Feeding device and silicon wafer sorting system

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a feeding device and a silicon wafer sorting system. The feeding device is arranged in a discharging area of a cleaning machine and / or a feeding area of a sorting machine. The feeding device comprises a visual detection mechanism, a transfer mechanism and a temporary storage mechanism. The visual detection mechanism is used for detecting a target flower basket, and the target flower basket is a flower basket with abnormal silicon wafer arrangement; the transferring mechanism is electrically connected with the visual detection mechanism, the transferring mechanism is used for transferring the target flower basket to the caching mechanism, and the caching mechanism is used for caching the target flower basket. According to the feeding device, the target flower basket with abnormal silicon wafer arrangement can be transferred, and the target flower basket is cached, so that the situation that the target flower basket flows into the sorting machine, and consequently the sorting machine has the card clamping abnormity is avoided, and the silicon wafer sorting coherence and sorting speed of the sorting machine are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of silicon wafer processing, and specifically relates to a feeding device and a silicon wafer sorting system. Background Art

[0002] A silicon wafer sorter is a key device in the silicon wafer production process. It mainly detects and classifies silicon wafers to ensure that the quality of the silicon wafers meets the requirements of subsequent processes. During the production operation, the cut silicon wafers can be placed in a flower basket for cleaning. After cleaning, the flower basket can be transported to the loading area of the sorter. The silicon wafers in the flower basket can be taken out one by one in the loading area, and then the silicon wafers are sorted on the sorter.

[0003] However, when there are abnormalities such as broken wafers, stacked wafers, and misaligned wafers in the silicon wafers in the flower basket, it is very easy to cause the phenomenon that the silicon wafers cannot be taken out and jam, or even if they are successfully taken out, it will cause jamming inside the sorter and the situation of unsmooth material feeding, thereby affecting the sorting speed of the sorter for silicon wafers and reducing the production efficiency. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] This application aims to provide a feeding device and a silicon wafer sorting system to solve the problem of the slow sorting speed of the existing silicon wafer sorter.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, this application is implemented as follows: [[ID=2,1]]

[0006] In a first aspect, this application discloses a feeding device. The feeding device is arranged in the unloading area of a cleaning machine and / or the loading area of a sorter. The feeding device includes: a vision detection mechanism, a transfer mechanism, and a buffer mechanism; the vision detection mechanism is used to detect a target flower basket, and the target flower basket is a flower basket with abnormal silicon wafer arrangement; the transfer mechanism is electrically connected to the vision detection mechanism, and the transfer mechanism is used to transfer the target flower basket to the buffer mechanism, and the buffer mechanism is used to buffer the target flower basket.

[0007] In an embodiment of this application, the feeding device can transfer the target flower basket with abnormal silicon wafer arrangement before loading the sorter and buffer the target flower basket to avoid the abnormal situation of the sorter jamming caused by the target flower basket flowing into the sorter, improve the sorting coherence and sorting speed of the sorter for silicon wafers, and thus improve the sorting efficiency of the silicon wafer sorting system. Moreover, since the transfer and buffer objects in the feeding device are the target flower baskets, compared with silicon wafers, it is easier to implement the transfer and buffer operations on the target flower baskets by the transfer mechanism and the buffer mechanism, and the operation safety is relatively high. That is, the operability and practicability of the feeding device are relatively high.

[0008] Optionally, the feeding device further includes a processing mechanism, which is electrically connected to the buffer mechanism and is used to process the target flower basket, so as to avoid the operation of manual processing of the target flower basket by the operator and improve the processing efficiency of the target flower basket.

[0009] Optionally, the feeding device further includes a processing confirmation module, which is electrically connected to the buffer mechanism and the transfer mechanism respectively, and is used to confirm whether the processing of the target flower basket is completed and / or to notify the transfer mechanism to transfer the processed target flower basket to the loading area of the sorting machine, so as to further improve the processing efficiency of the abnormal silicon wafers.

[0010] Optionally, the visual inspection mechanism further includes an abnormal silicon wafer judgment module, which is used to judge the abnormal type of the abnormal silicon wafers in the target flower basket, so as to facilitate subsequent processing of the abnormal silicon wafers of different abnormal types and improve the processing efficiency of the abnormal silicon wafers.

[0011] Optionally, the feeding device further includes a debris abnormal silicon wafer removal device, which is electrically connected to the visual inspection mechanism and the abnormal silicon wafer judgment module.

[0012] Optionally, the feeding mechanism further includes a host computer, which is electrically connected to the visual inspection mechanism. The host computer includes an image storage module for storing the pictures taken by the visual inspection mechanism, so that the operator can view and export them at any time, check the reasons in time, and monitor the process, thereby further improving the processing efficiency of the target flower basket.

[0013] Optionally, the buffer mechanism includes a transfer roller track line, and at least two buffer positions are arranged on the transfer roller track line. Each buffer position is used to buffer one target flower basket to improve the ability of the buffer mechanism to buffer the target flower basket.

[0014] In a second aspect, the present application also discloses a silicon wafer sorting system, including a sorting machine, a cleaning machine, and the feeding device according to any one of the above.

[0015] Optionally, the feeding device is arranged between the cleaning machine and the sorting machine. The cleaning machine and the sorting machine are arranged at intervals along a first direction. The buffer mechanism includes at least two buffer positions, and at least two buffer positions are arranged at intervals along a second direction. The second direction intersects with the first direction; the transfer mechanism is located in the area enclosed by the buffer mechanism, the cleaning machine, and the sorting machine. To reduce the transfer path of the transfer mechanism for transferring the target flower basket, thereby improving the convenience and efficiency of the transfer mechanism for transferring the target flower basket.

[0016] Additional aspects and advantages of the present utility model will be given in part in the following description, become apparent in part from the following description, or be learned through the practice of the present utility model. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present utility model will become apparent and be readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, where:

[0018] Figure 1 is one of the schematic structural diagrams of the silicon wafer sorting system according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 is another schematic structural diagram of the silicon wafer sorting system according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 is yet another schematic structural diagram of the silicon wafer sorting system according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 is still another schematic structural diagram of the silicon wafer sorting system according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Reference numerals: 10 - vision detection mechanism, 101 - frame, 102 - camera module, 11 - transfer mechanism, 12 - buffer mechanism, 200 - cleaning machine, 201 - blanking area, 300 - sorting machine, 301 - loading area, 400 - carrier, x - first direction, y - second direction. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0023] Embodiments of the present utility model will be described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present utility model and should not be construed as a limitation to the present utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without making creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0024] The terms "first" and "second" in the description and claims of the present application may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present utility model, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more. In addition, "and / or" in the description and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0025] In the description of the present utility model, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present utility model and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present utility model.

[0026] In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "installation", "connection", and "coupling" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood according to specific situations.

[0027] The embodiment of the present application provides a feeding device, as Figures 1 to 4 shown, the blanking area 201 of the cleaning machine 200 is adjacently arranged to the feeding area 301 of the sorting machine 300, and the feeding device can be arranged in the blanking area 201 of the cleaning machine 200 and / or the feeding area 301 of the sorting machine 300.

[0028] In practical applications, after the silicon wafers are cut, the silicon wafers can be inserted into the carrier 400, and the cleaning machine 200 can be used to clean the silicon wafers in the carrier 400 as a whole. After the cleaning machine 200 finishes cleaning the silicon wafers in the carrier 400, it can unload the carrier 400 carrying the silicon wafers in the blanking area 201, and the feeding device described in the present application can be arranged in this blanking area 201. Or, since when sorting the silicon wafers, it is necessary to take out the silicon wafers in the carrier 400 one by one in the feeding area 301 of the sorting machine 300, therefore, the feeding device described in the present application can also be arranged in the feeding area 301 of the sorting machine 300.

[0029] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, the feeding device can specifically include: a vision detection mechanism 10, a transfer mechanism 11, and a buffer mechanism 12; the vision detection mechanism 10 can be used to detect the target carrier, and the target carrier is the carrier 400 with abnormal silicon wafer arrangement; the transfer mechanism 11 is electrically connected to the vision detection mechanism 10, and the transfer mechanism 11 can be used to transfer the target carrier to the buffer mechanism 12, and the buffer mechanism 12 can be used to buffer the target carrier.

[0030] It should be noted that for a normal wafer carrier, the wafers are evenly distributed in the wafer carrier by the tooth grooves on the toothed rod. However, if there are broken wafers, stacked wafers or misaligned wafers in the wafers, the wafers in the wafer carrier are not normal, or the arrangement of the wafers is not normal. The target wafer carrier in this application refers to: the appearance of the wafers in the wafer carrier is not normal in terms of integrity, there are abnormalities, such as broken wafers in the wafer carrier; or, the arrangement of the wafers in the wafer carrier is not normal, such as abnormal wafer arrangement phenomena such as missing wafers, stacked wafers, and misaligned wafers in the wafer carrier.

[0031] In a specific application, an operator or a related device can process the wafers in the target wafer carrier in the buffer mechanism 12, and the transfer mechanism 11 can also be used to transfer the processed target wafer carrier to the loading area 301 of the sorter 300 to perform subsequent sorting on the normal wafers in the target wafer carrier.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present application, before loading the sorter 300, the feeding device can be used to transfer the target wafer carrier and buffer the target wafer carrier to avoid the abnormality of the sorter 300 getting stuck caused by the direct inflow of the target wafer carrier into the sorter 300, improve the sorting coherence and sorting speed of the sorter 300 for wafers, and thus, can improve the sorting efficiency of the wafer sorting system. Moreover, since the objects of transfer and buffering in the feeding device are the target wafer carriers, compared with transferring wafers, it is easier to implement the transfer and buffering operations on the target wafer carriers by the transfer mechanism 11 and the buffer mechanism 12, and the operation safety is relatively high. That is, the operability and practicability of the feeding device are relatively high.

[0033] In practical applications, by adopting the feeding device described in the embodiment of the present application, the following advantages can also be achieved: (1) Reduce the number of on-site operators. Test data shows that before adopting the feeding device described in the embodiment of the application, the man-machine ratio of the operator responsible for processing the abnormal wafer arrangement in the loading area 301 of the sorter 300 is 2 machines / person, and after adopting the feeding device described in the embodiment of the present application, it can be reduced to 1 machine / person. (2) Improve the sorting production capacity of wafers. Due to the improvement of loading continuity, the production capacity can be increased by 5k - 10,000 pieces per day per machine. (3) Improve the safety performance. Manually removing abnormal wafers will occasionally cause safety accidents. The time for manually placing the abnormal wafer carrier in the dangerous area in this application is reduced by more than 90%, greatly reducing the safety risk.

[0034] In a specific application, during the process of discharging the wafer carrier 400 carrying wafers in the discharging area 201 of the cleaning machine 200, or during the process of loading the wafer carrier 400 in the loading area 301 of the sorting machine 300, or during the process of transferring between the cleaning machine 200 and the sorting machine 300, the vision detection mechanism 10 can detect the wafer condition in the wafer carrier 400 in real time. When there are no abnormalities such as wafer fragmentation, misalignment, missing wafers, or wafer stacking in the wafers in the wafer carrier 400, the wafer carrier 400 can flow normally to facilitate the sorting of the wafers.

[0035] Specifically, when the vision detection mechanism 10 detects abnormalities such as wafer fragmentation, missing wafers, misalignment, or wafer stacking in the wafers in the target wafer carrier, the transfer mechanism 11 can transfer the entire target wafer carrier to the buffer mechanism 12, so that the operator can process the abnormal wafers in the target wafer carrier on the buffer mechanism 12. After processing the abnormal wafers, the target wafer carrier can be transferred to the loading area 301 of the sorting machine 300 through the transfer mechanism 11 for subsequent wafer extraction and sorting operations. By caching the target wafer carrier through the feeding device, it is possible to avoid the abnormality of the sorting machine 300 getting stuck when the target wafer carrier directly flows to the sorting machine 300, improve the sorting coherence and sorting speed of the sorting machine 300 for wafers, and thus improve the sorting efficiency of the wafer sorting system.

[0036] In an alternative embodiment, the vision detection system can be an Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) vision detection system, or it can be a camera processing system. The buffer mechanism 12 can be a buffer platform, or a buffer roller conveyor line, etc. The transfer mechanism 11 can include at least one of a robotic arm and a robotic truss. Since both the robotic arm and the robotic truss have the advantages of high grasping efficiency and flexible transfer paths, when the transfer mechanism 11 is the robotic arm or the robotic truss, not only can the target wafer carrier be quickly grasped, but also the target wafer carrier can be flexibly transferred to the buffer mechanism 12, or the processed target wafer carrier can be transferred from the buffer mechanism 12 to the loading area 301 of the sorting machine 300, greatly improving the transfer efficiency of the target wafer carrier.

[0037] Exemplarily, the robotic arm can be a six-axis robotic arm. The six-axis robotic arm can specifically include six axes and a mechanical gripper. The shape of the mechanical gripper can be adapted to the shape of the wafer carrier 400 to further improve the efficiency and stability of the mechanical gripper in gripping the target wafer carrier.

[0038] In practical applications, between the transfer mechanism 11 and the vision inspection mechanism 10, and between the buffer mechanism 12 and the transfer mechanism 11, electrical connection can be achieved by means of wire connection or wireless communication connection. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the electrical connection methods between the transfer mechanism 11 and the vision inspection mechanism 10, and between the buffer mechanism 12 and the transfer mechanism 11.

[0039] In some alternative embodiments of the present application, the feeding device may further include a processing mechanism, which is electrically connected to the buffer mechanism 12 and can be used to process the wafers in the target flower basket. Specifically, the processing of the wafers may include rejection or sorting, that is, rejecting the abnormal wafers in the target flower basket, or sorting the abnormal wafers in the target flower basket. In this way, the operation of manually processing the abnormal wafers by the operator can be avoided, and the processing efficiency of the abnormal wafers can be improved.

[0040] In some specific embodiments, the processing mechanism may be a manipulator. For example, a manipulator can be used to reject relevant abnormal wafers. For example, the wafers can be directly crushed so that the fragments fall from under the flower basket; or a manipulator can be used to sort out relevant abnormal wafers.

[0041] In some specific embodiments, the processing mechanism may be a processing mechanism for processing fragments, or a processing mechanism for processing misaligned or stacked wafers. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0042] Optionally, the feeding device may further include a processing confirmation module, which is electrically connected to the buffer mechanism 12 and the transfer mechanism 11, and can be used to confirm whether the processing of the target flower basket is completed and / or to notify the transfer mechanism 11 to transfer the processed target flower basket back to the normal area, that is, the unloading area 201 of the cleaning machine 200 and / or the loading area 301 of the sorting machine 300, so as to further improve the processing efficiency of the target flower basket.

[0043] Specifically, since the processing confirmation module is electrically connected to the buffer mechanism 12, the processing confirmation module can monitor the processing status of the target flower basket on the buffer mechanism 12 in real time to confirm whether the processing in the target flower basket is completed. When it is confirmed that the processing in the target flower basket is completed, based on the electrical connection relationship between the processing confirmation module and the transfer mechanism 11, the processing confirmation module can send an instruction to the transfer mechanism 11 to notify the transfer mechanism 11 to transfer the processed target flower basket back to the normal area, that is, the unloading area 201 of the cleaning machine 200 and / or the loading area 301 of the sorting machine 300, so as to sort the normal wafers in the target flower basket by the sorting machine 300.

[0044] It should be noted that in specific applications, the processing confirmation module can be integrally arranged in the processing mechanism or can be arranged independently of the processing mechanism. The embodiments of the present application do not make special limitations on this.

[0045] In some specific embodiments, the processing confirmation module can be an AOI vision detection system or a camera processing system with image acquisition function and image processing function, etc. Generally, the processing confirmation module can confirm whether the target flower basket is processed and send relevant instructions by acquiring the image of the target flower basket on the transfer mechanism 11 and processing the image.

[0046] In some alternative embodiments of the present application, as Figure 1 shown, the vision detection mechanism 10 can specifically include: a frame 101, a camera module 102 and a controller (not shown in the figure) arranged on the frame 101. The frame 101 can be used to fix and support the camera module 102 and the controller. The camera module 102 can be used to acquire the image of the silicon wafer in the flower basket 400. The controller is electrically connected to the camera module 102 and the transfer mechanism 11 respectively. The controller can be used to calibrate the target flower basket based on the image and send the information of the target flower basket to the transfer mechanism 11.

[0047] Optionally, the vision detection mechanism can further include an abnormal silicon wafer judgment module, which can be used to judge the abnormal type of the abnormal silicon wafer in the target flower basket, so as to facilitate subsequent processing of abnormal silicon wafers of different abnormal types and improve the processing efficiency of the abnormal silicon wafers.

[0048] For example, the abnormal types of the abnormal silicon wafers usually can include fragments, stacked wafers, missing wafers or misaligned wafers, etc. For the abnormal silicon wafers with the abnormal type of fragments, it is usually necessary to remove the abnormal silicon wafers. For the abnormal silicon wafers with the abnormal type of stacked wafers or misaligned wafers, it is only necessary to sort the abnormal silicon wafers, that is, sort the abnormal silicon wafers to the buffer mechanism for buffering, and there is no need to remove the abnormal silicon wafers. Since there are different processing methods for abnormal silicon wafers of different abnormal types, it is particularly important to use the abnormal silicon wafer judgment module to judge the abnormal type of the abnormal silicon wafers. In practical applications, the abnormal silicon wafer judgment module can be electrically connected to the camera module 102 to judge the abnormal type according to the image of the abnormal silicon wafer acquired by the camera module 102.

[0049] In some specific embodiments, the abnormal silicon wafer judgment module can be an image processing module, and the image processing module can judge the abnormal type of the silicon wafer by processing the image acquired by the camera module 102.

[0050] In some alternative embodiments of the present application, the feeding device may further include an abnormal wafer rejection device, which is electrically connected to the vision detection mechanism 10 and the abnormal wafer judgment module. When the abnormal wafer judgment module determines that the abnormal type of the abnormal wafer is a specific abnormal type, such as fragments, overlapping wafers, or misaligned wafers, etc., the abnormal wafer rejection device can directly reject the abnormal wafers in the normal carrier. For example, it can directly crush or take out the wafers with abnormal types of fragments or overlapping wafers for rejection; then transfer the remaining target carrier, such as the one containing misaligned wafers, to the buffer mechanism; in particular, it can process abnormal wafers more efficiently.

[0051] In practical applications, when the target carrier contains a specific abnormal type, the abnormal wafer rejection device can reject the abnormal wafers of the specific abnormal type. In this way, there will be no wafers with a specific abnormal type in the target carrier, and other wafers can still be located in the target carrier, cached on the buffer mechanism 12, and enter the subsequent sorting process through the transfer mechanism 11. In some specific embodiments, the abnormal wafer rejection device can be a manipulator or the like.

[0052] Optionally, the feeding device may further include a host computer, which is electrically connected to the vision detection mechanism. The host computer may include an image storage module, and the image storage module can be used to store the pictures taken by the vision detection mechanism, so that the operator can view and export them at any time for timely troubleshooting and process monitoring, thereby further improving the processing efficiency of the abnormal wafers.

[0053] In some alternative embodiments of the present application, the buffer mechanism 12 may include a transfer roller conveyor line, and at least two buffer positions are provided on the transfer roller conveyor line. Each buffer position can be used to buffer one target carrier, that is, the transfer roller conveyor line can be used to buffer at least two target carriers to improve the ability of the buffer mechanism 12 to buffer the target carriers.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present application, since the transfer roller conveyor line can buffer at least two target carriers, the operator can reject the abnormal wafers in multiple target carriers after storing multiple target carriers on the transfer roller conveyor, so as to avoid the need for the operator to frequently perform the operation of rejecting abnormal wafers on the buffer mechanism 12, improving the work efficiency and operation experience of the operator. At the same time, it is also convenient for one operator to manage multiple feeding devices.

[0055] In practical applications, when there are multiple target flower baskets on the buffer mechanism 12, the buffer mechanism 12 can prompt the operator to process the target flower baskets on the buffer mechanism 12 through a voice prompt mechanism, a light prompt mechanism, etc. After the processing is completed, the operator can press a relevant button to trigger the transfer roller path, so as to transfer the target flower basket to a position convenient for the transfer mechanism 11 to grip through the transfer roller path, and send a material taking signal to the transfer mechanism 11. After receiving the material taking signal, the transfer mechanism 11 can preferentially grab and transport the target flower basket to the feeding area 301 of the sorting machine 300, so as to improve the running material continuity of the sorting machine 300 and improve the production efficiency.

[0056] Exemplarily, the number of buffer positions for buffering the target flower basket on the buffer mechanism 12 can be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on the number of the buffer positions.

[0057] As Figure 3 shown, the cleaning machine 200 and the sorting machine 300 are arranged at intervals along the first direction x, and at least two buffer positions are arranged at intervals along the second direction y, and the second direction y intersects with the first direction x; the transfer mechanism 11 is located in the area enclosed by the buffer mechanism 12, the cleaning machine 200 and the sorting machine 300, so as to reduce the transfer path of the transfer mechanism 11 for transferring the target flower basket. Thus, the convenience and efficiency of the transfer mechanism 11 for transferring the target flower basket can be improved.

[0058] In a specific application, since the second direction y intersects with the first direction x, an area for placing the transfer mechanism 11 can be enclosed among the sorting machine 300, the cleaning machine 200 and the buffer mechanism 12. By placing the transfer mechanism 11 in this area, the distances between the transfer mechanism 11 and the cleaning machine 200, the sorting machine 300 and the buffer mechanism 12 can be made relatively close. In this way, whether the target flower basket is transferred from the cleaning machine 200 to the buffer mechanism 12 or the processed target flower basket is transferred from the buffer mechanism 12 to the sorting machine 300, the transfer path passed by the transfer mechanism 11 is relatively short, and the efficiency of the transfer mechanism 11 for transferring the target flower basket is correspondingly high.

[0059] Optionally, the first direction x is perpendicular to the second direction y, so that the transfer path of the transfer mechanism 11 for transferring the target flower basket from the cleaning machine 200 to the buffer mechanism 12 is basically equivalent to the transfer path of transferring the processed target flower basket from the buffer mechanism 12 to the sorting machine 300. In this way, the time of the above two transfer processes can be basically matched, so as to further improve the transfer efficiency of the transfer mechanism 11 for the target flower basket.

[0060] It should be noted that in the accompanying drawings of the implementation of this application, only the case where the second direction y is perpendicular to the first direction x is shown. In actual applications, the included angle between the second direction y and the first direction x can also be other values such as 60 degrees, 75 degrees, or 82 degrees, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0061] In the embodiments of this application, the frame 101 can be arranged in the blanking area 201 of the cleaning machine 200, so that the camera module 102 can be correspondingly connected to the blanking area 201 through the frame 101, facilitating the camera module 102 to acquire images of the wafers in the carrier 400 in the blanking area 201 and perform abnormality detection on the wafers. In a specific application, the total time for the camera module 102 to acquire images and for the controller to calibrate the target carrier based on the images can be set according to the actual situation. However, in order to maintain the smooth transfer of the carrier 400 between the cleaning machine 200 and the sorting machine 300, the total time should generally be controlled within two seconds.

[0062] Optionally, the camera module 102 can include at least one of an area array camera and a scanning camera. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the type of the camera module 102. Similarly, the number of the camera modules 102 can be 1, 2, or 4, etc., and the embodiments of this application also do not specifically limit the number of the camera modules 102.

[0063] The embodiments of this application also provide a Figures 1 to 4 wafer sorting system as shown. Specifically, the wafer sorting system can include: a cleaning machine 200, a sorting machine 300, and the feeding device described in any of the above embodiments; wherein, at least a part of the feeding device is located between the cleaning machine 200 and the sorting machine 300, and the feeding device can be used to detect the arrangement of the wafers in the carrier 400 in the blanking area 201 of the cleaning machine 200, and transfer and cache the target carrier with abnormal wafer arrangement.

[0064] Specifically, the feeding device can be used for the wafer sorting system. Before the sorting machine 300 is loaded, the feeding device is used to process the target carrier containing abnormal wafers and cache the target carrier, so as to prevent the target carrier from flowing into the sorting machine 300 and causing an abnormality such as card jamming in the sorting machine 300, improving the sorting coherence and sorting speed of the sorting machine 300 for wafers, and thus improving the sorting efficiency of the wafer sorting system. Moreover, since both the transfer and cache objects in the feeding device are the target carriers, compared with wafers, it is easier to implement the transfer and cache operations on the target carriers by the transfer mechanism 11 and the cache mechanism 12, and the operation safety is relatively high. That is, the operability and practicability of the feeding device are relatively high.

[0065] In some alternative embodiments of the present application, the vision inspection mechanism 10 of the feeding device is located between the unloading area 201 of the cleaning machine 200 and the loading area 301 of the sorting machine 300. That is, when the carrier 400 runs between the unloading area 201 of the cleaning machine 200 and the loading area 301 of the sorting machine 300, the abnormal detection of the wafers in the carrier 400 is started to prevent the carrier 400 from stagnating in the unloading area 201 of the cleaning machine 200 and improve the smooth operation of the carrier 400.

[0066] In some other alternative embodiments of the present application, the vision inspection mechanism 10 of the feeding device is located above, below or on at least one side of the unloading area 201 of the cleaning machine 200 to perform abnormal detection on the wafers in the carrier 400 from above, below or the side of the unloading area 201. In practical applications, the vision inspection camera can be correspondingly arranged above, below or on the side of the unloading area 201 to avoid changing the existing layout of the cleaning machine 200 and the sorting machine 300 and improve the layout flexibility of the vision inspection mechanism 10.

[0067] In summary, the feeding device described in the embodiments of the present application can at least have the following advantages:

[0068] In the embodiments of the present application, the feeding device can be used in a wafer sorting system. Before the sorting machine is loaded, the feeding device is used to transfer the target carrier with abnormal wafer arrangement and cache the target carrier to prevent the target carrier from flowing into the sorting machine and causing an abnormal situation such as card jamming in the sorting machine, improve the sorting coherence and sorting speed of the sorting machine for wafers, and thus improve the sorting efficiency of the wafer sorting system. Moreover, since both the transfer and caching objects in the feeding device are the target carriers, compared with wafers, it is easier to implement the transfer and caching operations on the target carriers by the transfer mechanism and the caching mechanism, and the operation safety is relatively high. That is, the operability and practicality of the feeding device are relatively high.

[0069] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0070] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A feeding device, characterized in that, The feeding device is arranged in the blanking area of the cleaning machine and / or the feeding area of the sorting machine. The feeding device includes: a visual inspection mechanism, a transfer mechanism, and a buffer mechanism; The visual inspection mechanism is used to detect the target carrier, and the target carrier is a carrier with abnormal arrangement of silicon wafers; The transfer mechanism is electrically connected to the visual inspection mechanism. The transfer mechanism is used to transfer the target carrier to the buffer mechanism, and the buffer mechanism is used to buffer the target carrier.

2. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding device further includes a processing mechanism, and the processing mechanism is used to process the target carrier.

3. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein The feeding device further includes a processing confirmation module, and the processing confirmation module is used to confirm whether the target carrier has been processed and / or used to notify the transfer mechanism to transfer the target carrier.

4. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that The visual inspection mechanism further includes an abnormal silicon wafer judgment module, and the abnormal silicon wafer judgment module is used to judge the abnormal type of the abnormal silicon wafers in the target carrier.

5. The feeding device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The feeding device further includes an abnormal silicon wafer removal device, and the abnormal silicon wafer removal device is electrically connected to the visual inspection mechanism and the abnormal silicon wafer judgment module.

6. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein The feeding device further includes a host computer, and the host computer is electrically connected to the visual inspection mechanism. The host computer includes an image storage module for storing the pictures taken by the visual inspection mechanism.

7. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that The buffer mechanism includes a transfer roller track line, and at least two buffer positions are arranged on the transfer roller track line. Each buffer position is used to buffer one target carrier.

8. A silicon wafer sorting system, characterized in that, It includes a sorting machine, a cleaning machine, and the feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The silicon wafer sorting system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The feeding device is arranged between the cleaning machine and the sorting machine. The cleaning machine and the sorting machine are arranged at intervals along a first direction. The buffer mechanism includes at least two buffer positions, and at least two buffer positions are arranged at intervals along a second direction. The second direction intersects with the first direction; The transfer mechanism is located in the area enclosed by the buffer mechanism, the cleaning machine, and the sorting machine.

10. The silicon wafer sorting system according to claim 9, wherein The first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

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