Wafer bearing device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a wafer bearing device. The wafer bearing device comprises a vacuum cavity; the supporting piece is fixedly arranged in the vacuum cavity; the bearing assembly is arranged around the supporting piece and is used for bearing a wafer; the sensor is positioned at the top of the vacuum cavity; the manipulator assembly is provided with a containing groove and at least one preset arrival position of the containing groove, and the manipulator assembly can adjust the arrival position of the containing groove according to the relative position, recognized by a sensor, of the wafer or the wafer tray and the containing groove; the sealing assembly is connected with the vacuum cavity and the bearing assembly; and the driving device is located outside the vacuum cavity and connected with the part, located on the outer side of the vacuum cavity, of the bearing assembly, and the bearing assembly can be driven by the driving device to rotate or ascend and descend relative to the vacuum cavity. According to the wafer bearing device, the wafer combining process can be carried out in vacuum, and the wafer combining process is stable and high in precision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and particularly relates to a wafer carrying device. Background Art

[0002] In the process of semiconductor manufacturing, the wafer carrying device is also required to process wafer bonding. The current bonding technology includes adjusting the posture and position of the wafer or the wafer tray, and accuracy and stability need to be considered. In the prior art, the bonding process is often carried out in the atmospheric environment. Due to the light weight of the wafer, the wafer may shift during the bonding process due to the influence of air pressure.

[0003] In order to reduce the influence of air pressure, the utility model provides a wafer carrying device adaptable to the vacuum environment for carrying or bonding use. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] The utility model aims to improve the stability and accuracy of wafer bonding, and solve the layout problem of the wafer carrying structure suitable for vacuum conditions.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the utility model is realized by the following technical solutions: The utility model provides a wafer carrying device, including:

[0006] A vacuum chamber;

[0007] A support member, which is located in the vacuum chamber and is fixedly arranged relative to the vacuum chamber;

[0008] A carrying assembly, which is arranged around the support member and at least partially arranged in the vacuum chamber for carrying a wafer or a wafer tray;

[0009] A sensor, which is located inside the vacuum chamber for identifying the position or attitude information of the wafer or the wafer tray;

[0010] A manipulator assembly, including a receiving groove for carrying the wafer or the wafer tray, which is in communication connection with the sensor. The manipulator assembly can adjust the predetermined arrival position of the receiving groove according to the relative position between the wafer or the wafer tray identified by the sensor and the receiving groove;

[0011] A sealing assembly, which connects the vacuum chamber and the carrying assembly to maintain the sealing performance between the carrying assembly and the vacuum chamber;

[0012] A driving device, which is located outside the vacuum chamber and is connected to the part of the carrying assembly outside the vacuum chamber. The carrying assembly can rotate and / or lift relative to the vacuum chamber under the drive of the driving device.

[0013] Preferably, the vacuum chamber at least includes a first bottom wall and a second bottom wall opposite to the first bottom wall, and the second bottom wall is located inside the first bottom wall. A part of the carrier assembly is located between the first bottom wall and the second bottom wall, and the support is fixedly connected to the second bottom wall.

[0014] Preferably, the carrier assembly includes:

[0015] A lifting structure connected to the direct drive motor of the driving device. The lifting structure includes an outer holding member and an inner holding member arranged coaxially inside and outside in a ring shape. The outer holding member and the inner holding member are respectively hermetically connected to the wall of the vacuum chamber;

[0016] A rotating structure arranged between the outer holding member and the inner holding member and hermetically connected and rotatably connected to the space between the outer holding member and the inner holding member. The rotating structure is connected to the rotating motor of the driving device;

[0017] A supporting structure arranged at the top of the rotating structure for carrying the wafer or the wafer tray.

[0018] Preferably, the sealing assembly includes a first seal and a second seal. Both the first seal and the second seal are telescopic. The first seal is hermetically connected to both the outer holding member and the first bottom wall, and the second seal is hermetically connected to both the inner holding member and the second bottom wall.

[0019] Preferably, the sealing assembly further includes a magnetic fluid sealing assembly. The rotating structure is hermetically connected and rotatably connected to the inner side of the outer holding member and the outer side of the inner holding member through the magnetic fluid sealing assembly.

[0020] Preferably, it further includes a lifting limit assembly. The lifting limit assembly includes:

[0021] A guide rail fixedly arranged outside the vacuum chamber;

[0022] A sliding member slidably connected to the guide rail;

[0023] A linkage member, the outer side of which is fixedly connected to the sliding member and the inner side of which is fixedly connected to the outer holding member;

[0024] The sliding member and the linkage member are driven to move up and down.

[0025] Preferably, the first seal and the second seal are sealing bellows.

[0026] Preferably, the top of the carrier assembly has a carrying plane, and the top of the support member has a support plane. The wafer carrier device has at least a first state and a second state. In the first state, the carrier assembly has a first height relative to the vacuum chamber, and the carrying plane is above the support plane. In the second state, the carrier assembly has a second height relative to the vacuum chamber, and the carrying plane descends below the support plane.

[0027] Preferably, the sensor includes an edge-finding sensor and a centering sensor; a first mark is provided on the wafer tray, and a second mark is provided on the wafer. The edge-finding sensor determines the attitude information of the wafer tray or the wafer by detecting the first mark or the second mark, and the centering sensor is used to detect the relative position information between the wafer or the wafer tray and the receiving groove.

[0028] Preferably, the wafer tray includes an inner tray and an outer tray, the inner tray and the outer tray are separable, the supporting structure supports the outer tray, and in the second state, the support member only supports the inner tray or only supports the inner tray and the wafer.

[0029] In summary, the wafer bonding process of the present invention can be carried out in a vacuum, and the top of the support member is a plane, and a surface contact is generated during support, so that the wafer and / or the wafer tray can be supported more stably, and the interference of gas in a non-vacuum environment does not need to be considered; and the attitude of the wafer and / or the wafer tray is adjusted through the cooperation of the sensor and the carrier assembly, ensuring the accuracy and stability of wafer bonding. Description of the Drawings

[0030] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the wafer carrier device of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the wafer tray of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the wafer carrier device of the present invention from an aerial perspective;

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of attitude adjustment of the present invention;

[0034] Figures 5-7 is a schematic diagram of the wafer bonding process of the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0035] The wafer carrying device proposed by the present utility model will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. According to the following description, the advantages and features of the present utility model will be clearer. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in a very simplified form and are all drawn using non-precise scales, only for the purpose of facilitating and clearly assisting in explaining the embodiments of the present utility model. In order to make the purpose, features, and advantages of the present utility model more obvious and understandable, please refer to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the structures, scales, sizes, etc. shown in the drawings of this specification are only used to cooperate with the content disclosed in the specification for those who are familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the limiting conditions for the implementation of the present utility model. Therefore, they do not have any technical substance. Any modification of the structure, change in the proportional relationship, or adjustment of the size, without affecting the efficacy that the present utility model can produce and the purpose that can be achieved, should still fall within the scope covered by the technical content disclosed by the present utility model.

[0036] It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "comprising", "including", or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0037] The wafer carrying device provided by the present utility model can be used for the wafer bonding process. Please refer to Figure 1The wafer carrying device includes a vacuum chamber 10, a support 20, a carrying assembly 30, a sensor 60 and a driving device 70; the vacuum chamber 10 has a chamber wall, and the chamber wall is used to maintain the vacuum environment in the vacuum chamber 10; the support 20 is located in the vacuum chamber 10 and is fixed relative to the vacuum chamber 10; the carrying assembly 30 is arranged around the support 20 and at least partially arranged in the vacuum chamber 10, and is used to carry the wafer 40 and / or the wafer tray 50; the support 20 can temporarily carry the wafer 40 and / or the wafer tray 50 after the carrying assembly 30 descends. The sensor 60 is located at the top of the vacuum chamber 10, and is used to identify the position or posture information of the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50. The robot assembly includes a receiving slot for carrying the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 and at least one preset arrival position of the receiving slot. The robot assembly is in communication connection with the sensor 60. The robot assembly can adjust the arrival position of the receiving slot according to the relative position between the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 and the receiving slot identified by the sensor 60. The sealing assembly connects the vacuum chamber 10 and the bearing assembly 30 to maintain the sealing between the bearing assembly 30 and the vacuum chamber 10. The driving device 70 is located outside the vacuum chamber 10 and connected to the part of the bearing assembly 30 located outside the vacuum chamber 10. The driving device 70 is used to provide power for rotation and linear motion. Driven by the driving device 70, the bearing assembly 30 can perform rotational motion or lifting motion relative to the vacuum chamber 10. When assembling the wafers, firstly, the wafer 40 is accurately transported to the predetermined position, the wafer 40 is placed on the top of the support 20 and the posture of the wafer 40 is identified, and then the posture of the wafer tray 50 on the supporting assembly 30 is corrected, and the posture of the wafer tray 50 is adjusted to be consistent with the posture of the wafer 40 by rotating, and then the supporting assembly 30 is lifted to receive the wafer 40.

[0038] Specifically, the robot assembly will preset a arrival position of the receiving slot. In a specific embodiment, the arrival position will be set by default to the center position of the receiving slot. When the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 is carried by the robot assembly through the sensor 60, the sensor 60 will identify the relative position of the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 and the receiving slot, and the robot assembly will adjust the preset arrival position according to the relative position. In a specific embodiment, the deviation between the center position of the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 and the center position of the receiving slot can be judged based on the sensor signal. If there is a deviation, a compensation command is generated to the robot assembly to perform corresponding deviation compensation for the arrival position of the receiving slot, so that the center position of the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 can replace the center position of the receiving slot to reach the original preset arrival position, thereby realizing the positioning of the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50. In the process of wafer assembly, after the positioning of the wafer tray 50 is completed and the wafer tray 50 is placed on the carrier assembly 30 by the robot, the wafer 40 is positioned. After positioning is completed, the carrier assembly 30 is lowered to keep the carrier assembly 30 below the support 20, and the robot places the wafer 40 on the top of the support 20. At this time, the top of the carrier assembly 30 falls below the top of the support 20, and then the sensor 60 detects the posture of the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50, and adjusts the orientation of the wafer tray 50 by rotating the carrier assembly 30. After reaching a posture consistent with the wafer 40, the carrier assembly 30 is raised to receive the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 on the support 20 to complete the wafer joining. In other embodiments, the posture detection and adjustment of the wafer 40 and the wafer tray 50 can also be completed before the wafer 40 is placed on the top of the support 20 by the robot assembly, and then the corresponding wafer joining action is performed.

[0039] For further explanation of the structure of the wafer carrier, please continue to refer to Figure 1 The vacuum chamber 10 at least includes a first bottom wall 11 and a second bottom wall 12 opposite to the first bottom wall 11, the first bottom wall 11 is a centrally hollowed annular wall, and the second bottom wall 12 is located on the inner side of the first bottom wall 11, that is, directly below the central hollow portion of the first bottom wall 11, a portion of the bearing assembly 30 is located between the first bottom wall 11 and the second bottom wall 12, the top of the bearing assembly 30 extends to above the central hollow portion, the bottom of the bearing assembly 30 is sealed and connected to the second bottom wall 12, and the support member 20 is fixedly connected to the second bottom wall 12, and the support member 20 is located at the center of the bearing assembly 30.

[0040] Specifically, the carrier assembly 30 includes: a lifting structure 31, a rotating structure 32, and a supporting structure 33. The lifting structure 31 is connected to the direct drive motor of the driving device 70. The lifting structure 31 includes an outer holding member 311 and an inner holding member 312 that are coaxially arranged in a ring shape inside and outside. The outer holding member 311 and the inner holding member 312 are respectively and sealingly connected to the cavity wall of the vacuum chamber 10. The rotating structure 32 is arranged between the outer holding member 311 and the inner holding member 312, and is sealingly connected and rotationally connected to the outer holding member 311 and the inner holding member 312. The rotating structure 32 is connected to the rotating motor of the driving device 70. Among them, the lifting structure 31 can drive the rotating structure 32 to move up and down. That is, in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating structure 32, both the outer holding member 311 and the inner holding member 312 are fixed relative to the rotating structure 32. Therefore, the lifting structure 31 and the rotating structure 32 can move up and down synchronously in the direction of the rotation axis. The supporting structure 33 is arranged on the top of the rotating structure 32 and is used to support the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50.

[0041] To achieve the sealing and rotating functions, the sealing assembly further includes a magnetic fluid sealing assembly 83. The rotating structure 32 is both sealingly connected and rotationally connected to the inner side of the outer holding member 311 and the outer side of the inner holding member 312 through the magnetic fluid sealing assembly 83.

[0042] To achieve the sealing and lifting movement functions, the sealing assembly includes a first seal 81 and a second seal 82. Both the first seal 81 and the second seal 82 are telescopic. Preferably, the first seal 81 and the second seal 82 are sealing bellows. The first seal 81 is sealingly connected to both the outer holding member 311 and the first bottom wall 11. The second seal 82 is sealingly connected to both the inner holding member 312 and the second bottom wall 12. Among them, the diameter of the first seal 81 is larger than that of the second seal 82. By relying on the two seals, the inner part of the carrier assembly 30 is sealed inside the vacuum chamber 10.

[0043] Furthermore, the wafer carrier device further includes a lifting limit assembly 90 for restricting the lifting movement direction of the carrier assembly 30 from deviating. The lifting limit assembly 90 includes a guide rail 91, a sliding member 92, and a linkage member 93. The guide rail 91 is fixedly arranged outside the vacuum chamber 10. The sliding member 92 is slidably connected to the guide rail 91. The outer side of the linkage member 93 is fixedly connected to the sliding member 92, and its inner side is fixedly connected to the outer holding member 311. The sliding member 92 and the linkage member 93 are driven to move up and down, thereby driving the outer holding member 311 fixedly connected to the linkage member 93 to move up and down.

[0044] In some examples, the supporting structure 33 is provided with a through hole at the center, the diameter of the through hole is less than 50% of the diameter of the wafer tray, and the wafer tray 50 is arranged above the through hole. The top of the support member 20 has a support plane, and the size of the support plane is less than the through hole at the center of the supporting structure 33, so that when the supporting structure 33 descends, the support plane of the support member 20 can pass through the through hole to support the wafer tray 50. Therefore, the wafer carrying device includes at least a first state and a second state. In the first state, the carrying assembly 30 has a first height relative to the vacuum chamber 10, and the carrying plane of the supporting structure 33 is located above the support plane of the support member 20. In this first state, the wafer 40 and the wafer tray 50 can both be located on the carrying plane; in the second state, the carrying assembly 30 has a second height relative to the vacuum chamber 10, and the carrying plane descends below the support plane. At this time, the inner part of the wafer 40 and the wafer tray 50 (when the wafer tray 50 is split), or the wafer 40 alone (when the wafer tray 50 is annular) is located on the support plane of the support member 20.

[0045] In some preferred examples, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the wafer tray 50 includes an inner tray 52 and an outer tray 51, the inner tray 52 and the outer tray 51 are separable, wherein the outer tray 51 is annular and the inner tray 52 is circular, and the connection between the inner and outer trays is snap-fitted through a stepped structure. Specifically, the center of the outer tray 51 is a hole larger than the size of the support plane of the support member 20, and the diameter of the inner tray 52 is larger than the hole, and the support plane can pass through the hole to support the inner tray 52. In the first state, the supporting structure 33 supports the outer tray 51 and the inner tray 52, and the wafer 40 can be placed on the upper surfaces of the outer tray 51 and the inner tray 52; in the second state, the support plane in the middle of the support member 20 is higher than the carrying plane of the supporting structure 33, and the support member 20 only supports the inner tray 52 and the wafer 40 located on the inner tray 52.

[0046] To achieve the wafer bonding function of the wafer 40, please refer to Figures 3-7 , wherein Figures 5-7 the arrow direction in is the moving direction of the carrying assembly 30. The bonding process includes the collection and adjustment of the position information and attitude information of the wafer. In this example, the sensor 60 is used to collect the position information and attitude information of the wafer 40 and the wafer tray 50. The sensor 60 includes an edge-finding sensor 62 arranged above the preset arrival position of the manipulator and a centering sensor 61 located above the transmission path of the manipulator, as Figure 3As shown, the centering sensor 62 is used to detect the relative position information between the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 and the receiving groove, obtain the deviation between the center position of the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 and the center position of the receiving groove from the relative position information, so as to obtain a corresponding compensation value. Apply this compensation value to the manipulator assembly to compensate the position reached by the receiving groove this time, so that the center position of the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 reaches the original preset arrival position instead of the center position of the receiving groove. Subsequently, the manipulator assembly delivers the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 to a predetermined position according to the compensation value, and places the wafer 40 or the wafer tray 50 on the support member 20. A first mark 501 is provided on the wafer tray 50, and a second mark 401 is provided on the wafer 40. The edge-finding sensor 62 determines the attitude information of the wafer tray 50 or the wafer 40 by detecting the first mark 501 or the second mark 401. Adjust the attitude of the wafer tray 50 by rotating the carrier assembly 30. When the attitude of the wafer tray 50 is adjusted to be consistent with that of the wafer 40, raise the carrier assembly 30, and both the wafer 40 and the wafer tray 50 are placed on the carrier assembly 30 to complete wafer bonding.

[0047] In summary, the wafer bonding process of the present invention can be carried out in a vacuum, and the top of the support member 20 is a plane, and surface contact is generated during support, so that the wafer 40 and the wafer tray 50 can be supported more stably, and the interference of gas in a non-vacuum environment does not need to be considered; and the attitudes of the wafer 40 and the wafer tray 50 are adjusted through the cooperation of the sensor 60 and the carrier assembly 30, ensuring the accuracy and stability of wafer bonding. In addition, the entire carrier assembly avoids performing motion operations on the wafer, avoiding situations such as wafer slipping and wafer running during the motion process due to the light weight of the wafer.

[0048] Although the content of the present invention has been introduced in detail through the above preferred embodiments, it should be recognized that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. After those skilled in the art read the above content, various modifications and substitutions of the present invention will be obvious. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wafer carrying device, characterized in that: include: A vacuum chamber (10); A support member (20) located in the vacuum chamber (10) and fixedly arranged relative to the vacuum chamber (10); A carrying assembly (30), which is arranged around the support member (20) and at least partially arranged in the vacuum chamber (10), and is used to carry a wafer (40) or a wafer tray (50); A sensor (60), located inside the vacuum chamber (10), for identifying position or posture information of the wafer (40) or the wafer tray (50); A robot assembly, comprising a receiving slot for carrying the wafer (40) or the wafer tray (50) and at least one preset arrival position of the receiving slot, the robot assembly being communicatively connected to the sensor (60), and the robot assembly being capable of adjusting the arrival position of the receiving slot according to the relative position between the wafer (40) or the wafer tray (50) and the receiving slot identified by the sensor (60); A sealing component, which connects the vacuum chamber (10) and the bearing component (30) to maintain the sealing between the bearing component (30) and the vacuum chamber (10); A driving device (70) is located outside the vacuum chamber (10) and is connected to a portion of the supporting assembly (30) located outside the vacuum chamber (10); the supporting assembly (30) is capable of rotating and / or lifting relative to the vacuum chamber (10) when driven by the driving device (70).

2. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum chamber at least comprises a first bottom wall (11) and a second bottom wall (12) opposite to the first bottom wall (11), wherein the second bottom wall (12) is located on the inner side of the first bottom wall (11), a part of the bearing assembly (30) is located between the first bottom wall (11) and the second bottom wall (12), and the support member (20) is fixedly connected to the second bottom wall (12).

3. The wafer carrier device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bearing assembly (30) comprises: A lifting structure (31) connected to the direct drive motor of the driving device (70), the lifting structure (31) comprising an outer retaining member (311) and an inner retaining member (312) coaxially arranged in an annular shape, the outer retaining member (311) and the inner retaining member (312) being respectively sealed and connected to the wall of the vacuum chamber (10); a rotating structure (32), which is disposed between the outer retaining member (311) and the inner retaining member (312) and is sealingly and rotationally connected to the outer retaining member (311) and the inner retaining member (312), and the rotating structure (32) is connected to the rotating motor of the driving device (70); The supporting structure (33) is arranged on the top of the rotating structure (32) and is used to carry the wafer (40) or the wafer tray (50).

4. The wafer carrier device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sealing assembly comprises a first sealing member (81) and a second sealing member (82); the first sealing member (81) and the second sealing member (82) are both retractable; the first sealing member (81) is sealedly connected to the outer retaining member (311) and the first bottom wall (11); and the second sealing member (82) is sealedly connected to the inner retaining member (312) and the second bottom wall (12).

5. The wafer carrier device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sealing assembly further comprises a magnetic fluid sealing assembly (83), and the rotating structure (32) is sealingly and rotationally connected to the inner side of the outer retaining member (311) and the outer side of the inner retaining member (312) through the magnetic fluid sealing assembly (83).

6. The wafer carrier device according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a lifting and limiting assembly (90), wherein the lifting and limiting assembly (90) includes: A guide rail (91) fixedly arranged outside the vacuum chamber (10); A sliding member (92) slidably connected to the guide rail (91); A linking member (93), the outer side of which is fixedly connected to the sliding member (92), and the inner side of which is fixedly connected to the outer retaining member (311); The sliding member (92) and the linking member (93) are driven to move up and down.

7. The wafer carrier device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first sealing member (81) and the second sealing member (82) are sealing bellows.

8. The wafer carrier device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The top of the bearing component (30) has a bearing plane, the top of the support member (20) has a supporting plane, and the wafer bearing device includes at least a first state and a second state. In the first state, the bearing component (30) has a first height relative to the vacuum chamber (10), and the bearing plane is located above the supporting plane. In the second state, the bearing component (30) has a second height relative to the vacuum chamber (10), and the bearing plane descends below the supporting plane.

9. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor (60) comprises an edge-finding sensor (62) and a centering sensor (61); a first mark (501) is provided on the wafer tray (50), and a second mark (401) is provided on the wafer (40); the edge-finding sensor (62) determines the posture information of the wafer tray (50) or the wafer (40) by detecting the first mark (501) or the second mark (401); and the centering sensor (61) is used to detect the relative position information between the wafer (40) or the wafer tray (50) and the receiving groove.

10. The wafer carrier device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The wafer tray (50) comprises an inner tray (52) and an outer tray (51), the inner tray (52) and the outer tray (51) are separable, the supporting structure (33) supports the outer tray (51), and in the second state, the supporting member (20) only supports the inner tray (52) or only supports the inner tray (52) and the wafer (40).

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