Wafer conveying system

Abstract

According to the wafer conveying system provided by the utility model, the pretreatment device is located in the first chamber, so that compared with a condition that the wafer conveying system adopts an independent external pretreatment device, the wafer conveying system prevents the wafer from being conveyed to the external pretreatment device from the first chamber by adopting a conveying device; and the pre-processed wafer is conveyed back to the first chamber from the external pre-processing device, so that the wafer conveying process is simplified. Moreover, the pretreatment device is used for performing alignment and temperature pretreatment on the wafer at the same time, so that temperature pretreatment and alignment of the wafer are completed in the same step, and compared with a mode of separately performing temperature pretreatment and wafer alignment, the wafer conveying process is further simplified, the wafer conveying efficiency is improved, and the production cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiment of the utility model relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a wafer conveying system. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the semiconductor industry, semiconductor chip manufacturing technology plays an important role in the field of information technology. As a key link in the semiconductor manufacturing process, wafer transfer connects different processing processes, so it is crucial to accurately control the wafer transfer process. The wafer transfer process in semiconductor equipment includes multiple complex steps, from the wafer loading box in the atmospheric pressure state to the loading chamber in the vacuum state, and then from the loading chamber in the vacuum state to the position and angle alignment of the wafer transfer process, and finally to the temperature pretreatment before the wafer processing process. The cumbersomeness of the wafer transfer process will lead to the extension of the wafer production cycle and the decrease of production efficiency, which will indirectly increase the processing and manufacturing cost of the wafer. Utility Model Content

[0003] The problem solved by the embodiment of the utility model is to provide a wafer conveying system to simplify the wafer conveying process and improve the efficiency of wafer conveying.

[0004] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the utility model provides a wafer conveying system, comprising: a loading chamber, used to carry wafers, and capable of switching between a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state; a first chamber, connected to the loading chamber in a vacuum state, and used for wafer conveying in a vacuum state; a second chamber, connected to the first chamber, and used for performing process treatment on the wafers; the first chamber comprises: a pretreatment device, used to receive the wafers from the loading chamber, align the wafers and perform temperature pretreatment on the wafers; a first conveying device, used to convey the wafers in the loading chamber to the pretreatment device when the loading chamber is in a vacuum state; the first conveying device is also used to convey the wafers that have been process treated to the loading chamber; a second conveying device, used to convey the wafers from the pretreatment device to the second chamber, so that the wafers are process treated in the second chamber.

[0005] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the embodiment of the utility model has the following advantages:

[0006] The pretreatment device in the wafer transfer system provided by the embodiment of the utility model is located inside the first chamber. Compared with the case where the wafer transfer system uses a separate external pretreatment device, it avoids using a transfer device to transfer the wafer from the first chamber to the external pretreatment device, and then transferring the pretreated wafer from the external pretreatment device back to the first chamber, which simplifies the wafer transfer process. Moreover, the pretreatment device aligns and temperature pretreatments the wafer at the same time, so that the wafer completes temperature pretreatment and alignment in the same step. Compared with the method of performing temperature pretreatment and wafer alignment separately, it further simplifies the wafer transfer process, improves the efficiency of wafer transfer, and reduces production costs.

[0007] In the process of wafer conveying by the wafer conveying system provided by the embodiment of the utility model, the first conveying device conveys the wafer in the loading chamber under vacuum to the pretreatment device, and the second conveying device conveys the wafer from the pretreatment device to the second chamber. After the process treatment, the second conveying device conveys the processed wafer back to the first chamber, and the first conveying device conveys the processed wafer back to the loading chamber. Therefore, both the first conveying device and the second conveying device perform two operations, so that the service life of the first conveying device and the second conveying device is equivalent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wafer conveying process of a wafer conveying system;

[0009] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wafer conveying system of the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] As can be seen from the background technology, the cumbersomeness of the wafer transfer process will lead to an extension of the wafer production cycle and a decrease in production efficiency, which will indirectly increase the processing and manufacturing cost of the wafer. The reasons for the low wafer transfer efficiency are now analyzed in combination with the wafer transfer process of a wafer transfer system.

[0011] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wafer transfer process of a wafer transfer system.

[0012] The wafer conveying system includes: a first loading chamber 1 and a second loading chamber 2, both of which are used to carry wafers and can be switched between a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state; a transfer chamber 3, which is connected to the first loading chamber 1 and the second loading chamber 2 in a vacuum state; an external temperature treatment device 4, which is connected to the transfer chamber 3 and is used to perform temperature pretreatment on the wafers; a process chamber 5, which is connected to the transfer chamber 3; the transfer chamber 3 includes: an alignment device 6, which is used to receive the wafers from the first loading chamber 1 and align the wafers; a first conveying device 7, which is used to convey the wafers in the first loading chamber 1 to the alignment device 6 when the first loading chamber 1 is in a vacuum state; a second conveying device 8, which is used to convey the aligned wafers on the alignment device 6 to the external temperature treatment device 4 for temperature pretreatment, and is also used to convey the temperature pretreated wafers to the process chamber 5 for process treatment, and is also used to convey the process-treated wafers from the process chamber 5 to the second loading chamber 2.

[0013] The above-mentioned wafer conveying system uses an external temperature treatment device 4 for temperature pretreatment of the wafer, and the conveying operation during the temperature pretreatment of the wafer is cumbersome. In addition, because the wafer conveying system uses an external temperature treatment system, in the process of conveying the wafer, it is necessary to use the second conveying device 8 to convey the wafer between the alignment device 6, the external temperature treatment device 4 and the process chamber 5, resulting in the second conveying device 8 operating three times during the entire wafer conveying process, but the first conveying device 7 only operates once, and the number of operations of the second conveying device 8 is three times the number of operations of the first conveying device 7, resulting in a greater burden on the second conveying device 8.

[0014] In order to solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the utility model provides a wafer conveying system, characterized in that it includes: a loading chamber, which is used to carry wafers and can be switched between a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state; a first chamber, which is connected to the loading chamber in a vacuum state and is used for wafer conveying in a vacuum state; a second chamber, which is connected to the first chamber and is used for performing process treatment on the wafers; the first chamber includes: a pretreatment device, which is used to receive the wafers from the loading chamber, align the wafers and perform temperature pretreatment on the wafers; a first conveying device, which is used to convey the wafers in the loading chamber to the pretreatment device when the loading chamber is in a vacuum state; the first conveying device is also used to convey the wafers that have been processed to the loading chamber; and a second conveying device, which is used to convey the wafers from the pretreatment device to the second chamber, so that the wafers are processed in the second chamber.

[0015] The pretreatment device in the wafer transfer system provided by the embodiment of the utility model is located inside the first chamber. Compared with the case where the wafer transfer system uses a separate external pretreatment device, it avoids using a transfer device to transfer the wafer from the first chamber to the external pretreatment device, and then transferring the pretreated wafer from the external pretreatment device back to the first chamber, which simplifies the wafer transfer process. Moreover, the pretreatment device is used to align and temperature pretreatment the wafer at the same time, so that the wafer completes temperature pretreatment and alignment in the same step. Compared with the method of performing temperature pretreatment and wafer alignment separately, it further simplifies the wafer transfer process, improves the efficiency of wafer transfer, and reduces production costs.

[0016] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present utility model more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present utility model are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a wafer transfer system of the present invention.

[0018] The wafer transfer system provided in this embodiment includes: a loading chamber 10, which is used to carry wafers and can be switched between a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state; a first chamber 11, which is connected to the loading chamber 10 in a vacuum state and is used for wafer transfer in a vacuum state; a second chamber 17, which is connected to the first chamber 11; the first chamber 11 includes: a pretreatment device 13, which is used to receive wafers from the loading chamber 10, align the wafers and perform temperature pretreatment on the wafers; a first conveying device 14, which is used to convey the wafers in the loading chamber 10 to the pretreatment device 13 when the loading chamber 10 is in a vacuum state, and the first conveying device 14 is also used to convey the wafers that have been processed to the loading chamber 10; a second conveying device 15, which is used to convey the wafers from the pretreatment device 13 to the second chamber 17, so that the wafers are processed in the second chamber 17.

[0019] The pretreatment device in the wafer transfer system provided by the embodiment of the utility model is located inside the first chamber 11. Compared with the case where the wafer transfer system uses a separate external pretreatment device, it avoids using a transfer device to transfer the wafer from the first chamber 11 to the external pretreatment device 13, and then transferring the pretreated wafer from the external pretreatment device 13 back to the first chamber 11, which simplifies the wafer transfer process. Moreover, the pretreatment device 13 aligns and temperature pretreatments the wafer at the same time, so that the wafer completes temperature pretreatment and alignment in the same step. Compared with the method of performing temperature pretreatment and wafer alignment separately, it further simplifies the wafer transfer process, improves the efficiency of wafer transfer, and reduces production costs.

[0020] In this embodiment, the first conveying device 14 of the wafer conveying system is also used to convey the processed wafers to the loading chamber 10 .

[0021] Specifically, in the process of transferring wafers, the first transfer device 14 transfers the wafers in the loading chamber 10 under vacuum to the pre-processing device 13, and the second transfer device 15 transfers the wafers from the pre-processing device 13 to the second chamber 17. After the process treatment, the second transfer device 15 transfers the processed wafers back to the first chamber 13, and the first transfer device 14 transfers the processed wafers back to the loading chamber 10. Therefore, the first transfer device 14 and the second transfer device 15 both perform two operations, and the operation burdens of the first transfer device 14 and the second transfer device 15 are close, so that the service life of the first transfer device 14 and the second transfer device 15 is comparable.

[0022] As an example, “the second conveying device 15 conveys the processed wafers back to the first chamber 13” means: the second conveying device 15 conveys the processed wafers back to the pretreatment device of the first chamber 13, and “the first conveying device 14 conveys the processed wafers back to the loading chamber 10” means: the first conveying device 14 conveys the processed wafers from the pretreatment device back to the loading chamber 10.

[0023] In this embodiment, when the system is in an abnormal state, for example, when alignment fails, the first conveyor 14 is also used to convey the wafers on the pre-processing device 13 to the loading chamber 10. When the vacuum fails and the second chamber 17 cannot perform process treatment, the second conveyor 15 is also used to convey the wafers in the second chamber 17 to the pre-processing device 13.

[0024] In this embodiment, the loading chamber 10 is used to carry the wafers and also provides an environment switchable between a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state. The loading chamber 10 is a vacuum-resistant structure. In the wafer conveying system, the loading chamber 10 provides the wafers conveyed by the first conveying device 14 and receives the wafers that have been processed.

[0025] Specifically, a loading platform (not shown in the figure) for placing wafers is provided in the loading chamber 10. The loading platform provides a stable bearing base for the wafer, so that the wafer is not prone to shaking or shifting during the placement process, which helps the first conveying device 14 to accurately and conveniently position and grasp the wafer. The loading platform includes a loading surface (not shown in the figure) for carrying the wafer, and the wafer is placed on the device surface of the loading platform. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the loading platform has a bearing surface. In other embodiments, in order to improve the efficiency of the wafer conveying system in conveying wafers, the loading platform may also have two bearing surfaces.

[0026] In this embodiment, there are two loading chambers 10, namely a first loading chamber 10a and a second loading chamber 10b; the first loading chamber 10a is used to transfer wafers to the pretreatment device 13 of the first chamber 11 under the action of the first conveying device 14; the second loading chamber 10b is used to receive the processed wafers conveyed by the first conveying device 14.

[0027] Specifically, there are two loading chambers 10 in the wafer conveying system, namely, a first loading chamber 10a and a second loading chamber 10b. The first loading chamber 10a is dedicated to providing wafers that need to be processed. The wafers that need to be processed are delivered to the pre-processing device 13 under the transmission of the first conveying device 14; and the second loading chamber 10b receives the processed wafers. By setting up two loading chambers 10 and reasonably dividing the work, the processed wafers and the unprocessed wafers can be transmitted in the conveying system according to different states and requirements, thereby optimizing the process of the wafer conveying system.

[0028] In this embodiment, the wafer transfer system further includes: a wafer loading box (including a first wafer loading box 16a and a second wafer loading box 16b), which is used to transport wafers that need to be processed and also to receive wafers that have been processed. The first wafer loading box 16a and the second wafer loading box 16b have the same function, and multiple wafer loading boxes can process wafer transmission work in parallel without affecting each other, which is conducive to optimizing the process of the wafer transfer system and improving the wafer transfer efficiency.

[0029] Specifically, the wafer loading box is a carrier for transporting wafers under atmospheric pressure. The wafer conveying system also includes: a conveying chamber 12, which is connected to the first wafer loading box 16a and the second wafer loading box 16b, and is connected to the first loading chamber 10a and the second loading chamber 10b under atmospheric pressure. The conveying chamber 12 includes an atmospheric conveying device 18, which is used to convey the unprocessed wafers in the first wafer loading box 16a to the first loading chamber 10a, and the atmospheric conveying device 18 is also used to convey the processed wafers in the second loading chamber 10b to the first wafer loading box 16a. Similarly, the atmospheric conveying device 18 is used to convey the unprocessed wafers in the second wafer loading box 16b to the first loading chamber 10a, and the atmospheric conveying device 18 is also used to convey the processed wafers in the second loading chamber 10b to the second wafer loading box 16b.

[0030] The transfer chamber 12 in the embodiment of the utility model serves as a transfer station, serving as a wafer transfer channel between the first wafer loading box 16a and the first loading chamber 10a under atmospheric pressure, and between the second wafer loading box 16b and the second loading chamber 10b under atmospheric pressure, ensuring orderly transfer of wafers in the wafer transfer system.

[0031] The first chamber 11 is used for wafer transfer. From the perspective of the wafer transfer path, the first chamber 11 is located between the loading chamber 10 and the second chamber 17. Specifically, the first chamber 11 provides a transfer channel between the loading chamber 10 and the pre-processing device 13, and a channel between the pre-processing device 13 and the second chamber 17. Moreover, the first chamber 11 needs to have good sealing and vacuum-resistant structure to provide an operating space under a vacuum state for the first transfer device 14, the second transfer device 15 and the pre-processing device 13.

[0032] The pretreatment device 13 in this embodiment has both the function of temperature pretreatment and the alignment function. The pretreatment device 13 enables the wafer to complete temperature pretreatment and alignment in the same step. Compared with the method of performing temperature pretreatment and wafer alignment separately, it simplifies the wafer transfer process, improves the efficiency of wafer transfer, and reduces production costs.

[0033] In this embodiment, the pre-treatment device 13 includes: an alignment unit (not shown in the figure) for adjusting the position and angle of the wafer. The alignment unit uses a visual method or a laser method to adjust the position and angle of the wafer; a temperature carrier device (not shown in the figure) for carrying the wafer and adjusting the temperature of the wafer to prepare for the process in the second chamber 17. According to the requirements of the process, the wafer is cooled or heated.

[0034] In this embodiment, the second conveyor 15 is spaced apart from the first conveyor 14, and the first conveyor 14 is closer to the loading chamber 10 than the second conveyor 15. The first conveyor 14 is closer to the loading chamber 10 than the second conveyor 15, so that the first conveyor 14 has a shorter wafer conveying path, improves the wafer conveying speed, and is also conducive to making the layout of the first chamber 11 more compact. Specifically, the distances from the first conveyor 14 to the first loading chamber 10a and the second loading chamber 10b are equal, so that the first conveyor 14 can simultaneously take into account the conveying of the wafers in the first loading chamber 10a to the pre-treatment device 13, and smoothly convey the processed wafers to the second loading chamber 10b.

[0035] In this embodiment, the first conveying device 14 and the second conveying device 15 have the functions of being lifted and lowered in the direction of the center of gravity and rotating in a horizontal plane.

[0036] In this embodiment, the first conveying device 14 and the second conveying device 15 are both mechanical arms. Figure 2 As shown, the first conveying device 14 includes a robot arm, and the second conveying device 15 includes a robot arm. The first conveying device 14 and the second conveying device 15 each include a robot arm, which has the advantages of simple structure and easy maintenance.

[0037] In other embodiments, the first conveyor includes two robotic arms, and the second conveyor includes two robotic arms. Both the first conveyor and the second conveyor include two robotic arms. When working, the two robotic arms can simultaneously perform operations of taking or placing wafers. This parallel working mode can significantly improve efficiency.

[0038] The second chamber 17 is a process chamber for performing process treatment on wafers.

[0039] In this embodiment, the process includes an ion implantation process. By implanting ions into a wafer, the impurity concentration in the crystal can be precisely adjusted to change the electrical properties of the material by introducing a specific type of ions. Common uses include forming a PN junction, adjusting electrical properties, and doping the source and drain regions.

[0040] Continue to refer Figure 2 The embodiment of the utility model also provides a conveying method based on the aforementioned wafer conveying system.

[0041] The transfer method includes: placing a wafer in a loading chamber 10, and placing the loading chamber 10 in a vacuum state. After the first chamber 11 is connected to the loading chamber 10 in a vacuum state, the wafer in the loading chamber 10 is transferred to the pre-processing device 13 by the first transfer device 14. The wafer transferred by the first transfer device 14 is pre-processed by the pre-processing device 13. After the wafer is pre-processed, the wafer is transferred from the pre-processing device 13 to the second chamber 17 by the second transfer device 15 for process treatment.

[0042] The pre-processing device 13 in the embodiment of the utility model is located inside the first chamber 11. Compared with the situation where an external pre-processing device is used in the wafer transfer system, the wafer transfer process is simplified, the wafer transfer efficiency is improved, and the production cost is reduced.

[0043] The conveying method further includes: after the wafer is processed, the first conveying device 14 conveys the wafer to the loading chamber 10. Specifically, after the process is processed, the second conveying device 15 conveys the processed wafer back to the first chamber 11, and the first conveying device 14 conveys the processed wafer back to the loading chamber 10.

[0044] The transfer method further includes: transferring the unprocessed wafers in the first wafer loading box 16a to the first loading chamber 10a via the atmospheric transfer device 18; and transferring the processed wafers in the second loading chamber 10b back to the first wafer loading box 16a via the atmospheric transfer device 18.

[0045] In the transfer method, the first wafer loading box 16a is used to feed wafers to be processed into the first chamber 11, or to receive processed wafers from the first chamber 11. The first wafer loading box 16a and the second wafer loading box 16b have the same function, and multiple wafer loading boxes can process wafer transfer work in parallel without affecting each other, which is conducive to optimizing the process of the wafer transfer system and improving the wafer transfer efficiency.

[0046] In the conveying method, in the step of aligning the wafer conveyed by the first conveying device 14 by the pretreatment device 13, the alignment unit uses a visual method or a laser method to adjust the position and angle of the wafer. According to the requirements of the process, the wafer is cooled or heated. Then, preparations are made for the process treatment in the second chamber 17. The pretreatment device 13 in this embodiment enables the wafer to complete temperature pretreatment and alignment in the same step. Compared with the method of performing temperature pretreatment and wafer alignment separately, the wafer conveying process is simplified, the efficiency of wafer conveying is improved, and the production cost is reduced.

[0047] In this embodiment, the second chamber 17 is a process chamber for performing process treatment on the wafer, and the process treatment includes ion implantation. By implanting ions into the wafer, the impurity concentration in the crystal can be accurately adjusted to change the electrical properties of the material by introducing a specific type of ions. Common uses include forming PN junctions, adjusting electrical properties, and doping source and drain regions.

[0048] It should also be noted that for the specific description of the transmission system of this embodiment, reference may be made to the corresponding description in the aforementioned embodiments, and this embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0049] Although the utility model is disclosed as above, the utility model is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the utility model shall be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A wafer transfer system, characterized in that: include: A loading chamber, used to carry wafers and capable of switching between a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state; A first chamber, connected to the loading chamber in a vacuum state, for wafer transfer in a vacuum state; A second chamber, connected to the first chamber, for performing a process on the wafer; The first chamber comprises: A pre-treatment device, used for receiving the wafer from the loading chamber, aligning the wafer and performing temperature pre-treatment on the wafer; A first conveying device is used to convey the wafers in the loading chamber to the pre-processing device when the loading chamber is in a vacuum state; the first conveying device is also used to convey the wafers that have been processed to the loading chamber; The second conveying device is used to convey the wafer from the pre-processing device to the second chamber so that the wafer is processed in the second chamber.

2. The wafer transfer system according to claim 1, wherein: When the system is in an abnormal state, the first conveying device is also used to convey the wafers on the pre-processing device to the loading chamber; the second conveying device is also used to convey the wafers in the second chamber to the pre-processing device.

3. The wafer transfer system according to claim 1, wherein: The pre-processing device comprises: an alignment unit for adjusting the position and angle of the wafer; and a temperature carrier device for carrying the wafer and adjusting the temperature of the wafer.

4. The wafer transfer system according to claim 3, wherein: The temperature carrier device is used to perform a temperature reduction process on the wafer.

5. The wafer transfer system according to claim 3, wherein: The temperature carrier device is used to heat the wafer.

6. The wafer transfer system according to claim 3, wherein: The alignment unit adjusts the position and angle of the wafer by visual means or laser means.

7. The wafer transfer system according to claim 1, wherein: There are two loading chambers, namely a first loading chamber and a second loading chamber; the first loading chamber is used to transfer wafers to the pre-processing device of the first chamber under the action of the first conveying device; The second loading chamber is used for receiving the wafer after the process which is transferred by the first transfer device.

8. The wafer transfer system according to claim 7, wherein: Also includes: A wafer loading box, used for transporting wafers that need to be processed by the process; The wafer loading box is also used to receive wafers processed by the process; A transfer chamber is connected to the wafer loading box and to the first loading chamber and the second loading chamber under atmospheric pressure; the transfer chamber includes an atmospheric transfer device for transferring the wafers in the wafer loading box to the first loading chamber, and also for transferring the wafers in the second loading chamber to the wafer loading box.

9. The wafer transfer system according to claim 1, wherein: The second conveying device is spaced apart from the first conveying device, and the first conveying device is closer to the loading chamber than the second conveying device.

10. The wafer transfer system according to claim 1, wherein: The process includes an ion implantation process.

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