Wafer transmission device and semiconductor equipment
By designing separable structure pallets and automatic transfer components, automatic pick-up and placement of wafers in semiconductor equipment is achieved, solving the problems of low transmission efficiency and poor yield in the prior art, and improving equipment production capacity and wafer quality.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421710866.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-06
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-07-18
AI Technical Summary
In existing semiconductor equipment, the pallet is an integrated structure, resulting in low wafer transmission efficiency, insufficient production capacity, and easy introduction of impurities, affecting the yield of the wafer.
A pallet including a separable base and an outer ring is designed, combined with transfer components to realize automatic pick-up and placement of the wafer, avoiding manual operation. The transfer component can transfer the wafer and the target component together to the temporary storage area, then transfer the wafer to the target location alone, or transfer the wafer to the target component, and then transfer the wafer to the target location together.
It improves the speed and efficiency of wafer transmission, improves the production capacity of semiconductor equipment, reduces the impurities introduced by manual operations, and improves the yield of wafer products.
Smart Images

Figure CN222953055U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the semiconductor field, and in particular to a wafer transfer device and semiconductor equipment. Background Art
[0002] Semiconductor equipment can grow semiconductor thin films on wafers. For example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) equipment can grow ITO thin films on the surface of wafers. Semiconductor equipment includes a tray for transferring wafers. The tray is an integrated structure. When transferring wafers to the equipment cavity, the operator manually places the wafer on the tray and then places the tray into the equipment cavity. When placing wafers on the tray manually, the speed is slow, resulting in relatively low production capacity of semiconductor equipment. In addition, impurities such as particles are easily introduced, causing artificial damage to the wafer and affecting the yield.
[0003] Therefore, how to solve the above technical problems should be the focus of technical personnel in this field. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a wafer transfer device and semiconductor equipment to improve wafer transfer efficiency and equipment production capacity, while improving the yield of wafer products.
[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a wafer transmission device, comprising:
[0006] A tray, used for carrying wafers, comprises a detachable base and an outer ring; the outer ring is arranged around the base;
[0007] A transfer component is used to transfer the wafer and the target component to a temporary storage area together, and transfer the wafer to a first target position; and / or, to transfer the wafer to a target component located in the temporary storage area, and transfer the wafer and the target component to a second target position together; wherein the target component is the base or the outer ring.
[0008] Optionally, the contact surface between the base and the outer ring is provided with mutually matching step structures.
[0009] Optionally, it also includes:
[0010] A first liftable supporting component is disposed in the temporary storage area and is used to support the wafer or the base.
[0011] Optionally, the upper surface of the base is lower than the upper surface of the outer ring.
[0012] Optionally, when the target component is the outer ring, the outer ring includes a contact portion and a support portion;
[0013] The contact portion matches and contacts the base, and the support portion is connected to the contact portion and extends in a direction away from the side surface of the tray.
[0014] Optionally, it also includes:
[0015] A second liftable supporting component is disposed in the temporary storage area and is used to support the contact portion and fix the outer ring.
[0016] Optionally, it also includes:
[0017] A first groove is provided on the lower surface of the contact portion, and one end of the second supporting portion extends into the first groove.
[0018] Optionally, when the target component is the base, a second groove is provided on the lower surface of the base, and the transfer component extends into the second groove.
[0019] Optionally, it also includes:
[0020] A third groove is provided on the lower surface of the base, and the first supporting component extends into the third groove.
[0021] The present application also provides a semiconductor device, comprising any one of the wafer transfer devices described above.
[0022] A wafer transfer device provided in the present application includes: a tray for carrying wafers, including a detachable base and an outer ring; the outer ring is arranged around the base; a transfer component, used to transfer the wafer and a target component to a temporary storage area together, and transfer the wafer to a first target position; and / or, used to transfer the wafer to a target component located in the temporary storage area, and transfer the wafer and the target component to a second target position together; wherein the target component is the base or the outer ring.
[0023] It can be seen that the wafer transmission device in this application includes a tray and a transfer component, the tray includes a detachable base and an outer ring, the transfer component can transfer the wafer and the target component to the temporary storage area together, and then transfer the wafer to the first target position alone, and the transfer component can also transfer the wafer to the target component in the temporary storage area, and then transfer the wafer and the target component to the second target position together, so as to realize automatic wafer placement without manual wafer transfer. In this application, the speed of wafer placement can be improved, thereby improving production capacity, and at the same time, avoiding the introduction of impurities by manual operation, and improving the yield of wafer products.
[0024] In addition, the present application also provides a semiconductor device having the above advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.
[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a tray in a wafer transfer device provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0027] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the tray shown;
[0028] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a wafer transmission device transmitting a wafer provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Bottom view of the outer ring in the tray shown;
[0030] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a tray in another wafer transfer device provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0031] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of the tray shown;
[0032] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the base in the tray shown;
[0033] Figure 8 for Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the outer ring in the tray shown;
[0034] Fig. 9 for Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of the base in the tray shown;
[0035] Fig.10 for Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of the outer ring in the tray shown;
[0036] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of another wafer transmission device transmitting a wafer provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0037] Fig.12 for Figure 5 a bottom view of the base in the tray shown;
[0038] In the figure, 1, tray, 2, transfer part, 3, second supporting part, 4, first groove, 5, second groove, 6, first supporting part, 7, third groove, 8, wafer, 11, base, 12, outer ring, 121, contact part, 122, supporting part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0039] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0040] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention, but the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar generalizations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0041] As described in the background technology section, the tray in the related technology is an integrated structure. When transferring the wafers into the equipment cavity, the operator manually places the wafers on the tray, which is slow and leads to relatively low production capacity. In addition, impurities such as particles are easily introduced, causing artificial damage to the wafers and affecting the yield.
[0042] In view of this, the present application provides a wafer transmission device, please refer to Figures 1 to 12 ,include:
[0043] The tray 1 is used to carry the wafer 8, and includes a detachable base 11 and an outer ring 12; the outer ring 12 is arranged around the base 11;
[0044] The transfer component 2 is used to transfer the wafer 8 and the target component to the temporary storage area, and transfer the wafer 8 to the first target position; and / or, to transfer the wafer 8 to the target component located in the temporary storage area, and transfer the wafer 8 and the target component to the second target position; wherein the target component is the base 11 or the outer ring 12.
[0045] The shape of the tray 1 can be circular.
[0046] When the wafer 8 is transferred out of the cavity of the semiconductor device, the first target location may be a wafer cassette, and when the wafer 8 is transferred into the cavity of the semiconductor device, the second target location may be the cavity of the semiconductor device.
[0047] The transfer component 2 may be a fork. After the transfer component 2 transfers the wafer 8 and the target component to the temporary storage area, the transfer component 2 only transfers the wafer 8 to the first target position.
[0048] It should be pointed out that when the target component is different, the structure of the tray 1 is different, which will be described below with different embodiments.
[0049] Example 1
[0050] Please refer to Figure 1 to Figure 2 , when the target component is the outer ring 12, the outer ring 12 may include a contact portion 121 and a support portion 122;
[0051] The contact portion 121 matches and contacts the base 11 , and the support portion 122 is connected to the contact portion 121 and extends in a direction away from the side surface of the tray 1 .
[0052] The support portion 122 may be parallel to the upper surface of the tray 1 .
[0053] The wafer 8 is placed on the upper surface of the tray 1. When transferring the wafer 8 and the outer ring 12, the transfer component 2 lifts the outer ring 12 through the support portion 122, and the wafer 8 is placed on the contact portion 121 of the outer ring 12 and separated from the base 11. The outer ring 12 and the wafer 8 are transferred to the temporary storage area together. Then the transfer component 2 is pulled away from the lower surface of the support portion 122, moved to the bottom of the wafer 8, lifted the wafer 8 and transferred the wafer 8 to the first target area.
[0054] In order to facilitate the removal of the transfer component 2 from the bottom of the support portion 122, the wafer 8 transfer device may further include:
[0055] The second liftable supporting member 3 is disposed in the temporary storage area and is used to support the contact portion 121 and fix the outer ring 12 .
[0056] The number of the second support components 3 is more than two, and the specific number is not limited in this embodiment. In order to improve the support stability of the second support component 3 on the contact portion 121, the number of the second support portions 122 is three, and they are evenly distributed along the circumference of the contact portion 121, such as Figure 3 shown.
[0057] The shape of the second support portion 122 includes, but is not limited to, a cylinder, a prism, a frustum, and a truncated pyramid.
[0058] When the second supporting portion 122 supports the outer ring 12 , the supported height may range from 10 mm to 20 mm, including the end values.
[0059] In one embodiment of the present application, Figure 4 As shown, the wafer 8 transfer device may further include:
[0060] A first groove 4 is provided on the lower surface of the contact portion 121 , and one end of the second supporting portion 122 extends into the first groove 4 .
[0061] The number of the first grooves 4 is equal to the number of the second support portions 122. The shape of the first grooves 4 can be circular, rectangular, square, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment.
[0062] By providing the first groove 4 and the second support portion 122 extending into the first groove 4 , relative sliding between the second support portion 122 and the contact portion 121 can be avoided, thereby improving the stability of the support between the second support portion 122 and the contact portion 121 .
[0063] Example 2
[0064] Please refer to Figures 5 and 6 When the target component is the base 11 , a second groove 5 is provided on the lower surface of the base 11 , and the transfer component 2 extends into the second groove 5 .
[0065] The number of the second grooves 5 may be two.
[0066] The wafer 8 is placed on the upper surface of the tray 1. When transferring the wafer 8 and the base 11, the transfer component 2 is inserted into the second groove 5, and the base 11 is lifted so that the base 11 is separated from the outer ring 12. The wafer 8 is separated from the outer ring 12 along with the base 11, and the wafer 8 and the base 11 are transferred to the temporary storage area together.
[0067] The edge of the wafer 8 extends outside the edge of the base 11, that is, the diameter of the wafer 8 is larger than the diameter of the base 11. The distance between the two ends of the transfer component 2 is adjusted so that the transfer component 2 is located below the edge area of the wafer 8. The transfer component 2 is lifted to separate the wafer 8 from the base 11, and the wafer 8 is transferred to the first target area.
[0068] In this embodiment, the wafer 8 transmission device includes a tray 1 and a transfer component 2. The tray 1 includes a detachable base 11 and an outer ring 12. The transfer component 2 can transfer the wafer 8 and the target component to the temporary storage area, and then transfer the wafer 8 to the first target position alone. The transfer component 2 can also transfer the wafer 8 to the target component in the temporary storage area, and then transfer the wafer 8 and the target component to the second target position together, so as to realize automatic placement of the wafer 8 without manual transfer of the wafer 8. In this embodiment, the speed of placing and taking the wafer 8 can be improved, thereby improving the production capacity. At the same time, it is possible to avoid the introduction of impurities by manual operation, and improve the yield of the wafer 8 product.
[0069] On the basis of any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, in the wafer 8 transfer device, the contact surface between the base 11 and the outer ring 12 may be provided with mutually matching step-shaped structures.
[0070] For the wafer 8 transfer device shown in Example 1 above, the cross-sectional schematic diagram of the base 11 and the outer ring 12 is as follows: Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the outer edge of the base 11 is concave inward, and the surface of the outer ring 12 in contact with the base 11 has a protrusion extending toward the base 11, and the base 11 and the outer ring 12 are matched and combined with each other. The step-like structure of the outer edge of the base 11 is located on one side above the base 11, which facilitates the transfer component 2 to lift the outer ring 12.
[0071] For the wafer 8 transfer device shown in Example 2 above, the cross-sectional schematic diagram of the base 11 and the outer ring 12 is as follows: Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, the outer edge of the base 11 is concave inward, and the surface of the outer ring 12 in contact with the base 11 has a protrusion extending toward the base 11, and the base 11 and the outer ring 12 are matched and combined with each other.
[0072] The step-like structure of the outer edge of the base 11 is located on the lower side of the base 11. The diameter of the base 11 is smaller than the diameter of the wafer 8. After the transfer component 2 transfers the base 11 and the wafer 8, the outer edge of the wafer 8 protrudes from the base 11, and the transfer component 2 then transfers the wafer 8 through the protruding edge area of the wafer 8.
[0073] The contact surfaces between the base 11 and the outer ring 12 are combined through mutually matching step-shaped structures, which can improve the combination stability of the base 11 and the outer ring 12.
[0074] Based on any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, the wafer 8 transfer device may further include:
[0075] The first liftable supporting member 6 is disposed in the temporary storage area and is used to support the wafer 8 or the base 11 .
[0076] For the wafer 8 transfer device shown in Example 1 above, Figure 3 As shown, the first support component 6 is used to support the wafer 8. When the wafer 8 needs to be transferred to the first target position, the wafer 8 can be separated from the outer ring 12 by raising the first support component 6, and the separation distance between the wafer 8 and the outer ring 12 can range from 20mm to 30mm, and then the distance between the two sides of the transfer component 2 is adjusted to be smaller than the diameter of the wafer 8, and the distance between the two sides of the transfer component 2 can range from 150mm to 180mm, and the transfer component 2 is moved to the lower surface of the wafer 8, and the wafer 8 is lifted to separate the wafer 8 from the first support component 6, and transferred to the first target position.
[0077] When the wafer 8 needs to be transferred to the second target position, the wafer 8 can be placed on the first supporting component 6, and the first supporting component 6 is lowered so that the wafer 8 is mounted on the outer ring 12, and the transfer component 2 then transfers the wafer 8 and the outer ring 12 to the second target position together.
[0078] For the wafer 8 transport device shown in Example 2 above, Fig.11 As shown, the first supporting component 6 is used to support the base 11. When the wafer 8 needs to be transferred to the first target position, the base 11 can be separated from the transfer component 2 by raising the first supporting component 6, and the separation distance between the base 11 and the transfer component 2 can be in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm, and then the distance between the two sides of the transfer component 2 is adjusted so that the transfer component 2 lifts the wafer 8 through the edge of the wafer 8, so that the wafer 8 is separated from the base 11 and transferred to the first target position.
[0079] When the wafer 8 needs to be transferred to the second target position, the base 11 can be placed on the first supporting component 6. After the wafer 8 is placed on the base 11, the transfer component 2 is inserted into the second groove 5 of the base 11 to transfer the base 11 and the wafer 8 to the second target position together.
[0080] For the wafer 8 transport device shown in Example 2 above, in one embodiment of the present application, when the wafer 8 transport device includes a first supporting member 6, as shown in FIG. Fig.12 As shown, the wafer 8 transfer device may further include:
[0081] A third groove 7 is provided on the lower surface of the base 11 , and the first supporting member 6 extends into the third groove 7 .
[0082] The first supporting component 6 extends into the third groove 7 to support the base 11, thereby preventing the first supporting component 6 and the base 11 from sliding relative to each other and improving the supporting stability.
[0083] like Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, based on the above embodiment, in one embodiment of the present application, the upper surface of the base 11 is lower than the upper surface of the outer ring 12 .
[0084] For the wafer 8 transfer device shown in Example 1, the upper surface of the support portion 122 is higher than the upper surface of the contact portion 121 , and the upper surface of the contact portion 121 is flush with the upper surface of the base 11 .
[0085] For the wafer 8 transfer device shown in Example 2, the upper surface of the base 11 is lower than the highest upper surface of the outer ring 12 .
[0086] The upper surface of the base 11 is lower than the upper surface of the outer ring 12 , that is, a groove area is formed on the upper surface of the tray 1 , and the wafer 8 is placed in the groove area, and when the wafer 8 is transferred together with the outer ring 12 , the wafer 8 can be prevented from shifting and sliding.
[0087] The process of conveying wafer 8 by the wafer conveying device shown in Examples 1 and 2 is explained below.
[0088] Wafer 8 transfer device shown in Example 1
[0089] The base 11 is placed in the cavity without moving. When the wafer 8 is transferred to the wafer box, the transfer component 2 lifts the outer ring 12 through the support part 122 each time the wafer 8 is taken and placed. At this time, the wafer 8 is placed on the contact part 121 and separated from the base 11. After separation, the outer ring 12 carries the wafer 8 and transfers it to the temporary storage area. At this time, three second support components 3 are raised in the temporary storage area. The three second support components 3 rise and extend into the first groove 4 on the lower surface of the contact part 121 of the outer ring 12 to fix the position of the outer ring 12. At the same time, they rise 10mm~20mm to separate the outer ring 12 from the transfer component 2; the first support component 6 is raised to separate the wafer 8 from the outer ring 12, and the separation distance is 20mm~30mm. Adjust the spacing between the two sides of the transfer component 2 to 150mm~180mm, move the transfer component 2 to the bottom of the wafer 8, lift the transfer component 2 to separate the wafer 8 from the first support component 6, and transfer the wafer 8 into the wafer box. Take out a new wafer 8 from the wafer box and transfer it into the cavity in a reverse action.
[0090] Wafer 8 transfer device shown in Example 2
[0091] The outer ring 12 of the tray 1 is placed in the cavity without moving. When the wafer 8 is transferred to the wafer box, the transfer component 2 is inserted into the base 11 of the tray 1 through the two second grooves 5 each time the wafer 8 is taken and placed, and the base 11 is lifted to separate the base 11 and the outer ring 12. At this time, the wafer 8 is transferred to the temporary storage area together with the base 11 being lifted, and the first support component 6 is raised and enters the third groove 7 to separate the base 11 and the transfer component 2 by 10mm~20mm. The distance between the two ends of the transfer component 2 is adjusted, and the transfer component 2 is moved to pass the edge of the wafer 8. The transfer component 2 is lifted to separate the wafer 8 from the base 11, and the wafer 8 is transferred into the wafer box. Take out a new wafer 8 from the wafer box and transfer it into the cavity in a reverse action.
[0092] The present application also provides a semiconductor device, comprising the wafer transfer device described in any of the above embodiments.
[0093] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.
[0094] The wafer transfer device and semiconductor equipment provided by the present application are introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the scheme and core ideas of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present application, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.
Claims
1. A wafer transfer device, characterized in that: include: A tray for carrying wafers, comprising a detachable base and an outer ring; The outer ring is arranged around the base; A transfer component, used to transfer the wafer and the target component to a temporary storage area, and to transfer the wafer to a first target location; And / or, used to transfer the wafer to a target component located in a temporary storage area, and transfer the wafer and the target component together to a second target position; wherein the target component is the base or the outer ring.
2. The wafer transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact surface between the base and the outer ring is provided with mutually matching step-shaped structures.
3. The wafer transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A first liftable supporting component is disposed in the temporary storage area and is used to support the wafer or the base.
4. The wafer transfer device according to claim 1, wherein: The upper surface of the base is lower than the upper surface of the outer ring.
5. The wafer transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When the target component is the outer ring, the outer ring includes a contact portion and a support portion; The contact portion matches and contacts the base, and the support portion is connected to the contact portion and extends in a direction away from the side surface of the tray.
6. The wafer transfer device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: A second liftable supporting component is disposed in the temporary storage area and is used to support the contact portion and fix the outer ring.
7. The wafer transfer device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: A first groove is provided on the lower surface of the contact portion, and one end of the second supporting portion extends into the first groove.
8. The wafer transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When the target component is the base, a second groove is provided on the lower surface of the base, and the transfer component extends into the second groove.
9. The wafer transfer device according to claim 8, characterized in that: Also includes: A third groove is provided on the lower surface of the base, and the first supporting component extends into the third groove.
10. A semiconductor device, characterized in that: It comprises a wafer transfer device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.