Silicon wafer grabbing mechanism and transferring equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a silicon wafer grabbing mechanism and transferring equipment. The silicon wafer grabbing mechanism comprises a mounting frame; the clamping finger group is provided with a main clamping finger and an auxiliary clamping finger which are arranged below the mounting frame and used for clamping the end part of the silicon wafer group; the jacking group is provided with a plurality of auxiliary rods capable of penetrating through the mounting frame; the auxiliary rod can extend and support the silicon wafer group when the silicon wafer group clamped by the clamping finger group is in a non-vertical state, so that the whole silicon wafer group is overlapped; and when the silicon wafer group is in a clamped vertical state, the silicon wafer group can be withdrawn. The silicon wafer grabbing mechanism is simple in structural design and easy to control, not only can clamp multiple piles of vertical silicon wafer groups at a time, but also can ensure that the silicon wafers placed below are not deformed or complete when the silicon wafer groups are horizontally placed, ensures the consistency and safety of the silicon wafer groups, and improves the working efficiency of the silicon wafer groups. And therefore, all silicon wafer groups can be stably and completely moved and transferred.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of silicon wafer production, and in particular relates to a gripping mechanism capable of placing silicon wafers vertically and horizontally, and a transfer device equipped with the gripping mechanism. Background Art

[0002] Existing wafer clamping mechanisms can grip the ends of a wafer stack. However, this vertical clamping method causes the lower wafer to bend when the wafer stack needs to be placed horizontally, making it prone to interference or collision with the target location. Furthermore, as wafers become larger and thinner, they become more susceptible to deformation. This method, which only grips the ends of a wafer stack, cannot ensure the stability and security of the wafers below the stack when placed horizontally. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present application provides a silicon wafer grabbing mechanism and a transfer device equipped with the grabbing mechanism, which solves the technical problem in existing vertical mechanisms for grabbing silicon wafer groups that the lower silicon wafers are easily bent and deformed, or even bumped, when the silicon wafer group is placed horizontally.

[0004] To solve at least one of the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted in this application is:

[0005] A silicon wafer grabbing mechanism, comprising:

[0006] Mounting rack;

[0007] A clamping finger group, which includes a main clamping finger and an auxiliary clamping finger arranged below the mounting frame and is used to clamp the end of the silicon wafer group;

[0008] A top supporting group, which is provided with a plurality of auxiliary rods that can pass through the mounting frame;

[0009] The auxiliary rod can extend and support the silicon wafer group when the silicon wafer group clamped by the clamping finger group is in a non-vertical state, so that the silicon wafer group is stacked as a whole; and can retract when the silicon wafer group is in a clamped vertical state.

[0010] Furthermore, a shaft sleeve cooperating with the auxiliary rod is provided on the mounting frame;

[0011] A pipe shaft suspended upward is provided above the mounting frame. The pipe shaft and the auxiliary rod are both arranged on the back of the clamping finger group and are located between the two sets of the clamping finger groups.

[0012] Furthermore, a connecting plate for connecting the auxiliary rod is provided at one end of the auxiliary rod away from the clamping finger group.

[0013] Furthermore, a cylinder three is provided above the connecting plate away from the auxiliary rods; the cylinder three is connected to an external air pump, which drives the cylinder three and can drive all the auxiliary rods to move up and down along the length direction of the vertical silicon wafer assembly through the connecting plate.

[0014] Furthermore, the clamping finger group includes a main clamping finger and a secondary clamping finger arranged side by side along the length direction of the mounting frame, and a cylinder 1 for driving the main clamping finger to move along the vertical length direction of the silicon wafer group and a cylinder 2 for moving along the thickness direction of the silicon wafer group are provided on the side of the mounting frame away from the auxiliary rod.

[0015] Furthermore, each of the main clamping fingers is equipped with two auxiliary clamping fingers, and the auxiliary clamping fingers are arranged on both sides of the main clamping finger;

[0016] The main clamping finger is connected to the mounting frame through the second cylinder, and the first cylinder is arranged on the side of the second cylinder and connected to the top of the second cylinder.

[0017] Furthermore, the auxiliary clamping finger is directly connected to the mounting frame and is constructed as a flexible air finger with a cavity inside; one side of the auxiliary clamping finger used to clamp the side plane of the silicon wafer group is a flat surface, and a plurality of spaced bosses are provided on the side away from the silicon wafer group, and the finger tip is a curved flat structure.

[0018] Furthermore, an air pipe joint connected to the flexible air finger is provided on the outside of each of the flexible air fingers, which is controlled by air pressure to adjust the tension of the finger tip in contact with the silicon wafer, so that the finger tip bends inward or warps outward.

[0019] A silicon wafer transfer device adopts the above-mentioned gripping mechanism.

[0020] Furthermore, it also includes a robotic arm pivotally connected to the grasping mechanism; the robotic arm can clamp the thickness plane of the end of the vertically arranged silicon wafer group with the clamping finger group, and drive the grasping mechanism to drive the silicon wafer group to be transported.

[0021] The silicon wafer gripping mechanism designed in this application has a simple and easy-to-control structure. It can not only grip multiple stacks of vertical silicon wafers at a time, but also ensure that the silicon wafers placed below will not be deformed or completely damaged when the silicon wafers are placed horizontally, ensuring the consistency and safety of the silicon wafers, and allowing all silicon wafers to be moved and transported smoothly and intact. This application also proposes a transfer device equipped with this gripping mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of the gripping mechanism in this application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a state diagram of the gripping mechanism in the present application when the silicon wafer group is clamped in the low position;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a state diagram of the gripping mechanism in the present application when the silicon wafer group is clamped in the high position;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a side view of the silicon wafer assembly in the present application when it is in a low position;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the top supporting group in the present application supporting the silicon wafer group;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the cooperation between the grabbing mechanism and the robotic arm in this application.

[0028] In the picture:

[0029] 10. Mounting frame 20. Gripping finger group 21. Main gripping finger

[0030] 22. Secondary clamping finger 23. Cylinder 1 24. Cylinder 2

[0031] 30, pipe shaft 40, top support group 41, cylinder three

[0032] 42, auxiliary rod 43, connecting plate 50, mechanical arm

[0033] 51, motor 52, rotating shaft 100, grabbing mechanism DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0035] This embodiment provides a silicon wafer grabbing mechanism 100, such as Figure 1 As shown, the apparatus comprises a horizontally arranged mounting frame 10, a gripper assembly 20 connected to the mounting frame 10, and a top support assembly 40. The mounting frame 10 is provided with at least two gripper assemblies 20, each of which comprises a main gripper finger 21 positioned below the mounting frame 10 and a secondary gripper finger 22 cooperating with the main gripper finger 21. The main gripper finger 21 and the secondary gripper finger 22 are primarily used to grip the same end of a silicon wafer stack, thereby holding the wafer stack vertically. The top support assembly 40 is provided with a plurality of auxiliary rods 42 that can be passed through the mounting frame 10. When the wafer stack held by the gripper finger assembly 20 is in a horizontal or tilted position, the auxiliary rods 42 extend and support the bottom surface of the wafer stack, ensuring that the stack is stacked and prevents deformation, thus ensuring stability and security in the clamped state and preventing collisions and damage. Furthermore, when the wafer stack is in a vertical position, the auxiliary rods 42 can be promptly retracted without affecting the vertical position of the wafer stack.

[0036] Furthermore, a sleeve is provided on the mounting frame 10 for sliding engagement with the auxiliary rods 42. In this embodiment, two gripper finger groups 20 are provided, each of which includes a main gripper finger 21. Each main gripper finger 21 is equipped with two auxiliary gripper fingers 22, with the auxiliary gripper fingers 22 positioned on either side of the main gripper finger 21. In other words, each gripper finger group 20 on the mounting frame 10 can clamp two stacks of silicon wafers at a time. Accordingly, four auxiliary rods 42 are provided, with each pair of auxiliary rods 42 supporting one stack of silicon wafers to prevent the wafers from bending or folding when not in a vertical position, thereby ensuring the safety and stability of the wafers when clamped.

[0037] Furthermore, an upwardly suspended shaft 30 is provided above the mounting frame 10, and the lower end of the shaft 30 is fixed to the mounting frame 10. The shaft 30 and the auxiliary rod 42 are both arranged on the back of the gripper finger group 20, and are located between the two sets of gripper finger groups 20. The upper end of the shaft 30 is provided with a flange, which can be connected to the external robot arm 51, such as Figure 6 shown.

[0038] A connecting plate 43, used to connect all the auxiliary rods 42, is located at the end of the auxiliary rod 42 away from the gripper finger assembly 20. A third cylinder 41 is located above the connecting plate 43, away from the auxiliary rods 42. The third cylinder 41 is suspended and fixed to the connecting plate 43 and connected in the same direction as the auxiliary rods 42. The third cylinder 41 is a pen-shaped cylinder. Its lower end is equipped with a connector and air pipe (omitted in the figure) that connects to an external air pump. The air pump drives the third cylinder 41, which, through the connecting plate 43, drives all the auxiliary rods 42 up and down along the length of the wafer stack.

[0039] When the silicon wafer group is converted from a vertical state to a horizontal or inclined state, the silicon wafer located at the bottom will bend downward due to the limited area of ​​the silicon wafer group clamped by the clamping finger group 20. In order to prevent this situation, it is necessary to use cylinder three 41 to drive the four auxiliary rods 42 to move toward the suspended end of the silicon wafer group to support the lower end surface of the silicon wafer group in a non-vertical state to prevent it from bending or bumping, thereby ensuring the safety and stability of the operation during blanking.

[0040] The gripper finger assembly 20 includes a main gripper finger 21 and auxiliary gripper finger 22 arranged side by side along the length of the mounting frame 10. On the side of the mounting frame 10 away from the auxiliary rod 42, a cylinder 1 23 is provided for driving the main gripper finger 21 to move up and down along the vertical length of the wafer stack, and a cylinder 2 24 is provided for opening and closing along the thickness of the wafer stack. The main gripper finger 21 is a flat, non-flexible plate, and the depth at which it grips the wafer stack can be set based on actual conditions. Cylinders 1 23 and 2 24 allow the main gripper finger 21 to extend and retract along the vertical length of the wafer stack and move along its thickness to adjust its gripping position. The main gripper finger 21 is connected to the mounting frame 10 via cylinder 2 24, with cylinder 1 23 positioned on the side of cylinder 2 24 and connected to the top of cylinder 2 24. The air pump pushes the air cylinder 1 23, which can drive the air cylinder 2 24 and the main clamping finger 21 to move up and down along the length direction of the vertical silicon wafer assembly.

[0041] like Figure 2 The figure shows the state when the main gripping fingers 21, driven by cylinder 1 23, move the wafer stack downward, placing the wafer stack in the lowest position. It is clear that the downward position of the main gripping fingers 21 is at a different height than that of the auxiliary gripping fingers 22. When the main gripping fingers 21 move the wafer stack downward to the lowest position, the auxiliary gripping fingers 22 are released from the wafer stack, ensuring that the wafer stack, gripped by the main gripping fingers 21, can move freely downward.

[0042] like Figure 3 The diagram above shows the state when the main gripping fingers 21, driven by cylinder 1 23, move the silicon wafer stack upward, and the main gripping fingers 21 are in the high position, holding the silicon wafer stack. At this point, the main gripping fingers 21 and the auxiliary gripping fingers 22 are arranged at the same height, and their positions for gripping the silicon wafer stack are at the same height. Accordingly, the auxiliary gripping fingers 22 are in the state of gripping the silicon wafer stack.

[0043] like Figure 4 As described above, the side schematic diagram of two stacks of silicon wafer groups being clamped simultaneously and the silicon wafer groups being clamped in a low position clearly shows that the main clamping fingers 21 and the auxiliary clamping fingers 22 synchronously clamp the thickness plane of the silicon wafer group, and can stably clamp the silicon wafer group to keep it in a safe state of vertical placement.

[0044] Furthermore, the auxiliary gripping fingers 22 are directly connected to the lower end surface of the mounting frame 10 and are constructed as flexible air fingers with a hollow interior. The auxiliary gripping fingers 22 are flat on one side of the side plane used to grip the silicon wafer assembly. Several spaced-apart bosses are provided on the side facing away from the silicon wafer assembly, and the fingertips are curved and straight. Each flexible air finger is connected to an air pipe connector on its outer side. The air pressure within the finger is controlled by air pressure, such as positive pressure inflation or negative pressure extraction, causing the fingertips to expand or contract to adjust the tension between the fingertips and the silicon wafer, causing the fingertips to bend inward to grip the silicon wafer assembly or warp outward to release the silicon wafer assembly. When the air fingers are positively inflated, the two opposing air fingers bend toward each other, pressing toward the side where the silicon wafer assembly is located to grip the thickness plane of the silicon wafer assembly. When the air fingers are evacuated under negative pressure, the two air fingers are tilted away from each other, that is, the finger tips are tilted away from the side of the silicon wafer group to expand the distance between them and loosen the silicon wafer group.

[0045] The clamping position of the auxiliary clamping fingers 22 is preset and fixed in advance, and the maximum thickness of the silicon wafer group clamped by them in the thickness direction is also preset in advance. It is only necessary to control the finger ends of the auxiliary clamping fingers 22 through air pressure to control the opening or closing of the width of the finger ends of the auxiliary clamping fingers 22 to adjust the clamping tightness of the thickness of the silicon wafer group by the auxiliary clamping fingers 22.

[0046] like Figure 5 As shown, when the gripping mechanism 100, holding two stacks of silicon wafers, shifts from a vertical position to a non-vertical position, i.e., when the wafers are in a horizontal or tilted position, the four auxiliary rods 42 can be controlled by cylinder 3 41 to telescope along the length of the wafer stack to support the horizontal wafer stack and prevent it from bending and deforming and falling to the loading position. The gripping finger assembly 20, gripping the wafer stack, whether in a tilted or horizontal position, begins to control the auxiliary rods 42 to support the wafer stack before adjusting the position. This ensures that the wafer stack remains stacked and intact when the wafer stack is in a non-vertical position, thereby ensuring that the wafer stack remains stable and safe during the transfer process. The auxiliary rods 42 are then retracted before the wafer is dropped.

[0047] When grabbing a silicon wafer stack, the two main gripping fingers 21 are first tightened synchronously along the thickness direction of the silicon wafer stack by two air cylinders 24, and gradually clamp the middle position of the upper ends of the two stacks of silicon wafer stacks; then the air pressure in all the auxiliary gripping fingers 22 is increased, causing their fingertips to bend toward the side of the silicon wafer stack, so that all the auxiliary gripping fingers 22 synchronously clamp the silicon wafer stack to completely clamp the silicon wafer stack.

[0048] When placing a wafer stack, the air pressure in all the secondary gripper fingers 22 is first reduced simultaneously, causing their fingertips to tilt outward and separate from the wafer stack. Then, two air cylinders 24 are used to simultaneously open the two main gripper fingers 21 along the thickness of the wafer stack, separating them from the wafer stack and completing the placement of the wafer stack.

[0049] A silicon wafer transfer device, such as Figure 6 As described above, the gripping mechanism 100 as described above is provided.

[0050] The transfer device also includes a robotic arm 50 pivotally connected to a gripping mechanism 100. The mounting frame 10 is connected to the robotic arm 50 via a tubular shaft 30. The upper end of the tubular shaft 30 is directly connected to a rotary motor 51 on the robotic arm 50, and the rotary motor 51 is also controlled by a rotating shaft 52 for rotation. The robotic arm 50 can drive the gripping mechanism 100 to transport the silicon wafer stack while the gripping fingers grip the thickness plane at the end of the vertically arranged silicon wafer stack.

[0051] The silicon wafer gripping mechanism designed in this application has a simple and easy-to-control structure. It can not only grip multiple stacks of vertical silicon wafers at a time, but also ensure that the silicon wafers placed below will not be deformed or completely damaged when the silicon wafers are placed horizontally, ensuring the consistency and safety of the silicon wafers, and allowing all silicon wafers to be moved and transported smoothly and intact. This application also proposes a transfer device equipped with this gripping mechanism.

[0052] The above embodiments of the present application are described in detail. The contents described are only preferred embodiments of the present application and should not be considered to limit the scope of implementation of the present application. All equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the present application should still fall within the scope of the patent application.

Claims

1. A silicon wafer grabbing mechanism, characterized in that: include: Mounting frame; A clamping finger group, which is provided with a main clamping finger and a secondary clamping finger arranged below the mounting frame and is used to clamp the end of the silicon wafer group; A top supporting group, which is provided with a plurality of auxiliary rods that can pass through the mounting frame; The auxiliary rod can extend and support the silicon wafer group when the silicon wafer group clamped by the clamping finger group is in a non-vertical state, so that the silicon wafer group is stacked as a whole; and can be withdrawn when the silicon wafer group is in a clamped vertical state.

2. A silicon wafer grabbing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A shaft sleeve matched with the auxiliary rod is provided on the mounting frame; A tube shaft suspended upward is provided above the mounting frame. The tube shaft and the auxiliary rod are both arranged on the back of the clamping finger group and are located between two sets of the clamping finger groups.

3. A silicon wafer grabbing mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A connecting plate for connecting the auxiliary rod is provided at one end of the auxiliary rod away from the clamping finger group.

4. A silicon wafer grabbing mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: A cylinder three is provided above the connecting plate away from the auxiliary rods; the cylinder three is connected to an external air pump, and the cylinder three can be driven to drive all the auxiliary rods to move up and down along the length direction of the vertical silicon wafer assembly through the connecting plate.

5. A silicon wafer grabbing mechanism according to any one of claims 1-2 and 4, characterized in that: The clamping finger group includes a main clamping finger and a secondary clamping finger arranged side by side along the length direction of the mounting frame. On the side of the mounting frame away from the auxiliary rod, there is a cylinder 1 for driving the main clamping finger to move along the vertical length direction of the silicon wafer group, and a cylinder 2 for driving the main clamping finger to move along the thickness direction of the silicon wafer group.

6. A silicon wafer grabbing mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: Each of the main clamping fingers is equipped with two auxiliary clamping fingers, and the auxiliary clamping fingers are arranged on both sides of the main clamping finger; The main clamping finger is connected to the mounting frame through the second cylinder, and the first cylinder is arranged on the side of the second cylinder and connected to the top of the second cylinder.

7. A silicon wafer grabbing mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The auxiliary clamping finger is directly connected to the mounting frame and is constructed as a flexible air finger with a cavity inside. The auxiliary clamping finger has a flat side surface for clamping the side plane of the silicon wafer group, and a plurality of spaced bosses are arranged on the side surface away from the silicon wafer group, and the finger tip is an arc-shaped straight structure.

8. The silicon wafer grabbing mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: An air pipe joint connected to the flexible air finger is arranged on the outside of each of the flexible air fingers, and is controlled by air pressure to adjust the tension of the finger tip in contact with the silicon wafer, so that the finger tip bends inwards or warps outwards.

9. A silicon wafer transfer device, characterized in that: Use a grabbing mechanism as described in any one of items 1-8.

10. The silicon wafer transfer device according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes a mechanical arm pivotally connected to the grasping mechanism; the mechanical arm can clamp the thickness plane of the end of the vertically arranged silicon wafer group in the clamping finger group, and drive the grasping mechanism to drive the silicon wafer group to be transported.

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