-shaped holes 84, which in turn drives the four moving plates 81 to move synchronously towards the center point of the rotating disk 83 along the inner cavity of the cross plate 87. Each of the four movable plates 81 has a silicone sleeve 82 fixedly installed on its vertical surface. This sleeve provides elastic cushioning when clamping the silicon wafer, preventing hard contact damage to the edge of the silicon wafer. It also increases clamping friction to prevent the silicon wafer from sliding or misaligning during transport.

[0034] Specifically, when it is necessary to clamp and limit the entire box of silicon wafers, the first motor 85 is started to run, so that the first motor 85 drives the rotating disk 83 to rotate on a fixed axis. The four arc-shaped holes 84 on the rotating disk 83 rotate synchronously, and push the four sliding rods 86 along the cross-shaped through hole of the cross plate 87 towards the center through the inner wall of the arc-shaped hole 84. This, in turn, drives the four L-shaped moving plates 81 to move towards the center synchronously, clamping the outer edge of the entire box of silicon wafers from four directions at the same time. The silicone sleeve 82 can absorb the impact force during the clamping process and evenly distribute the clamping force to prevent the silicon wafer from being damaged due to excessive local force.

[0035] In the above, the guiding structure of the cross plate 87 and the arc-shaped hole transmission design of the rotating disk 83 ensure that the moving speed and displacement of the four moving plates 81 are completely consistent, realizing the concentric clamping of the silicon wafer and further ensuring the consistency of the center reference of the whole box of silicon wafers; the synchronous operation of the four moving plates 81 can prevent the silicon wafer from tilting or shifting due to force on one side, ensuring the stacking verticality of the whole box of silicon wafers.

[0036] In the above, the rectangular groove 4 opened on the upper plate 3 is adapted to the size of the movable plate 81, which can ensure that the upper plate 3 will not obstruct the movement of the movable plate 81 when the movable plate 81 is close together.

[0037] It is important to emphasize that the fit between the through hole 91 of the placement disk 9 and the positioning bar 6 has been rigorously calibrated to ensure that the Notch notch of each silicon wafer can be precisely engaged with the positioning bar 6, achieving complete uniformity of the circumferential reference.

[0038] It should be noted that the specific installation methods, circuit connection methods, and automatic control methods of the first motor 85, the second motor 75, and the electric track 2 used in this invention are all conventional design methods in the field and are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, this invention will not elaborate on them in detail.

[0039] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of this invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device, comprising a chassis (1), wherein an electric track (2) is fixedly installed on the lower part of the chassis (1), and an upper plate (3) is fixedly installed on the upper part of the chassis (1), wherein four rectangular grooves (4) are formed on the outer surface of the upper plate (3), characterized in that, Also includes: The center positioning post (5) is fixedly installed at the center of the upper part of the upper plate (3). The center positioning post (5) corresponds to the center hole of the silicon wafer. The outer surface of the center positioning post (5) is slidably connected to the placement plate (9). The driving component (7) is located on the upper left side of the chassis (1) and is used to drive the placement disk (9) to slide on the surface of the central positioning post (5) so that the silicon wafers can be accumulated and placed on the placement disk (9). Positioning stop (6), the positioning stop (6) is fixedly installed on the upper part of the upper plate (3) and located on the opposite part of the drive assembly (7). The positioning stop (6) corresponds to the Notch notch and is made of flexible non-metallic material. A limiting component (8) is disposed between the chassis (1) and the upper chassis (3) for clamping and limiting the silicon wafer placed on the placement tray (9).

2. The Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the positioning bar (6) is smaller than the width of the notch notch on the silicon wafer.

3. The Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The placement tray (9) has a sliding hole (92) in the middle and a through hole (91) is provided at the position corresponding to the positioning stop (6) to prevent the positioning stop (6) from obstructing the sliding of the placement tray (9); The outer surface of the central positioning post (5) is provided with four sliding grooves (93) corresponding to the sliding holes (92) to guide the placement plate (9) when it slides.

4. The Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The limiting component (8) includes: The first motor (85) is fixedly installed at the center of the lower part of the chassis (1); A cross plate (87) is fixedly installed at the center of the upper part of the chassis (1). The four sides of the cross plate (87) are slidably connected with L-shaped movable plates (81). A rotating disk (83) is located on the upper part of the cross plate (87) and is fixedly installed at the output end of the rotating disk (83). Four arc-shaped holes (84) are opened on the surface of the rotating disk (83). Corresponding cross holes are opened on the upper part of the cross plate (87). Sliding rods (86) that slide in the cross holes are fixedly installed on the horizontal plane of the four moving plates (81).

5. The Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The four sliding rods (86) slide in the four arc-shaped holes (84) respectively. When the rotating disk (83) rotates, it squeezes the sliding rods (86), thereby driving the four moving plates (81) to move towards the center point of the rotating disk (83).

6. The Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each of the four movable plates (81) has a silicone sleeve (82) fixedly installed on its vertical surface.

7. The Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driving component (7) includes: A fixing plate (71) is fixedly installed on the upper part of the chassis (1) and is located opposite to the positioning stop bar (6). A second motor (75) is fixedly installed on the upper part of the fixing plate (71). A threaded rod (73) is fixedly installed at the output end of the second motor (75) and rotatably mounted on the chassis (1); Threaded block (74), which is threaded to the outer surface of threaded rod (73), and pulley mechanism (72) that slides on the surface of fixed plate (71) is fixedly installed on both sides of threaded block (74).

8. The Notch-type silicon wafer whole-box reference surface consistency positioning device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The threaded block (74) and the placement plate (9) are fixedly connected by a rectangular plate.

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