Tray end effector assembly

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of wafer equipment, in particular to a tray end effector assembly. The carrying disc end effector assembly comprises an effector mechanism, a marking light source, a carrying disc and an air floating disc. The actuator mechanism is provided with a first marker line, and the carrying disc is provided with a second marker line; the first marker line and the second marker line are both straight line segments, and an included angle is formed between the extending direction of the second marker line and the length direction of the air floatation half-moon piece. The marking light source can emit marking light with a preset width; when the actuator mechanism can move to the position above the carrying disc, the actuator mechanism can be moved to enable the marking light to penetrate through the second marking line and then be aligned with the first marking line. A positioning part is arranged in the center of the carrying disc, a matching part is arranged in the center of the air floating disc, and the positioning part is rotatably arranged in the matching part so that the centers of the carrying disc and the air floating disc can be aligned. Therefore, the positions of the actuator, the carrying disc and the air floating disc are relatively stable, and the quality of wafers is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of wafer equipment, in particular to a carrier end effector assembly. Background Art

[0002] In the epitaxial growth of silicon carbide, the uniformity of crystal growth and surface morphology are two extremely critical parameters of the product. In order to obtain crystals with the same crystal orientation as the substrate, the process temperature is generally required to be around 1600°C. Due to the hardware limitations of the equipment, the normal growth starting temperature is 900°C. Due to the temperature drop, the silicon carbide-related crystals accumulated on the wall of the reaction chamber will fall off when encountering airflow under the action of thermal stress under the temperature drop, thereby affecting the surface morphology of the silicon carbide epitaxial crystal. In order to improve the quality of the crystal and obtain a more uniform doping effect and thickness, considering the edge effects of temperature and fluid, the current popular practice is to achieve partition control. By adjusting the temperature and flow rate of different areas through partition control centered on the growth carrier, a higher uniformity has been achieved. In summary, in order to obtain better growth uniformity and surface morphology, it is required to be in a clean, position-controlled starting state before crystal growth.

[0003] Then the existing carrier end effector has the following technical problems:

[0004] 1. Because the wafer is not in the right position in the cavity, the thickness and concentration uniformity of the wafer growth epitaxial process are abnormal.

[0005] 2. The dropped objects generated during the transmission process will cause the surface morphology of the silicon carbide wafer to deteriorate, affecting the quality of the wafer. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of the utility model includes, for example, providing a carrier plate end effector assembly, which can ensure that the positions of the actuator, the carrier plate and the air floating plate are relatively stable, thereby ensuring the quality of the wafer.

[0007] The embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as follows:

[0008] In a first aspect, the utility model provides a carrier end effector assembly, which can be arranged on an air-floating half-moon element, comprising:

[0009] An actuator mechanism, a marking light source, a carrier plate and an air-floating plate; the air-floating plate is arranged on the air-floating half-moon member, the carrier plate is arranged on the top of the air-floating plate, and the actuator mechanism can move above the carrier plate;

[0010] The actuator mechanism has a first marking line, and the carrier has a second marking line; the first marking line and the second marking line are both straight line segments, and the extension direction of the second marking line has an angle with the length direction of the air-floating half-moon member;

[0011] The marking light source can emit a marking light with a preset width; when the actuator mechanism can be moved above the carrier, the actuator mechanism can be moved so that the marking light passes through the second marking line and is aligned with the first marking line;

[0012] A positioning portion is provided at the center of the carrier plate, and a matching portion is provided at the center of the air floating plate. The positioning portion is rotatably provided in the matching portion to achieve center alignment of the carrier plate and the air floating plate.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the actuator mechanism includes an actuator unit and a cover;

[0014] The actuator unit comprises a connecting portion and two actuator arms; the two actuator arms are respectively arranged at two ends of the length direction of the connecting portion, and both the actuator arms maintain an angle with the length direction of the connecting portion;

[0015] The two execution arms and the connecting portion enclose a storage space for accommodating wafers; the cover is disposed between the two execution arms, and the cover can cover the wafers in the storage space;

[0016] The first marking line is arranged on the covering member.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, along the length direction of the actuator arm, the actuator arm has a first end close to the connecting portion and a second end away from the connecting portion;

[0018] The length of the covering member is greater than the length of the actuator arm; one end of the covering member is disposed at the first end, and the other end of the covering member extends along the length direction of the actuator arm to a preset position away from the second end.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, a side of the cover member close to the second end is an arc transition.

[0020] In an optional embodiment, the cover is integrally formed with the actuator unit.

[0021] In an optional embodiment, the marking light source is a laser.

[0022] In an optional embodiment, the positioning portion is a positioning protrusion, the matching portion is a matching groove, the positioning protrusion is inserted into the matching groove; and the positioning protrusion can rotate in the matching groove.

[0023] In an optional embodiment, the positioning protrusion comprises an inverted frustum, the inverted frustum is arranged at the bottom of the carrier through a truncated cone, and the bottom diameter of the inverted frustum is smaller than the top diameter of the inverted frustum;

[0024] The mating groove includes a tapered groove, and the inverted frustum can be snapped into the tapered groove.

[0025] In an optional embodiment, the bottom of the inverted frustum is provided with a rounded corner.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the air floating plate is a planar disk-shaped structure, and the carrier plate and the air floating plate can remain parallel.

[0027] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present utility model include, for example:

[0028] Such a carrier end effector assembly realizes the positioning of the actuator and the air floating plate by cooperating with the marking light source, the first marking line of the actuator mechanism and the second marking line of the carrier. That is, the light emitted by the marking light source is used to make the first marking line and the second marking line coincide, so as to ensure that the projections of the actuator and the air floating plate coincide, thereby ensuring that the relative positions of the actuator and the air floating plate can be positioned. The positioning part in the center of the carrier plate cooperates with the matching part in the center of the air floating plate to ensure the relative positioning of the carrier plate and the air floating plate. That is, the carrier plate and the air floating plate can not only ensure that the carrier plate can accurately fall on the base of the air floating plate cavity, but also reduce the air pressure generated by the carrier plate during the falling process to move the position of the carrier plate, thereby ensuring the relative position of the carrier plate and the end effector is stable. In summary, such a carrier end effector assembly ensures that the positions of the actuator mechanism, the carrier plate and the air floating plate are relatively stable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the utility model, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the utility model and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the carrier end effector assembly of an embodiment of the utility model;

[0031] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the actuator mechanism of the carrier end-effector assembly of an embodiment of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 3It is a schematic structural diagram of the actuator mechanism of the carrier end-effector assembly of an embodiment of the utility model from another perspective;

[0033] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the air float and the carrier of the carrier end effector assembly of the embodiment of the utility model;

[0034] Figure 5 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the carrier end effector assembly according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0035] Icons: 11-air-floating half-moon; 100-actuator mechanism; 110-actuator unit; 110a-accommodating space; 111-connecting part; 112-actuator arm; 112a-first end; 112b-second end; 113-extension rod; 120-covering part; 200-marking light source; 201-marking light; 300-carrying plate; 310-positioning part; 400-air-floating plate; 410-matching part; 21-first marking line; 22-second marking line. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the utility model clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the utility model described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0037] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to be protected, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0039] In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that if the terms "upper", "lower", "inside", "outside", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or is the orientation or position relationship in which the utility model product is usually placed when used. It is only for the convenience of describing the utility model and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it cannot be understood as a limitation on the present utility model.

[0040] In addition, the terms “first”, “second”, etc., if used, are merely used to distinguish between the descriptions and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0041] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the features in the embodiments of the present invention may be combined with each other.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 1 This embodiment provides a carrier end effector assembly, which can be arranged on the air-floating half-moon member 11, including:

[0043] The actuator mechanism 100, the marking light source 200, the carrier plate 300 and the air floating plate 400; the air floating plate 400 is arranged on the air floating half-moon member 11, the carrier plate 300 is arranged on the top of the air floating plate 400, and the actuator mechanism 100 can move above the carrier plate 300;

[0044] The actuator mechanism 100 has a first marking line 21, and the carrier plate 300 has a second marking line 22; the first marking line 21 and the second marking line 22 are both straight line segments, and the extension direction of the second marking line 22 has an angle with the length direction of the air-floating half-moon member 11;

[0045] The marking light source 200 can emit a marking light 201 with a preset width; when the actuator mechanism 100 can be moved above the carrier 300, the moving actuator mechanism 100 can make the marking light 201 pass through the second marking line 22 and align with the first marking line 21;

[0046] A positioning portion 310 is disposed at the center of the carrier plate 300 , and a matching portion 410 is disposed at the center of the air floating plate 400 . The positioning portion 310 is rotatably disposed in the matching portion 410 to achieve center alignment of the carrier plate 300 and the air floating plate 400 .

[0047] Please continue reading Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 , for more details on the carrier end effector assembly.

[0048] In this embodiment, the marking light source 200, the first marking line 21 of the actuator mechanism 100 and the second marking line 22 of the carrier 300 cooperate with each other to realize the positioning of the actuator and the air floating plate 400. That is, the light emitted by the marking light source 200 makes the first marking line 21 and the second marking line 22 coincide with each other, so as to ensure that the projections of the actuator and the air floating plate 400 coincide with each other, thereby ensuring that the relative positions of the actuator and the air floating plate 400 can be positioned. The positioning portion 310 at the center of the carrier 300 cooperates with the matching portion 410 at the center of the air floating plate 400 to ensure the relative positioning of the carrier 300 and the air floating plate 400. That is, the carrier 300 and the air floating plate 400 can not only ensure that the carrier 300 can accurately fall on the cavity base of the air floating plate 400, but also reduce the air pressure generated by the carrier 300 during the falling process to move the position of the carrier 300, thereby ensuring the relative position of the carrier 300 and the end effector is stable. In summary, the carrier plate end effector assembly ensures that the positions of the actuator mechanism 100 , the carrier plate 300 and the air floating plate 400 are relatively stable.

[0049] It should be noted that the first marking line 21 and the second marking line 22 are line segments of the same length. Specifically, the first marking line 21 is a wire groove provided on the actuator mechanism 100, and the second marking line 22 is a wire groove provided on the carrier 300, and the two wire grooves have the same length and the same width. The first marking line 21 is perpendicular to the length direction of the actuator mechanism 100, and the second marking line 22 is perpendicular to the length direction of the air-floating semicircular member.

[0050] When in use, the actuator mechanism 100 is moved along the length direction of the actuator mechanism 100 so that the first marking line 21 and the second marking line 22 coincide with each other, thereby ensuring that the actuator mechanism 100 and the carrier plate 300 can coincide with each other in the front-to-back direction (the length direction of the air-floating semicircular member); the light emitted by the marking light source 200 sequentially passes through the first marking line 21 and the second marking line 22, thereby ensuring that the actuator mechanism 100 and the carrier plate 300 can be positioned in the left-right direction (the width direction of the air-floating semicircular member). Through positioning in two directions, the actuator mechanism 100 can be accurately moved to a preset position on the carrier plate 300.

[0051] Furthermore, the carrier plate 300 is made of graphite material. By optimizing the roughness combination of the carrier plate 300 and the actuator, it is possible to avoid the situation where the carrier plate 300 and the end actuator move relative to each other, thereby causing inaccurate positioning of the graphite plate.

[0052] Optionally, the marking light source 200 here is a laser. The laser light emitted by the laser has the advantages of stable light source, long service life and good penetration.

[0053] Further, from Figure 1 , Figure 2and Figure 3 It can also be seen that in this embodiment of the utility model, the actuator mechanism 100 includes an actuator unit 110 and a cover 120; the actuator unit 110 includes a connecting portion 111 and two actuator arms 112; the two actuator arms 112 are respectively arranged at both ends of the length direction of the connecting portion 111, and the two actuator arms 112 maintain an angle with the length direction of the connecting portion 111; the two actuator arms 112 and the connecting portion 111 enclose a receiving space 110a for accommodating wafers; the cover 120 is arranged between the two actuator arms 112, and the cover 120 can cover the wafers in the receiving space 110a; the first marking line 21 is arranged on the cover 120. The cover 120 here can be used as a setting position of the first marking line 21, and can also be used as a structure on the actuator mechanism 100 to shield the wafer to prevent dust from falling on the wafer surface.

[0054] Optionally, in this embodiment, the actuator mechanism 100 is a U-shaped fork structure, and the fork is the accommodating space 110a. The two actuator arms 112 are vertically arranged on the rod-shaped connecting portion 111, so that the two actuator arms 112 are arranged in parallel. Further, the actuator mechanism 100 also includes an extension rod 113, which is arranged at one end of the connecting portion 111 away from the actuator arm 112, and the extension direction of the extension rod 113 is the same as that of the actuator arm 112.

[0055] In this embodiment, the top surface of the extension rod 113, the top surface of the connection portion 111, the top surface of the actuator arm 112 and the top surface of the cover 120 are all in the same plane. Optionally, the cover 120 is integrally formed with the actuator unit 110. This makes the cover 120 have better stability.

[0056] It can also be seen from the figure that in this embodiment of the utility model, along the length direction of the actuator arm 112, the actuator arm 112 has a first end 112a close to the connection part 111, and a second end 112b away from the connection part 111; the length of the cover 120 is greater than the length of the actuator arm 112; and one end of the cover 120 is set at the first end 112a, and the other end of the cover 120 extends along the length direction of the actuator arm 112 to a preset position away from the second end 112b. In this way, the cover 120 has a larger coverage area, so as to ensure that the entire wafer surface is shielded, and dust generated during the movement of the end actuator carrying the wafer falls on the wafer surface, so as to better protect the wafer morphology and reduce the deterioration of the surface morphology of the silicon carbide wafer and affect the wafer quality.

[0057] Optionally, in this embodiment of the present invention, the side of the cover 120 near the second end 112b is an arc transition. The arc transition setting can ensure that the cover 120 has a larger coverage area and can also reduce the size of the end surface of the cover 120, and the arc transition can avoid collision with other components.

[0058] from Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 It can also be seen that in this embodiment of the utility model, the positioning portion 310 is a positioning protrusion, the matching portion 410 is a matching groove, the positioning protrusion is inserted into the matching groove; and the positioning protrusion can rotate in the matching groove. The snap-fitting of the positioning portion 310 and the matching portion 410 ensures the center positioning of the air floating plate 400 and the carrier plate 300, and also ensures that the carrier plate 300 can flexibly rotate in the air floating plate 400.

[0059] Optionally, in this embodiment, the positioning protrusion includes an inverted cone, which is arranged at the bottom of the carrier 300 through a truncated cone, and the bottom diameter of the inverted cone is smaller than the top diameter of the inverted cone; the matching groove includes a conical groove, and the inverted cone can be inserted into the conical groove. The inverted cone and the conical groove can be arranged in a fitting manner, so that the carrier 300 can easily fall into the air floating plate 400 through the positioning protrusion, thereby ensuring that the air floating plate 400 and the carrier 300 always remain in a centered state.

[0060] Furthermore, the bottom of the inverted cone is provided with a rounded corner, which enables the positioning protrusion to easily slide into the matching groove, thereby facilitating the positioning and matching of the air floating plate 400 and the carrier plate 300 .

[0061] Compared with the prior art, the circumferential edge of the air floating plate 400 is provided with a circular step surface, and the step surface can be higher than the surface of the air floating plate 400 to enclose the carrier plate 300. In this embodiment, the step surface is removed from the air floating plate 400, and a flat disc structure is directly adopted, so that the carrier plate 300 and the air floating plate 400 can remain parallel. In this way, the relative displacement of the air floating plate 400 and the carrier plate 300 caused by the centrifugal force can be reduced. Specifically, by flattening the step surface to reduce the relative displacement of the carrier plate 300 caused by the centrifugal force, the carrier plate 300 is always in the plane of the air floating plate 400, which is conducive to improving the levelness of the carrier plate 300.

[0062] In summary, the present invention provides a carrier end effector assembly having at least the following advantages:

[0063] 1. Due to the open surface of the existing U-shaped end effector, the wafer is exposed, which causes the dust generated during the movement to fall onto the wafer. This design uses a covering surface structure to prevent the dust generated during the movement of the end effector carrying the wafer from falling onto the wafer surface, thereby achieving a better effect of protecting the wafer morphology.

[0064] 2. Since the horizontal cavity vision is blocked, it is impossible to accurately calibrate the centering of the graphite disk in the chamber. This design uses the surface structure of the cover 120 to design a special marking line to make it coincide with the projection of the position of the carrier plate 300;

[0065] 3. With the design of the special carrier 300 and the air floating plate 400, the carrier 300 can be accurately placed on the air floating plate 400. At the same time, the roughness control of the end effector can reduce the air pressure generated during the falling process of the carrier 300, which may cause the carrier 300 to move, and ensure the relative position of the carrier 300 and the end effector to be stable.

[0066] The above are only specific implementations of the utility model, but the protection scope of the utility model is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the utility model should be included in the protection scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the utility model should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A carrier end effector assembly, which can be arranged on an air-floating half-moon, characterized in that: include: An actuator mechanism (100), a marking light source (200), a carrier plate (300) and an air-floating plate (400); the air-floating plate (400) is arranged on the air-floating half-moon member (11), the carrier plate (300) is arranged on the top of the air-floating plate (400), and the actuator mechanism (100) can move above the carrier plate (300); The actuator mechanism (100) has a first marking line (21), and the carrier (300) has a second marking line (22); the first marking line (21) and the second marking line (22) are both straight line segments, and the extension direction of the second marking line (22) has an angle with the length direction of the air-floating half-moon element (11); The marking light source (200) is capable of emitting a marking light (201) having a preset width; when the actuator mechanism (100) is capable of moving above the carrier plate (300), the actuator mechanism (100) is moved so that the marking light (201) passes through the second marking line (22) and is aligned with the first marking line (21); A positioning portion (310) is provided at the center of the carrier plate (300), and a matching portion (410) is provided at the center of the air floating plate (400). The positioning portion (310) is rotatably arranged in the matching portion (410) to achieve center alignment of the carrier plate (300) and the air floating plate (400).

2. The carrier end effector assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator mechanism (100) comprises an actuator unit (110) and a cover (120); The actuator unit (110) comprises a connecting portion (111) and two actuator arms (112); the two actuator arms (112) are respectively arranged at two ends of the length direction of the connecting portion (111), and the two actuator arms (112) both maintain an angle with the length direction of the connecting portion (111); The two execution arms (112) and the connecting portion (111) enclose a storage space (110a) for storing wafers; the cover (120) is arranged between the two execution arms (112), and the cover (120) can cover the wafers in the storage space (110a); The first marking line (21) is arranged on the covering member (120).

3. The carrier end effector assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: Along the length direction of the actuator arm (112), the actuator arm (112) has a first end (112a) close to the connecting portion (111), and a second end (112b) away from the connecting portion (111); The length of the covering member (120) is greater than the length of the actuator arm (112); and one end of the covering member (120) is arranged at the first end (112a), and the other end of the covering member (120) extends along the length direction of the actuator arm (112) to a preset position away from the second end (112b).

4. The carrier end effector assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: A side of the covering member (120) close to the second end (112b) is in an arc transition.

5. The carrier end effector assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cover (120) and the actuator unit (110) are integrally formed.

6. The carrier end effector assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The marking light source (200) is a laser.

7. The carrier end effector assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The positioning portion (310) is a positioning protrusion, the matching portion (410) is a matching groove, the positioning protrusion is inserted into the matching groove, and the positioning protrusion can rotate in the matching groove.

8. The carrier end effector assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The positioning protrusion comprises an inverted frustum, the inverted frustum is arranged at the bottom of the carrier (300) through a truncated cone, and the bottom diameter of the inverted frustum is smaller than the top diameter of the inverted frustum; The mating groove includes a tapered groove, and the inverted frustum can be snapped into the tapered groove.

9. The carrier end effector assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: The bottom of the inverted frustum is provided with a rounded corner.

10. The carrier end effector assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The air floating plate (400) is a planar plate-shaped structure, and the carrier plate (300) and the air floating plate (400) can remain parallel.

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