Multi-stage transmission manipulator structure

Abstract

The utility model provides a multi-stage transmission manipulator structure. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure comprises a first rack, a first-stage transmission mechanism and a second-stage transmission mechanism, wherein the first-stage transmission mechanism and the second-stage transmission mechanism are vertically arranged on the first rack; the carrier conveying path of the first-stage conveying mechanism in the height direction and the carrier conveying path of the second-stage conveying mechanism in the height direction are at least partially overlapped, and the first-stage conveying mechanism and the second-stage conveying mechanism are matched to convey carriers in a segmented mode in the height direction. The whole long stroke of carrier transmission is divided into multiple sections of short strokes, compared with an existing carrier transmission structure adopting direct transmission, the direct transmission stroke of the first-stage transmission mechanism is short, the space requirement in the height direction is reduced, meanwhile, the first-stage transmission mechanism and the second-stage transmission mechanism are arranged so that the whole space design can be more compact, and the transmission efficiency is improved. Therefore, a large space is saved, the space utilization rate of equipment is improved, operation and maintenance are more convenient, the stability of the equipment is improved, the installation and maintenance cost of the equipment is saved, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of semiconductor processing equipment, and more specifically, relates to a multi-stage transmission manipulator structure. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the photovoltaic industry uses two types of furnaces for diffusion, oxidation, annealing, doping, PECVD (low-pressure chemical vapor deposition), LPCVD (plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition) and other processes: vertical furnaces and horizontal furnaces. Both types of furnaces require that silicon wafers or wafers be placed in specific carriers and transferred into the reaction chamber of the furnace for processing. By introducing specific reaction gases into the reaction chamber, specific coating, diffusion, oxidation and thin film deposition processes can be achieved on the silicon wafers or wafers.

[0003] Existing carrier transport structure designs utilize direct robotic arm transmission for carrier transport and hoisting. Because existing structural and factory design space is relatively ample, space constraints are largely ignored, resulting in relatively large overall dimensions for the carrier transport structure. This structure places high demands on the space available for both vertical and horizontal furnaces, particularly in terms of height. As equipment height increases, space utilization decreases, significantly increasing operator and maintenance time.

[0004] However, with the development of the industry, cost reduction and efficiency improvement have become themes that the industry constantly pursues. How to reduce the footprint of equipment, improve the space utilization of equipment, and make installation, operation and maintenance more convenient are issues that need to be urgently addressed in the industry. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a multi-stage transmission manipulator structure to solve the problem that the existing carrier transmission structure has a large space requirement in the height direction of the equipment.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is:

[0007] The utility model provides a multi-stage transmission manipulator structure for transmitting a carrier into or out of a furnace, comprising a first frame and a first-stage transmission mechanism and a second-stage transmission mechanism vertically arranged on the first frame;

[0008] The carrier transmission path of the first-level transmission mechanism along the height direction at least partially overlaps with the carrier transmission path of the second-level transmission mechanism along the height direction, and the first-level transmission mechanism and the second-level transmission mechanism cooperate to transmit the carrier in sections along the height direction.

[0009] Furthermore, the first-level transmission mechanism includes a first lifting rail uprightly arranged on the first frame, a lifting support frame slidably installed on the first lifting rail, a first lifting drive member for driving the lifting support frame to move along the first lifting rail, a horizontal rail installed on the lifting support frame, a first carrier support member slidably installed on the horizontal rail for supporting the carrier, and a horizontal drive member for driving the first carrier support member to move along the horizontal track.

[0010] Furthermore, the second-level transmission mechanism includes a second lifting rail uprightly arranged on the first frame and located next to the first lifting rail, a second carrier support member slidably installed on the second lifting rail for supporting the carrier, and a second lifting drive member for driving the carrier to move along the second lifting rail.

[0011] Furthermore, along the height direction, the total length of the second lifting track is less than the total length of the first lifting track, and is greater than 1 / 2 of the length of the first lifting track.

[0012] Furthermore, the second carrier support member includes a support body slidably mounted on the second lifting rail, a slot provided at the upper end of the support body for engaging with a buckle provided on the side of the carrier, and a support extension provided at the lower end of the support body for abutting against the bottom of the carrier.

[0013] Furthermore, the slot is formed by a first side wall, a second side wall and a bottom wall, and the first side wall includes a vertical side wall parallel to the second side wall, and an inclined side wall for connecting the vertical side wall and the bottom wall.

[0014] Furthermore, the first carrier support member includes a carrier support vertical plate slidably mounted on the horizontal track, and a carrier support horizontal plate perpendicular to the carrier support vertical plate and used to abut against the bottom of the carrier.

[0015] Furthermore, the lifting support frame includes a lifting support vertical plate slidably installed on the first lifting rail, a lifting support horizontal plate perpendicular to the lifting support vertical plate and used to place the horizontal rail and the first carrier support member, and a reinforcing fixing plate arranged at the connection between the lifting support vertical plate and the lifting support horizontal plate.

[0016] Furthermore, the first-level transmission mechanism is located in the middle of the first frame, the number of the second-level transmission mechanisms is set to two, and the two first-level transmission mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the second-level transmission mechanism.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes two second frames for fixing the furnace body, and the two second frames are correspondingly installed on the two first-level transmission mechanisms.

[0018] The beneficial effect of the multi-stage transmission manipulator structure provided by the present invention is that: compared with the existing technology, the present invention adopts a first-stage transmission mechanism and a second-stage transmission mechanism to cooperate to transmit the carrier in sections along the height direction, so as to decompose the entire longer stroke of the carrier transmission into multiple shorter strokes. In particular, compared with the existing carrier transmission structure that adopts a direct transmission method, the direct transmission stroke of the first-stage transmission mechanism is shorter, which reduces the space requirement in the height direction. At the same time, the provision of the first and second-stage transmission mechanisms can make the entire space design more compact, thereby saving a lot of space, improving the space utilization rate of the equipment, and making operation and maintenance more convenient. It also improves the stability of the equipment, saves the installation and maintenance costs of the equipment, and improves production efficiency. It can be seen that the multi-stage transmission manipulator structure provided by the present invention reduces the space occupied by the equipment while being more convenient to install and operate and maintain, and has better stability, thereby reducing the cost of manual installation and maintenance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or descriptions of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the manipulator structure provided by an embodiment of the utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the manipulator provided in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the manipulator structure provided by an embodiment of the present utility model when transporting a carrier;

[0023] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A in the middle is an enlarged schematic diagram;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first-stage transmission mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention when transporting a carrier from a furnace;

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first-level transmission mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present utility model transferring a carrier to the second-level transmission mechanism;

[0026] Among them, the main marks of the drawings in the figure are:

[0027] 1. First-stage transmission mechanism; 11. First lifting track; 12. Lifting support frame; 13. Horizontal track; 14. Horizontal slider; 15. First carrier support member; 16. First lifting drive member; 121. Lifting support vertical plate; 122. Lifting support horizontal plate; 123. Reinforced fixing plate; 151. Carrier support vertical plate; 152. Carrier support horizontal plate;

[0028] 2. Second-stage transmission mechanism; 21. Second lifting track; 22. Lifting slider; 23. Second carrier support; 231. Card slot; 232. Support extension;

[0029] 3. Second frame; 4. First frame; 5. Furnace body; 6. Carrier; 61. Buckle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0031] Currently, vertical furnace carrier transfer mechanisms in the industry all utilize direct robotic transfer, which requires significant space in the vertical direction of the equipment. However, with the industry's development, cost reduction and efficiency improvement have become a constant pursuit, creating an urgent need to reduce equipment footprint and improve space utilization. Furthermore, as equipment height increases, space utilization decreases, creating significant inconvenience for operators and increasing maintenance time.

[0032] The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure provided in this embodiment utilizes direct transmission by breaking the entire transmission into multiple stages. This simplifies the structure and makes the overall space design of the equipment more compact, thus saving significant space and improving equipment utilization. Furthermore, it facilitates manual operation and maintenance, reduces installation and maintenance costs, and improves production efficiency.

[0033] This embodiment is described by taking the example of the entire transmission of the manipulator being decomposed into two-level transmission. Of course, in other embodiments, the entire transmission of the manipulator can be decomposed into three or more levels of transmission.

[0034] See also Figures 1 to 6The manipulator structure provided in this embodiment is capable of synchronously transporting two carriers 6. The manipulator structure includes a first-level transport mechanism 1, a second-level transport mechanism 2, a second frame 3, and a first frame 4. The second-level transport mechanism 2 is vertically arranged in the middle of the first frame 4. The number of first-level transport mechanisms 1 is set to two, and the two first-level transport mechanisms 1 are vertically arranged on the first frame 4, and the two first-level transport mechanisms 1 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the second-level transport mechanism 2. The number of second frames 3 is set to two, and the two second frames 3 are correspondingly installed on the two first-level transport mechanisms 1 to fix the furnace body 5.

[0035] The carrier transport path along the height direction of the first-stage conveyor mechanism 1 at least partially overlaps with the carrier transport path along the height direction of the second-stage conveyor mechanism 2. The first-stage conveyor mechanism 1 and the second-stage conveyor mechanism 2 cooperate to transport carriers 6 in sections along the height direction. In actual use, the furnace body 5 is fixed to the two second frames 3, and the carrier 6 is placed in the reaction chamber of the furnace body 5 to perform a specific process. After the process is completed, the carrier 6 is driven downward by the first-stage conveyor mechanism 1. After the carrier 6 is separated from the furnace body 5, it stops and is then transferred from the first-stage conveyor mechanism 1 to the second-stage conveyor mechanism 2. The second-stage conveyor mechanism 2 then transports the carrier 6 for unloading. When loading, the operation is reversed.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, each first-level transmission mechanism 1 includes a first lifting rail 11, a lifting support frame 12, a horizontal rail 13, a horizontal slider 14, a first carrier support member 15, a first lifting drive member 16, and a ball screw. The lower end of the first lifting rail 11 is mounted on the first frame 4, the upper end of the first lifting rail 11 is mounted with the second frame 3 and the first lifting drive member 16, the ball screw is mounted on one side of the first lifting rail 11, the lifting support frame 12 is slidably mounted on the first lifting rail 11, the horizontal rail 13 is mounted on the lifting support frame 12, the horizontal slider 14 is slidably mounted on the horizontal rail 13, and the first carrier support member 15 is mounted on the horizontal slider 14.

[0037] The first lifting drive member 16 adopts a drive motor, and the power source of the horizontal slider 14 is the horizontal drive member. The horizontal drive member is not limited to adopting a cylinder or motor hydraulic drive mode.

[0038] The first-stage transmission mechanism 1 is capable of driving the carrier 6 to move up and down, as well as left and right. When the first-stage transmission mechanism 1 drives the carrier 6 up and down, the first lift driver 16 drives the ball screw to rotate. The ball screw converts the rotational force output by the first lift driver 16 into a driving force in the height direction. This rotation of the ball screw drives the lift support frame 12 up and down along the first lift track 11. The movement of the lift support frame 12 drives the first carrier support member 15 and the carrier 6 thereon up and down. When the first-stage transmission mechanism 1 drives the carrier 6 left and right, the horizontal driver drives the horizontal slider 14 left and right along the horizontal track 13. The movement of the horizontal slider 14 drives the first carrier support member 15 and the carrier 6 thereon left and right.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the lifting support frame 12 includes a lifting support vertical plate 121, a lifting support horizontal plate 122, and a reinforcing fixing plate 123. The lifting support vertical plate 121 is slidably mounted on the first lifting rail 11, and the lifting support horizontal plate 122 is arranged perpendicular to the lifting support vertical plate 121. The lifting support horizontal plate 122 is provided with a horizontal track 13, a horizontal slider 14, and a first carrier support member 15. The reinforcing fixing plate 123 is provided at the connection between the lifting support vertical plate 121 and the lifting support horizontal plate 122 to improve the overall strength and rigidity of the lifting support frame 12.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the first carrier support member 15 includes a carrier support vertical plate 151 and a carrier support horizontal plate 152. The carrier support vertical plate 151 is slidably mounted on the horizontal track 13 via the horizontal slider 14, and the carrier support horizontal plate 152 is perpendicular to the carrier support vertical plate 151 and is used to receive the carrier 6.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the second-stage transmission mechanism 2 in this embodiment includes a second lifting track 21, a lifting slider 22, and two second carrier supports 23. The lower end of the second lifting track 21 is mounted in the middle of the first frame 4, and the two second carrier supports 23 are slidably mounted on both sides of the second lifting track 21 via the lifting slider 22. The lifting slider 22 is powered by a linear motor.

[0042] The second-stage transmission mechanism 2 can drive the carrier 6 to move up and down. The linear motor drives the lifting slider 22 to move up and down along the second lifting track 21. The movement of the lifting slider 22 drives the second carrier support 23 and the carrier 6 thereon to move up and down together.

[0043] like Figure 1As shown, along the height direction, the total length of the second lifting rail 21 is less than the total length of the first lifting rail 11, and is greater than 1 / 2 of the length of the first lifting rail 11. The length relationship between the first lifting rail 11 and the second lifting rail 21 can also be flexibly adjusted according to actual application requirements.

[0044] like Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, each second carrier support member 23 includes a support body, a slot 231 provided at the upper end of the support body, and a support extension 232 provided at the lower end of the support body. The support extension 232 is configured to abut against the bottom of the carrier 6, while the slot 231 is configured to engage with a buckle 61 provided on the side of the carrier 6. The slot 231 is formed by a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a bottom wall. The first sidewall includes a vertical sidewall parallel to the second sidewall and an inclined sidewall connecting the vertical sidewall and the bottom wall. This design of the slot 231 allows the slot 231 to better match the shape of the buckle 61.

[0045] The specific working process of the manipulator structure provided in this embodiment is as follows: Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the carrier 6 is completely placed inside the furnace body 5 for the processing. After the process is completed, the robot structure begins operation. First, the two first-stage transmission mechanisms 1 begin operation. The two lifting supports 12 move along the corresponding first lifting rails 11 toward the furnace body 5 (i.e., upward) to a first stop position. The first stop position is close to the upper end of the first lifting rail 11. At this point, the two first carrier supports 15 receive the two carriers 6 from the furnace body 5. Next, the two lifting supports 12 move along the corresponding first lifting rails 11 away from the furnace body 5 (i.e., downward) to a second stop position. The second stop position is 1 / 3 the length of the first lifting rail 11 from the lower end of the first lifting rail 11. Then, the second-stage transmission mechanism 2 begins operation. The two second carrier supports 23 move upward along the same second lifting rail 21 until the slots 231 of the two second carrier supports 23 engage with the buckles 61 on the sides of the two carriers 6, and the support extensions 232 of the two second carrier supports 23 abut the bottoms of the two carriers 6. Then, the two first-level conveyor mechanisms 1 proceed to operate, and the two first carrier supports 15 move along the corresponding horizontal rails 13, allowing the two first carrier supports 15 to detach from the carriers 6 and withdraw from supporting the carriers 6, thereby transferring the two carriers 6 on the two first-level conveyor mechanisms 1 to the second-level conveyor mechanism 2. The second-level conveyor mechanism 2 then proceeds to operate, and the two second carrier supports 23 move downward along the same second lifting rail 21 to transfer the two carriers 6 to the next station. When loading wafers, the second lifting rail 21 brings back two carriers 6 filled with unprocessed silicon wafers. The second-level conveyor mechanism 2 then transports the two carriers 6 to the two first-level conveyor mechanisms 1. The two first-level conveyor mechanisms 1 then deliver the two carriers 6 into the interior of the furnace body 5 for the process, completing a complete flow.

[0046] It can be understood that the number of carriers 6 in the furnace body 5 can be greater than two. After the first two carriers 6 are transported to the next station by the robot structure, the carrier support seat in the furnace body 5 is rotated so that the last two carriers 6 are set corresponding to the two first-level transmission mechanisms 1, and then transported by the robot structure, and the transportation is cyclical.

[0047] This embodiment employs a first- and second-stage transmission mechanism to transport carriers in stages, breaking down the entire, long transport journey of the carrier into multiple shorter segments. This reduces the installation and maintenance complexity of the first and second-stage transmission mechanisms, thereby reducing manual installation and maintenance costs. Furthermore, the structures of the first and second-stage transmission mechanisms are simpler, and through rational layout, the overall spatial design of the carrier transport structure is more compact, reducing the equipment's footprint. This demonstrates that the present invention improves the stability of the carrier transport structure, reduces installation and maintenance difficulties, and reduces the space required for the equipment.

[0048] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-stage transmission manipulator structure for transferring carriers into or out of a furnace, characterized in that: It comprises a first frame and a first-level transmission mechanism and a second-level transmission mechanism vertically arranged on the first frame; The carrier transmission path of the first-level transmission mechanism along the height direction at least partially overlaps with the carrier transmission path of the second-level transmission mechanism along the height direction, and the first-level transmission mechanism and the second-level transmission mechanism cooperate to transmit the carrier in sections along the height direction.

2. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first-level transmission mechanism includes a first lifting rail uprightly arranged on the first frame, a lifting support frame slidably installed on the first lifting rail, a first lifting drive member for driving the lifting support frame to move along the first lifting rail, a horizontal rail installed on the lifting support frame, a first carrier support member slidably installed on the horizontal rail for supporting the carrier, and a horizontal drive member for driving the first carrier support member to move along the horizontal rail.

3. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second-level transmission mechanism includes a second lifting rail uprightly arranged on the first frame and located next to the first lifting rail, a second carrier support member slidably installed on the second lifting rail for supporting the carrier, and a second lifting drive member for driving the carrier to move along the second lifting rail.

4. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the height direction, the total length of the second lifting track is less than the total length of the first lifting track, and is greater than 1 / 2 of the length of the first lifting track.

5. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second carrier support member includes a support body slidably mounted on the second lifting rail, a slot provided at the upper end of the support body for engaging with a buckle provided on the side of the carrier, and a support extension provided at the lower end of the support body for abutting against the bottom of the carrier.

6. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The slot is formed by a first side wall, a second side wall and a bottom wall. The first side wall includes a vertical side wall parallel to the second side wall and an inclined side wall for connecting the vertical side wall and the bottom wall.

7. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first carrier support member includes a carrier support vertical plate slidably mounted on the horizontal track, and a carrier support horizontal plate perpendicular to the carrier support vertical plate and used for abutting against the bottom of the carrier.

8. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting support frame includes a lifting support vertical plate slidably mounted on the first lifting rail, a lifting support horizontal plate perpendicular to the lifting support vertical plate and used to place the horizontal rail and the first carrier support member, and a reinforcing fixing plate arranged at the connection between the lifting support vertical plate and the lifting support horizontal plate.

9. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first-level transmission mechanism is located in the middle of the first frame, and the number of the second-level transmission mechanisms is set to two, and the two first-level transmission mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the second-level transmission mechanism.

10. The multi-stage transmission manipulator structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes two second frames for fixing the furnace body, and the two second frames are correspondingly installed on the two first-level transmission mechanisms.

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