Wafer loading structure and wafer transmission device
By designing a circular loading and placement plane and symmetrical arrangement of the carrier table structure, the problem of particulate matter dropping when the robot arm picks up and places the wafer is solved, ensuring the cleanliness and yield of the wafer.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422394723.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-29
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-09-29
AI Technical Summary
In traditional wafer loading structures, the robotic arm can easily cause particulate matter to fall off and adhere to the bearing surface when picking and putting the wafer, affecting the cleanliness and yield of the subsequent wafer.
A wafer loading structure is designed in which the bearing surface forms a circular loading and placement plane with a diameter smaller than the wafer diameter, and the bearing surface of the bearing stage is arranged symmetrically around the center to reduce particulate accumulation, and to clamp the wafer edges through a robotic arm to avoid contact with the bearing surface.
It effectively reduces the accumulation of particulate matter on the loading and placement plane, keeps the robotic arms clean, avoids wafer contamination and scratches, and improves the yield of wafer products.
Smart Images
Figure CN223167466U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a wafer loading structure and a wafer transfer device. Background Art
[0002] The wafer loading structure serves as an intermediate platform when the wafer is transferred into the processing chamber and when the wafer is transferred out of the processing chamber. The traditional wafer loading structure includes a bearing surface for bearing the wafer, and the area of the bearing surface is larger than the area of the wafer to be borne. After semiconductor processing processes such as epitaxy are completed on the wafer surface, the wafer is transferred to the bearing surface of the wafer loading structure by a robotic arm. Since the edge of the robotic arm will press the edge of the wafer during the transfer of the wafer, it is easy to cause the particles at the edge of the wafer to fall to the edge position of the bearing surface. When the robotic arm picks up and places the wafer from the bearing surface again, the particles on the bearing surface will adhere to the robotic arm, thereby affecting the subsequent picking and placing of the wafer, for example, it is easy to cause pollution to the subsequent wafer or scratch the subsequent wafer.
[0003] Therefore, how to reduce the particles falling on the bearing surface of the wafer loading structure during the picking and placing of the wafer by the robotic arm, so as to avoid polluting or scratching the wafer to be picked and placed, and ensure the yield of the wafer product, is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently at present. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The utility model provides a wafer loading structure and a wafer transfer device, which are used to reduce the particles falling on the bearing surface of the wafer loading structure during the picking and placing of the wafer by the robotic arm, so as to avoid polluting or scratching the wafer to be picked and placed, and ensure the yield of the wafer product.
[0005] According to some embodiments, the utility model provides a wafer loading structure, including:
[0006] At least one bearing platform, the bearing platform includes a bearing surface for bearing the wafer, the bearing surfaces in all the bearing platforms jointly form a circular loading and placing plane, and the diameter of the loading and placing plane is smaller than the diameter of the wafer.
[0007] In some embodiments, only one bearing platform is included, and the bearing surface of the bearing platform serves as the loading and placing plane.
[0008] In some embodiments, the bearing surface has a notch, and the notch extends from the edge position of the bearing surface to the center position of the bearing surface.
[0009] In some embodiments, the plurality of carrier platforms are arranged at intervals, and the bearing surfaces of the plurality of carrier platforms and the circular plane formed by surrounding the bearing surfaces of the plurality of carrier platforms together constitute the loading and placing plane.
[0010] In some embodiments, the bearing surface of the carrier platform is circular, elliptical or any polygon.
[0011] In some embodiments, all the carrier platforms are arranged symmetrically about the center of the loading and placing plane.
[0012] In some embodiments, the carrier platform is in the shape of a straight column, a frustum of a cone or a frustum of a pyramid.
[0013] According to some other embodiments, the present invention further provides a wafer transfer device, comprising:
[0014] The wafer loading structure as described above;
[0015] A robotic arm located outside the wafer loading structure for picking and placing wafers on the loading and placing plane.
[0016] In some embodiments, the robotic arm includes:
[0017] An arm part;
[0018] A clamping part connected to the end of the arm part, and the clamping part is used for clamping the edge of the wafer.
[0019] The wafer loading structure and the wafer transfer device provided by the present utility model, by providing at least one carrier platform, the bearing surfaces in all the carrier platforms together constitute a circular loading and placing plane, and the diameter of the loading and placing plane is smaller than the diameter of the wafer to be placed. On the one hand, the particles falling from the edge of the wafer will directly fall below the carrier platform and will not stay on the loading and placing plane, thereby reducing or even avoiding the accumulation of particulate matter on the loading and placing plane. On the other hand, when using a robotic arm to pick and place the wafer on the wafer loading structure, since the robotic arm clamps the edge position of the wafer, and the edge of the wafer is outside the loading and placing plane, the robotic arm can be made not to contact the loading and placing plane, avoiding the particulate matter on the loading and placing plane from adhering to the robotic arm, keeping the robotic arm clean, and further avoiding the robotic arm from contaminating or scratching the wafer during subsequent picking and placing of the wafer, ensuring the yield of the wafer product. Description of the Drawings
[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer loading structure when loading a wafer in a specific embodiment of the present utility model;
[0021] Figure 2 It is a top view schematic diagram of a carrier in a specific embodiment of the present utility model;
[0022] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram when another wafer loading structure of the present utility model loads a wafer;
[0023] Figure 4 It is a top view schematic diagram of the loading and placing plane in another wafer loading structure of the present utility model. Specific Embodiment
[0024] The following will make a detailed description of the specific embodiments of the wafer loading structure and the wafer transfer device provided by the present utility model with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0025] This specific embodiment provides a wafer loading structure, Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram when a wafer loading structure of the present utility model loads a wafer, Figure 2 It is a top view schematic diagram of a carrier in a specific embodiment of the present utility model. As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the wafer loading structure includes:
[0026] At least one carrier 10, the carrier 10 includes a carrying surface 20 for carrying a wafer 11, and the carrying surfaces 20 in all the carriers 10 together form a circular loading and placing plane, and the diameter of the loading and placing plane is smaller than the diameter of the wafer 11.
[0027] In some embodiments, only one carrier 10 is included, and the carrying surface 20 of the carrier 10 serves as the loading and placing plane.
[0028] For example, as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the wafer loading structure includes and only includes one such carrier stage 10. The carrier stage 10 has a bearing surface 20 for bearing the wafer 11, and uses the bearing surface 20 as the loading and placement plane. The diameter of the loading and placement plane is smaller than the diameter of the wafer 11, that is, the area of the loading and placement plane is smaller than the area of the wafer 11 (such as the area of the front side of the wafer 11 or the area of the back side of the wafer 11). The wafer 11 includes a central region and an edge region distributed around the periphery of the central region. When the robotic arm 12 clamps the wafer 11 and places the wafer 11 on the loading and placement plane, the central region of the wafer 11 is located on the loading and placement plane and is in direct contact with the loading and placement plane, and the edge region of the wafer 11 is located outside the loading and placement plane, that is, the edge region is in a suspended state. At this time, the particulate matter generated due to the robotic arm 12 pressing the edge region of the wafer 11 will directly fall downward from the edge region (such as falling onto the workbench surface for bearing the carrier stage 10), and will not stay on the loading and placement plane, thereby reducing or even avoiding the accumulation of particulate matter on the loading and placement plane. At the same time, since the diameter of the loading and placement plane is smaller than the diameter of the wafer 11, the robotic arm 12 does not contact the loading and placement plane when picking up and placing the wafer 11, thereby avoiding the particulate matter on the loading and placement plane from adhering to the robotic arm, keeping the robotic arm clean, and further avoiding the robotic arm from contaminating or scratching the wafer during subsequent picking up and placing of the wafer, ensuring the yield of the wafer product. Among them, the carrier stage 10 can be a quartz carrier stage.
[0029] In one example, when the wafer loading structure only includes one such carrier stage 10, the difference between the diameter of the loading and placement plane and the diameter of the wafer 11 is 1 mm to 50 mm. For example, the diameter of the loading and placement plane is 100 mm to 150 mm to ensure better reduction of the accumulation of particulate matter on the loading and placement plane while stably bearing the wafer 11.
[0030] In order to facilitate the transfer of the wafer 11 from the wafer loading structure to the wafer processing chamber, in some embodiments, the bearing surface 20 has a notch 21, and the notch 21 extends from the edge position of the bearing surface 20 to the center position of the bearing surface 20 to facilitate jacking up the wafer 11 through the notch 21.
[0031] In one example, the carrier stage 10 further includes protruding portions 22 connected to opposite sides of the bearing surface 20 in a direction parallel to the bearing surface 20. By providing the protruding portions 22, the size of the bearing surface 20 can be reduced without affecting the installation and picking up and placing of the carrier stage 10.
[0032] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram when another wafer loading structure in the specific embodiment of the present utility model loads a wafer. Figure 4 It is a top view schematic diagram of the loading and placing plane in another wafer loading structure in the specific embodiment of the present utility model. In some other embodiments, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the wafer loading structure includes a plurality of the carrier platforms 10, the plurality of carrier platforms 10 are arranged at intervals, and the bearing surfaces 20 of the plurality of carrier platforms 10 and the circular plane surrounded by the bearing surfaces 20 of the plurality of carrier platforms 10 together constitute the loading and placing plane 40.
[0033] For example, the wafer loading structure includes a plurality of the carrier platforms 10 arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, and the heights of the plurality of carrier platforms 10 in the vertical direction are the same, that is, the bearing surfaces 20 in the plurality of carrier platforms 10 are in the same horizontal plane (that is, the bearing surfaces 20 in the plurality of carrier platforms 10 are at the same horizontal height). The bearing surfaces 20 of the plurality of carrier platforms 10 and the circular plane surrounded by the bearing surfaces 20 of the plurality of carrier platforms 10 together constitute the loading and placing plane 40, that is, the bearing surface 20 in each carrier platform 10 is inscribed in the circular loading and placing plane 40. By arranging a plurality of the carrier platforms 10, on the one hand, while being able to stably support the wafer 11, the direct contact area between the wafer 11 and the bearing surface 20 can be further reduced, thereby further reducing the accumulation of particulate matter on the loading and placing plane; on the other hand, since there is a gap between adjacent carrier platforms 10, it is convenient to clean the space below the loading and placing plane, thereby further improving the cleanliness of the wafer loading structure and further ensuring the cleanliness of the robotic arm and the wafer. The plurality referred to in this specific embodiment means more than two. Figure 4 The position of the loading and placing plane is shown by a dotted line circle in
[0034] In some embodiments, the bearing surface 20 of the carrier platform 10 is circular, elliptical or any polygon.
[0035] In order to further improve the stability of the wafer loading structure in supporting the wafer, in some embodiments, all the carrier platforms 10 are arranged symmetrically about the center of the loading and placing plane 40.
[0036] In some embodiments, the carrier platform 10 is in a straight column shape, a frustum shape or a prism shape.
[0037] This specific embodiment also provides a wafer transfer device. The schematic structural diagram of the wafer transfer device provided in this specific embodiment can be seen in Figures 1-4 . As Figures 1-4 shown, the wafer transfer device includes:
[0038] The wafer loading structure as described above;
[0039] A robotic arm 12, located outside the wafer loading structure, for picking and placing the wafer 11 on the loading and placement plane.
[0040] In some embodiments, the robotic arm includes:
[0041] An arm part;
[0042] A clamping part, connected to the end of the arm part, and the clamping part is used to clamp the edge of the wafer 11.
[0043] For the wafer loading structure and the wafer transfer device provided in this specific embodiment, by providing at least one carrier, the bearing surfaces in all of the carriers together form a circular loading and placement plane, and the diameter of the loading and placement plane is smaller than the diameter of the wafer to be placed. On the one hand, the particles that fall off the edge of the wafer will directly fall below the carrier, rather than staying on the loading and placement plane, thereby reducing or even avoiding the accumulation of particulate matter on the loading and placement plane; on the other hand, when using a robotic arm to pick and place the wafer on the wafer loading structure, since the robotic arm clamps the edge position of the wafer, and the edge of the wafer is outside the loading and placement plane, the robotic arm can be made not to contact the loading and placement plane, avoiding the particulate matter on the loading and placement plane from adhering to the robotic arm, keeping the robotic arm clean, and further avoiding the robotic arm from contaminating or scratching the wafer during subsequent picking and placing of the wafer, ensuring the yield of the wafer product.
[0044] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art of this technology, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and refinements can still be made, and these improvements and refinements should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A wafer loading structure, characterized in that, Comprising: At least one carrier stage, the carrier stage includes a carrying surface for carrying a wafer, and the carrying surfaces in all of the carrier stages together form a circular loading and placing plane, and the diameter of the loading and placing plane is smaller than the diameter of the wafer.
2. The wafer loading structure according to claim 1, wherein Only one carrier stage is included, and the carrying surface of the carrier stage serves as the loading and placing plane.
3. The wafer loading structure according to claim 2, wherein, There is a notch on the carrying surface, and the notch extends from the edge position of the carrying surface to the center position of the carrying surface.
4. The wafer loading structure according to claim 1, wherein A plurality of carrier stages are included, the plurality of carrier stages are arranged at intervals, and the carrying surfaces of the plurality of carrier stages and the circular plane surrounded by the carrying surfaces of the plurality of carrier stages together form the loading and placing plane.
5. The wafer loading structure according to claim 4, wherein The carrying surface of the carrier stage is circular, elliptical or any polygon.
6. The wafer loading structure according to claim 4, wherein, All of the carrier stages are arranged symmetrically about the center of the loading and placing plane.
7. The wafer loading structure according to claim 4, wherein The carrier stage is in the shape of a straight column, a frustum of a cone or a frustum of a pyramid.
8. A wafer transfer device, characterized in that, Comprising: The wafer loading structure according to claim 1; A robotic arm, located outside the wafer loading structure, for picking up and placing the wafer on the loading and placing plane.
9. The wafer transfer device according to claim 8, wherein The robotic arm includes: an arm portion; A clamping portion, connected to the end of the arm portion, and the clamping portion is used for clamping the edge of the wafer.