Self-adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production

Abstract

The utility model discloses a self-adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production, which comprises a base, the upper end face of the base is provided with a mounting disc, the upper end of the mounting disc is provided with a plurality of limiting mechanisms used for limiting horizontal movement of silicon wafers, and the limiting mechanisms are provided with positioning assemblies used for limiting jumping of the silicon wafers in the vertical direction; according to the utility model, the structure is simple, the design is reasonable, the silicon wafer to be transferred can be quickly limited on the transfer equipment carrier, a large number of uniformly distributed support sleeves can be matched with the conventional wafer in size, the size adaptability and flexibility of the carrier are improved, the silicon wafer can be placed on the carrier without accurate position requirements, and the production efficiency is improved. The silicon wafer loading and transferring device is simple in structure and higher in practicability, meanwhile, limiting of the silicon wafer in the vertical direction is achieved, the situation that the wafer is excessively jacked by a supporting sleeve below the wafer is avoided, jumping of the silicon wafer in the vertical direction is effectively prevented, and the stability of the silicon wafer in the loading and transferring process is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor carrier equipment, in particular to an adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing, the safe and efficient transportation of silicon wafers is a key link in the production process. With the rapid development of integrated circuit technology, higher requirements are also placed on the carriers used in the transportation process of silicon wafers. The carriers are used to load and fix silicon wafers on top of the transportation equipment. It not only needs to protect the wafers from physical damage, but also ensure their stability during the entire transportation process, which is crucial to maintaining the production efficiency and product quality of silicon wafers.

[0003] Deficiencies of existing technology:

[0004] Most of the current carriers use mechanical clamping, suction cup adsorption or static electricity to fix silicon wafers. These carriers are usually fixed on transfer equipment, and the wafers are accurately placed on the carriers by robotic arms or manually. However, the existing technology still has obvious limitations in practical applications. First, common wafer sizes include 6 inches, 8 inches and 12 inches. The diversity of sizes requires carriers to have high adaptability and flexibility, but most carriers can only adapt to wafers of a single size, resulting in manufacturers using different carriers when transporting wafers of different sizes. This obviously increases production costs and operational complexity, and is inefficient. Secondly, the installation or placement of wafers on conventional carriers requires high precision. If the wafer position is offset, it may not be effectively fixed during the transportation process, thereby increasing the risk of damage and reducing production efficiency and product quality. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the utility model is to provide an adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production to solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the utility model provides the following technical solutions: an adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production, comprising a base, a mounting plate is arranged on the upper end surface of the base, a plurality of limit mechanisms for limiting the horizontal movement of the silicon wafer are arranged on the upper end of the mounting plate, and a positioning component for limiting the vertical movement of the silicon wafer is arranged on the limit mechanism;

[0007] The limiting mechanism comprises:

[0008] An electromagnet ring, the electromagnet ring is arranged in a cavity at the lower end of the mounting plate, and a plurality of slide grooves are provided in an annular shape on the upper end surface of the mounting plate;

[0009] A permanent magnet, wherein the permanent magnet is slidably connected in the slide slot, and a support sleeve is provided on the upper end surface of the permanent magnet;

[0010] A limiting ring is arranged at the upper end of the slide groove, and the supporting sleeve is slidably connected to the inner wall of the limiting ring.

[0011] Preferably, the positioning component includes:

[0012] A lever, wherein the lever is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the support sleeve through a pin, and a through groove is provided on the outer wall of the support sleeve for the lever to enter and exit the support sleeve;

[0013] A pull rope, one end of which is connected to the lower end surface of the slide slot, and the other end of which passes through the permanent magnet and is connected to the upper end of the lever;

[0014] A trapezoidal block is arranged at the lower end of the lever away from the pull rope.

[0015] Preferably, a plurality of support rods are provided on the upper end surface of the mounting plate and located on the inner side of the slide groove, and the support rods are at the same height as the support sleeve in a fully retracted state.

[0016] Preferably, the upper ends of the support rod and the support sleeve are both provided with silicone heads.

[0017] Preferably, the openings of the through slots are all oriented toward the center of the mounting plate.

[0018] Preferably, a limited height block is provided at the lower end of the chute.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the utility model are:

[0020] The adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production realizes rapid positioning of the silicon wafer to be transported on the carrier of the transport equipment by setting a limiting mechanism, which includes an electromagnet ring, a slide groove, a permanent magnet, a support sleeve and a limiting ring. A large number of evenly distributed support sleeves can match the conventional wafer size. A 6-inch silicon wafer can be positioned by the inner support sleeve, and a 12-inch silicon wafer can be positioned by the outer support sleeve, thereby improving the size adaptability and flexibility of the carrier. In addition, there is no precise position requirement for the placement of the silicon wafer on the carrier. Even if there is a certain offset, the support sleeve can effectively position it, thereby achieving higher efficiency and stronger practicality.

[0021] The adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production is provided with a positioning component, which includes a lever, a through slot, a pull rope and a trapezoidal block, thereby achieving vertical limitation of the silicon wafer, preventing the support sleeve under the wafer from excessively lifting the wafer, thereby causing the wafer to lose the horizontal limitation effect, and also effectively preventing the silicon wafer from jumping in the vertical direction during transportation, further improving the stability of the silicon wafer during loading and transportation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall internal structure of the utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 It is an overall top view of the utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of silicon wafer loading of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a top view schematic diagram of the positioning assembly of the utility model in the open state;

[0026] Figure 5 For the utility model Figure 1 An enlarged schematic diagram at A in FIG.

[0027] Figure 6 For the utility model Figure 4 A magnified schematic diagram at B in FIG.

[0028] In the figure: 1. base; 2. mounting plate; 3. limiting mechanism; 301. electromagnet ring; 302. slide groove; 303. permanent magnet; 304. support sleeve; 305. limiting ring; 4. positioning assembly; 401. lever; 402. through groove; 403. pull rope; 404. trapezoidal block; 5. support rod; 6. silicone head; 7. height limit block. Implementation

[0029] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicating orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0031] In the description of this patent, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "setting" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixed connection, setting, or detachable connection, setting, or integrated connection, setting. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this patent can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0032] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present utility model, the meaning of "several" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. Example

[0033] See also Figure 1-6As shown, the utility model provides a technical solution for an adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production: an adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production, comprising a base 1, a mounting plate 2 is fixedly mounted on the upper end surface of the base 1, the size of the mounting plate 2 is greater than 12 inches, a plurality of limit mechanisms 3 for limiting the horizontal movement of the silicon wafer are mounted on the upper end of the mounting plate 2, and a positioning component 4 for limiting the vertical movement of the silicon wafer is mounted on the limit mechanism 3;The limiting mechanism 3 includes an electromagnet ring 301, a permanent magnet 303 and a limiting ring 305. The electromagnet ring 301 is installed in the cavity at the lower end of the mounting plate 2. A plurality of slide grooves 302 are provided in an annular shape on the upper end surface of the mounting plate 2. The permanent magnet 303 is slidably connected in the slide groove 302. A support sleeve 304 is installed on the upper end surface of the permanent magnet 303. The limiting ring 305 is fixedly installed on the upper end of the slide groove 302. The support sleeve 304 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the limiting ring 305. When the silicon wafer needs to be transported, the electromagnet ring 301 is energized first, and the electromagnet ring 301 generates a repulsive force on the permanent magnet 303. The controller of the transporting equipment controls the current on the electromagnet ring 301 to energize the electromagnet ring 301. The repulsive force of the magnet ring 301 on the permanent magnet 303 can be controlled to be slightly greater than the sum of the gravity of the permanent magnet 303 and the support sleeve 304, so that the permanent magnet 303 and the support sleeve 304 are pushed to the top of the slide groove 302 and are limited by the limit ring 305. The positioning component 4 is opened, and then the wafer is vertically lowered above the mounting plate 2 by a robotic arm or manually. A part of the support sleeve 304 will first contact the lower end surface of the wafer. Under the effect of the wafer's own weight and the pressure of the robotic arm or manually, the support sleeve 304 under the wafer overcomes the repulsive force of the electromagnet ring 301 and moves downward synchronously with the wafer. During the movement, the wafer will pass through the positioning components 4 on all sides until the support sleeve 304 moves to the bottom of the slide groove 302. After the wafer is removed from the machine, the robot arm is removed or the hand is released, and the wafer rises again under the repulsive force of the electromagnet ring 301 until it is positioned by the positioning assembly 4 on the surrounding support sleeve 304. At this time, the wafer can be transported. When the wafer reaches the transfer destination and needs to be taken out, a downward pressure is first applied to the wafer by a robot arm or manual pressing to push the wafer downward until the support sleeve 304 moves to the bottom of the chute 302, and the edge of the wafer is separated from the surrounding positioning assembly 4, providing an operating space for the closing of the positioning assembly 4. Then, the controller of the transfer equipment controls the electromagnet ring 301 to cut off the power, and the support sleeve 304 around the wafer loses its supporting force. Under the action of its own weight, the air discharged from the chute 302 begins to gradually slide down. During the sliding process, the positioning components 4 are all restored to the closed state. When the support sleeves 304 are all dropped and reset, the wafers can be taken out. Through the limiting mechanism 3, the silicon wafers to be transported are quickly limited on the transport equipment carrier. A large number of evenly distributed support sleeves 304 can match the conventional wafer size. A 6-inch silicon wafer can be limited by the inner support sleeve 304, and a 12-inch silicon wafer can be limited by the outer support sleeve 304, which improves the size adaptability and flexibility of the carrier. There is no precise position requirement for the placement of the silicon wafer on the carrier. Even if there is a certain offset, the support sleeve 304 can effectively limit it, which is more efficient and more practical. ;

[0034] The positioning assembly 4 includes a lever 401, a pull rope 403 and a trapezoidal block 404. The lever 401 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the support sleeve 304 through a pin shaft. A through groove 402 is provided on the outer wall of the support sleeve 304 for the lever 401 to enter and exit the support sleeve 304. One end of the pull rope 403 is connected to the lower end surface of the slide groove 302, and the other end of the pull rope 403 passes through the permanent magnet 303 and is connected to the upper end of the lever 401. The trapezoidal block 404 is fixedly installed at the lower end of the lever 401 away from the pull rope 403. The trapezoidal block 404 not only plays the role of guiding the silicon wafer to move downward, but also plays the role of a counterweight, so that the lever 401 can be quickly reset after losing the pulling force of the pull rope 403; when the support sleeve 304 rises, the pull rope 403 is gradually straightened and exerts a pulling force on one end of the lever 401, so that the lever 401 and the trapezoidal block 404 are rotated out of the through groove 402. When the wafer needs to pass from above, the lower edge of the wafer first contacts the hypotenuse of the outer trapezoidal block 404, and presses down the trapezoidal block 404 so that the trapezoidal block 404 and the lever 401 rotate back into the through slot 402. After the wafer passes, the lever 401 and the trapezoidal block 404 bounce back, and the wafer below can be limited in the vertical direction. When the support sleeve 304 starts to fall, the pull rope 403 becomes loose, and the lever 401 will be quickly retracted into the through slot 402 together with the trapezoidal block 404 under the counterweight action of the trapezoidal block 404. Through the positioning component 4, the vertical limitation of the silicon wafer is achieved, which prevents the support sleeve 304 below the wafer from over-lifting the wafer, thereby causing the wafer to lose the horizontal limiting effect, and also effectively prevents the silicon wafer from jumping in the vertical direction during the transportation process, further improving the stability of the silicon wafer during loading and transportation.

[0035] A plurality of support rods 5 are installed on the inner side of the slide groove 302 on the upper end surface of the mounting plate 2. The support rods 5 are at the same height as the support sleeve 304 when the support sleeve 304 is fully retracted. When the silicon wafer moves down to the lowest point, the support rods 5 can provide a certain supporting force to the center of the silicon wafer to prevent the middle part of the silicon wafer from breaking due to excessive force.

[0036] The upper ends of the support rod 5 and the support sleeve 304 are both installed with a silicone head 6, which can prevent the support rod 5 and the support sleeve 304 from scratching the surface of the silicon wafer.

[0037] The slots of the through slots 402 are all oriented toward the center of the mounting disk 2. Since the wafer is generally placed as centered as possible on the mounting disk 2 during normal operation, the slots of the through slots 402 are oriented toward the center of the mounting disk 2. This ensures that the lever 401 and the trapezoidal block 404 also point to the center of the mounting disk 2 after being rotated out of the through slots 402, thereby enabling the positioning assembly 4 to achieve the best operating effect.

[0038] A height limiting block 7 is installed at the lower end of the slide groove 302 , and the height limiting block 7 can prevent the lower end of the support sleeve 304 from frequently pressing on the pull rope 403 when the support sleeve 304 falls back, thereby reducing the service life of the pull rope 403 .

[0039] The working principle of the utility model is as follows:

[0040] In the adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production of the present embodiment, when the silicon wafer needs to be transferred, the electromagnet ring 301 is first energized, and the electromagnet ring 301 generates a repulsive force on the permanent magnet 303, so that the permanent magnet 303 and the support sleeve 304 are pushed to the top of the slide groove 302 and are limited by the limit ring 305. During the rising process of the support sleeve 304, the pull rope 403 is gradually straightened and exerts a pulling force on one end of the lever 401, so that the lever 401 and the trapezoidal block 404 are rotated out of the through groove 402, and then the wafer is placed on the mounting plate by a robotic arm or manually. 2, a part of the support sleeve 304 will first contact the lower end surface of the wafer. Under the effect of the wafer's own weight and the mechanical arm or manual pressing, the support sleeve 304 below the wafer overcomes the repulsive force of the electromagnet ring 301 and moves downward synchronously with the wafer. During the downward movement of the wafer, the lower edge first contacts the hypotenuse of the outer trapezoidal block 404, and presses down the trapezoidal block 404 so that the trapezoidal block 404 and the lever 401 rotate back into the through slot 402. When the wafer passes through, the lever 401 and the trapezoidal block 404 bounce back, and the wafer below can be moved downward. The wafer continues to move downward until the support sleeve 304 moves to the bottom of the slide groove 302, then the robot arm is removed or the hand is released, and the wafer rises again under the repulsive force of the electromagnet ring 301 until it is pressed by the lower end surface of the lever 401 extending from the surrounding support sleeve 304. At this time, the wafer can be transported. When the wafer reaches the destination for transfer and needs to be taken out, a downward pressure is first applied to the wafer by a robot arm or manual pressing to push the wafer downward until the support sleeve 304 moves to the bottom of the slide groove 302 and the edge of the wafer is in contact with the wafer. The lower end surface of the surrounding lever 401 is separated to provide space for the rotation of the lever 401 and the trapezoidal block 404. Then, the controller of the transfer device controls the electromagnet ring 301 to be powered off, and the support sleeve 304 around the wafer loses its support force. Under the action of its own weight, the air discharged from the chute 302 begins to gradually slide down. During the sliding process, the pull rope 403 becomes loose, and the lever 401 is quickly retracted into the through slot 402 together with the trapezoidal block 404 under the counterweight action of the trapezoidal block 404. When the support sleeve 304 is completely dropped and reset, the wafer can be taken out.The utility model has a simple structure and reasonable design. Through the limiting mechanism 3, the silicon wafer to be transported can be quickly limited on the carrier of the transport equipment. A large number of evenly distributed support sleeves 304 can match the conventional wafer size. A 6-inch silicon wafer can be limited by the inner support sleeve 304, and a 12-inch silicon wafer can be limited by the outer support sleeve 304, which improves the size adaptability and flexibility of the carrier. There is no precise position requirement for the placement of the silicon wafer on the carrier. Even if there is a certain offset, the support sleeve 304 can effectively limit it, which is more efficient and more practical. At the same time, through the positioning component 4, the vertical direction of the silicon wafer is limited, which prevents the support sleeve 304 under the wafer from over-lifting the wafer, thereby causing the wafer to lose the limiting effect in the horizontal direction, and also effectively prevents the silicon wafer from jumping in the vertical direction during the transportation process, further improving the stability of the silicon wafer during loading and transportation. ;

[0041] The above shows and describes the basic principle, main features and advantages of the utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that the utility model is not limited by the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions are only preferred examples of the utility model and are not used to limit the utility model. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model, the utility model may have various changes and improvements, which fall within the scope of the utility model to be protected. The scope of protection of the utility model is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production, comprising a base (1), characterized in that: A mounting plate (2) is arranged on the upper end surface of the base (1); a plurality of limit mechanisms (3) for limiting the horizontal movement of the silicon wafer are arranged on the upper end of the mounting plate (2); and a positioning component (4) for limiting the vertical movement of the silicon wafer is arranged on the limit mechanism (3); The limiting mechanism (3) comprises: An electromagnet ring (301), the electromagnet ring (301) being arranged in a cavity at the lower end of the mounting plate (2), and a plurality of slide grooves (302) are provided in an annular shape on the upper end surface of the mounting plate (2); A permanent magnet (303), the permanent magnet (303) being slidably connected in the slide groove (302), and a support sleeve (304) being provided on the upper end surface of the permanent magnet (303); A limiting ring (305) is arranged at the upper end of the slide groove (302), and the supporting sleeve (304) is slidably connected to the inner wall of the limiting ring (305).

2. The adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning component (4) comprises: A lever (401), the lever (401) being rotatably connected to the inner wall of the support sleeve (304) via a pin, and a through groove (402) is provided on the outer wall of the support sleeve (304) for the lever (401) to enter and exit the support sleeve (304); A pull rope (403), one end of the pull rope (403) being connected to the lower end surface of the slide groove (302), and the other end of the pull rope (403) passing through the permanent magnet (303) and connected to the upper end of the lever (401); A trapezoidal block (404) is arranged at the lower end of the lever (401) on a side away from the pull rope (403).

3. The adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of support rods (5) are provided on the upper end surface of the mounting plate (2) and located inside the slide groove (302); the support rods (5) are at the same height as the support sleeve (304) in a fully retracted state.

4. The adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production according to claim 3, characterized in that: The upper ends of the support rod (5) and the support sleeve (304) are both provided with a silicone head (6).

5. The adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production according to claim 2, characterized in that: The notch directions of the through slots (402) are all towards the center direction of the mounting plate (2).

6. The adaptive carrier for silicon wafer production according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limited height block (7) is provided at the lower end of the slide groove (302).

Images