Wafer storing and taking device and equipment
By setting up movable card slots in the machine of wafer storage and chip picking equipment, dividing them into virtual crystal boxes, and using chip chip chip chips to transmit wafers, the problem that existing equipment cannot achieve automated identification and switching is solved, and efficient automated storage and chip picking operations are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421871640.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-08-02
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-16
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-08-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing wafer storage and chip pickup equipment cannot achieve automated identification and switching, resulting in cumbersome operations and inefficient efficiency.
A wafer storage and chip retrieval device is designed, and a movable card slot is set in the machine, divided into virtual crystal boxes, and a chip chip is used to transfer the wafer between the virtual crystal box and the physical crystal box to realize automated storage and chip retrieval.
It realizes automatic storage and chip pickup of wafers, improves operation efficiency, simplifies operational processes, and makes full use of machine space.
Smart Images
Figure CN222883514U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to wafer storage and wafer retrieval devices and equipment. Background Art
[0002] With the development of semiconductor manufacturing technology, there are devices that have both wafer storage and wafer retrieval functions. For example, the Alsk001 wafer box storage cabinet has both storage and wafer retrieval functions. However, this type of equipment can only manually select the wafer storage or wafer retrieval function each time it is used, and it is impossible to realize automatic identification and switching between the two.
[0003] In the related art, it is impossible to realize automatic control of wafer storage and wafer retrieval operations on the same machine. Whenever a material is received, the machine cannot automatically identify whether the material needs to use the storage function or the wafer retrieval function, resulting in manual intervention and judgment every time, and then manual selection, which is cumbersome and inefficient. Utility Model Content
[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a wafer storage and retrieval device and equipment to address the problems of complicated and inefficient wafer storage and retrieval operation processes.
[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wafer storage and retrieval device, the device comprising: a machine platform, a wafer splitter, the machine platform is provided with a plurality of movable card slots for storing wafers, the plurality of card slots are divided into a plurality of virtual crystal boxes according to the order of arrangement, a first loading platform is provided at one end of the machine platform, one side of the first loading platform is adjacent to a position for storing the virtual crystal box, and the other side of the first loading platform is adjacent to a second loading platform, wherein the second loading platform is used to place a physical crystal box, and the physical crystal box is provided with a card slot for storing wafers;
[0006] When the incoming material of the machine needs to be stored in wafers and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes is called to the first loading station, the wafer splitter is used to transfer the wafers in the physical crystal box on the second loading station to the virtual crystal box on the first loading station;
[0007] When wafer retrieval is required and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes is called to the first loading station, the wafer splitter is used to transfer the wafer in the virtual crystal box on the first loading station to the physical crystal box on the second loading station.
[0008] In one of the embodiments, the machine platform is further provided with at least one lifting mechanism, and the lifting mechanism is connected to a supporting mechanism of a virtual crystal box stored in the machine platform, and is used to adjust the height of the virtual crystal box.
[0009] In one of the embodiments, it further includes: a calling mechanism, which cooperates with the lifting mechanism to transfer the virtual crystal box from the inside of the machine to the first loading platform, and transfer the virtual crystal box on the first loading platform back to the inside of the machine.
[0010] In one of the embodiments, the first loading platform further includes a driving mechanism for moving in horizontal and vertical directions, and the driving mechanism is used to adjust the position of the first loading platform.
[0011] In one embodiment, a plurality of the second loading platforms are evenly spaced and arranged on the other side of the first loading platform.
[0012] In one embodiment, the machine includes a plurality of virtual crystal boxes arranged in sequence;
[0013] Wherein, each of the plurality of virtual crystal boxes includes 25 card slots.
[0014] In one embodiment, the slot of the virtual crystal box corresponds to the slot of the physical crystal box in position.
[0015] In one of the embodiments, the wafer splitter is used to move the wafers in the slots of the virtual wafer box to the corresponding slots of the physical wafer box.
[0016] In one embodiment, the number of slots of the virtual crystal box is not equal to the number of slots of the physical crystal box.
[0017] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a semiconductor processing equipment, comprising a wafer storage and retrieval device as described in any one of the embodiments in the first aspect.
[0018] The above-mentioned wafer storage and wafer retrieval device and equipment, by setting a plurality of movable card slots for storing wafers in the machine, the plurality of card slots are divided into a plurality of virtual crystal boxes according to the order of arrangement, so that the space in the machine can be used to store wafers, and the card slots in the machine are virtualized into a plurality of virtual crystal boxes, so that the card slots of the virtual crystal box can be matched with the card slots of the physical crystal box in the subsequent process, and the wafer storage and wafer retrieval operations are completed by the wafer splitter. A first loading platform is set at one end of the machine, one side of the first loading platform is adjacent to the position where the virtual crystal box is stored, and the other side of the first loading platform is adjacent to the second loading platform, wherein the second loading platform is used to place the physical crystal box, and the physical crystal box is provided with a card slot for storing wafers; thus, the first loading platform can be used for temporary storage of wafers, and the structure is very compact, and the machine space is fully utilized, so that it is compatible with both storage and wafer retrieval functions. When the incoming material of the machine needs to be stored in wafers and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes is called to the first loading station, the wafer splitter is used to transfer the wafers in the physical crystal box on the second loading station to the virtual crystal box on the first loading station; when wafer retrieval is required and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes is called to the first loading station, the wafer splitter is used to transfer the wafers in the virtual crystal box on the first loading station to the physical crystal box on the second loading station. In this way, the machine can simultaneously complete the storage and retrieval of wafers without adding other auxiliary equipment, which greatly improves the storage and retrieval efficiency of wafers, is simple to operate, and has a compact structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer storage and retrieval device in one embodiment of the present application.
[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer storage and retrieval device in another embodiment of the present application.
[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the card slots and wafer storage positions in a virtual crystal box in one embodiment of the present application.
[0022] Figure 4 This is the corresponding relationship between the slots of the virtual crystal box and the physical crystal box in one embodiment of the present application.
[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the corresponding relationship between the card slots of the virtual crystal box and the physical crystal box in another embodiment of the present application.
[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the corresponding relationship between the slots of the virtual crystal box and the physical crystal box in another embodiment of the present application.
[0025] In the figure: 10 - machine, 20 - first loading station, 30 - second loading station, 40 - slicer, 50 - virtual crystal box, 60 - wafer, 70 - physical crystal box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0027] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.
[0028] In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, if the term "plurality" appears, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.
[0029] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like appear, these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.
[0030] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if there is a description that a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, etc., or similar descriptions appear, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.
[0031] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. If any, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.
[0032] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 The structure diagram of a wafer storage and retrieval device in one embodiment of the present application is a schematic diagram of a wafer storage and retrieval device in one embodiment of the present application, comprising a machine platform (10) and a wafer splitter (40), wherein the machine platform (10) is provided with a plurality of movable slots for storing wafers (60) (not shown in the figure, but can be referred to as Figure 3 The plurality of slots are divided into a plurality of virtual crystal boxes (50) in the order of arrangement, a first loading platform (20) is provided at one end of the machine platform (10), one side of the first loading platform (20) is adjacent to a position for storing the virtual crystal box (50), and the other side of the first loading platform (20) is adjacent to a second loading platform (30), wherein the second loading platform (30) is used to place a physical crystal box (70), and a slot for storing a wafer is provided in the physical crystal box (70).
[0033] In one of the embodiments, when materials are received by the machine, that is, when wafer storage is required for the materials received by the machine and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes (50) is called to the first loading station (20), the wafer splitter (40) is used to transfer the wafers in the physical crystal box (70) on the second loading station (30) to the virtual crystal box on the first loading station (20).
[0034] In one embodiment, when it is necessary to take a wafer from the machine, that is, when it is necessary to take a wafer and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes (50) is called to the first loading station (20), the wafer splitter (40) is used to transfer the wafer in the virtual crystal box (50) located on the first loading station (20) to the physical crystal box of the second loading station (30).
[0035] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the so-called virtual crystal box is not a real crystal box, but an abstract concept to distinguish it from a physical crystal box. A general physical crystal box has multiple slots for storing wafers. Based on this function, the slots for storing wafers inside the machine are divided, and each group of divided slots is regarded as a virtual crystal box.
[0036] It should be noted that, in theory, the division of the card slots in the machine can be arbitrarily non-uniform, that is, the number of wafers that can be stored in each virtual crystal box can be different, which is also to correspond to physical crystal boxes of different specifications.
[0037] In one embodiment, the machine platform is further provided with at least one lifting mechanism, and the lifting mechanism is connected to a supporting mechanism of a virtual crystal box stored in the machine platform, and is used to adjust the height of the virtual crystal box.
[0038] In this embodiment, the function of the lifting mechanism is to arrange the slots located at the lower layer to be substantially flush with the first loading platform (or higher than the plane of the first loading platform), so that the wafer splitter can take out the virtual crystal box from the machine and transfer it to the first loading platform. Accordingly, according to the storage and wafer retrieval functions, the virtual crystal box arranged on the first loading platform can be an empty slot or a slot loaded with wafers.
[0039] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned device may also include: a calling mechanism, which cooperates with the lifting mechanism to transfer the virtual crystal box from the inside of the machine to the first loading platform, and transfer the virtual crystal box on the first loading platform back to the inside of the machine.
[0040] In this embodiment, the calling mechanism may be a robot arm or other mechanisms with similar functions.
[0041] In one embodiment, the first loading platform further includes a driving mechanism for moving in horizontal and vertical directions, and the driving mechanism is used to adjust the position of the first loading platform.
[0042] In this embodiment, the first loading platform generally reserves sufficient operating space. Figure 1As shown, in order to accurately adapt the position of the second loading platform and the position of the virtual crystal box in the machine platform, the relative position between the machine platform and the second loading platform is adjusted by the driving mechanism.
[0043] In one embodiment, the wafer splitter (40) is used to move the wafer (60) in the slot of the virtual wafer box (50) to the corresponding slot of the physical wafer box (70).
[0044] For example, Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer storage and retrieval device in another embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, a plurality of second loading platforms (30) may be arranged on the other side of the first loading platform (20). The plurality of second loading platforms (30) are evenly spaced and arranged on the other side of the first loading platform (20).
[0045] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the number of the second loading platforms (30) and the positional relationship of their arrangement. Each second loading platform (30) is provided with a positioning mechanism for placing a physical crystal box (70).
[0046] Exemplarily, the machine includes a plurality of virtual crystal boxes arranged in sequence; wherein each of the plurality of virtual crystal boxes includes 25 card slots. Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the storage position of the card slots and wafers in a virtual crystal box in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, numbers 001 to 025 are 25 slots in the virtual wafer box, and each slot stores a wafer (LotA#01 to LotA#25).
[0047] For example, Figure 4 This is the corresponding relationship between the slots of the virtual crystal box and the physical crystal box in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the card slots of the virtual crystal box correspond to the card slots of the physical crystal box in position, that is, the virtual crystal box contains 25 card slots, and the inner page of the physical crystal box contains 25 card slots, and the card slots are in a one-to-one correspondence in quantity and position.
[0048] For example, Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the corresponding relationship between the card slots of the virtual crystal box and the physical crystal box in another embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the corresponding relationship between the slots of the virtual crystal box and the physical crystal box in another embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the number of slots in the virtual crystal box is not equal to the number of slots in the physical crystal box. Figure 5For example, the wafers in the odd-numbered slots in the virtual wafer box containing 25 slots can be sliced into the physical wafer box containing 13 slots. Figure 6 For example, wafers in even-numbered slots in a virtual wafer box containing 25 slots can be sliced into a physical wafer box containing 13 slots.
[0049] It should be noted that, in addition to the above method, when dividing the virtual crystal box, the 13 card slots can be directly grouped into a virtual crystal box, so as to directly transfer films with the physical crystal box containing the 13 card slots.
[0050] In addition, the present application also provides a semiconductor processing device, including: Figure 1 , Figure 2 The wafer storage and retrieval device shown. In the device of this embodiment, by arranging a plurality of movable card slots for storing wafers in the machine, the plurality of card slots are divided into a plurality of virtual crystal boxes according to the order of arrangement, so that the space in the machine can be used to store wafers, and the card slots in the machine are virtualized into a plurality of virtual crystal boxes, so that the card slots of the virtual crystal box can be subsequently matched with the card slots of the physical crystal box, and the wafer storage and retrieval operations are completed by the wafer splitter. A first loading platform is arranged at one end of the machine, one side of the first loading platform is adjacent to the position where the virtual crystal box is stored, and the other side of the first loading platform is adjacent to the second loading platform, wherein the second loading platform is used to place the physical crystal box, and the physical crystal box is provided with a card slot for storing wafers; thus, the wafer can be temporarily stored with the help of the first loading platform, which is very compact in structure, fully utilizes the machine space, and is compatible with both storage and retrieval functions. When the incoming material of the machine needs to be stored in wafers and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes is called to the first loading station, the wafer splitter is used to transfer the wafers in the physical crystal box on the second loading station to the virtual crystal box on the first loading station; when wafer retrieval is required and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes is called to the first loading station, the wafer splitter is used to transfer the wafers in the virtual crystal box on the first loading station to the physical crystal box on the second loading station. In this way, the machine can simultaneously complete the storage and retrieval of wafers without adding other auxiliary equipment, which greatly improves the storage and retrieval efficiency of wafers, is simple to operate, and has a compact structure.
[0051] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.
[0052] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent application shall be subject to the attached claims.
Claims
1. A wafer storage and retrieval device, characterized in that: The device comprises: a machine platform and a wafer splitter, wherein the machine platform is provided with a plurality of movable slots for storing wafers, wherein the plurality of slots are divided into a plurality of virtual crystal boxes according to the order of arrangement, wherein a first loading platform is provided at one end of the machine platform, wherein one side of the first loading platform is adjacent to a position for storing the virtual crystal box, and the other side of the first loading platform is adjacent to a second loading platform, wherein the second loading platform is used to place a physical crystal box, wherein the physical crystal box is provided with slots for storing wafers; When the incoming material of the machine needs to be stored in wafers and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes is called to the first loading station, the wafer splitter is used to transfer the wafers in the physical crystal box on the second loading station to the virtual crystal box on the first loading station; When wafer retrieval is required and at least one of the virtual crystal boxes is called to the first loading station, the wafer splitter is used to transfer the wafer in the virtual crystal box on the first loading station to the physical crystal box on the second loading station.
2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The machine platform is further provided with at least one lifting mechanism, which is connected to a supporting mechanism of a virtual crystal box stored in the machine platform and is used to adjust the height of the virtual crystal box.
3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that Also includes: A calling mechanism cooperates with the lifting mechanism to transfer the virtual crystal box from the inside of the machine to the first loading platform, and transfer the virtual crystal box on the first loading platform back to the inside of the machine.
4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first loading platform further includes a driving mechanism for moving in horizontal and vertical directions, and the driving mechanism is used to adjust the position of the first loading platform.
5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that A plurality of the second loading platforms are evenly spaced and arranged on the other side of the first loading platform.
6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The machine includes a plurality of virtual crystal boxes arranged in sequence; Wherein, each of the plurality of virtual crystal boxes includes 25 card slots.
7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The slots of the virtual crystal box and the slots of the physical crystal box correspond to each other in position.
8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The wafer splitter is used to move the wafers in the slots of the virtual wafer box to the corresponding slots of the physical wafer box.
9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The number of card slots of the virtual crystal box is not equal to the number of card slots of the physical crystal box.
10. A semiconductor processing equipment, characterized in that: It comprises a wafer storage and retrieval device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.