Device for measuring force of wafer chuck mechanism

Abstract

The utility model discloses a device for measuring mechanical force of a wafer chuck mechanism. The device comprises a wafer simulation component and a pressure sensor, the wafer simulation component is configured to simulate a clamped wafer during measurement, the pressure sensor is arranged on the wafer simulation component, and the pressure sensor is configured to measure clamping force applied to the pressure sensor by a wafer chuck mechanism. The device provided by the utility model realizes an effective means for accurately measuring the clamping force between the wafer and the chuck mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model generally relates to the field of semiconductor processing equipment, and in particular to a device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor processing equipment, wafer chucks are usually used as carriers for transferring wafers, and mechanical claws are used in wafer chucks to clamp wafers. The clamping force of the claw mechanism has a significant impact on the stability of the wafer transfer process, for example: (1) If the clamping force is too small, the friction between the wafer and the mechanical claw is insufficient, which will cause the two to slide relative to each other, eventually causing wear and tear, resulting in excessive particle counts, and even wafer drop during wafer transfer, which in turn causes wafer damage; (2) If the clamping force is too large, the wafer may be damaged by force; (3) During long-term use, the spring in the wafer chuck mechanism will change its elastic coefficient due to metal fatigue, so regular inspection is required to ensure that the spring can provide appropriate force.

[0003] With the rapid development of semiconductor process technology, it is increasingly important to apply appropriate clamping force through mechanical claws and accurately control the magnitude of the clamping force. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an effective mechanism that can accurately measure the clamping force between the wafer and the chuck mechanism. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the utility model provides a device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism, aiming to solve the problem that the actual clamping force of the wafer chuck claw mechanism cannot be measured and the clamping force of the wafer chuck mechanism is difficult to accurately control.

[0005] The utility model provides a device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism comprises a wafer simulation component and a pressure sensor, wherein the wafer simulation component is configured to simulate a clamped wafer during measurement, the pressure sensor is arranged on the wafer simulation component, and the pressure sensor is configured to measure the clamping force applied to the pressure sensor by the wafer chuck mechanism.

[0006] Optionally, the wafer simulation member has a first measurement position, which corresponds to an outer circumference line position of the clamped wafer in the radial direction, and corresponds to a thickness center position of the clamped wafer in the axial direction.

[0007] Further, the position of the pressure sensor on the wafer simulation member is adjustable, and the pressure sensor is adjusted to a first measurement position during measurement.

[0008] Further, the wafer simulation component is provided with a positioning mechanism, which is configured to adjust and fix the position of the pressure sensor.

[0009] Further, the positioning mechanism includes an adjustable horizontal fastener, which is used to adjust the radial position of the pressure sensor, and the positioning mechanism includes an adjustable vertical fastener, which is used to adjust the axial position of the pressure sensor.

[0010] Optionally, the shape of the wafer simulation member is selected from any one of the following: a triangle; a circle; a polygon; or a rod.

[0011] Optionally, the wafer dummy member has the same shape and size as the wafer being clamped.

[0012] Furthermore, a notch is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer simulation component, and the notch is used to install a pressure sensor.

[0013] Optionally, the number of the pressure sensors is the same as the number of jaws of the wafer chuck mechanism.

[0014] Optionally, the device further comprises a pressure display component configured to display clamping force data detected by the pressure sensor.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the device for measuring the wafer chuck mechanism force of the utility model are as follows:

[0016] 1. The utility model collects pressure data at a measuring position on a wafer simulation component through a pressure sensor, and can accurately measure the actual clamping force of a wafer chuck claw mechanism, thereby providing parameters for adjusting the clamping force of the wafer chuck mechanism.

[0017] 2. The utility model can detect whether the elastic coefficient of the spring of the wafer chuck mechanism has changed after being used for a period of time, thereby providing a basis for whether the spring needs to be replaced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present utility model may be better understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of a device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a partial cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0021] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a pressure display component according to an embodiment of the utility model; and

[0022] Figure 4The utility model is a schematic diagram of the use state of the device for measuring the force of the wafer chuck mechanism according to one embodiment of the utility model.

[0023] Explanation of the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings: 1: wafer simulation component; 2: notch; 3: pressure sensor; 4: measuring probe; 5: positioning mechanism; 6: upper part of the positioning mechanism; 7: lower part of the positioning mechanism; 8: pressure display part; 9: switch; 10: display screen; 11: circuit; 15: claw.

[0024] For the sake of brevity, the drawings illustrate the general construction mode, and the description and details of known features and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessary confusion in the discussion of the embodiments of the utility model. In addition, the elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the size of some elements in the drawings may be enlarged relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of the various embodiments of the utility model. The same reference numerals in different drawings represent the same elements, and similar reference numerals may but do not necessarily represent similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The utility model is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the subject matter or application and the uses of these embodiments. As used herein, the wording "exemplary" means "used as an example, instance or explanation". Any implementation described as exemplary herein should not be interpreted as necessarily preferred or superior to other implementations. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any representation or implicit theory presented in the aforementioned technical field, background technology, utility model content or the following detailed description.

[0026] The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. in the specification and claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or chronological sequence. It is to be understood that these terms used in this way are interchangeable where appropriate, such as to enable the embodiments of the utility model described herein to operate in other orders than those described or shown herein. In addition, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "having" and any variations thereof are intended to be applicable to non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article or device that includes a series of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, articles or devices.

[0027] According to one aspect of the utility model, an embodiment of the utility model provides a device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism, which can be applied to a wafer chuck in the field of semiconductor processing equipment. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism may include a wafer simulation component and a pressure sensor. The wafer simulation component is configured to simulate a clamped wafer during measurement; the pressure sensor is disposed on the wafer simulation component, and the pressure sensor is configured to measure the clamping force applied to the pressure sensor by the wafer chuck mechanism.

[0028] In an embodiment of the utility model, the wafer simulation component has one or more measurement positions, and the pressure sensor can measure the clamping force it receives at the measurement position. In one embodiment, the measurement position on the wafer simulation component can be set so that the measurement position is equivalent to the outer circumference position of the clamped wafer in the radial direction and is equivalent to the thickness center position of the clamped wafer in the axial direction. The measurement position can be called the "first measurement position". The "radial" and "axial" here are both relative to the clamped wafer, and the "thickness center position" is located at the middle plane between the upper surface and the lower surface of the clamped wafer. Therefore, the first measurement position is equivalent to the thickness center position on the outermost edge of the clamped wafer, and the clamping force received by the pressure sensor at the first measurement position is equivalent to the clamping force received by the real wafer when it is clamped. It should be understood that the "first measurement position" does not mean that the measurement position is unique. Since there can be several measurement positions that meet the aforementioned radial and axial position requirements, the wafer simulation component can have one or more "first measurement positions". In addition, other positions on the wafer simulation component can be selected as measurement positions, which can be called "second measurement position", "third measurement position", etc. By collecting pressure data of one or more measurement positions on the wafer simulation component through the pressure sensor, the actual clamping force of the wafer chuck claw mechanism can be accurately measured.

[0029] The embodiment of the utility model does not impose any particular restrictions on the shape of the wafer simulation component. The wafer simulation component can be triangular, circular, polygonal, rod-shaped, etc., and other suitable shapes can be selected as needed. Regardless of the shape of the wafer simulation component, it can be configured to have the aforementioned first measurement position, that is, the first measurement position is radially equivalent to the outer circumferential line position of the clamped wafer, and the first measurement position is axially equivalent to the thickness center position of the clamped wafer. In one embodiment, the wafer simulation component can have the same shape and size as the clamped wafer. For example, the wafer simulation component can be a roughly circular disk, the same shape and size as the clamped wafer.

[0030] In one example, the peripheral edge of the wafer simulation component may be provided with a notch, and the notch is used to install the pressure sensor. The number of notches provided by the wafer simulation component may be one or more, preferably more than three, such as three, four, five or more. The embodiment of the utility model does not particularly limit the specific shape of the notch, and a suitable notch shape may be selected as needed, such as a rectangle, a square, etc. In a specific example, all the notches on the wafer simulation component may be evenly distributed in the peripheral direction of the wafer simulation component, the intervals between adjacent notches are equal, and each notch may have the same shape and size. It should be understood that the utility model may not adopt the above-mentioned notch installation method, but may install the pressure sensor by other means, such as gluing, welding, screw installation, etc.

[0031] The pressure sensor is used as a measuring component to measure the clamping force of the wafer chuck claw mechanism at the position. In one embodiment, the position of the pressure sensor on the wafer simulation component is adjustable, and the pressure sensor can be adjusted to a first measurement position during measurement. The wafer simulation component may be provided with a positioning mechanism, by which the position of the pressure sensor on the wafer simulation component is adjusted and fixed. As an example, the pressure sensor can be adjusted to a position corresponding to the outer circumference line of the clamped wafer in the radial direction by adjusting the positioning mechanism, and the pressure sensor can also be adjusted to a position corresponding to the thickness center of the clamped wafer in the axial direction by adjusting the positioning mechanism. Thus, the first measurement position of the pressure sensor can be made not only to be equivalent to the outer circumference line position of the clamped wafer in the radial direction, but also to be equivalent to the thickness center position of the clamped wafer in the axial direction. Therefore, the first measurement position of the pressure sensor is equivalent to the thickness center position on the outermost edge of the clamped wafer. As an example, in a case where the wafer simulation component has the same shape and size as the clamped wafer, the distance between the first measurement position of the pressure sensor and the center of the wafer simulation component is equal to the radius length of the wafer simulation component, and the vertical distance between the first measurement position and the upper surface of the wafer simulation component is equal to the vertical distance between the first measurement position and the lower surface of the wafer simulation component.

[0032] In one embodiment, the positioning mechanism is mounted on the wafer simulation component and can be set in one-to-one correspondence with the pressure sensor. The positioning mechanism is used to fix the pressure sensor on the wafer simulation component, and can also be used to adjust the position of the pressure sensor. In a specific embodiment, the positioning mechanism includes an adjustable horizontal fastener, which is used to adjust the radial position of the pressure sensor, and the positioning mechanism includes an adjustable vertical fastener, which is used to adjust the axial position of the pressure sensor. The horizontal fastener or the vertical fastener can be a bolt, a screw or other suitable mechanical structure, and the embodiment of the utility model does not particularly limit its specific structure. In some other embodiments, the positioning mechanism may not be used, and the pressure sensor may be installed by other means, such as gluing, welding, screw installation, etc.

[0033] Figure 1 FIG. 2 shows a specific embodiment of the device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism of the utility model. In this embodiment, the device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism includes a wafer simulation component 1 and a pressure sensor 3. Figure 1 As shown, the wafer simulation member 1 is in a generally circular shape and is used to simulate a clamped wafer during measurement. As an example, the wafer simulation member 1 may have the same shape and size as the clamped wafer, with the main difference being that a notch 2 may be provided at the peripheral edge of the wafer simulation member 1. The notch 2 is provided on the wafer simulation member 1 for installing a pressure sensor 3 at the notch 2. Figure 1 Three notches 2 are shown, and the three notches may have the same shape and size. On the wafer simulation member 1, the three notches 2 are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction, and the intervals between adjacent notches are equal.

[0034] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the wafer simulation member 1 may have one or more measurement positions, which are arranged at the notch 2 of the wafer simulation member 1. These measurement positions may be configured to be equivalent to the outer circumference position of the clamped wafer in the radial direction and to be equivalent to the thickness center position of the clamped wafer in the axial direction, that is, these measurement positions may be the aforementioned "first measurement positions". In the case where the wafer simulation member 1 has the same shape and size as the clamped wafer, the distance between the measurement position and the center of the circle of the wafer simulation member 1 may be equal to the radius length of the wafer simulation member 1, and the vertical distance between the measurement position and the upper surface of the wafer simulation member 1 may be equal to the vertical distance between the measurement position and the lower surface of the wafer simulation member 1.

[0035] The pressure sensor 3 is arranged at the notch 2 of the wafer simulation component 1, and is used to measure the clamping force applied to it by the wafer chuck mechanism. The wafer simulation component 1 is provided with a positioning mechanism 5, and the positioning mechanism 5 is used to adjust and fix the position of the pressure sensor 3. Figure 1 As shown, the positioning mechanism 5 is installed at the notch 2 of the wafer simulation component 1, and can be set one by one with the pressure sensor. By adjusting the positioning mechanism 5, the position of the pressure sensor 3 on the wafer simulation component 1 can be adjusted, and the pressure sensor 3 can also be adjusted to the measurement position and fixed during measurement. Thus, the pressure sensor 3 can be fixed to the wafer simulation component 1 by the positioning mechanism 5, and set at the measurement position of the notch 2 by the positioning mechanism 5. As an example, the pressure sensor 3 can be set at the outer circumference of the wafer simulation component 1 by the positioning mechanism 5, and the pressure sensor 3 can be set at the thickness center of the wafer simulation component 1, that is, the pressure sensor 3 is set at the "first measurement position".

[0036] In a specific example, if Figure 2 As shown, the pressure sensor 3 may have a measuring probe 4. The measuring probe 4 may be arranged at the outer circumference of the wafer simulation component 1, and the measuring probe 4 is also arranged at the thickness center of the wafer simulation component 1. More specifically, the distance between the measuring probe 4 and the center of the circle of the wafer simulation component 1 is equal to the radius length of the wafer simulation component 1, and the measuring probe 4 is located at the thickness center of the wafer simulation component 1, that is, the vertical distance between the center of the measuring probe 4 and the upper surface of the wafer simulation component 1 is equal to the vertical distance between the center and the lower surface of the wafer simulation component 1. Therefore, in the process of measuring the force of the wafer chuck mechanism, the measuring probe 4 of the pressure sensor 3 simulates or acts as the center of the outermost edge of the real wafer.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the positioning mechanism 5 can be disposed at the notch 2 of the wafer simulation member 1 . At the notch 2 , the positioning mechanism 5 can adjust the position of the pressure sensor 3 and fix the pressure sensor 3 on the wafer simulation member 1 . Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a pressure sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2As shown, the positioning mechanism 5 includes an upper component 6 of the positioning mechanism and a lower component 7 of the positioning mechanism. Among them, the upper component 6 of the positioning mechanism is arranged on one side of the upper surface of the wafer simulation component 1, and the lower component 7 of the positioning mechanism is arranged on one side of the lower surface of the wafer simulation component 1, and the two cooperate with each other to fix the pressure sensor 3 on the wafer simulation component 1. In this embodiment, the positioning mechanism 5 can use two horizontally arranged screws as adjustable horizontal fasteners, and the radial position of the measuring probe 4 of the pressure sensor 3 in the wafer simulation component 1 can be adjusted by screwing the horizontally arranged screws. For example, the distance between the measuring probe 4 and the center of the wafer simulation component 1 can be set to the radius length of the wafer simulation component 1. In addition, as Figure 2 As shown, the positioning mechanism 5 can use two vertically arranged screws as adjustable vertical fasteners, and the position of the measuring probe 4 in the axial direction of the wafer simulation component 1 can be adjusted by turning the vertically arranged screws, for example, the measuring probe 4 can be adjusted to the thickness center position of the wafer simulation component 1. In one example, the positioning mechanism 5 and the pressure sensor 3 can be installed on the wafer simulation component 1 through the aforementioned adjustable vertical fasteners.

[0038] The number of pressure sensors may be less than or equal to the number of claws of the wafer chuck mechanism. When the number of pressure sensors is the same as the number of claws, the pressure sensors are in contact with the claws during measurement so that the pressure sensors receive the clamping force applied by the claw mechanism. When the number of pressure sensors is less than the number of claws, for the claws that do not clamp the pressure sensors, the wafer simulation component has a clamping area for the claws to clamp. In a specific example, Figure 4 As shown, the number of pressure sensors 3 is consistent with the number of claws 15, wherein the positioning mechanism 5, the pressure sensor 3 and the claws 15 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. The pressure sensor 3 contacts the claws 15 during measurement, and the claw clamping force received by the pressure sensor 3 at this time is equivalent to the claw clamping force received by the outermost edge of the real wafer when it is placed on the wafer chuck mechanism. In an embodiment in which the pressure sensor has a measuring probe, when measuring the force of the wafer chuck mechanism, the measuring probe can contact the inner surface of the claw, thereby collecting the claw mechanism clamping force at the measuring position. Since the elastic coefficient of the spring of the wafer chuck mechanism may change after a period of use, resulting in a large deviation between the corresponding pressure value detected by the pressure sensor and the preset pressure value or failure to adjust to the preset range, it can be judged whether the corresponding spring needs to be replaced based on the detected pressure value.

[0039] In some embodiments of the utility model, the device for measuring the force of the wafer chuck mechanism may further include a pressure display component, which is configured to display the clamping force data detected by the pressure sensor. As an example, the pressure sensor may have a wireless transmission unit, or may have a data transmission interface, or may have a data storage unit and a data reading unit, etc., and the pressure display component may perform wireless data transmission or wired data transmission with the pressure sensor. Specifically, the pressure display component and the pressure sensor may be connected by wire or by wireless so as to receive and display the clamping force data collected by the pressure sensor at each measurement position.

[0040] Figure 3 An exemplary structure of a pressure display component is shown. As shown in the figure, the pressure display component 8 is a handheld pressure display component, which may include components such as a switch 9, a display screen 10 and a line 11. Although the handheld pressure display component is described as an example here, it should be understood that other types of pressure display components may also be used in this embodiment. The pressure display component 8 can be connected to each pressure sensor 3 through a line 11, and the pressure data detected by each pressure sensor 3 is displayed through a display screen 10. In an embodiment with three pressure sensors, when the wafer chuck mechanism force needs to be measured, the switch 9 of the pressure display component 8 is turned on, and the pressure data collected by the three pressure sensors 3 at their respective measurement positions can be received, so that three groups of detected pressure values ​​are displayed on the display screen 10. In a specific example, the pressure display component 8 can be powered by a battery, such as a 9v battery, and the display screen 10 can also be used to display the real-time voltage value of the battery. If the voltage of the pressure display component battery is insufficient, it will have an adverse effect on the display of the pressure value measurement result. Therefore, when the real-time voltage value displayed by the pressure display component 8 is not within the threshold range or has a large deviation from the initial voltage value, it can be prompted to replace the battery of the pressure display component 8.

[0041] A detailed description is given herein with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. However, it is apparent that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the utility model as described in the appended claims. Although specific embodiments of the utility model have been shown and described, it is apparent that a person skilled in the art may make many changes, variations and modifications without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the specification and the drawings should be considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Moreover, the above-mentioned use of embodiments and other exemplary languages ​​does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or the same example, but may refer to different and unique embodiments, or may be the same embodiment. The appended claims will include within their scope all such changes, variations and modifications that fall within the true scope and spirit of the utility model.

Claims

1. A device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism, characterized in that: include: a wafer simulation member configured to simulate a clamped wafer during measurement; as well as A pressure sensor is disposed on the wafer simulation member and is configured to measure a clamping force applied to the pressure sensor by a wafer chuck mechanism.

2. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer simulation member has a first measurement position, the first measurement position corresponds to an outer circumferential line position of the clamped wafer in a radial direction, and the first measurement position corresponds to a thickness center position of the clamped wafer in an axial direction.

3. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The position of the pressure sensor on the wafer simulation member is adjustable, and the pressure sensor is adjusted to the first measurement position during measurement.

4. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The wafer simulation member is provided with a positioning mechanism configured to adjust and fix the position of the pressure sensor.

5. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The positioning mechanism includes an adjustable horizontal fastener, which is used to adjust the position of the pressure sensor in the radial direction, and the positioning mechanism includes an adjustable vertical fastener, which is used to adjust the position of the pressure sensor in the axial direction.

6. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of the wafer simulation member is selected from any one of the following: a triangle; a circle; a polygon other than a triangle; or a rod.

7. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer simulation member has the same shape and size as the clamped wafer.

8. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: A notch is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer simulation component, and the notch is used for installing the pressure sensor.

9. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The number of the pressure sensors is the same as the number of the clamping claws of the wafer chuck mechanism.

10. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The number of the pressure sensors is the same as the number of the clamping claws of the wafer chuck mechanism.

11. The device for measuring the force of a wafer chuck mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device further comprises a pressure display component configured to display clamping force data detected by the pressure sensor.

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