Semiconductor material loading temporary storage

Abstract

The application provides a semiconductor material loading temporary storage machine, and relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing. The semiconductor material loading temporary storage machine comprises a buffer machine cabinet, a front connection and docking alignment assembly is arranged in front of the buffer machine cabinet, two lifting and docking mechanisms are arranged in front of the inside of the buffer machine cabinet, and a material temporary storage box is fixedly installed at the back of the inside of the buffer machine cabinet. The lifting and docking mechanism comprises a Y-direction linear motor connected and driving a lifting seat. The loading temporary storage machine guarantees the efficiency and low loss of the material transfer process from the mechanical structure, significantly improves the universal adaptability and continuous operation stability of different sizes of semiconductor materials, and solves the problem that the material is usually linearly sent into the temporary storage box by using a belt type conveying assembly during the material transfer, the material lacks effective limiting and guiding on both sides, the vibration during the operation of the equipment easily causes the lateral deviation of the material, the material is difficult to be accurately sent into the box, and the bumping and friction during the connection and conveying easily cause the damage of the material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a semiconductor material loading and storage machine. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the loading and storage machine serves as a connecting device between adjacent processes. It is used to transport the materials processed in the previous process to the next process. When the production rhythm of the upper and lower processes is not matched, the materials produced by the previous process are sent to the material storage box by the connecting mechanism built into the loading and storage machine for temporary storage. After the production line efficiency returns to a stable state, the semiconductor materials temporarily stored in the material storage box are then output to the subsequent processes in an orderly manner.

[0003] However, existing material handling temporary storage machines typically use belt conveyors to linearly feed materials into the storage bins during material transfer. The lack of effective limiting and guiding on both sides of the material means that vibrations during operation can easily cause lateral displacement, making it difficult to accurately feed the material into the bins. Collisions and friction during the transfer process can easily damage the material. If a fixed-width conveyor structure is used, it cannot accommodate semiconductor materials of different sizes, resulting in insufficient versatility. Some machines are equipped with adjustable side plates to accommodate various material widths, but adjustments are mostly manual, making it difficult to ensure synchronized transmission of the conveyor belts on both sides after adjustment. This not only affects line-changing efficiency but also makes the material prone to skewing due to differences in linear speed on both sides after width changes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a semiconductor material feeding and temporary storage machine to solve the problems that when transferring materials, belt conveyor components are usually used to feed materials linearly into the temporary storage box. However, the materials lack effective limiting and guiding on both sides, and vibrations during equipment operation can easily cause lateral displacement of the materials, making it difficult to accurately feed them into the box. Furthermore, collisions and frictions that occur during the connection and conveying process can easily damage the materials.

[0005] This invention provides a semiconductor material loading and temporary storage machine, specifically comprising: a buffer machine chassis, a front connection and alignment component disposed at the front of the buffer machine chassis, two lifting and connecting mechanisms disposed at the front of the interior of the buffer machine chassis, and a material temporary storage box fixedly installed at the rear of the interior of the buffer machine chassis. Each lifting and connecting mechanism includes: a Y-axis linear motor connected to and driving a lifting seat; a fixed side plate fixedly disposed on the side of the lifting seat away from the center of the buffer machine chassis; a loading drive component fixedly connected below the lifting seat; the loading drive component being driven and connected to a linkage synchronous shaft via a chain; the linkage synchronous shaft being rotatably connected to the fixed side plate via bearings; an adaptation and adjustment mechanism mounted on the lifting seat; the adaptation and adjustment mechanism being connected to a movable side plate; and material belt conveyor components mounted on the inner surfaces of both the fixed and movable side plates; the linkage synchronous shaft being driven and connected to the material belt conveyor components.

[0006] Furthermore, the Y-axis linear motor includes a motor magnetic track and a motor slide, with the motor magnetic track fixedly connected to the edge of the front wall inside the cache machine chassis.

[0007] Furthermore, the motor magnetic rail is set perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the motor slide is electromagnetically slidably connected to the rear of the motor magnetic rail, and the motor slide is connected to the lifting seat by bolts.

[0008] Furthermore, the material conveyor belt assembly includes a material conveying timing belt, timing pulleys, and a tensioning pulley for tensioning the material conveying timing belt. Both the timing pulleys and the tensioning pulleys are rotatably connected to the inner surfaces of the fixed side plate and the movable side plate via bearings.

[0009] Furthermore, the material conveying synchronous belt is tensioned and wound around the synchronous pulley, the linkage synchronous shaft is a hexagonal prism structure, a hexagonal transmission hole is opened through the center of the synchronous pulley, and the linkage synchronous shaft passes through the hexagonal transmission hole.

[0010] Furthermore, the adaptation adjustment mechanism includes an adaptation adjustment drive, two adaptation adjustment lead screws, and two side plate spiral push seats, with the adaptation adjustment drive fixedly connected to the lower part of the lifting seat.

[0011] Furthermore, the adaptive adjustment screw is rotatably connected between the fixed side plate and the edge plate on the upper surface of the lifting seat via a bearing, and the adaptive adjustment drive unit drives the two adaptive adjustment screws to rotate via a synchronous belt transmission mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, the two side plate spiral push seats are fixedly connected to the movable side plate by screws, and the two adaptive adjustment screws are respectively threadedly connected to the two side plate spiral push seats.

[0013] Furthermore, a following vision inspection mechanism is fixedly connected above the lifting seat, and the following vision inspection mechanism includes two Z-axis linear motors fixedly installed on the lifting seat.

[0014] Furthermore, motor mounting plates are connected to the slides of both Z-axis linear motors, and X-axis linear motors are fixedly connected to the mounting plates. A vision detector is fixedly connected to the lower part of the slide of the X-axis linear motor.

[0015] This invention provides a semiconductor material loading and storage machine, which has the following beneficial effects: This invention achieves adaptive adjustment of the conveying width and strict synchronization of the transmission on both sides through the cooperation of the adaptive adjustment mechanism and the linkage synchronous shaft. During adjustment, the adaptive adjustment drive unit drives two adaptive adjustment screws to rotate synchronously via the synchronous belt, causing the side plate spiral push seat and the movable side plate to move smoothly. Different specifications of materials can be quickly adapted without manual adjustment. During the conveying process, the feeding drive unit drives the linkage synchronous shaft to rotate via the chain. The linkage synchronous shaft adopts a hexagonal prism structure and passes through the hexagonal transmission hole of the synchronous belt pulley. Regardless of the spacing position of the movable side plate, the linkage synchronous shaft can simultaneously transmit the same speed torque to the material conveying belt on both sides, eliminating the material skew caused by the difference in linear velocity on both sides. In conjunction with the material belt conveyor assembly inside the fixed side plate and the movable side plate, the material is kept in contact and limited on both sides throughout the entire process, which greatly reduces the risk of collision damage during the connection and conveying.

[0016] Furthermore, the lifting and connecting mechanism uses a Y-axis linear motor to drive the vertical movement of the lifting seat, which offers faster response and higher positioning accuracy compared to traditional lead screw modules. The motor's magnetic rail is attached to the edge of the front wall of the buffer machine chassis, resulting in a compact structure and ample internal layout space. The following vision inspection mechanism mounted above the lifting seat rises and falls synchronously with the material. Driven by Z-axis and X-axis linear motors, the vision detector moves and aligns in a two-dimensional plane, enabling in-situ inspection before the material enters the box. This eliminates the need for a separate inspection station, improving process integration and production line efficiency. It can be seen that this loading and temporary storage machine constructs a lifting and connecting channel between the material storage box and the front connecting and alignment component, featuring fast width adjustment, full-range limiting, and follow-up detection functions. From both mechanical structure and control perspectives, it ensures high efficiency and low loss in the material transfer process, significantly improving the universal adaptability to semiconductor materials of different sizes and the stability of continuous operation. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below.

[0018] The accompanying drawings described below are only related to some embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0019] In the attached diagram: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of this application is shown; Figure 2 This diagram shows the structural layout of the lifting and connecting mechanism of this application within the cache unit chassis. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the Y-axis linear motor of this application is shown; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the lifting seat of this application is shown; Figure 5 This application shows Figure 4Front view structural diagram; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the feeding drive component of this application is shown; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the linkage synchronous shaft of this application is shown; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the adaptive adjusting screw of this application is shown; Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the active side panel of this application is shown; Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the material conveying synchronous belt of this application is shown; Figure 11 This application shows Figure 6 A magnified structural diagram of point A in the middle.

[0020] Figure label: 1. Front connection alignment component; 2. Buffer machine chassis; 3. Lifting connection mechanism; 4. Material temporary storage box; 5. Linear motor; 501. Motor magnetic track; 502. Motor slide; 6. Lifting seat; 7. Feeding drive component; 8. Linkage synchronous shaft; 9. Adaptive adjustment drive component; 901. Adaptive adjustment screw; 10. Fixed side plate; 11. Movable side plate; 1101. Side plate spiral push seat; 12. Material conveying synchronous belt; 1201. Synchronous pulley; 1202. Hexagonal transmission hole; 13. Z-axis linear motor; 14. Motor connection plate; 15. X-axis linear motor; 16. Vision detector. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Example 1: Please refer to Figures 1 to 11 : This invention proposes a semiconductor material loading and temporary storage machine, comprising: a buffer machine chassis 2, a front connection and alignment component 1 disposed at the front of the buffer machine chassis 2, two lifting and connecting mechanisms 3 disposed at the front of the interior of the buffer machine chassis 2, and a material temporary storage box 4 fixedly installed at the rear of the interior of the buffer machine chassis 2. The lifting and connecting mechanism 3 includes: a Y-axis linear motor 5, the Y-axis linear motor 5 connected to and driving a lifting seat 6, a fixed side plate 10 fixedly disposed on the side of the lifting seat 6 away from the center of the buffer machine chassis 2, a loading drive component 7 fixedly connected below the lifting seat 6, the loading drive component 7 being driven and connected to a linkage synchronous shaft 8 via a chain, the linkage synchronous shaft 8 being rotatably connected to the fixed side plate 10 via bearings, the Y-axis linear motor 5 including a motor magnetic rail 501 and a motor slide 502, the motor magnetic rail 501 being fixedly connected to the edge of the front wall inside the buffer machine chassis 2, the motor magnetic rail 501 being disposed perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the motor slide 502 being electrically... A magnetic sliding connection is established behind the motor magnetic rail 501, and the motor slide 502 is bolted to the lifting seat 6. The height of the lifting seat 6 is adjusted by the Y-axis linear motor 5, allowing semiconductor materials to be delivered to different storage areas in the material storage box 4. The buffer machine chassis 2 serves as the main support, with the front connection and alignment component 1 at the front receiving upstream materials and aligning their positions. The material storage box 4 at the rear is used for temporary storage of materials. Two sets of lifting and connecting mechanisms 3 correspond to different connecting channels. The lifting action is achieved by the Y-axis linear motor 5. The motor magnetic rail 501 is attached to the edge of the front wall of the buffer machine chassis 2 and installed perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The motor slide 502 is electromagnetically driven along the magnetic rail, resulting in a compact structure and fast response. The lifting seat 6 is bolted to the motor slide 502 and rises and falls synchronously with the slide, thereby accurately delivering semiconductor materials to different storage levels in the material storage box 4, achieving the function of layered temporary storage.

[0022] In this embodiment, an adaptation adjustment mechanism is installed on the lifting seat 6, which is connected to a movable side plate 11. Material belt conveyor assemblies are installed on the inner surfaces of both the fixed side plate 10 and the movable side plate 11. A linkage synchronous shaft 8 is driven and connected to the material belt conveyor assemblies. The adaptation adjustment mechanism on the lifting seat 6 drives the movable side plate 11 to translate relative to the fixed side plate 10, thereby adjusting the width of the conveying channel between the two side plates to accommodate semiconductor materials of different sizes. Material belt conveyor assemblies are installed on the inner surfaces of both the fixed side plate 10 and the movable side plate 11, allowing materials to be smoothly conveyed under the clamping and limiting effect of the conveyor belts on both sides. The linkage synchronous shaft 8 passes between the material belt conveyor assemblies on both sides and is driven by the feeding drive 7 via a chain, simultaneously transmitting power to the conveyor assemblies on both sides to ensure synchronous operation on both sides, structurally preventing material skewing caused by inconsistent conveyor belt linear speeds.

[0023] In this embodiment, the material conveyor belt assembly includes a material conveying synchronous belt 12, a synchronous pulley 1201, and a tensioning pulley for tensioning the material conveying synchronous belt 12. The synchronous pulley 1201 and the tensioning pulley are rotatably connected to the inner surfaces of the fixed side plate 10 and the movable side plate 11 via bearings. The material conveying synchronous belt 12 is tensioned and wound around the synchronous pulley 1201. The linkage synchronous shaft 8 has a hexagonal prism structure, and a hexagonal transmission hole 1202 is formed through the center of the synchronous pulley 1201. The linkage synchronous shaft 8 passes through the hexagonal transmission hole 1202. The material conveying synchronous belt 12 is wound around the synchronous pulley 1201 and kept taut by the tensioning pulley, ensuring stability during the conveying process. The synchronous pulley 1201 and the tensioning pulley are rotatably connected to the inner surfaces of the fixed side plate 10 and the movable side plate 11 via bearings, allowing the conveying structures on both sides to move with the side plates. The linkage synchronous shaft 8 has a hexagonal prism structure, corresponding to the hexagonal transmission hole 1202 opened in the center of the synchronous pulley 1201, forming a spline-type sliding transmission fit. When the adapter adjustment mechanism drives the movable side plate 11 to move, the synchronous pulley 1201 can slide along the axial direction of the linkage synchronous shaft 8, while always maintaining torque transmission, ensuring that the two conveyor belts still operate strictly synchronously after adjustment.

[0024] In this embodiment, the adaptation adjustment mechanism includes an adaptation adjustment drive component 9, two adaptation adjustment screws 901, and two side plate spiral pushers 1101. The adaptation adjustment drive component 9 is fixedly connected to the lower part of the lifting seat 6. The adaptation adjustment screws 901 are rotatably connected between the fixed side plate 10 and the edge plate on the upper surface of the lifting seat 6 via bearings. The adaptation adjustment drive component 9 drives the two adaptation adjustment screws 901 to rotate via a synchronous belt drive mechanism. The two side plate spiral pushers 1101 are fixedly connected to the movable side plate 11 via screws. The two adaptation adjustment screws 901 are threadedly connected to the two side plate spiral pushers 1101 respectively. The adaptation adjustment drive component 9 is fixed to the lower part of the lifting seat 6 and synchronously drives the two adaptation adjustment screws 901 to rotate via a synchronous belt drive mechanism. The two adaptation adjustment screws 901 are rotatably connected between the fixed side plate 10 and the edge plate on the upper surface of the lifting seat 6 via bearings to maintain axial positioning. Two side plate spiral pushers 1101 are fixed on the movable side plate 11 and are threadedly connected to the corresponding adaptation adjustment screws 901 respectively. When the adjusting screw 901 rotates, it pushes the side plate spiral push seat 1101 through the threaded pair, causing the movable side plate 11 to move along the screw axis, thereby realizing the automatic adjustment of the width of the transmission channel. The adjustment process does not require manual operation by stopping the machine, which improves the efficiency of line changing.

[0025] In Embodiment Two, based on Embodiment One, a following visual inspection mechanism is fixedly connected above the lifting platform 6. This following visual inspection mechanism includes two Z-axis linear motors 13 fixedly mounted on the lifting platform 6. Motor mounting plates 14 are connected to the slides of both Z-axis linear motors 13. X-axis linear motors 15 are fixedly connected to the motor mounting plates 14. A visual detector 16 is fixedly connected below the slides of the X-axis linear motors 15. This mechanism is fixed above the lifting platform 6 and rises and falls synchronously with the lifting platform 6, ensuring that the visual detector 16 always maintains a consistent relative height with the currently contacting material layer. The mechanism includes two Z-axis linear motors 13, each with a motor mounting plate 14 connected to its slide. An X-axis linear motor 15 is fixed to the motor mounting plate 14, forming a two-dimensional motion platform. The vision detector 16 is installed below the slide of the X-axis linear motor 15. It can move to the target position under the combined drive of the Z and X axes to perform in-situ detection of surface defects or positional deviations of the material. This design integrates the detection process into the connecting lifting mechanism, eliminating the need for a separate detection station, which helps to simplify the equipment layout and improve production line efficiency.

[0026] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows: The upstream material first enters the front docking and alignment component 1 to complete the posture alignment and is then handed over to the lifting docking mechanism 3. According to the width of the current batch of materials, the adaptive adjustment drive component 9 drives the two adaptive adjustment screws 901 to rotate synchronously via the synchronous belt drive. The side plate spiral push seat 1101 drives the movable side plate 11 to move smoothly, realizing the automatic adjustment of the width of the conveying channel. At this time, the synchronous belt pulley 1201 slides axially along the hexagonal prism surface of the linkage synchronous shaft 8 through its hexagonal transmission hole 1202, always maintaining the torque transmission connection. The semiconductor material is located above the two material conveying synchronous belts 12 and is supported by the two material conveying synchronous belts 12. The motor slide 502 of the Y-axis linear motor 5 moves vertically along the motor magnetic track 501, driving the lifting seat 6 to rise to the designated storage layer of the material temporary storage box 4. The loading drive component 7 is driven by the chain. The linkage synchronous shaft 8 rotates, and the linkage synchronous shaft 8 distributes power at the same speed to the synchronous pulleys 1201 on the fixed side plate 10 and the movable side plate 11, driving the material conveying synchronous belts 12 on both sides to run synchronously. The material is smoothly fed into the temporary storage box under the guidance of the double conveyor belts and the side limit of the fixed side plate 10 and the movable side plate 11. The following vision inspection mechanism fixed above the lifting seat 6 rises and falls together. The vision detector 16 is driven by the Z-axis linear motor 13 and the X-axis linear motor 15 to perform two-dimensional alignment, realizing the in-situ defect or position detection of the material. When the production line needs materials, the material can be directly output backward by the discharge mechanism built into the material temporary storage box 4, or the loading drive 7 can be reversed and the material conveying synchronous belt 12 can run in reverse, so that the material can be taken out from the temporary storage box 4 and output outward, thereby realizing the efficient temporary storage and flexible scheduling of semiconductor materials between multiple processes.

Claims

1. A semiconductor material loading and storage machine, comprising: A buffer machine chassis (2) is provided with a front connection and alignment component (1) at the front of the buffer machine chassis (2), and two lifting connection mechanisms (3) are provided at the front of the interior of the buffer machine chassis (2). A material storage box (4) is fixedly installed at the rear of the interior of the buffer machine chassis (2). The lifting connection mechanism (3) includes a Y-axis linear motor (5), which is connected to and drives a lifting seat (6). A fixed side plate (10) is fixedly provided on the side of the lifting seat (6) away from the center of the buffer machine chassis (2). A feeding drive component (7) is fixedly connected to the lower part of the lifting seat (6). The feeding drive component (7) is driven and connected to the linkage synchronous shaft (8) via a chain. The linkage synchronous shaft (8) is rotatably connected to the fixed side plate (10) via a bearing. An adapter adjustment mechanism is installed on the lifting seat (6). The adapter adjustment mechanism is connected to a movable side plate (11). Material belt conveyor components are installed on the inner surfaces of both the fixed side plate (10) and the movable side plate (11). The linkage synchronous shaft (8) is driven and connected to the material belt conveyor components.

2. The semiconductor material loading and storage machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Y-axis linear motor (5) includes a motor magnetic rail (501) and a motor slide (502). The motor magnetic rail (501) is fixedly connected to the edge of the front wall inside the cache machine chassis (2).

3. A semiconductor material loading and storage machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The motor magnetic rail (501) is set perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the motor slide (502) is electromagnetically slidably connected to the rear of the motor magnetic rail (501), and the motor slide (502) is connected to the lifting seat (6) by bolts.

4. A semiconductor material loading and storage machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material conveyor belt assembly includes a material conveying timing belt (12), a timing pulley (1201), and a tensioning pulley for tensioning the material conveying timing belt (12). The timing pulley (1201) and the tensioning pulley are rotatably connected to the inner surfaces of the fixed side plate (10) and the movable side plate (11) via bearings.

5. A semiconductor material loading and storage machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The material conveying synchronous belt (12) is tensioned and wound around the synchronous pulley (1201). The linkage synchronous shaft (8) is a hexagonal prism structure. A hexagonal transmission hole (1202) is opened through the center of the synchronous pulley (1201). The linkage synchronous shaft (8) passes through the hexagonal transmission hole (1202).

6. A semiconductor material loading and temporary storage machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adaptation adjustment mechanism includes an adaptation adjustment drive (9), two adaptation adjustment screws (901) and two side plate spiral push seats (1101), and the adaptation adjustment drive (9) is fixedly connected to the lower part of the lifting seat (6).

7. A semiconductor material loading and storage machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The adaptive adjustment screw (901) is rotatably connected between the fixed side plate (10) and the edge plate on the upper surface of the lifting seat (6) via a bearing. The adaptive adjustment drive (9) drives the two adaptive adjustment screws (901) to rotate via a synchronous belt transmission mechanism.

8. A semiconductor material loading and storage machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The two side plate spiral push seats (1101) are fixedly connected to the movable side plate (11) by screws, and the two adaptive adjustment screws (901) are respectively threaded to the two side plate spiral push seats (1101).

9. A semiconductor material loading and storage machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, A following vision inspection mechanism is fixedly connected above the lifting seat (6). The following vision inspection mechanism includes two Z-axis linear motors (13) fixedly installed on the lifting seat (6).

10. A semiconductor material loading and storage machine according to claim 9, characterized in that, Both Z-axis linear motors (13) are connected to motor mounting plates (14), and X-axis linear motors (15) are fixedly connected to the mounting plates (14). A vision detector (16) is fixedly connected to the lower part of the mounting plate of the X-axis linear motor (15).

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