Wafer processing equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to wafer processing equipment. The wafer processing equipment comprises a process cavity; the mounting cavity is separated from the process cavity; the transmission mechanism comprises a driving assembly, a clamping assembly and a connecting rod, the driving assembly is mounted in the mounting cavity, and the clamping assembly is located in the process cavity; and the transmission mechanism is configured in a manner that the driving assembly can drive the connecting rod to drive the clamping assembly to move so as to drive the flower basket which is clamped by the clamping assembly and carries the wafer to move among the plurality of process groove bodies. According to the technical scheme, on one hand, the process cavity and the mounting cavity are arranged in a separated mode, the driving assembly can drive the clamping assembly to clamp the flower basket to move among the multiple process grooves, meanwhile, contact between cleaning liquid in the process grooves and the driving assembly can be effectively reduced, and the risk that the driving assembly is corroded is reduced; in the moving process of the driving assembly, particles and the like generated due to friction among all the components do not fall into the cleaning liquid, so that pollution to the cleaning liquid is avoided, and secondary pollution to the cleaned wafer is avoided.

Description

[0001] Statement regarding the claim for priority: This application claims priority based on a patent application with the application number 2024213259831 and the patent title "A wafer processing device", which was filed in China on June 12, 2024. Technical Field

[0002] The utility model relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and particularly to a wafer processing device. Background Art

[0003] In the existing wafer batch cleaning equipment, the wafer needs to be cleaned through multiple cleaning tanks filled with different chemical cleaning liquids. The main purpose is to remove contaminants on the wafer surface, such as dust particles, organic substances, inorganic substances, and metal ions and other impurities.

[0004] During the operation of the wafer batch cleaning equipment, the transfer of the wafer is a key step. Currently, a robotic arm is usually used to move above multiple cleaning tanks to transfer the wafer and the wafer cassette between the cleaning tanks. However, since part or all of the structure of the robotic arm is exposed to the cleaning tank environment containing the cleaning liquid, the risk of corrosion of the components of the robotic arm is increased, resulting in a decline in its performance, a shortening of its lifespan, or even complete failure; on the other hand, since the robotic arm moves above multiple cleaning tanks to transfer the wafer, during the process of transferring the wafer by the robotic arm, the fine particles attached to the robotic arm will fall into the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank during the movement of the robotic arm, causing contamination to the cleaning liquid or the wafer after cleaning. When the contaminated cleaning liquid is used to clean the wafer, it will affect the cleaning quality of the wafer.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing technology to overcome the defects in the existing technology. Summary of the Utility Model

[0006] In view of this, the purpose of this application is achieved through the following technical solutions to solve at least one problem in the background art: A wafer processing device, comprising:

[0007] A process chamber, including a plurality of process tank bodies;

[0008] An installation chamber, located above the process chamber and separated from the process chamber;

[0009] A transfer mechanism, including a driving component, a clamping component, and a connecting rod connecting the driving component and the clamping component. The driving component is installed in the installation chamber, and the clamping component is located in the process chamber; the transfer mechanism is configured such that the driving component can drive the connecting rod to drive the clamping component to move, so as to drive the carrier basket carrying the wafer clamped by the clamping component to move between multiple process tank bodies.

[0010] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, a partition plate that separates the process chamber from the installation chamber is provided between the process chamber and the installation chamber, and a moving channel is provided on the partition plate along the arrangement direction of a plurality of process troughs;

[0011] The processing equipment further includes a first pressing plate and a second pressing plate provided on the partition plate, and a separating member laid on the moving channel. Two ends of the separating member are respectively connected to the first pressing plate and the second pressing plate, and the connecting rod passes through the separating member.

[0012] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, the transmission mechanism further includes a housing, and at least part of the driving assembly is located inside the housing;

[0013] The wafer processing equipment further includes a first pressing roller assembly and a second pressing roller assembly provided below the housing. The first pressing roller assembly and the second pressing roller assembly are respectively located on two sides of the connecting rod along the direction of the moving channel and are both close to the connecting rod. The separating member sequentially bypasses the first pressing roller assembly, the housing, and the second pressing roller assembly.

[0014] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, a strip-shaped groove is provided on the partition plate, the moving channel is arranged in the strip-shaped groove, the width of the strip-shaped groove is a first preset distance, the width of the moving channel is a second preset distance, and the first preset distance is greater than the second preset distance;

[0015] The first pressing roller assembly and the second pressing roller assembly include a first connecting seat, a first roller wheel connected to the first connecting seat, and an elastic member connecting the first roller wheel and the first connecting seat, and the first roller wheel can roll on the strip-shaped groove.

[0016] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, the wafer processing equipment further includes a plurality of third roller wheel assemblies, and the separating member bypasses the outside of the plurality of third roller wheel assemblies, so that a gap is formed between the separating member and the housing.

[0017] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, the third roller wheel assembly includes a base connected to the housing and a roller provided on the base, and the roller can rotate relative to the base.

[0018] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, the wafer processing equipment further includes a compensation assembly, and the compensation assembly is configured to keep the separating member in a tensioned state all the time.

[0019] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, the compensation assembly includes a fixing plate and a tension spring fixed at one end of the moving channel. The second pressing plate is located between the first pressing plate and the fixing plate, and the tension spring connects the fixing plate and the second pressing plate. The second pressing plate is movably arranged relative to the fixing plate.

[0020] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, the separator is a PTFE film.

[0021] Optionally, in the above wafer processing equipment, the wafer processing equipment further includes a blower assembly installed in the installation cavity. The blower assembly is configured to blow gas towards a plurality of process tanks.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects: By separating the process cavity containing a plurality of process tanks from the installation cavity, and installing the driving assembly in the installation cavity, while the clamping assembly is connected to the driving assembly through a connecting rod and is located in the process cavity, it can be realized that while the driving assembly drives the clamping assembly to clamp the carrier basket carrying the wafer to move between a plurality of process tanks, it can also effectively reduce the contact between the cleaning liquid in the process tank and the driving assembly, thereby reducing the risk of corrosion of the driving assembly. On the other hand, since the process cavity is separated from the installation cavity, the particles generated due to the friction between the components during the movement of the driving assembly will not fall into the cleaning liquid, thereby avoiding the pollution of the cleaning liquid and further avoiding the secondary pollution of the wafer after cleaning. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 Is the front view of the wafer processing equipment shown in this embodiment;

[0024] Figure 2 Is the top view of the wafer processing equipment shown in this embodiment;

[0025] Figure 3 Is the schematic diagram of the wafer processing equipment shown in this embodiment in another direction;

[0026] Figure 4 Is Figure 3 The partial enlarged view of the wafer processing equipment shown;

[0027] Figure 5 Is the structural schematic diagram of the driving assembly installed in the installation cavity in the wafer processing equipment shown in this embodiment;

[0028] Figure 6 Is Figure 5 The partial enlarged view of the driving assembly installed in the installation cavity in the wafer processing equipment shown;

[0029] Figure 7 Is Figure 5Schematic diagram of the relationship between the driving component and the partition in the wafer processing equipment shown;

[0030] Figure 8 For Figure 7 Partial enlarged view of the relationship structure between the driving component and the partition in the wafer processing equipment shown.

[0031] Among them,

[0032] 1 - Process chamber;

[0033] 2 - Installation chamber;

[0034] 3 - Transfer mechanism, 31 - Housing, 32 - Driving component, 33 - Gripping component, 34 - Connecting rod;

[0035] 4 - Partition board, 41 - Moving channel, 42 - Strip-shaped groove;

[0036] 5 - First pressing plate;

[0037] 6 - Second pressing plate;

[0038] 7 - Partition;

[0039] 8 - First pressure roller, 81 - First connecting seat, 82 - First roller, 83 - Elastic member;

[0040] 9 - Second pressure roller assembly;

[0041] 10 - Third pressure roller assembly, 101 - Base, 102 - Roller;

[0042] 11 - Compensation assembly, 111 - Fixed plate, 112 - Tension spring;

[0043] 12 - Fan assembly. Detailed implementation manners

[0044] The exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present application will be described in more detail below. In the following description, a large number of specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present application, some well-known technical features are not described; that is, not all features of the actual embodiments are described here, and the well-known functions and structures are not described in detail.

[0045] It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on", "adjacent to", "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, adjacent to, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on", "directly adjacent to", "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers. It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or part from another element, component, region, layer or part. Thus, without departing from the teachings of the present application, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer or part. And when discussing the second element, component, region, layer or part, it does not imply that there must be a first element, component, region, layer or part in the present application.

[0046] Spatial relationship terms such as "under", "below", "beneath", "underneath", "above", "over", etc. may be used herein for convenience in describing the relationship of one element or feature shown in the figures to other elements or features. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientation shown in the figures, spatial relationship terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use and operation.

[0047] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not a limitation of the present application. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprising" and / or "including", when used in this specification, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items.

[0048] To fully understand the present application, detailed steps and detailed structures will be presented in the following description to explain the technical solutions of the present application. The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. However, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present application may have other embodiments.

[0049] An embodiment of the present application provides a wafer processing device, refer to Figure 1As shown, it includes a loading unit, a process chamber 1, a transfer mechanism 3, and an unloading unit. The loading unit is used to load the wafers to be processed, the transfer mechanism 3 is used to transfer the wafers to be processed after loading in the process chamber 1 for different process treatments, and the unloading unit is used to unload the processed wafers. Among them, the process chamber 1 includes a plurality of process tanks, such as a plurality of cleaning tanks and drying tanks. The same or different cleaning liquids can be placed in the plurality of cleaning tanks. The transfer mechanism 3 drives the wafers to be processed to move above the plurality of process tanks, and realizes different cleaning of the wafers to be processed and drying of the wafers after cleaning. It should be noted that at least one clear water tank is arranged near each cleaning tank, and the clear water tank is used to clean the cleaning liquid remaining on the wafer in the previous cleaning tank to prevent cross-contamination of different cleaning liquids.

[0050] In this embodiment, referring to Figures 1 - 4 As shown, the wafer processing equipment further includes an installation cavity 2, which is located above the process chamber 1 and is separated from the process chamber 1.

[0051] Referring to Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the transfer mechanism 3 includes a driving component 32, a clamping component 33, and a connecting rod 34 connecting the driving component 32 and the clamping component 33. The driving component 32 is installed in the installation cavity 2, and the clamping component 33 is located in the process chamber 1. The transfer mechanism 3 is configured such that the driving component 32 can drive the connecting rod 34 to drive the clamping component 33 to move, so as to drive the clamping component 33 to clamp the wafer carrier basket and move between the plurality of process tanks. By separating the process chamber 1 from the installation cavity 2, and installing the driving component 32 in the installation cavity 2 and the clamping component 33 in the process chamber 1, the two are separated, which can realize the transfer of wafers while reducing the contact between the cleaning liquid in the process chamber 1 and the driving component 32, thereby reducing the corrosion of the driving component 32 and improving the service life of the driving component 32; on the other hand, by separating the driving component 32 from the process chamber 1, it can prevent the particles generated by friction during the operation of the driving component 32 from falling into the cleaning liquid in the process chamber 1, so as to prevent the cleaning liquid from being contaminated and the wafers after cleaning from being secondarily contaminated. It should be noted that the above-mentioned plurality of process tanks are the plurality of cleaning tanks and drying tanks in this embodiment.

[0052] Specifically, referring to Figure 2 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, a partition plate 4 is provided between the process chamber 1 and the installation chamber 2 to separate the process chamber 1 from the installation chamber 2. A moving channel 41 is provided on the partition plate 4 along the arrangement direction of a plurality of process troughs. A connecting rod 34 passes through the moving channel 41 to connect the driving component 32 and the clamping component 33, and the driving component 32 drives the clamping component 33 to move along the moving channel 41, so as to drive the wafer to be transferred between a plurality of process troughs.

[0053] In this embodiment, the wafer processing equipment further includes a first pressing plate 5 and a second pressing plate 6 provided on the partition plate 4, and a separating member 7 laid on the moving channel 41. Two ends of the separating member 7 are respectively connected to the first pressing plate 5 and the second pressing plate 6, and the connecting rod 34 passes through the separating member 7. By providing the separating member 7 laid on the moving channel 41, the contact between the cleaning liquid in the process trough and the driving component 32 can be further reduced. In this embodiment, the separating member 7 is a PTFE film.

[0054] The transfer mechanism 3 further includes a housing 31, and at least part of the driving component 32 is located inside the housing 31 to protect part of the driving component 32 inside the housing 31. On the one hand, it can prevent the driving component 32 from colliding due to errors during operation, resulting in damage to part of the structure of the driving component 32. On the other hand, it can also effectively reduce the contact between part of the driving component 32 inside the housing 31 and the cleaning liquid.

[0055] In one embodiment, referring to Figures 6 - 8 As shown, the wafer processing equipment further includes a first pressing roller assembly 8 and a second pressing roller assembly 9 provided below the housing 31. The first pressing roller assembly 8 and the second pressing roller assembly 9 are respectively located on both sides of the connecting rod 34 along the direction of the moving channel 41. After two ends of the separating member 7 are respectively fixed by the first pressing plate 5 and the second pressing plate 6, the middle part bypasses the first pressing roller assembly 8, the housing 31 and the third pressing roller assembly 10 in sequence. In this embodiment, both the first pressing roller assembly 8 and the second pressing roller assembly 9 are arranged close to the connecting rod 34. After the separating member 7 is wound, the area of the separating member 7 laid on the moving channel 41 can be increased as much as possible. The direction in which the driving component 32 moves along the moving channel 41 is defined as the front, and the opposite direction is the rear; when the driving component 32 drives the clamping component 33 to move forward, a certain area segment of the separating member 7 can move from the front of the driving component 32 to above the housing 31 of the driving component 32 and then be located behind the driving component 32, that is, the separating member 7 can be lifted or lowered by the housing 31 following the movement of the driving component 32 in the moving channel 41. In a single stroke trajectory of the driving component 32, the separating member 7 is in a wavy shape.

[0056] Further, a strip-shaped groove 42 is provided on the partition plate 4, and the above-mentioned moving channel 41 is arranged in the strip-shaped groove 42. The width of the strip-shaped groove 42 is a first preset distance, while the width of the moving channel 41 is a second preset distance, and the first preset distance is greater than the second preset distance.

[0057] Both the first roller assembly 8 and the second roller assembly 9 include a first connecting seat 81 and a first roller 82 connected to the first connecting seat 81. The first roller 82 abuts against the strip-shaped groove 42, and the first roller 82 can roll on the strip-shaped groove 42 following the movement of the driving assembly 32. The advantages of such a setting are as follows. On the one hand, the first roller 82 can roll and flatten the separator 7 that is lifted by the housing 31 of the driving assembly 32 and then dropped onto the strip-shaped groove 42, preventing the separator 7 that has just dropped from above the housing 31 onto the strip-shaped groove 42 from wrinkling, and increasing the area of communication between the installation cavity 2 and the process cavity 1. On the other hand, by providing the first roller 82 and the second roller, the friction when the driving assembly 32 moves relative to the separator 7 can be reduced.

[0058] Further, in this embodiment, the first roller assembly 8 and the second roller assembly 9 further include an elastic member 83 connecting the first roller 82 and the first connecting seat 81. The elastic member 83 is provided to prevent the first roller 82 from making hard contact with the strip-shaped groove 42 and damaging the separator 7.

[0059] The wafer processing equipment further includes a plurality of third roller assemblies. The separator 7 is arranged around the outside of the plurality of third roller assemblies, so that there is a gap between the separator 7 and the housing 31, preventing direct contact between the separator 7 and the housing 31, contaminating the cleaning liquid contacted on the separator 7 on the housing 31, and on the other hand, also preventing an increase in the friction between the separator 7 and the housing 31 after contact.

[0060] Further, the third roller assembly includes a base 101 connected to the housing 31 and a roller 102 arranged on the base 101. The roller 102 can rotate relative to the base 101 to achieve the function of transporting the separator 7. In this embodiment, the housing 31 is arranged in a rectangular structure, and this shaped housing 31 has four corners. Therefore, in order to prevent the separator 7 from contacting the corners, four third roller assemblies are provided. In other embodiments, the number of the third roller assemblies is not specifically limited and can be determined according to specific circumstances.

[0061] In another embodiment, the separator 7 is provided in a left - right split type, and the two split separators 7 at least partially overlap in the up - down direction. During the process that the driving component 32 drives the connecting rod 34 to move along the moving channel 41, the connecting rod 34 pushes open the split separator 7 under the action of the driving component 32, and the two split separators 7 will automatically overlap after the connecting rod 34 moves. In this embodiment, a first roller 82 assembly and a second roller assembly can also be provided so that the first roller 82 assembly and the second roller assembly can press the at least partially overlapping separator 7 flat to prevent the split separator 7 from warping.

[0062] Reference Figure 8 As shown, the wafer processing equipment further includes a compensation component 11, which is configured to keep the separator 7 in a tensioned state all the time, so as to prevent the separator 7 from being slack and unable to be laid and covered on the moving channel 41, and increase the area of communication between the process chamber 1 and the installation chamber 2.

[0063] Specifically, the compensation component 11 includes a fixing plate 111 fixed at one end of the moving channel 41 and a tension spring 112. Among them, the fixing plate 111 is fixedly installed at the end of the moving channel 41. The second pressing plate 6 is located between the first pressing plate 5 and the fixing plate 111, and the tension spring 112 connects the fixing plate 111 and the second pressing plate 6, and the second pressing plate 6 is movably arranged relative to the fixing plate 111. When the separator 7 deforms due to the top - up of the housing 31 but cannot recover, the total length of the separator 7 increases, which will cause the whole separator 7 to be slack and unable to be taut. Therefore, by providing the tension spring 112 connecting the second pressing plate 6 and the fixing plate 111, even if the separator 7 is slack, under the action of the elastic member 83, the second pressing plate 6 moves slightly towards the fixing plate 111, and the separator 7 can be kept in a taut state all the time. In this embodiment, the tension spring 112 has a preset tension, which can be specifically set according to the actual situation.

[0064] The wafer processing equipment number includes a blower assembly 12 installed in the installation chamber 2, and the blower assembly 12 is configured to blow gas towards a plurality of process tanks. Specifically, in this embodiment, three blower assemblies 12 are provided, and the blowing ranges of the three blowers can cover the process chamber 1, so as to further reduce the contact between the cleaning liquid in the process chamber 1 and the driving component 32 by blowing air flow into the process chamber 1. Combining with the setting of the separator 7 can largely avoid the corrosion of the driving component 32 and achieve the effect of protecting the driving component 32.

[0065] As described above, the driving assembly 32 includes a first driving assembly and a second driving assembly. The first driving assembly includes a first driving member mounted on the housing 31, a first slide rail arranged in the vertical direction, and a mounting plate connected to the first slide rail. The connecting rod 34 is connected to the mounting plate, and the first driving member can drive the mounting plate to drive the connecting rod 34 to move in the vertical direction along the first slide rail; the first driving assembly further includes a second driving member and a second slide rail mounted on the mounting plate. The second slide rail is arranged in the horizontal direction, and the second driving assembly can drive the mounting plate to drive the connecting rod 34 to move in the horizontal direction; the second driving assembly includes a third driving member and a third slide rail mounted in the mounting cavity 2. The third slide rail is arranged in the horizontal direction, and the third driving member can drive the first driving assembly to move along the moving channel 41 under the action of the third slide rail. It should be noted that the second driving member can realize the horizontal movement of the flower basket clamped by the clamping assembly 33 and the wafers therein in a certain process tank, while the third driving assembly can realize the horizontal movement of the flower basket clamped by the clamping assembly 33 and the wafers therein between multiple process tanks. Simply put, the length of the third slide rail is greater than the length of the second slide rail.

[0066] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, and any improvements made on the premise of the present application's concept are regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A wafer processing apparatus, characterized in that, Comprising: A process chamber including a plurality of process troughs; An installation chamber located above the process chamber and separated from the process chamber; A transfer mechanism including a driving component, a clamping component, and a connecting rod connecting the driving component and the clamping component, the driving component is installed in the installation chamber, and the clamping component is located in the process chamber; The transfer mechanism is configured such that the driving component can drive the connecting rod to drive the clamping component to move, so as to drive the carrier basket carrying the wafers clamped by the clamping component to move between a plurality of process troughs.

2. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein A partition separating the process chamber and the installation chamber is provided between the process chamber and the installation chamber, and a moving channel is provided on the partition along the arrangement direction of the plurality of process troughs; The processing equipment further includes a first pressing plate and a second pressing plate provided on the partition and a separating member laid on the moving channel, two ends of the separating member are respectively connected to the first pressing plate and the second pressing plate, and the connecting rod passes through the separating member.

3. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The transfer mechanism further includes a housing, and at least part of the driving component is located in the housing; The wafer processing equipment further includes a first pressing roller assembly and a second pressing roller assembly provided below the housing, the first pressing roller assembly and the second pressing roller assembly are respectively located on both sides of the connecting rod along the direction of the moving channel and are both close to the connecting rod, and the separating member sequentially bypasses the first pressing roller assembly, the housing, and the second pressing roller assembly.

4. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein A strip-shaped groove is provided on the partition, the moving channel is provided in the strip-shaped groove, the width of the strip-shaped groove is a first preset distance, the width of the moving channel is a second preset distance, and the first preset distance is greater than the second preset distance; The first pressing roller assembly and the second pressing roller assembly include a first connecting seat, a first roller connected to the first connecting seat, and an elastic member connecting the first roller and the first connecting seat, and the first roller can roll on the strip-shaped groove.

5. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The wafer processing equipment further includes a plurality of third roller assemblies, and the separating member bypasses the outside of the plurality of third roller assemblies, so that a gap is formed between the separating member and the housing.

6. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The third roller assembly includes a base connected to the housing and a roller provided on the base, and the roller can rotate relative to the base.

7. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The wafer processing equipment further includes a compensation component configured to keep the separating member always in a tensioned state.

8. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein The compensation component includes a fixing plate fixed at one end of the moving channel and a tension spring, the second pressing plate is located between the first pressing plate and the fixing plate, and the tension spring connects the fixing plate and the second pressing plate, and the second pressing plate is movably arranged relative to the fixing plate.

9. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The separating member is a PTFE film.

10. The wafer processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The wafer processing equipment further includes a blower assembly installed in the installation chamber, and the blower assembly is configured to blow gas towards a plurality of process troughs.

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