Manipulator sheet fork

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing equipment, in particular to a manipulator sheet, which is mounted on a manipulator and comprises a sheet fork and an adjusting assembly. One end of the sheet fork is connected with the manipulator through a connecting screw; the adjusting assembly is arranged at the position where the sheet fork is connected with the mechanical arm, comprises an adjusting screw and a gasket and is used for adjusting the levelness of the sheet fork at the working position. According to the mechanical arm sheet fork, the levelness of the sheet fork at a working position can be adjusted through the adjusting assembly; according to the adjusting mode, a certain inclined sheet fork at the tail end of the mechanical arm can be adjusted in a targeted mode, the levelness of the sheet fork at the working position can be accurately adjusted, direct adjustment of the whole mechanical arm or the mechanical arm can be avoided, operation is easy, and time and labor are saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing equipment, in particular to a manipulator blade fork. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the electronic information industry, the market demand for integrated circuit chips continues to increase, and the requirements for chip performance are getting higher and higher, which in turn leads to the continuous expansion of the scale of integrated circuit production, the complexity of integrated circuit production processes, and the requirements for production process technology, yield rate and production efficiency are getting higher and higher. Compared with the single-chip production process, in the batch production process system, the handling of wafers is a cyclical process, and the number of wafer transmission, wafer retrieval and placement is also more. Therefore, in order to reduce the probability of wafer damage caused by the transportation equipment itself, the safety and reliability requirements for wafer transmission and retrieval are also getting higher and higher.

[0003] At present, manipulators are widely used in the field of semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing technology. Manipulators are important equipment in wafer transmission systems, used to store and transport wafers before and after process processing. They can receive instructions from the control system and accurately move to a certain point to pick up and place wafers. They can pick up and place single wafers as well as multiple wafers. Manipulators can greatly shorten the handling time and improve production efficiency through precise control systems and motion trajectories. However, the horizontal stability of the working surface at the end of the existing manipulators is poor. When picking up and placing wafers, the working surface at the end of the manipulator, that is, the fork in contact with the wafer, will produce a large tilt, making it difficult for the manipulator to accurately pick up and place the wafer. At present, most methods are to adjust the entire machine or directly adjust the robot arm to keep the working surface at the end horizontal; however, this adjustment method is cumbersome and laborious to operate; in addition, these adjustment methods are to adjust the two robot arms at the same time, so that all the working surfaces at the end of the robot are adjusted at the same time. When the robot is a multi-finger type, that is, the robot is connected to multiple forks at the same time, this adjustment method cannot adjust a certain fork in a targeted manner. These adjustment methods may also cause the originally horizontal fork to become tilted. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of high-quality and large-scale production, before picking and placing the wafer, the horizontality of the fork at the end of the robot can be adjusted in a targeted manner to avoid collisions during the picking and placing process that may cause damage to the wafer or equipment.

[0004] The utility model provides a manipulator slice fork, which can solve the problem in the prior art that the slice fork at the end of the manipulator is tilted, making it difficult for the manipulator to accurately pick up and place wafers, by specifically adjusting the horizontality of the slice fork at a working position. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model aims to provide a robot slice fork to solve the problem in the prior art that the slice fork at the end of the robot is tilted, making it difficult for the robot to accurately pick up and place wafers.

[0006] The technical solution of the utility model is: a manipulator slice fork, installed on the manipulator, comprising: a slice fork and an adjustment component; one end of the slice fork is connected to the manipulator by a connecting screw; the adjustment component is arranged at the position where the slice fork is connected to the manipulator, and the adjustment component comprises an adjustment screw and a gasket, which is used to adjust the horizontality of the slice fork in the working position.

[0007] Preferably, the slice fork and the manipulator have an overlapping area in the installation direction, and the connecting screws, adjusting screws and gaskets are all distributed in the overlapping area; the gasket is arranged between the upper and lower end surfaces of the manipulator and the slice fork corresponding to the overlapping area.

[0008] Preferably, the manipulator and the slice fork are aligned with connection holes for inserting the connection screws, the connection holes on the manipulator are threaded holes, and the connection holes on the slice fork are smooth holes;

[0009] The fork is provided with a plurality of adjustment holes for the adjustment screw to pass through, and the adjustment holes are threaded holes; the adjustment screw is screwed into the adjustment hole so as to abut against the manipulator.

[0010] Preferably, an air flow passage is provided in the fork;

[0011] The manipulator and the slice fork are aligned to set a first air hole on the end faces opposite to each other in the overlap area, and the first air hole is connected to the air flow passage;

[0012] A plurality of second air holes connected with the air flow passage are arranged on one end of the slice fork away from the robot.

[0013] Preferably, a sealing ring is provided between the slice fork and the first air hole aligned with the robot.

[0014] Preferably, the gasket is a single piece or multiple pieces.

[0015] Preferably, the gasket is a single piece; the gasket is provided with through holes for the adjusting screw, the connecting screw and the sealing ring to pass through or accommodate.

[0016] Preferably, the gasket is multiple and is respectively arranged corresponding to the adjusting screws; each gasket is provided with an adjusting through hole for the adjusting screw to pass through, so that the gasket surrounds the circumference of the adjusting screw.

[0017] Preferably, the gasket is an elastic gasket; the material of the gasket is any one of rubber and polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0018] Preferably, the rubber can be any one of silicone rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, fluororubber, acrylate rubber, and hydrogenated nitrile rubber.

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

[0020] (1) The utility model provides a manipulator fork, wherein an adjustment component is provided at the position where the fork is connected to the manipulator. During the process of taking and placing wafers, when the fork at the end of the manipulator tilts at a working position, the horizontality of the fork can be adjusted by the adjustment component. This adjustment method can specifically adjust the tilted fork at the end of the manipulator, can accurately adjust the horizontality of the fork at the working position, and can avoid the traditional method of adjusting the entire machine from the bottom or directly adjusting the robot arm, which is simple to operate and saves time and effort.

[0021] (2) The utility model provides a robot fork, which is not only suitable for single-finger robots, but also can be applied to multi-finger robots, expanding the application range of the fork. When the fork is applied to a multi-finger robot, the horizontality of a tilted fork at the end of the multi-finger robot at the working position can be specifically adjusted by adjusting the components, which solves the problem of directly adjusting the entire robot arm and adjusting all the forks at the end of the multi-finger robot at the same time, causing the non-tilted forks to become tilted, and all the forks at the end of the robot to be unable to remain horizontal at the same time, which in turn causes the robot to have difficulty in accurately picking up and placing wafers. The robot fork can effectively reduce the probability of wafer breakage when the robot is picking up, placing and transporting wafers; it also improves the work efficiency of the robot.

[0022] (3) The utility model provides a manipulator slice fork, the adjustment component includes an adjustment nut and a gasket, and the gasket is arranged between the slice fork and the manipulator, so that it can not only cooperate with the adjustment nut to adjust the horizontality of the slice fork, but also support the slice fork to prevent the slice fork from shaking, which is conducive to the slice fork to accurately pick up and place the wafer when working. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The utility model is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0024] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the manipulator blade fork of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 2 It is an exploded view of the manipulator blade fork of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a top view of the manipulator blade fork of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional view of the robot fork of the utility model along the AA direction of the top view;

[0028] Figure 5 It is an enlarged view of the P area in the cross-sectional view of the manipulator fork of the utility model along the AA direction of the top view;

[0029] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of the manipulator fork of the utility model along the BB direction of the top view;

[0030] Figure 7 It is an enlarged view of the Q area in the cross-sectional view of the robot fork of the utility model along the BB direction of the top view;

[0031] Figure 8 It is an exploded view of the manipulator blade fork of the utility model;

[0032] Among them: 1. fork; 2. manipulator; 21. groove; 22. cover plate; 23. flange; 3. connecting screw; 31. connecting hole; 32. through hole; 4. adjustment component; 41. adjustment screw; 42. gasket; 43. adjustment hole; 5. air flow passage; 51. first air hole; 52. second air hole; 6. sealing ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following is a further detailed description of the present invention in conjunction with specific embodiments:

[0034] A robot fork is installed on the robot 2, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes a slice fork 1 and an adjustment component 4; one end of the slice fork 1 is connected to the manipulator 2 through a connecting screw 3; the adjustment component 4 is arranged at the position where the slice fork 1 is connected to the manipulator 2; the adjustment component 4 includes an adjustment screw 41 and a gasket 42, which are used to adjust the horizontality of the slice fork 1 in the working position.

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, the slice fork 1 and the manipulator 2 have an overlapping area in the installation direction, and the connecting screw 3, the adjusting screw 41, and the gasket 42 are all distributed in the overlapping area; and the gasket 42 is arranged between the upper and lower end surfaces of the manipulator 2 and the slice fork 1 corresponding to the overlapping area.

[0036] A groove 21 for installing the slice fork 1 is provided in the overlapping area of ​​the manipulator 2 and the slice fork 1; the groove 21 provided on the manipulator 2 is aligned with a connecting hole 31 on the slice fork 1 for inserting the connecting screw 3, and the connecting hole 31 on the manipulator 2 is a threaded hole, and the connecting hole 31 on the slice fork 1 is a smooth hole; there are also a number of adjustment holes 43 for the adjustment screw 41 to pass through distributed on the slice fork 1, and the adjustment hole 43 is a threaded hole.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, an air flow passage 5 is provided in the blade fork 1; Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the first air holes 51 are aligned on the opposite end faces of the manipulator 2 and the slice fork 1 in the overlapping area, that is, the first air inlet holes 51 are respectively arranged on the upper end face of the groove 21 and the lower end face of the slice fork 1 connected to the manipulator, and when the slice fork 1 is installed on the manipulator 2, the first air inlet holes 51 arranged on the upper end face of the groove 21 and the lower end face of the slice fork 1 are aligned with each other; the first air holes 51 are connected to the air flow passage 5; and a sealing ring 6 is arranged between the first air holes 51 aligned on the slice fork 1 and the manipulator 2, and the sealing ring 6 has a sealing effect on the air flow passage 5, which can improve the vacuum degree of the overall device, and a plurality of second air holes 52 connected to the air flow passage 5 are arranged on the end of the slice fork 1 away from the manipulator 2.

[0038] The gasket 42 is a single piece and is provided with a through hole 32 for the adjusting screw 41, the connecting screw 3 and the sealing ring 6 to penetrate or accommodate.

[0039] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, first place the gasket 42 in the groove 21; then place the end of the slice fork 1 connected to the manipulator 2 into the groove 21, so that the gasket 42 is between the end faces of the slice fork 1 and the manipulator 2 that are opposite in the overlap area; then pass the connecting screw 3 through the connecting hole 31 on the slice fork 1 and the through hole 32 on the gasket 42, and screw it into the connecting hole 31 on the manipulator 2, so that the slice fork 1 and the manipulator 2 are connected to each other. The adjusting screw 41 is screwed into the adjusting hole 43, and the bottom end of the adjusting screw 41 is accommodated in the through hole 32 set on the gasket 42, and the adjusting screw 41 is abutted against the manipulator 2. Screw the adjusting screw 41 to adjust the horizontality of the slice fork 1 in the working position, so that the slice fork 1 is in a horizontal state in the working position, and then tighten the connecting screw 3 to fix the slice fork 1 and the manipulator 2. Tighten the connecting screw 3 so that it can fix the slice fork 1, prevent the slice fork 1 from shaking during operation, and avoid collision of the slice fork 1 in the process of taking and placing the wafer, causing damage to the wafer or equipment. When the slice fork 1 tilts after being subjected to force, or when the slice fork at the end of the manipulator tilts due to the extension, bending, contraction, and movement of the robot arm, the horizontality of the slice fork 1 can be adjusted by screwing one or more of the adjustment screws 41. In addition, the gasket 42 is arranged between the slice fork and the manipulator, and can also support the slice fork, thereby improving the stability of the connection between the manipulator 2 and the slice fork 1.

[0040] In other implementations, other connection methods may be used to replace the connection method in which the screw 3 and the threaded hole 32 cooperate with each other in this embodiment; the groove 21 may not be provided on the manipulator 2.

[0041] In other embodiments, the gasket 42 may also be made of multiple pieces; for example, Figure 8 As shown, multiple gaskets 42 are used, and the gaskets 42 are respectively arranged corresponding to the adjusting screws 41; each gasket 42 is provided with an adjusting through hole 32 for the adjusting screw 41 to pass through, so that the gasket 42 surrounds the adjusting screw 41.

[0042] The gasket 42 is an elastic gasket 42; the material of the gasket 42 can be any one of rubber and polytetrafluoroethylene. When the material of the gasket 42 is rubber, the rubber used can be any one of silicone rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, fluororubber, acrylate rubber, and hydrogenated nitrile rubber.

[0043] A flange 23 is provided below the manipulator 2 to facilitate setting the manipulator 2 on the robotic arm; a cover plate 22 is also provided above the manipulator 2 at a position corresponding to the flange 23. The cover plate 22 can seal the connection between the manipulator 2 and the robotic arm so that the overall device can achieve a vacuum effect. The cover plate 22 can also prevent dust, debris, etc. from being scattered on the connection between the manipulator 2 and the robotic arm, thereby affecting the flexibility of rotation between the connection between the manipulator 2 and the robotic arm.

[0044] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the utility model, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the content of the utility model and implement it accordingly, and they cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the utility model. For those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the utility model is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the utility model can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic features of the utility model. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive. The scope of the utility model is limited by the attached claims rather than the above description, so it is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims in the utility model.

Claims

1. A robot blade fork, mounted on a robot (2), characterized in that: include: A slice fork (1) and an adjustment component (4); one end of the slice fork (1) is connected to the manipulator (2) via a connecting screw (3); the adjustment component (4) is arranged at the position where the slice fork (1) is connected to the manipulator (2), and the adjustment component (4) comprises an adjustment screw (41) and a gasket (42) for adjusting the horizontality of the slice fork (1) at the working position.

2. A robot slice fork according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slice fork (1) and the manipulator (2) have an overlapping area in the installation direction, and the connecting screw (3), the adjusting screw (41), and the gasket (42) are all distributed in the overlapping area; the gasket (42) is arranged between the upper and lower end surfaces of the manipulator (2) and the slice fork (1) corresponding to the overlapping area.

3. A robot slice fork according to claim 2, characterized in that: The manipulator (2) and the slice fork (1) are aligned with each other and are provided with connection holes (31) for inserting the connection screws (3); the connection holes (31) on the manipulator (2) are threaded holes, and the connection holes (31) on the slice fork (1) are smooth holes; The blade fork (1) is provided with a plurality of adjustment holes (43) for the adjustment screw (41) to pass through, and the adjustment hole (43) is a threaded hole; the adjustment screw (41) is screwed into the adjustment hole (43) so as to abut against the manipulator (2).

4. A robot slice fork according to claim 3, characterized in that: An air flow passage (5) is provided in the blade fork (1); The manipulator (2) and the slice fork (1) are aligned to form a first air hole (51) on the end faces opposite to each other in the overlapped area, and the first air hole (51) is connected to the air flow passage (5); A plurality of second air holes (52) connected to the air flow passage (5) are provided on one end of the slice fork (1) away from the robot arm (2).

5. A robot slice fork according to claim 4, characterized in that: A sealing ring (6) is provided between the slice fork (1) and the first air hole (51) aligned with the robot arm (2).

6. A robot slice fork according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gasket (42) is a single piece or multiple pieces.

7. A robot slice fork according to claim 6, characterized in that: The gasket (42) is a single piece; the gasket (42) is provided with a through hole (32) for the adjusting screw (41), the connecting screw (3), and the sealing ring (6) to penetrate or accommodate.

8. A robot slice fork according to claim 6, characterized in that: The gasket (42) is composed of multiple pieces, and each piece is arranged corresponding to the adjusting screw (41); each gasket (42) is provided with an adjusting through hole (32) for the adjusting screw (41) to pass through, so that the gasket (42) surrounds the circumference of the adjusting screw (41).

9. A robot slice fork according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The gasket (42) is an elastic gasket; the material of the gasket (42) is any one of rubber and polytetrafluoroethylene.

10. A robot slice fork according to claim 9, characterized in that: The rubber can be any one of silicone rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, fluororubber, acrylate rubber, and hydrogenated nitrile rubber.

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