Conveying mechanism easy for wafer positioning

Abstract

The utility model discloses a transmission mechanism easy for wafer positioning, and belongs to the technical field of wafer transmission. Comprising a support frame; the at least one wafer fork piece is fixed on the supporting frame, and a first limiting part is arranged on the wafer fork piece and is far away from the supporting frame; the second limiting part is arranged far away from the supporting frame, and the first limiting part and the second limiting part form a wafer positioning side on the wafer fork piece; the dragging tooth part is fixed on the supporting frame and comprises a dragging tooth bottom plate which is positioned in the supporting frame; and the wafer supporting teeth are positioned at the two ends of the supporting tooth bottom plate and are arranged towards the wafer positioning side. The beneficial effects of the above technical scheme are that by adopting the above technical scheme, the problem of wafer dislocation in the transmission process is avoided, wafer damage is prevented, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of wafer transmission, in particular to a transmission mechanism which is easy to position wafers. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor industry, robots are usually used between chambers or workstations to complete the transfer and transportation of wafers to improve the accuracy of wafer placement. During the wafer production and processing, it is easy to be contaminated by dust in the environment, including tiny particles of tens of nanometers and dust of hundreds of microns. These pollutants come from factors such as dust on the surface of the wafer during the production and processing, substandard air purity, and chemical reagents. These particles will block light during the photolithography process, causing defects in the structure of the integrated circuit. Attaching to the surface of the wafer may cause incomplete patterns and directly affect the electrical characteristics of the chip. Therefore, SMIF (standard mechanical interface) isolation technology is usually used to ensure the cleanliness of the wafer during automatic loading and unloading under relatively low external environmental requirements.

[0003] In order to avoid objective factors such as position deviation or wafer breakage when extracting wafers from FOUP (wafer transfer box), the wafer transmission system only detects the eccentricity of the wafer to ensure the smooth operation of the robot arm during the grasping process. This often ignores the problem of whether the position of the wafer in the wafer box is misaligned, which is precisely the fatal point of wafer breakage during the robot hand grasping process. For example: to avoid the problem of wafer breakage during storage due to position deviation during transmission, the robot arm and the wafer clamp are used for fixed transmission; the micro-array transmission surface design and the contact surface micro-force and stick-slip tactile sensor design are used at the end of the wafer storage to calibrate the transmission device to ensure accurate placement of the wafer and reduce the number of wafer breakages during transmission.

[0004] In the prior art, during the processing of semiconductor wafers, wafers need to be frequently transferred between hundreds of processes. Despite the use of the above method, problems such as wafer misalignment may still occur during the transfer of the wafer box, causing the robot to damage or break the wafer when grabbing it, thereby causing a decrease in productivity. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a conveying mechanism that is easy to position wafers and solve the above technical problems;

[0006] A conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning, comprising:

[0007] Support frame;

[0008] At least one wafer fork is fixed on the support frame, and the wafer fork is provided with:

[0009] A first limiting portion, arranged away from the supporting frame;

[0010] A second limiting portion is arranged away from the supporting frame, and the first limiting portion and the second limiting portion form a wafer positioning side on the wafer fork;

[0011] The dragging tooth part is fixed on the supporting frame, and the dragging tooth part includes:

[0012] A tooth dragging bottom plate, located in the supporting frame;

[0013] The wafer supporting teeth are located at two ends of the dragging tooth bottom plate and are arranged toward the wafer positioning side.

[0014] Preferably, the dragging tooth portion further includes:

[0015] A cylinder mounting plate, through which the dragging tooth portion is fixed to the supporting frame;

[0016] A cylinder, located in the middle of the cylinder mounting plate;

[0017] A first telescopic portion, wherein a first end of the first telescopic portion is connected to a side of the dragging tooth bottom plate away from the wafer fork;

[0018] A second telescopic portion, wherein a first end of the second telescopic portion is connected to a side of the dragging tooth bottom plate away from the wafer fork;

[0019] A connecting rod, wherein a first end of the connecting rod is connected to the second end of the first telescopic portion, and a second end of the connecting rod is connected to the second end of the second telescopic portion.

[0020] Preferably, the first telescopic portion includes:

[0021] A first motion shaft, wherein a first end of the first motion shaft passes through a first mounting hole on an upper portion of the cylinder mounting plate and is connected to a side of the dragging tooth base plate away from the wafer fork;

[0022] The first linear bearing is located on a side of the cylinder mounting plate away from the wafer fork, and the first motion axis can be controlled to perform telescopic motion in the first linear bearing.

[0023] Preferably, the second telescopic portion includes:

[0024] A second motion shaft, a first end of which passes through a second mounting hole at the bottom of the cylinder mounting plate and is connected to a side of the dragging tooth bottom plate away from the wafer fork;

[0025] The second linear bearing is located on a side of the cylinder mounting plate away from the wafer fork, and the second motion axis can be controlled to perform telescopic motion in the second linear bearing.

[0026] Preferably, the tooth-dragging portion further comprises a cylinder motion shaft, one end of the cylinder motion shaft is connected to the cylinder, and the other end of the cylinder motion shaft is connected to the connecting rod.

[0027] Preferably, the shape of the wafer fork is H-shaped, the rear end of the wafer fork is connected to the support frame, and the wafer fork is stacked on the support frame.

[0028] Preferably, the first limiting portion is located at the left front of the wafer fork, and the second limiting portion is located at the right front of the wafer fork.

[0029] Preferably, the first limiting portion includes:

[0030] The first limiting column;

[0031] a second limiting column located to the left rear of the first limiting column;

[0032] a third limiting post located to the right rear of the first limiting post;

[0033] The second limiting portion includes:

[0034] The fourth limiting column;

[0035] a fifth limiting post located to the left rear of the fourth limiting post;

[0036] A sixth limiting column is located to the right rear of the fourth limiting column.

[0037] Preferably, the wafer fork is symmetrically provided with:

[0038] A first support column, disposed close to the support frame;

[0039] The second support column is arranged close to the support frame.

[0040] Preferably, the contact surface of the wafer supporting teeth matches the curvature of the side surface of the wafer.

[0041] The beneficial effects of the utility model are as follows: by adopting the above technical solution, the problem of wafer misalignment during the transmission process is avoided, the wafer is prevented from being damaged, and the production efficiency is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the utility model;

[0043] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the dragging tooth part of the utility model;

[0044] Figure 3 It is a top view of the utility model;

[0045] Figure 4 It is a motion schematic diagram of the wafer dragging teeth of the utility model;

[0046] Figure 5 It is a rear view of the utility model;

[0047] Figure 6 It is an oblique view of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0049] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0050] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but they are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0051] A conveying mechanism that facilitates wafer positioning, such as Figure 1 , Figure 4 As shown, including,

[0052] Support frame 1;

[0053] At least one wafer fork 2 is fixed on the support frame 1, and the wafer fork 2 is provided with:

[0054] The first limiting portion 21 is arranged away from the supporting frame 1;

[0055] The second limiting portion 22 is arranged away from the supporting frame 1, and the first limiting portion 21 and the second limiting portion 22 form a wafer positioning side on the wafer fork 2;

[0056] The dragging tooth part 3 is fixed on the supporting frame 1, and the dragging tooth part 3 includes:

[0057] The dragging tooth bottom plate 31 is located inside the supporting frame 1;

[0058] The wafer supporting teeth 32 are located at two ends of the tooth dragging bottom plate 31 and are disposed toward the wafer positioning side.

[0059] Specifically, the utility model provides a conveying mechanism that is easy to position the wafer, and is used for wafer transmission. Figure 4The wafer 4 is pushed to the wafer positioning side in the direction of the middle arrow A, so as to achieve accurate positioning of the misaligned wafer 4, avoid the problem of wafer misalignment during the transmission process, prevent the wafer from being damaged, and improve the production efficiency.

[0060] In a preferred embodiment, referring to Figure 2 The dragging tooth portion 3 also includes:

[0061] A cylinder mounting plate 33, through which the dragging tooth portion 3 is fixed to the supporting frame 1;

[0062] The cylinder 34 is located in the middle of the cylinder mounting plate 33;

[0063] A first telescopic portion, wherein a first end of the first telescopic portion is connected to a side of the dragging tooth bottom plate 31 away from the wafer fork 2;

[0064] A second telescopic portion, wherein a first end of the second telescopic portion is connected to a side of the dragging tooth bottom plate 31 away from the wafer fork 2;

[0065] A connecting rod 39, wherein a first end of the connecting rod 39 is connected to a second end of the first telescopic portion, and a second end of the connecting rod 39 is connected to a second end of the second telescopic portion.

[0066] Specifically, the design of the connecting rod 39 can make the dragging tooth part 3 more firmly fixed on the supporting frame 1, and at the same time, the first telescopic part and the second telescopic part can flexibly push the dragging tooth bottom plate 31 to adapt to wafers 4 of different sizes. The applicability and stability of the equipment are improved, and it is also convenient for operators to adjust and maintain the dragging tooth part 3.

[0067] In a preferred embodiment, the first telescopic portion includes:

[0068] A first moving shaft 35, a first end of the first moving shaft 35 passes through a first mounting hole on an upper portion of the cylinder mounting plate 33 and is connected to a side of the dragging tooth base plate 31 away from the wafer fork 2;

[0069] The first linear bearing 36 is located on a side of the cylinder mounting plate 33 away from the wafer fork 2, and the first motion shaft 35 can be controlled to perform telescopic motion in the first linear bearing 36;

[0070] The second telescopic portion includes:

[0071] A second motion shaft 37, a first end of the second motion shaft 37 passes through a second mounting hole at the bottom of the cylinder mounting plate 33 and is connected to a side of the dragging tooth base plate 31 away from the wafer fork 2;

[0072] The second linear bearing 38 is located on a side of the cylinder mounting plate 33 away from the wafer fork 2 , and the second motion axis 37 can be controlled to perform telescopic motion in the second linear bearing 38 .

[0073] Specifically, the arrangement of the first telescopic part and the second telescopic part enables the dragging tooth base plate 31 to move with the cylinder 34, and the wafer 4 is precisely positioned through the wafer supporting teeth 32 at both ends of the dragging tooth base plate 31, thereby reducing the breakage rate caused by the subsequent mechanism operation.

[0074] In a preferred embodiment, the tooth-dragging portion 3 further includes a cylinder motion shaft 341 , one end of the cylinder motion shaft 341 is connected to the cylinder 34 , and the other end of the cylinder motion shaft 341 is connected to the connecting rod 39 .

[0075] Specifically, the cylinder 34 and the connecting rod 39 are connected by the cylinder motion shaft 341. The cylinder 34 can provide power so that the tooth-dragging base plate 31 can move stably, and the connecting rod 39 can transmit the power of the cylinder to the tooth-dragging base plate 31, which can effectively control the movement of the tooth-dragging base plate 31 and improve the working efficiency and accuracy of the equipment.

[0076] In a preferred embodiment, the shape of the wafer fork 2 is H-shaped, the rear end of the wafer fork 2 is connected to the support frame 1, and the wafer fork 2 is stacked on the support frame 1.

[0077] Specifically, the number of wafers 4 to be inspected is placed in the FOUP, and a full sheet is 25 wafers. The wafers 4 are placed on the wafer forks 2, and the 25 forks extend into the FOUP to place and grab the wafers. Figure 6 By stacking the wafer forks 2, the stability of the wafer forks 2 can be effectively increased, and the shaking and deformation thereof can be reduced during transportation and operation.

[0078] More specifically, since the wafer fork 2 is H-shaped, it can better adapt to the structure of the support frame 1, so that the connection between the wafer fork 2 and the support frame 1 is tighter and more stable, which helps to improve work efficiency and production efficiency.

[0079] More specifically, by connecting the support frame 1, the risk of the wafer fork 2 being subjected to external impact and extrusion during transportation and operation can be effectively reduced, the possibility of the wafer fork 2 being damaged is reduced, and its service life is extended.

[0080] To be more specific, the connection method between the wafer fork 2 and the support frame 1 is simple and convenient, easy to maintain and manage, and is conducive to regular inspection and maintenance of the wafer fork 2 to ensure its normal operation and use.

[0081] In a preferred embodiment, referring to Figure 1 , the first limiting portion 21 is located at the left front of the wafer fork 2, and the second limiting portion 22 is located at the right front of the wafer fork 2;

[0082] The first limiting portion 21 includes:

[0083] A first limiting column 211;

[0084] A second limiting post 212 located at the left rear of the first limiting post 211;

[0085] A third limiting post 213 located to the right rear of the first limiting post 211;

[0086] The second limiting portion 22 includes:

[0087] Fourth limiting column 221;

[0088] a fifth limiting post 222 located to the left rear of the fourth limiting post 221;

[0089] a sixth limiting post 223 located to the right rear of the fourth limiting post 221;

[0090] The wafer fork 2 is also symmetrically provided with:

[0091] A first support column 23, arranged close to the support frame 1;

[0092] The second support column 24 is disposed close to the support frame 1 .

[0093] Specifically, when the wafer 4 is grabbed out of the FOUP, there is a probability that the wafer 4 is not grabbed in place, causing the wafer 4 to shift backwards, so when the fork is taken out, the wafer dragging teeth 32 will push forward, and each tooth will push the wafer 4 to be stably placed in the limit area. The support column can evenly support the wafer 4 to avoid damage, thereby improving the accuracy and transmission efficiency of the wafer 4.

[0094] In a preferred embodiment, the contact surface of the wafer supporting teeth 32 matches the curvature of the side surface of the wafer 4 .

[0095] Specifically, the contact surface of the wafer support teeth 32 matches the side curvature of the wafer 4 to ensure that the wafer 4 is firmly pushed by the tray, avoiding movement or friction of the wafer during transportation or processing, thereby reducing damage and scratches on the wafer surface, which helps to improve the quality and yield of the wafer and reduce losses and costs in the production process.

[0096] More specifically, the matching contact surfaces and side curvatures can also improve the stability and reliability of the wafer supporting teeth 32 , ensuring that the wafer maintains a correct position during the transfer process, thereby improving production efficiency and product quality.

[0097] In the first embodiment, referring to Figure 3 , Figure 5When the wafer 4 is grabbed out of the FOUP, there is a probability that the wafer 4 will not be grabbed in place, causing the wafer 4 to deviate backwards. Therefore, when the fork is taken out, the wafer dragging teeth 32 will push forward, and each tooth will push the wafer 4 to be stably placed in the limit area; the wafer dragging teeth 32 are installed on the dragging teeth base plate 31, and the linear bearings are installed on the cylinder mounting plate 33; one end of the motion axis is fixed to the dragging teeth base plate 31, and the other end is fixed to the cylinder mounting plate 33 and the connecting rod 39 at the back through a linear bearing. The cylinder 34 is used to push the wafer dragging teeth 32 connected to the connecting rod 39 to push the wafer 4. The connecting rod 39 is pushed left and right by the cylinder motion axis 341, and then the connecting rod 39 is connected to the upper and lower axes, and then the dragging teeth base plate 31 is pushed through the linear bearing, and the wafer dragging teeth 32 push the deviated wafer 4 to achieve the purpose of placing the wafer 4 stably on the fork. The pushing direction refers to Figure 4 The wafer 4 after transport is placed stably and accurately in the fork of the robot, which improves the working efficiency, reduces the breakage rate, runs stably, and is convenient for installation and debugging.

[0098] Specifically, when the wafer 4 is transported from the FOUP, it can be ensured that the wafer 4 will not be tilted and the wafer 4 is prevented from shifting. This solution includes: a bracket with dragging teeth, and a mechanism driven by a cylinder 34. The bracket with dragging teeth has two dragging teeth distributed on the left and right sides, and the two dragging teeth are fixed by a support plate. After the fork used in transportation places the wafer 4, the teeth of the dragging teeth will push forward. If the wafer 4 is not placed in the predetermined position, the process of pushing the dragging teeth will push the wafer 4 to its predetermined limit position. The pushing mechanism with the cylinder 34 is composed of a cylinder mounting plate 33, a cylinder 34, a connecting rod shaft and a pushing rod. The dragging teeth push the wafer 4, which requires the cylinder 34 to telescopically move. The cylinder connecting rod is fixed to the telescopic rod of the cylinder 34, and then the upper and lower ends are connected to the shaft and the linear bearing. The shaft is fixed to the dragging teeth bracket. While the cylinder 34 pushes, the shaft pushes the dragging teeth through the linear bearing to reset the wafer 4.

[0099] More specifically, the utility model has a relatively simple structure, can solve the problem of wafer placement offset, has a lower cost than imported products, has reliable detection accuracy, improves production efficiency, and is convenient for maintenance.

[0100] In summary, the present application provides a transmission mechanism that is easy for wafer positioning, which is used to transmit wafer 4. When grabbing wafer 4, the position of wafer 4 may be offset. The present application can be used to quickly reset wafer 4, thereby ensuring that wafer 4 will not be offset, and wafer 4 is pushed to the limit position, reducing the breakage rate caused by the operation of the subsequent mechanism, and the structure is simple, the installation is easier, and the positioning is more accurate. The position state and quantity of silicon wafers can be effectively calculated and judged with high accuracy. During operation, the wafer in the offset position can be adjusted to improve productivity and reduce the risk of broken pieces. The space requirement for the machine installation position is low, the installation is simple and convenient, and the debugging is convenient, which can meet most working environments.

[0101] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the implementation mode and protection scope of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, it should be aware that all solutions obtained by equivalent substitutions and obvious changes made using the description and illustrations of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning, characterized in that: include, Support frame (1); At least one wafer fork (2) is fixed on the support frame (1), and the wafer fork (2) is provided with: A first limiting portion (21) is arranged away from the supporting frame (1); A second limiting portion (22) is arranged away from the supporting frame (1), and the first limiting portion (21) and the second limiting portion (22) form a wafer positioning side on the wafer fork (2); The tooth-dragging portion (3) is fixed on the supporting frame (1), and the tooth-dragging portion (3) comprises: A tooth dragging bottom plate (31), located inside the supporting frame (1); Wafer supporting teeth (32) are located at two ends of the tooth-dragging bottom plate (31) and are arranged toward the wafer positioning side.

2. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dragging tooth portion (3) further comprises: A cylinder mounting plate (33), wherein the dragging tooth portion (3) is fixed on the supporting frame (1) via the cylinder mounting plate (33); A cylinder (34) located in the middle of the cylinder mounting plate (33); A first telescopic portion, wherein a first end of the first telescopic portion is connected to a side of the dragging tooth base plate (31) away from the wafer fork (2); A second telescopic portion, wherein a first end of the second telescopic portion is connected to a side of the dragging tooth base plate (31) away from the wafer fork (2); A connecting rod (39), wherein a first end of the connecting rod (39) is connected to the second end of the first telescopic part, and a second end of the connecting rod (39) is connected to the second end of the second telescopic part.

3. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first telescopic portion includes: A first moving shaft (35), wherein a first end of the first moving shaft (35) passes through a first mounting hole on the upper portion of the cylinder mounting plate (33) and is connected to a side of the dragging tooth base plate (31) away from the wafer fork (2); The first linear bearing (36) is located on a side of the cylinder mounting plate (33) away from the wafer fork (2), and the first motion axis (35) can be controlled to perform telescopic motion in the first linear bearing (36).

4. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second telescopic portion includes: A second motion shaft (37), wherein a first end of the second motion shaft (37) passes through a second mounting hole at the bottom of the cylinder mounting plate (33) and is connected to a side of the dragging tooth base plate (31) away from the wafer fork (2); The second linear bearing (38) is located on a side of the cylinder mounting plate (33) away from the wafer fork (2), and the second motion axis (37) can be controlled to perform telescopic motion in the second linear bearing (38).

5. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 2, characterized in that: The tooth-dragging portion (3) further comprises a cylinder motion shaft (341), one end of the cylinder motion shaft (341) is connected to the cylinder (34), and the other end of the cylinder motion shaft (341) is connected to the connecting rod (39).

6. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of the wafer fork (2) is H-shaped, the rear end of the wafer fork (2) is connected to the support frame (1), and the wafer fork (2) is stacked on the support frame (1).

7. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first limiting portion (21) is located at the left front of the wafer fork (2), and the second limiting portion (22) is located at the right front of the wafer fork (2).

8. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first limiting portion (21) comprises: A first limiting column (211); a second limiting post (212) located to the left rear of the first limiting post (211); a third limiting post (213) located to the right rear of the first limiting post (211); The second limiting portion (22) comprises: A fourth limiting column (221); a fifth limiting post (222) located to the left rear of the fourth limiting post (221); A sixth limiting post (223) is located to the right rear of the fourth limiting post (221).

9. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 7, characterized in that: The wafer fork (2) is also symmetrically provided with: A first support column (23) is arranged close to the support frame (1); The second support column (24) is arranged close to the support frame (1).

10. The conveying mechanism for facilitating wafer positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact surface of the wafer supporting teeth (32) matches the curvature of the side surface of the wafer.

Images