Wafer guide equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer clamping, supporting and transferring mechanism and wafer guiding equipment. The third supporting plate is driven by the third motor to move left and right, and the first clamping and supporting assembly and the second clamping and supporting assembly are rotationally arranged on the third supporting plate. The fourth motor is fixed on the third supporting plate and drives the first clamping and supporting assembly to rotate; the fifth motor is fixed on the third supporting plate and drives the second clamping and supporting assembly to rotate; and the first clamping and supporting assembly and the second clamping and supporting assembly are arranged in parallel to clamp and support wafers together. According to the utility model, the whole row of wafers are clamped by adopting lifting force, and no additional clamping force is applied to the wafers, so that the hidden crack risk of the wafers is greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of wafer manufacturing equipment, and particularly relates to a wafer guiding device.

Background Art

[0002] In the production of the semiconductor industry, wafers adopt different production processes in the manufacturing process, and the wafer carriers used by the production equipment of different production processes are different. Therefore, in the whole manufacturing process, it is necessary to frequently transfer wafers between different carriers. The transfer of wafers between different carriers is called wafer guiding in the industry. Currently, it is necessary to transfer the wafers in the wafer cassette to the quartz boat.

[0003] In the prior art, patent CN213660368U discloses a pneumatic misaligned clamping arm device for a wafer inverter, and further discloses a wafer guiding machine. This device takes out the wafers in the transfer cassette and then places them in the wafer boat placement area, and uses a lifting mechanism to place the wafers into the wafer boat together to achieve wafer guiding. However, the wafer clamping arm device of the equipment uses a pneumatic approach to close to each other to clamp the whole row of wafers. The wafers are always under clamping force, which easily causes defects such as hidden cracks and scratches.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new wafer clamping and supporting transfer mechanism and a wafer guiding device to solve the above technical problems.

Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] The main purpose of the utility model is to provide a wafer clamping and supporting transfer mechanism, which uses a lifting force to clamp the whole row of wafers without applying additional clamping force to the wafers, greatly reducing the risk of wafer hidden cracks.

[0006] The present utility model achieves the above object through the following technical solutions: A wafer clamping and transferring mechanism, which includes a wafer cassette support seat and a quartz boat support seat arranged side by side, a first jacking mechanism located below the wafer cassette support seat, a second jacking mechanism located below the quartz boat support seat, and a wafer clamping and transferring mechanism; the wafer clamping and transferring mechanism includes a third motor, a third support plate driven by the third motor to move left and right, a first clamping component and a second clamping component rotatably arranged on the third support plate, a fourth motor fixed on the third support plate and driving the first clamping component to rotate, and a fifth motor fixed on the third support plate and driving the second clamping component to rotate. The first clamping component and the second clamping component are arranged in parallel to jointly clamp the wafer; the second jacking mechanism includes a second motor, a second support plate driven by the second motor to move up and down, and an inner support bracket fixed on the second support plate. A second avoidance notch is provided on the quartz boat support seat for the inner support bracket to pass through; the inner support bracket includes a bracket bottom support, a pair of first support rods arranged at the lower position of the bracket bottom support, and a pair of second support rods arranged at the upper position of the bracket bottom support. The second support rods are located outside and above the first support rods, and the four support rods jointly support the wafer; second bearing grooves corresponding to the positions of the wafer accommodation grooves in the quartz boat are arranged in sequence on both the first support rods and the second support rods.

[0007] Further, both the first clamping component and the second clamping component include a rotating rod rotatably arranged on the third support plate, a mounting support plate fixed on the rotating rod and synchronously flipped with the rotating rod, and a comb-shaped plate fixed on the mounting support plate.

[0008] Further, a number of limiting tooth grooves are arranged in sequence on the comb-shaped plate; the rotating rod is horizontally arranged in the front-rear direction; the limiting tooth grooves on the comb-shaped plate are arranged along the axial direction of the rotating rod.

[0009] Further, the transfer range of the wafer clamping and transferring mechanism covers the wafer cassette support seat and the quartz boat support seat.

[0010] Further, a number of first positioning holes for positioning the position of the wafer cassette are provided on the wafer cassette support seat; a number of second positioning holes for positioning the position of the quartz boat are provided on the quartz boat support seat.

[0011] Further, the first jacking mechanism includes a first motor, a first support plate driven by the first motor to move up and down, and a comb-shaped support plate fixed on the first support plate. A first avoidance notch is provided on the wafer cassette support seat for the comb-shaped support plate to pass through; first bearing grooves corresponding to the positions of the wafer accommodation grooves in the wafer cassette are arranged in sequence on the comb-shaped support plate.

[0012] Further, it further includes a frame and a hood that covers the frame to form a working space; an efficient filter is provided at the top of the hood; the wafer cassette support and the quartz boat support are arranged side by side in the working space.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effect of a wafer guiding device of the present utility model lies in that: two relatively parallelly arranged rotating rods are used as driving members, a comb tooth plate is arranged on the rotating rods, and the rotating motion of the rotating rods drives the two comb tooth plates to perform a flipping motion. When the comb tooth plates flip outwards, it is in an open state, and when the comb tooth plates flip inwards, it is in a holding state; the two comb tooth plates are similar to two hands holding a whole row of wafers from both sides, without applying additional clamping force to the wafers, greatly reducing the risk of wafer hidden cracks and improving the safety of wafer guiding.

Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0015] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the embodiment of the present utility model after removing the frame and the hood;

[0016] Figure 3 It is one of the schematic structural diagrams of the comb tooth support plate in the embodiment of the present utility model;

[0017] Figure 4 It is another schematic structural diagram of the comb tooth support plate in the embodiment of the present utility model;

[0018] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the inner support bracket in the embodiment of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the first clamping support assembly and the second clamping support assembly in the embodiment of the present utility model;

[0020] The numbers in the figure represent:

[0021] 100 - Wafer guiding device;

[0022] 200 - Wafer;

[0023] 1 - Frame, 11 - Working space, 12 - Inlet and outlet, 13 - Touch screen, 14 - Control button; 2 - Hood; 3 - Wafer cassette support; 4 - Quartz boat support;

[0024] 5 - First top support mechanism, 51 - First motor, 52 - First support plate, 53 - Comb tooth support plate, 531 - First bearing groove, 532 - Profiled support plate;

[0025] 6 - Second jacking mechanism, 61 - Second motor, 62 - Second support plate, 63 - Inner support bracket, 631 - Bracket bottom support, 632 - First support rod, 633 - Second support rod;

[0026] 7 - Wafer clamping and transfer mechanism, 71 - Third motor, 72 - Third support plate, 73 - First clamping and support assembly, 731 - Rotating rod, 732 - Mounting support plate, 733 - Comb tooth plate, 7331 - Limit tooth groove, 74 - Second clamping and support assembly, 75 - Fourth motor, 76 - Fifth motor;

[0027] 8 - High - efficiency filter.

Specific implementation manner

[0028] Example 1:

[0029] Please refer to Figures 1-6 , this embodiment is a wafer guiding device 100, which includes a frame 1, a hood 2 that covers the frame 1 to form a working space 11, a wafer cassette support base 3 and a quartz boat support base 4 arranged side by side in the working space 11, a first jacking mechanism 5 located below the wafer cassette support base 3, a second jacking mechanism 6 located below the quartz boat support base 4, and a wafer clamping and transfer mechanism 7 whose transfer range covers the wafer cassette support base 3 and the quartz boat support base 4.

[0030] In order to ensure that the wafer is not contaminated during the transfer process, a high - efficiency filter 8 for ensuring the circulation of clean air in the working space 11 is provided at the top of the hood 2.

[0031] An inlet / outlet 12 for entering and exiting the working space 11 is formed on the frame 1, and safety light curtains (not marked in the figure) are provided on both sides of the inlet / outlet 12 on the frame 1. A touch screen 13 is provided above the inlet / outlet for human - machine interaction. Control buttons 14 are provided on the front side of the inlet / outlet.

[0032] The first jacking mechanism 5 includes a first motor 51, a first support plate 52 driven by the first motor 51 to move up and down, and a comb - tooth support plate 53 fixed on the first support plate 52. A first avoidance notch (not marked in the figure) for the comb - tooth support plate 53 to pass through and enter the working space 11 is provided on the wafer cassette support base 3.

[0033] In one embodiment, the upper surface of the comb - tooth support plate 53 is an arc - shaped structure imitating the wafer, and is arranged with first bearing grooves 531 corresponding one - by - one to the positions of the wafer accommodation grooves in the wafer cassette.

[0034] In another embodiment, the comb tooth support plate 53 includes two profiling support plates 532 arranged in parallel at intervals. The upper surface of the profiling support plate 532 is an arc surface structure that profiles the local part of the wafer, and is provided with first bearing grooves 531 arranged one by one corresponding to the positions of the wafer accommodating grooves in the wafer cassette. By using the two profiling support plates 532 to hold up the wafer, the contact area with the wafer circumference can be reduced, and the risk of touch damage can be lowered.

[0035] A number of first positioning holes (not marked in the figure) for positioning the wafer cassette are provided on the wafer cassette support base 3. The four positioning posts at the bottom of the wafer cassette are inserted into the first positioning holes to achieve precise positioning. The wafer cassette full of wafers 200 is placed on the wafer cassette support base 3, and the bottom part thereof is locally hollowed out so that the comb tooth support plate 53 can extend in. The first motor 51 drives the comb tooth support plate 53 to move upward, and all the wafers in a row in the wafer cassette are lifted upward to a set height to complete the whole-row lifting out of the wafers.

[0036] The second jacking mechanism 6 includes a second motor 61, a second support plate 62 driven by the second motor 61 to move up and down, and an inner support bracket 63 fixed on the second support plate 62. A second avoidance notch (not marked in the figure) for the inner support bracket 63 to pass through and enter the working space 11 is provided on the quartz boat support base 4. A number of second positioning holes (not marked in the figure) are also provided on the quartz boat support base 4. The four positioning posts at the bottom of the quartz boat are inserted into the second positioning holes to achieve precise positioning.

[0037] The inner support bracket 63 includes a bracket bottom support 631, a pair of first support rods 632 arranged at the lower position of the bracket bottom support 631, and a pair of second support rods 633 arranged at the upper position of the bracket bottom support 631. The second support rods 633 are located above and outside the first support rods 632. The four support rods together constitute the support for the wafer, ensuring the position stability and reliability of the wafer support. Second bearing grooves (not marked in the figure) arranged one by one corresponding to the positions of the wafer accommodating grooves in the quartz boat are arranged on both the first support rods 632 and the second support rods 633.

[0038] The empty quartz boat is placed on the quartz boat support base 4, and the bottom part thereof is locally hollowed out so that the inner support bracket 63 can extend in. The second motor 61 drives the inner support bracket 63 to move upward, support a row of wafers, and then move downward to drop the whole row of wafers back into the quartz boat to complete the whole-row transfer of the wafers.

[0039] The wafer clamping and transferring mechanism 7 includes a third motor 71, a third support plate 72 driven by the third motor 71 to move left and right, a first clamping component 73 and a second clamping component 74 rotatably arranged on the third support plate 72, a fourth motor 75 fixed on the third support plate 72 and driving the first clamping component 73 to rotate, and a fifth motor 76 fixed on the third support plate 72 and driving the second clamping component 74 to rotate. The first clamping component 73 and the second clamping component 74 are arranged in parallel to jointly clamp the wafer.

[0040] The first clamping component 73 and the second clamping component 74 have the same structure and both include a rotating rod 731 rotatably arranged on the third support plate 72, a mounting support plate 732 fixed on the rotating rod 731 and synchronously flipped with the rotating rod 731, and a comb tooth plate 733 fixed on the mounting support plate 732. A number of limiting tooth grooves 7331 are arranged on the comb tooth plate 733. The rotating rod 731 is horizontally arranged in the front-back direction. The limiting tooth grooves 7331 on the comb tooth plate 733 are arranged along the axial direction of the rotating rod 731. The distance between the two rotating rods 731 in the first clamping component 73 and the second clamping component 74 is a set distance. By driving the rotating rod 731 to rotate through the fourth motor 75 or the fifth motor 76, the inward flipping and outward opening flipping actions of the two comb tooth plates 733 are realized, and then the clamping and releasing functions of the whole row of wafers are realized. When the two comb tooth plates 733 in the first clamping component 73 and the second clamping component 74 are in a vertical state parallel to each other, the distance between the two comb tooth plates 733 is the largest at this time, and the whole row of wafers can enter the clamping area of the two comb tooth plates 733 from bottom to top; by rotating the rotating rod 731 to drive the two comb tooth plates 733 to flip inward by a certain angle, the two comb tooth plates 733 hold the wafer from both sides of the whole row of wafers at the lower half circumference, realizing the clamping of the wafer.

[0041] The working process of a wafer guiding device 100 in this embodiment is as follows: The operator places a wafer cassette filled with wafers on the wafer cassette support base 3 and places an empty quartz boat on the quartz boat support base 4; then presses the control button 14 to start the device; the first clamping and supporting transfer mechanism 7 in the wafer clamping and supporting transfer mechanism 7 moves the first clamping and supporting component 73 and the second clamping and supporting component 74 to directly above the wafer cassette and is in an open state; the first motor 51 in the first jacking mechanism 5 drives the comb tooth support plate 53 to move upward, extends into the wafer cassette to lift the entire row of wafers 200 upward and enters the clamping and supporting area of the two comb tooth plates 733; the fourth motor 75 or the fifth motor 76 drives the rotating rod 731 to rotate, and the two comb tooth plates 733 lift the entire row of wafers 200 from both sides; then the comb tooth support plate 53 descends; the two comb tooth plates 733 hold the entire row of wafers 200 and move leftward as a whole to directly above the quartz boat; the second motor 61 in the second jacking mechanism 6 drives the inner support bracket 63 to move upward to lift the entire row of wafers on the comb tooth plates; the rotating rod 731 rotates to drive the comb tooth plates 733 to flip to an open state, the inner support bracket 63 holds the entire row of wafers 200 and descends, and drops it into the quartz boat, completing the operation of importing the wafers from the wafer cassette into the quartz boat.

[0042] The above are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer guide device, characterized in that: The invention relates to a wafer box support seat and a quartz boat support seat arranged side by side, a first lifting mechanism located below the wafer box support seat, a second lifting mechanism located below the quartz boat support seat and a wafer clamping and supporting transfer mechanism; the wafer clamping and supporting transfer mechanism comprises a third motor, a third support plate driven by the third motor to move left and right, a first clamping and supporting assembly and a second clamping and supporting assembly rotatably arranged on the third support plate, a fourth motor fixed on the third support plate and driving the first clamping and supporting assembly to rotate, and a fifth motor fixed on the third support plate and driving the second clamping and supporting assembly to rotate, wherein the first clamping and supporting assembly and the second clamping and supporting assembly are arranged in parallel to each other to realize the wafer clamping and supporting transfer. The wafer is clamped and supported; the second supporting mechanism includes a second motor, a second supporting plate driven by the second motor to move up and down, and an inner supporting bracket fixed on the second supporting plate, and the quartz boat support seat is provided with a second avoidance gap for the inner supporting bracket to pass through; the inner supporting bracket includes a bracket bottom support, a pair of first supporting rods arranged at a low position of the bracket bottom support, and a pair of second supporting rods arranged at a high position of the bracket bottom support, the second supporting rods are located above and outside the first supporting rods, and the four supporting rods together constitute a support for the wafer; the first supporting rods and the second supporting rods are both arranged with second bearing grooves corresponding to the positions of the wafer accommodating slots in the quartz boat.

2. The wafer guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first clamping support assembly and the second clamping support assembly both include a rotating rod rotatably arranged on the third support plate, a mounting support plate fixed on the rotating rod and turned synchronously with the rotating rod, and a comb plate fixed on the mounting support plate.

3. The wafer guide device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A plurality of limiting tooth grooves are arranged on the comb plate; the rotating rod is arranged horizontally in the front-to-back direction; and the limiting tooth grooves on the comb plate are arranged along the axial direction of the rotating rod.

4. The wafer guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transfer range of the wafer clamping and transferring mechanism covers the wafer box support seat and the quartz boat support seat.

5. The wafer guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer box support seat is provided with a plurality of first positioning holes for positioning the wafer box; the quartz boat support seat is provided with a plurality of second positioning holes for positioning the quartz boat.

6. The wafer guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first supporting mechanism includes a first motor, a first supporting plate driven by the first motor to move up and down, and a comb-tooth support plate fixed on the first supporting plate. The wafer box support seat is provided with a first avoidance gap for the comb-tooth support plate to pass through; the comb-tooth support plate is provided with first bearing grooves corresponding to the positions of the wafer accommodating slots in the wafer box.

7. The wafer guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a frame, and a cover in which the frame cover is arranged to form a working space; a high-efficiency filter is arranged on the top of the cover; and the wafer box support seat and the quartz boat support seat are arranged side by side in the working space.

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