Wafer conveying protection device and wafer conveying equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a wafer conveying protection device and wafer conveying equipment, the wafer conveying protection device comprises a mechanical arm structure, the mechanical arm structure comprises a mechanical arm connecting part and an extension arm extending forwards relative to the mechanical arm connecting part, and the upper surface of the extension arm is used for bearing a wafer; the deformable structure is made of shape memory alloy, the deformable structure comprises a fixed section and an extension section, the fixed section is fixed at the tail end of the extension arm, and the extension section extends forwards relative to the fixed section and protrudes out of the tail end of the extension arm. Wherein when the wafer is arranged on the upper surface of the extension arm, the front side of the wafer acts on the deformable structure to enable at least part of the extension section to be bent and deformed, and when the wafer is removed from the upper surface of the extension arm, the extension section is restored to the initial state. According to the invention, the wafer can be always kept at a safe position when the wafer is conveyed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a wafer transfer protection device and a wafer transfer equipment. Background Art

[0002] Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being applied to end-user products in industries such as automobiles, consumer electronics, energy, and healthcare. Integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing is the core of artificial intelligence and one of the high-tech technologies that promote economic development, social progress, and civilization construction. Wafer transfer equipment is the core of the integrated circuit manufacturing transmission system, and is responsible for the fast, stable, efficient, and intelligent transmission of wafers. Wafer transfer equipment is mainly used for the transmission of Foup, Coolingstation, Lord lock, buffer, and chamber through a robotic arm. Its structure integrates mechanical, electromagnetic technology, mechanics, electronic technology, optics, and other fields. Wafer transfer equipment uses intelligent control to ensure accurate positioning and stable transmission between each module unit during the integrated circuit manufacturing process. It has the characteristics of high precision, high cleanliness, and strong reliability, and plays a vital role in the integrated circuit manufacturing industry. At present, in the integrated circuit manufacturing process, according to the different working environments, the working environment of wafer transfer equipment is mainly divided into two application environments: ultra-clean environment and vacuum environment.

[0003] The wafer clamping method is one of the key technologies for fast and stable wafer transmission. There are currently two main clamping methods: vacuum adsorption and friction. Vacuum adsorption wafer transmission mainly relies on the air pressure difference on the back of the wafer to form suction, so the smoothness of the back of the wafer is extremely high. Friction wafer transmission relies on the friction force generated by gravity to supply transmission power. The material, shape and area of ​​the contact surface between the manipulator and the wafer are crucial to the stability and efficiency of the transmission equipment. The tribological properties are closely related to the materials of the two contact surfaces. For example, some films, ceramics, and alloys have significantly different physical and mechanical properties. Due to the influence of surface forces, the relative movement between the manipulator surface and the back of the wafer at the microscopic interface needs to be strictly controlled. If the friction between the two contact surfaces is too small, it is easy to cause wafer sliding, resulting in wafer position offset, inaccurate positioning, and severe dicing cracks. Too much friction will make it difficult for the two micro components to move normally, which may cause surface damage.

[0004] At present, as chips are increasingly used in various industries and the production capacity of integrated circuits continues to expand, wafer transfer robots are experiencing more and more problems with wafer position deviation and even wafer breakage during frequent transfers. Engineers need to spend a lot of time to correct the position of the wafer, and in serious cases, they need to clean the clean environment of the machine, which has a great impact on the yield stability of wafer production and manufacturing, and reduces the utilization rate of the machine and the production efficiency of the enterprise. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the problems in the prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide a wafer transfer protection device and a wafer transfer equipment, which can protect the wafer by deforming the epitaxial section when transferring the wafer and can correct the position of the wafer.

[0006] The embodiment of the present application provides a wafer conveying protection device, comprising:

[0007] A robot arm structure, comprising a robot arm connection portion and an extension arm extending forward relative to the robot arm connection portion, wherein the upper surface of the extension arm is used to carry a wafer;

[0008] A deformable structure is made of shape memory alloy, the deformable structure comprises a fixed section and an extension section, the fixed section is fixed to the end of the extending arm, and the extension section extends forward relative to the fixed section and protrudes from the end of the extending arm;

[0009] When the wafer is placed on the upper surface of the extending arm, the front side of the wafer acts on the deformable structure to cause at least part of the extension section to bend and deform. When the wafer is removed from the upper surface of the extending arm, the extension section returns to its initial state.

[0010] In some embodiments, the mechanical arm structure includes two extending arms, and each of the two extending arms is symmetrically provided with a deformable structure.

[0011] In some embodiments, the length of the fixed section of the deformable structure is 2 mm to 4 mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the extension segment is in an initial state, the fixed segment of the deformable structure is flush with the upper surface of the extension segment.

[0013] In some embodiments, when the extension segment is in an initial state, an upper surface of the deformable structure is flush with an upper surface of the extension arm.

[0014] In some embodiments, the deformable structure is in the shape of an arc as a whole.

[0015] In some embodiments, the deformable structure is connected to the end of the extension arm by ultrasonic metal welding.

[0016] In some embodiments, the fixed section of the deformable structure covers the upper surface of the end of the extending arm. When the wafer is arranged on the upper surface of the extending arm, the front side of the wafer acts on the deformable structure to cause the extension section to bend and deform at least partially upward.

[0017] An embodiment of the present application also provides a wafer conveying device, including the wafer conveying protection device.

[0018] In some embodiments, the wafer conveying equipment is a vacuum adsorption type conveying equipment or a friction type conveying equipment.

[0019] The wafer transfer protection device and wafer transfer equipment provided by the present application have the following advantages:

[0020] By adopting the wafer conveying protection device, a deformable structure made of shape memory alloy is set at the end of the extension arm of the mechanical arm structure. The characteristic of shape memory alloy that it will bend and deform under stress is utilized. When the wafer is carried on the extension arm, the epitaxial section is bent and deformed by the gravity of the wafer to protect the wafer inward, and when there is a deviation in the placement of the wafer position, the position of the wafer can be corrected through the action of the epitaxial section on the wafer, thereby avoiding the wafer from being broken and the machine from being down due to excessive offset, and ensuring the normal operation of the production line. After the wafer is removed from the extension arm, the epitaxial section returns to its initial state without affecting the next use of the wafer conveying protection device. The wafer protection conveying device does not limit the type of wafer conveying equipment, and can be applied to vacuum adsorption conveying equipment or friction conveying equipment, with a wide range of applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Other features, objects and advantages of the present application will become more apparent by reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 is a top view of a wafer conveying protection device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 is a front view of a wafer conveying protection device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the epitaxial section is in an initial state;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a front view of a wafer transfer protection device according to an embodiment of the present application, in which the epitaxial section is subjected to force and bends upward.

[0025] Reference numerals:

[0026] 1, mechanical arm structure; 11, extending arm; 12, mechanical arm connecting part.

[0027] 2, deformable structure; 21, fixed section; 22, extension section.

[0028] 3. Wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present application will be comprehensive and complete, and the concept of the example embodiments will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar structures, and thus their repeated descriptions will be omitted. "Or" and "or" in the specification may both mean "and" or "or". Although the terms "upper", "lower", "between", etc. may be used in this specification to describe different exemplary features and elements of the present application, these terms are used herein only for convenience, such as according to the directions of the examples described in the accompanying drawings. Nothing in this specification should be construed as requiring a specific three-dimensional direction of the structure to fall within the scope of the present application. Although "first" or "second" etc. are used in this specification to represent certain features, they are only used to represent the function, and are not used as a limitation on the number and importance of specific features.

[0030] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present application provides a wafer conveying protection device, which includes a mechanical arm structure 1 and a deformable structure 2. The mechanical arm structure 1 includes a mechanical arm connection part 12 and an extension arm 11 extending forward relative to the mechanical arm connection part 12, and the upper surface of the extension arm 11 is used to carry a wafer 3. The deformable structure 2 is made of shape memory alloy. Shape memory alloy is a material composed of two or more metal elements that has a shape memory effect through thermoelasticity and martensitic phase transformation and its inversion. Shape memory alloys will deform when subjected to external stress, but can return to their initial state after the stress is eliminated. The shape memory alloy has the characteristics of high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, high flatness, good ductility, etc., which improves the reliability of the protection device. The deformable structure 2 includes a fixed section 21 and an extension section 22, the fixed section 21 is fixed to the end of the extension arm 11, and the extension section 22 extends forward relative to the fixed section 21 and protrudes from the end of the extension arm 11. In this embodiment, the extending arm 11 includes a connecting end and a terminal end. The connecting end of the extending arm 11 is an end close to and connected to the robot arm connecting portion 12 , and the terminal end is an end away from the robot arm connecting portion 12 .

[0031] By adopting the wafer transfer protection device, a deformable structure 2 of a shape memory alloy is provided at the end of the extension arm 11 of the robot arm structure 1. Figure 2As shown, when the upper surface of the extending arm 11 does not carry the wafer 3, the extension section 22 of the deformable structure 2 is in the initial state and does not bend and deform. When the extension section 22 is in the initial state, the fixed section 21 of the deformable structure 2 is flush with the upper surface of the extension section 22, and the upper surface of the deformable structure 2 is flush with the upper surface of the extending arm 11. The length of the fixed section 21 of the deformable structure 2 is 2mm to 4mm, and can be further selected as 3mm. A slot is provided at the end of the extending arm 11 to place the fixed section 21 of the deformable structure 2. The portion of the deformable structure 2 covering the upper surface of the extending arm 11 is 2mm to 4mm, and this length is also the contact distance between the wafer 3 and the deformable structure 2 after the upper surface of the extending arm 11 carries the wafer 3. And the upper surface of the deformable structure 2 can be flush with the upper surface of the unslotted portion of the extending arm 11, so that the upper surface of the extending arm 11 after adding the deformable structure 2 is still a flat surface. The length of the fixed section 21 here is only an example and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, when the wafer 3 is placed on the upper surface of the extension arm 11, the deformable structure 2 that is flush with the surface of the extension arm 11 will not damage the wafer 3. In the prior art, in order to limit the position of the wafer, a raised limit block is set on the robot arm. However, when the wafer is transferred, the raised limit block has the risk of scratching the back of the wafer. In this embodiment of the present application, by setting a flat surface of the extension arm 11, the risk of the extension arm 11 and the deformable structure 2 scratching the back of the wafer 3 is avoided.

[0032] In this embodiment, the deformable structure 2 is connected to the end of the extension arm 11 by ultrasonic metal welding. Ultrasonic metal welding can efficiently and accurately produce high-strength welded joints on metal contact surfaces while maintaining the original properties and dimensional accuracy of the metal.

[0033] The present application utilizes the characteristic that shape memory alloy will bend and deform under stress. When the wafer 3 is placed on the upper surface of the extending arm 11, Figure 3As shown, when the wafer 3 is arranged on the upper surface of the extending arm 11, the front side of the wafer 3 acts on the fixed section 21 of the deformable structure 2. Here, the front side of the wafer 3 refers to the side of the wafer 3 close to the end of the extending arm 11. The epitaxial section 22 is bent and deformed by the gravity of the wafer 3 and tilted upward to protect the wafer 3, forming an inward protection for the wafer 3, ensuring that the wafer 3 is in a safe position of the mechanical arm structure 1 during the transfer process, and improving the efficiency and stability of the wafer transfer process. And when there is a deviation in the placement of the wafer 3, the bent and deformed epitaxial section 22 has a certain force on the wafer 3, and the position of the wafer 3 can be corrected by the action of the epitaxial section 22 on the wafer 3. Specifically, when the placement position of the wafer 3 deviates too much from the standard position, the force on the deformable structure 2 increases, and the degree of inward bending of the shape memory alloy also increases at this time. The force of the epitaxial section 22 on the wafer 3 ensures that the wafer 3 moves to the standard position. Therefore, the deformable structure 2 avoids the wafer 3 from being broken and the machine downtime due to excessive offset, ensuring the normal operation of the production line. Since the deformable structure 2 is made of shape memory alloy, after the wafer 3 is removed from the upper surface of the extension arm 11, the extension section 22 returns to its initial state without affecting the next use of the wafer conveying protection device. In addition, since the deformable structure 2 can always keep the wafer 3 in a safe position, the sensor's detection of the wafer 3 position during the conveying process can be reduced, greatly improving the wafer conveying efficiency and the machine's production capacity.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the mechanical arm structure 1 includes two extending arms 11, and each of the two extending arms 11 is symmetrically provided with a deformable structure 2, forming a pair of shape memory alloy clamps, forming an interlocking state for the position of the wafer 3 on the extending arms 11. When the wafer 3 deviates in a certain direction, the deformable structure 2 will push the wafer 3 in the opposite direction and push the wafer 3 to the standard position, ensuring that the wafer 3 is always in a safe position during the movement. The overall shape of the deformable structure 2 is an arc, which is consistent with the edge shape of the wafer 3.

[0035] The present application also provides a wafer conveying device, which includes the wafer protection conveying device and other control components, drive components, etc. required for conveying wafers. The wafer protection conveying device does not limit the type of wafer conveying equipment, and can be applied to vacuum adsorption conveying equipment or friction conveying equipment, and has a wide range of applications. When the wafer conveying equipment is a vacuum adsorption conveying equipment, it also includes a vacuum pumping component, which forms an air pressure difference on the back of the wafer 3 through the vacuum pumping component to stably place the wafer 3 on the upper surface of the extending arm 11. When the wafer conveying equipment is a friction conveying equipment, the upper surface of the extending arm 11 is a rough surface, which generates sufficient friction between the contact surface of the wafer 3 and maintains stability when conveying the wafer 3.

[0036] The above content is a further detailed description of the present application in combination with specific preferred implementation methods, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present application is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present application belongs, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, which should be deemed to fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A wafer conveying protection device, characterized in that: include: A robot arm structure, comprising a robot arm connection portion and an extension arm extending forward relative to the robot arm connection portion, wherein the upper surface of the extension arm is used to carry a wafer; A deformable structure is made of shape memory alloy, the deformable structure comprises a fixed section and an extension section, the fixed section is fixed to the end of the extending arm, and the extension section extends forward relative to the fixed section and protrudes from the end of the extending arm; When the wafer is placed on the upper surface of the extending arm, the front side of the wafer acts on the deformable structure to cause at least part of the extension section to bend and deform. When the wafer is removed from the upper surface of the extending arm, the extension section returns to its initial state.

2. The wafer conveying protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mechanical arm structure includes two extending arms, and each of the two extending arms is symmetrically provided with a deformable structure.

3. The wafer conveying protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the fixed section of the deformable structure is 2 mm to 4 mm.

4. The wafer conveying protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the extension segment is in an initial state, the fixed segment of the deformable structure is flush with the upper surface of the extension segment.

5. The wafer conveying protection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the extension section is in an initial state, the upper surface of the deformable structure is flush with the upper surface of the extension arm.

6. The wafer conveying protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deformable structure is in an arc shape as a whole.

7. The wafer conveying protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deformable structure is connected to the end of the extending arm by ultrasonic metal welding.

8. The wafer conveying protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed section of the deformable structure covers the upper surface of the end of the extending arm. When the wafer is arranged on the upper surface of the extending arm, the front side of the wafer acts on the deformable structure to make the extension section at least partially bend and deform upward.

9. A wafer transfer device, characterized in that: A wafer transfer protection device comprising the device described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The wafer transfer device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The wafer conveying equipment is a vacuum adsorption type conveying equipment or a friction type conveying equipment.

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