Wafer carrying manipulator

Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer carrying manipulator, which comprises a wafer taking fork, a swing arm part, a turntable, a base flange, a telescopic driving device and a rotary driving device, the rotating disc is rotationally arranged on the base flange, the swing arm part is installed on the rotating disc, the rotating driving device can drive the rotating disc to rotate, and the telescopic driving device can drive the swing arm part to act, so that the swing arm part drives the piece taking fork to stretch or retract; a clamping groove for placing a wafer is formed in the wafer taking fork, a vacuum suction cup is arranged at one end, far away from the swing arm part, of the wafer taking fork, and a vacuum air channel connected with the vacuum suction cup is arranged in the wafer taking fork. On the premise that the stroke range of a wafer carrying manipulator is not expanded and the length of a wafer taking fork is not increased, wafers in chemical vapor deposition equipment with a wafer cache structure can be normally carried.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of wafer processing, in particular to a wafer transporting robot. Background Art

[0002] Thin film deposition on wafers in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment requires a wafer handling robot within a load lock chamber to transfer wafers between the reaction chamber and the wafer cassette on the wafer cassette elevator. When thin film deposition is performed on batches of wafers, the load lock chamber must frequently switch between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure. This switching process requires evacuation / exhaustion, which is time-consuming and significantly impacts overall production efficiency. To overcome this issue, a wafer buffer structure can be added between the wafer cassette and the wafer handling robot. This wafer buffer structure within the load lock chamber is used to store wafers that have not yet been coated with thin film before being transferred from the cassette to the reaction chamber, or to store wafers that have already been coated with thin film before being transferred from the reaction chamber to the cassette. This wafer buffer structure provides an additional area within the load lock chamber for batch storage of wafers. Wafers to be transferred are cached in the wafer buffer structure and then transferred collectively by the wafer transfer mechanism. This significantly reduces the frequency of opening and closing the load lock chamber, avoids frequent switching between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure, and improves production efficiency.

[0003] The wafer handling robot uses a fork to move wafers. Adding a wafer buffer to a CVD system increases the distance between the wafer cassette and the wafer handling robot. To ensure smooth wafer handling, the robot's travel range is typically extended or the fork's length is increased. This, in turn, requires more space to avoid mechanical interference, increasing the overall size of the CVD system and hindering cleanliness control. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The utility model provides a wafer transport robot, which enables normal transport of wafers in a chemical vapor deposition device provided with a wafer buffer structure without expanding the travel range of the wafer transport robot and increasing the length of a wafer fetching fork.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution of the utility model is:

[0006] A wafer handling robot comprises: a wafer picking fork, a swing arm, a turntable, a base flange, a telescopic drive device and a rotation drive device;

[0007] The turntable is rotatably mounted on the base flange, the swing arm is mounted on the turntable, the rotation drive device is capable of driving the turntable to rotate, and the telescopic drive device is capable of driving the swing arm to move, so that the swing arm drives the slice taking fork to extend or retract;

[0008] The wafer taking fork is provided with a slot for placing the wafer, the end of the wafer taking fork away from the swing arm part is provided with a vacuum suction cup, and the interior of the wafer taking fork is provided with a vacuum air duct connected to the vacuum suction cup.

[0009] Furthermore, a multi-axis magnetic fluid sealed transmission device includes a hollow shaft, an intermediate shaft and a base shaft coaxially arranged in sequence from the inside to the outside;

[0010] The hollow shaft is rotatably connected to the intermediate shaft, the intermediate shaft is rotatably connected to the base shaft, and the base shaft is fixed to the base flange;

[0011] The two ends of the intermediate shaft are respectively connected to the turntable and the rotation drive device, and the rotation drive device can rotate the turntable by driving the intermediate shaft;

[0012] The two ends of the hollow shaft are respectively connected to the swing arm part and the telescopic drive device. The telescopic drive device can drive the hollow shaft to rotate to move the swing arm part. The hollow shaft is connected to the vacuum air duct through a gas hose.

[0013] Furthermore, the swing arm portion includes a lower first swing arm, an upper second swing arm, a lower second swing arm, an upper first swing arm and a linkage portion;

[0014] One end of the lower first swing arm is fixedly connected to the hollow shaft, and the other end of the lower first swing arm is connected to the upper second swing arm through a linkage portion. The lower first swing arm drives the upper second swing arm to swing through the linkage portion, and the end of the upper second swing arm away from the linkage portion is hinged to the slice taking fork;

[0015] One end of the lower second swing arm is rotatably connected to the turntable, and the other end of the lower second swing arm is rotatably connected to the upper second swing arm via a second rotating shaft;

[0016] One end of the upper first swing arm is rotatably connected to the end of the lower first swing arm away from the hollow shaft through a first rotating shaft, and the other end of the upper first swing arm is hinged to the slice taking fork.

[0017] Furthermore, the linkage part includes a driving gear, a driven gear, a gear upper cover and a gear lower cover;

[0018] The gear upper cover is rotatably connected to the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft through two bearings respectively, and the gear lower cover is connected to the gear upper cover by bolts. The gear lower cover and the gear upper cover enclose a cavity for accommodating the driving gear and the driven gear;

[0019] The driving gear is fixed on one end of the lower first swing arm away from the hollow shaft, and the driven gear is fixed on one end of the upper second swing arm away from the slice taking fork, and the driven gear is meshed with the driving gear.

[0020] Furthermore, the rotation drive device includes a first motor, a first mounting bracket, a first transmission shaft and a first wire rope pulley, and the first transmission shaft and the first wire rope pulley are connected by a wire rope transmission;

[0021] The first mounting frame is fixedly connected to the base shaft, the first transmission shaft is rotatably arranged on the first mounting frame, the first wire rope pulley is fixed on the intermediate shaft, and the first motor can drive the first transmission shaft to rotate.

[0022] Furthermore, the telescopic drive device includes a second motor, a second mounting bracket, a second transmission shaft and a second wire rope pulley, and the second transmission shaft and the second wire rope pulley are connected by a wire rope transmission;

[0023] The second mounting bracket is fixedly connected to the first wire rope pulley, the second transmission shaft is rotatably arranged on the second mounting bracket, the second wire rope pulley is fixed on the hollow shaft, and the second motor can drive the second transmission shaft to rotate.

[0024] Furthermore, it also includes a swing arm adjustment mechanism, which includes a support, a hollow adjustment member, a hollow tensioning shaft, a locking bolt and a tensioning block;

[0025] The support is fixed on the top of the turntable, the support is provided with a threaded hole, and the hollow adjustment piece is provided with an external thread corresponding to the threaded hole;

[0026] The hollow adjusting member is screwed to vertically displace the hollow adjusting member relative to the support;

[0027] The hollow tensioning shaft is sleeved with a bearing fixed to the lower second swing arm, one end of the hollow tensioning shaft is detachably connected to the hollow adjustment member, and the other end of the hollow tensioning shaft is provided with a tensioning portion, and the tensioning portion is provided with a plurality of tensioning strips evenly distributed around the circumference, and the tensioning strips can be inserted into the connecting sleeve provided on the turntable;

[0028] The locking bolt passes through the center holes of the hollow adjustment piece and the hollow tensioning shaft and is threadedly connected to the tensioning block;

[0029] By screwing the locking bolt, the locking bolt can drive the tensioning block to vertically displace relative to the tensioning portion, so as to expand or close the plurality of tensioning strips, thereby achieving locking or unlocking of the tensioning strips and the connecting sleeve.

[0030] Furthermore, it further includes a first tightening bolt, a first open ring is provided at one end of the lower first swing arm close to the hollow shaft, the hollow shaft is located in the center hole of the first open ring, a threaded hole and a countersunk hole are respectively provided on the two free ends of the first open ring, and the first tightening bolt passes through the countersunk hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole;

[0031] Tightening the first tightening bolt can bring the two free ends closer to each other, causing the first open annular shape to shrink and tightly embrace the hollow shaft;

[0032] The invention also includes a second tightening bolt, a second open ring is provided at one end of the upper first swing arm close to the first rotating shaft, the first rotating shaft is located in the center hole of the second open ring, and two free ends of the second open ring are respectively provided with a threaded hole and a countersunk hole, and the second tightening bolt passes through the countersunk hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole;

[0033] Tightening the second tightening bolt can bring the two free ends closer to each other, causing the second open annular shape to shrink and tightly embrace the first rotating shaft.

[0034] Furthermore, it further comprises a spring, one end of the spring being connected to the tensioning portion, and the other end of the spring being connected to the tensioning block;

[0035] When the locking bolt is loosened, the spring can release its elastic force, so that the tension block is separated from the tension strip.

[0036] Furthermore, it also includes a pipeline fixing bracket, which is arranged above the turntable and is used to fix the gas hose connecting the slice taking fork and the hollow shaft.

[0037] Beneficial effects:

[0038] The utility model provides a wafer handling robot, which drives the turntable to rotate by a rotary drive device, and drives the swing arm part to move by a telescopic drive device, thereby driving the wafer picking fork to extend and retract, thereby realizing the movement of the wafer picking fork; by arranging a vacuum suction cup at the end of the wafer picking fork away from the swing arm part, the wafer is vacuum-adsorbed by the vacuum suction cup, so that the front end of the wafer picking fork only needs to contact a part of the wafer to drive the wafer transfer, so that it is transferred from the wafer box to the wafer buffer structure; the wafer picking fork is provided with a card slot for placing the wafer, so that the wafer can be transferred from the wafer buffer structure to the reaction chamber, and the wafer transfer is realized without expanding the travel range of the wafer handling robot and increasing the length of the wafer picking fork, thereby avoiding an increase in the overall size of the equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are 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.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a side view of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0042] Figure 3 for Figure 2 BB cross-sectional view;

[0043] Figure 4 This is a top view of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0044] Figure 5 for Figure 4 CC cross-sectional view;

[0045] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A magnified view of point A;

[0046] Figure 7 for Figure 4 DD cross-sectional view;

[0047] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Enlarged view of point E;

[0048] Figure 9 This is a structural schematic diagram of a hollow tensioning shaft of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the utility model;

[0049] Figure 10 This is a structural schematic diagram of the lower first swing arm of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0050] Figure 11 This is a top view of a first upper swing arm of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0051] Figure 12 This is a structural schematic diagram of a pipeline fixing bracket of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0052] Figure 13 This is a structural diagram of a support body of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0053] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the extension of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0054] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the contraction of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present utility model;

[0055] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present invention, wherein a wafer fork is used to carry a wafer through a slot;

[0056] Figure 17 The utility model discloses a schematic diagram of a wafer handling robot arm that uses a wafer fork to handle a wafer through a vacuum suction cup.

[0057] Figure 18 This is a top view schematic diagram of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present invention, in which a first wire rope pulley and a first transmission shaft are driven by a wire rope;

[0058] Figure 19 This is a schematic front view of a wafer handling robot disclosed in the present invention, in which a first wire rope pulley and a first transmission shaft are driven by a wire rope;

[0059] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of the positions of wafers and wafer retrieval forks stored in the wafer buffer structure disclosed in the present invention;

[0060] Figure 21 This is a schematic structural diagram of the wafer cache structure disclosed in the present utility model;

[0061] Figure 22 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the wafer cache structure disclosed in the present utility model.

[0062] In the picture:

[0063] 1. Slice removal fork; 101. First latching portion; 102. Second latching portion; 103. Main body; 104. Vacuum suction cup;

[0064] 2. Swing arm unit; 201. Lower first swing arm; 202. Upper second swing arm; 203. Lower second swing arm; 204. Upper first swing arm; 205. Driving gear; 206. Driven gear; 207. First rotating shaft; 208. Second rotating shaft; 209. Gear upper cover; 210. Gear lower cover; 211. First open ring; 212. Second open ring;

[0065] 3. Turntable; 301. Connecting sleeve;

[0066] 4. Base flange;

[0067] 5. Telescopic drive device; 501. Second motor; 502. Second mounting bracket; 503. Second transmission shaft; 504. Second wire rope pulley; 505. Second driven pulley;

[0068] 6. Rotation drive device; 601. First motor; 602. First mounting bracket; 603. First transmission shaft; 604. First wire rope pulley; 605. First driven pulley;

[0069] 7. Multi-axis magnetic fluid sealed transmission device; 701. Hollow shaft; 702. Intermediate shaft; 703. Base shaft;

[0070] 8. Swing arm adjustment mechanism; 801. Support; 802. Hollow adjustment member; 803. Hollow tensioning shaft; 804. Locking bolt; 805. Tensioning block; 806. Tensioning unit; 807. Tensioning strip; 808. Spring;

[0071] 9. Pipeline fixing bracket; 901. Bracket body; 902. Pressing plate;

[0072] 10. Vacuum connector;

[0073] 11. Wire rope;

[0074] 12. Waist-shaped hole;

[0075] F01, mounting bracket; F02, drive motor; F03, cache box lifting screw; F04, cache box Z-axis slide rail; F05, cache box Z-axis slider; F06, connecting shaft clamping block; F07, cache box screw nut; F08, cache box screw nut seat; G, wafer cache box; H, connecting shaft; W, wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0077] This embodiment provides a wafer handling robot, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes: a slice taking fork 1, a swing arm part 2, a turntable 3, a base flange 4, a telescopic drive device 5 and a rotation drive device 6;

[0078] The turntable 3 is rotatably mounted on the base flange 4, the swing arm 2 is mounted on the turntable 3, the rotation drive device 6 can drive the turntable 3 to rotate, and the telescopic drive device 5 can drive the swing arm 2 to move, so that the swing arm 2 drives the slice taking fork 1 to extend (such as Figure 14 as shown) or shrink (as shown) Figure 15 shown);

[0079] In this embodiment, if Figure 4As shown, the wafer removal fork 1 includes a first clamping portion 101, a second clamping portion 102 and a main body 103. The first clamping portion 101 and the second clamping portion 102 are arranged on the top of the main body 103. The first clamping portion 101 and the second clamping portion 102 are arranged opposite to each other. The first clamping portion 101, the second clamping portion 102 and the main body 103 form a clamping slot for placing the wafer. The main body 103 is provided with a vacuum suction cup 104 at one end away from the swing arm portion 2. A vacuum air duct connected to the vacuum suction cup 104 is provided inside the main body 103.

[0080] The present embodiment provides a wafer handling robot, which drives the turntable 3 to rotate by the rotary drive device 6, and drives the swing arm 2 to move by the telescopic drive device 5, thereby driving the wafer fork 1 to extend and retract, thereby realizing the movement of the wafer fork 1; by providing a vacuum suction cup 104 at the end of the wafer fork 1 away from the swing arm 2, such as Figure 17 As shown, the wafer W is transported by the fork 1 through the vacuum suction cup 104, so that the wafer W is vacuum-adsorbed by the vacuum suction cup 104, so that the front end of the fork 1 only needs to contact a part of the wafer to drive the wafer to be transferred from the wafer box to the wafer buffer structure. The fork 1 is provided with a slot for placing the wafer, as shown in FIG. Figure 16 As shown, the wafer fork 1 transports the wafer W through the card slot, so that the wafer can be transferred from the wafer buffer structure to the reaction chamber. The wafer transfer is achieved without expanding the travel range of the wafer transport robot and increasing the length of the wafer fork 1, thereby avoiding an increase in the overall size of the equipment.

[0081] In a specific embodiment, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, it includes: a multi-axis magnetic fluid sealed transmission device 7, which includes a hollow shaft 701, an intermediate shaft 702 and a base shaft 703 coaxially arranged from the inside to the outside. The multi-axis magnetic fluid sealed transmission device is a finished component, which is easy to install and has a simple structure, which is beneficial to the overall structural layout of the manipulator. The multi-axis magnetic fluid sealed transmission device uses magnetic fluid to achieve sealing, has better sealing performance during operation, longer service life, and is suitable for vacuum environments;

[0082] The hollow shaft 701 and the intermediate shaft 702 are rotatably connected via bearings. The intermediate shaft 702 and the base shaft 703 are rotatably connected via bearings. The base shaft 703 is fixed to the base flange 4 via bolts. The base flange 4 is fixed to the body of the load lock chamber via bolts.

[0083] The two ends of the intermediate shaft 702 are connected to the turntable 3 and the rotation drive device 6 respectively. The rotation drive device 6 can rotate the turntable 3 by driving the intermediate shaft 702. The turntable 3 is fixedly connected to the intermediate shaft 702.

[0084] The two ends of the hollow shaft 701 are connected to the swing arm 2 and the telescopic drive device 5 respectively. The telescopic drive device 5 can drive the hollow shaft 701 to rotate, thereby moving the swing arm 2. The hollow shaft 701 is connected to the vacuum air passage in the slice taking fork 1 through a gas hose.

[0085] In this embodiment, a vacuum connector 10 is provided at one end of the hollow shaft 701 away from the wafer removal fork 1. The vacuum pumping system is connected to the hollow shaft 701 through the vacuum connector 10, and the hollow shaft 701 is connected to the vacuum air duct in the wafer removal fork 1 through a gas hose, so that the vacuum pumping system can act on the vacuum suction cup 104, so that the vacuum suction cup 104 can vacuum absorb the wafer.

[0086] In a specific embodiment, Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the swing arm portion 2 includes a lower first swing arm 201, an upper second swing arm 202, a lower second swing arm 203, an upper first swing arm 204 and a linkage portion, wherein the upper second swing arm 202 and the upper first swing arm 204 are located above the lower first swing arm 201 and the lower second swing arm 203;

[0087] One end of the lower first swing arm 201 is fixedly connected to the hollow shaft 701, and the other end of the lower first swing arm 201 is connected to the upper second swing arm 202 via a linkage portion. The lower first swing arm 201 drives the upper second swing arm 202 to swing via the linkage portion, and the end of the upper second swing arm 202 away from the linkage portion is hinged to the slice taking fork 1;

[0088] One end of the lower second swing arm 203 is rotatably connected to the turntable 3, and the other end of the lower second swing arm 203 is rotatably connected to the upper second swing arm 202 via a second rotating shaft 208 and a bearing sleeved on the second rotating shaft 208. The second rotating shaft 208 is fixed to the upper second swing arm 202.

[0089] One end of the upper first swing arm 204 is rotatably connected to the end of the lower first swing arm 201 away from the hollow shaft 701 via a first rotating shaft 207 and a bearing sleeved on the first rotating shaft 207. The first rotating shaft 207 is fixed to the upper first swing arm 204. The other end of the upper first swing arm 204 is hinged to the slice taking fork 1.

[0090] In this embodiment, the linkage portion includes a driving gear 205, a driven gear 206, a gear upper cover 209, and a gear lower cover 210. In this embodiment, the driving gear 205 and the driven gear 206 are both shift gears, which makes the transmission process smoother and more accurate, and does not cause the swing arm portion 2 to shake during the transmission process due to meshing clearance problems.

[0091] The gear upper cover 209 is rotatably connected to the first rotating shaft 207 and the second rotating shaft 208 via two bearings respectively. The gear lower cover 210 is connected to the gear upper cover 209 via bolts. The gear lower cover 210 and the gear upper cover 209 form a cavity to accommodate the driving gear 205 and the driven gear 206.

[0092] The driving gear 205 is fixed to the end of the lower first swing arm 201 away from the hollow shaft 701, and the driven gear 206 is fixed to the end of the upper second swing arm 202 away from the slice taking fork 1, and the driven gear 206 is meshed with the driving gear 205;

[0093] The gear lower cover 210 and the gear upper cover 209 can prevent the driving gear 205 and the driven gear 206 from being exposed, thereby playing a protective role. At the same time, the gear lower cover 210 and the gear upper cover 209 can ensure that the center distance between the first rotating shaft 207 and the second rotating shaft 208 remains unchanged, so that the driving gear 205 and the driven gear are always engaged, ensuring the normal operation of the swing arm part 2;

[0094] When the slice fork 1 needs to be extended or retracted, the hollow shaft 701 rotates, driving the lower first swing arm 201 to swing, and the upper second swing arm 202 is driven to swing by the driven gear 206 meshing with the driving gear 205, and the upper first swing arm 204 and the lower second swing arm 203 follow the lower first swing arm 201 and the upper second swing arm 202 to move. Figure 14 and Figure 15 As shown, the swing is converted into a telescopic movement of the slice taking fork 1, and the upper first swing arm 204 and the lower second swing arm 203 also play a role in ensuring that the slice taking fork 1 can move stably.

[0095] In a specific embodiment, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the rotation drive device 6 includes a first motor 601, a first mounting bracket 602, a first transmission shaft 603 and a first wire rope pulley 604. The first transmission shaft 603 and the first wire rope pulley 604 are connected by a wire rope transmission. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Figure 18 and Figure 19 As shown, two steel ropes 11 are wound around the first transmission shaft 603 and the first steel rope pulley 604 at the same time, and both ends of each steel rope 11 are fixed to the first transmission shaft 603 and the first steel rope pulley 604 respectively;

[0096] The first mounting frame 602 is fixedly connected to the base shaft 703 by bolts, the first transmission shaft 603 is rotatably set on the first mounting frame 602, the first wire rope pulley 604 is fixed to the intermediate shaft 702 by bolts, and the first motor 601 can drive the first transmission shaft 603 to rotate, and then drive the first wire rope pulley 604 to rotate through the wire rope wound around the first transmission shaft 603.

[0097] In a specific embodiment, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the telescopic drive device 5 includes a second motor 501, a second mounting frame 502, a second transmission shaft 503 and a second wire rope pulley 504. The second transmission shaft 503 and the second wire rope pulley 504 are connected by a wire rope 11. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the wire rope 11 on the telescopic drive device 5 is similar to that of the rotary drive device 6. The two wire ropes 11 are simultaneously wound around the second transmission shaft 503 and the second wire rope pulley 504, and the two ends of each wire rope 11 are respectively fixed to the second transmission shaft 503 and the second wire rope pulley 504.

[0098] The second mounting frame 502 is fixedly connected to the first wire rope pulley 604 and will rotate with the first wire rope pulley 604. Therefore, in actual production, it is necessary to ensure that the highest point of the telescopic drive device 5 is lower than the lowest point of the rotary drive device 6 to avoid interference. The second transmission shaft 503 is rotatably set on the second mounting frame 502, and the second wire rope pulley 504 is sleeved and fixed on the hollow shaft 701. The second motor 501 can drive the second transmission shaft 503 to rotate.

[0099] Traditional belt transmission has elasticity of the synchronous belt material, which leads to elastic slip during the transmission process, which makes it impossible to guarantee the accuracy of the transmission ratio and the transmission efficiency is relatively low. In contrast, the telescopic drive device 5 and the rotary drive device 6 use wire rope as the transmission medium, and the transmission structure is simpler. Compared with the belt transmission, the overall size is smaller, the transmission accuracy is high, the noise is low, the transmission is smooth, and the thermal deformation of the wire rope is much smaller than that of the synchronous belt, which is more suitable for the high temperature environment inside the chemical vapor deposition equipment.

[0100] In a specific embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, a waist-shaped hole 12 is provided on the first mounting bracket 602 of the rotary drive device 6. The first mounting bracket 602 is fixedly connected to the base shaft 703 by a bolt passing through the waist-shaped hole 12. The center distance between the first transmission shaft 603 and the first wire rope pulley 604 is adjusted through the waist-shaped hole 12 to ensure that the wire rope 11 of the rotary drive device 6 is tensioned.

[0101] The second mounting frame 502 of the telescopic drive device 5 is also provided with a waist-shaped hole 12. The second mounting frame 502 is fixedly connected to the first wire rope pulley 604 by bolts passing through the waist-shaped hole 12. The center distance between the second transmission shaft 503 and the second wire rope pulley 504 is adjusted through the waist-shaped hole 12 to ensure that the wire rope 11 of the telescopic drive device 5 is tensioned.

[0102] In a specific embodiment, a first driving pulley is provided on the output shaft of the first motor 601, such as Figure 3As shown, the first transmission shaft 603 is provided with a first driven pulley 605, the first driving pulley and the first driven pulley 605 are connected through a synchronous belt transmission, and the output shaft of the second motor 501 is provided with a second driving pulley, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a second driven pulley 505 is provided on the second transmission shaft 503, and the second driving pulley and the second driven pulley 505 are connected through a synchronous belt transmission;

[0103] The diameter of the first driving pulley is smaller than that of the first driven pulley 605 , and the diameter of the second driving pulley is smaller than that of the second driven pulley 505 , so as to adjust the transmission ratio through belt transmission.

[0104] In a specific embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, it also includes a swing arm adjustment mechanism 8, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the swing arm adjustment mechanism 8 includes a support 801, a hollow adjustment member 802, a hollow tensioning shaft 803, a locking bolt 804 and a tensioning block 805;

[0105] The support 801 is fixed to the top of the turntable 3 by bolts. The support 801 is provided with a threaded hole, and the hollow adjustment member 802 is provided with an external thread corresponding to the threaded hole;

[0106] By screwing the hollow adjusting member 802 , the hollow adjusting member 802 can be vertically displaced relative to the support 801 ;

[0107] The hollow tensioning shaft 803 is sleeved with a bearing fixed to the lower second swing arm 203. One end of the hollow tensioning shaft 803 is detachably connected to the hollow adjustment piece 802 via a thread. After the bearing fixed to the lower second swing arm 203 is sleeved on the hollow tensioning shaft 803, the hollow tensioning shaft 803 and the hollow adjustment piece 802 are tightened and fixed for easy installation. Figure 9 As shown, the other end of the hollow tensioning shaft 803 is provided with a tensioning portion 806, and the tensioning portion 806 is provided with a plurality of tensioning strips 807 evenly distributed around the circumference. The tensioning strips 807 can be inserted into the connecting sleeve 301 provided on the turntable 3;

[0108] In this embodiment, the thread between the hollow tensioning shaft 803 and the hollow adjusting member 802 is a reverse thread with a rotation direction opposite to that between the support 801 and the hollow adjusting member 802, so as to prevent the hollow tensioning shaft 803 and the hollow adjusting member 802 from separating from each other when the hollow adjusting member 802 is screwed.

[0109] The locking bolt 804 passes through the center holes of the hollow adjustment member 802 and the hollow tensioning shaft 803 and is threadedly connected to the tensioning block 805;

[0110] The tensioning strip 807 is made of elastic metal material. By screwing the locking bolt 804, the locking bolt 804 can drive the tensioning block 805 to vertically displace relative to the tensioning portion 806. The tensioning block 805 is in the shape of a truncated cone. A conical surface is provided on the side of the tensioning strip 807 close to the tensioning block 805, which cooperates with the side of the truncated cone. When the tensioning block 805 moves toward the tensioning portion 806, the plurality of tensioning strips 807 are squeezed by the tensioning portion 806 and gradually expand, so that the tensioning strip 807 and the connecting sleeve 301 are locked. When the tensioning block 805 moves in the direction away from the tensioning portion 806, the plurality of tensioning strips 807 are no longer squeezed by the tensioning portion 806 and gradually return to their original position and close, so that the tensioning strip 807 and the connecting sleeve 301 are unlocked.

[0111] Also includes a first tensioning bolt, such as Figure 10 As shown, the first lower swing arm 201 is provided with a first open ring 211 at one end close to the hollow shaft 701. The hollow shaft 701 is located in the center hole of the first open ring 211. The two free ends of the first open ring 211 are respectively provided with a threaded hole and a countersunk hole. The first tensioning bolt passes through the countersunk hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole.

[0112] In this embodiment, Figure 10 The left free end of the first open ring 211 is provided with a countersunk hole, which accommodates the head of a first tightening bolt. The first tightening bolt is inserted through the countersunk hole on the left free end and exits through the threaded hole on the right free end. Tightening the first tightening bolt can bring the two free ends closer together, causing the first open ring 211 to deform and shrink to tightly embrace the hollow shaft 701.

[0113] Also includes a second tensioning bolt, such as Figure 11 As shown, the upper first swing arm 204 is provided with a second open ring 212 at one end close to the first rotating shaft 207. The first rotating shaft 207 is located in the center hole of the second open ring 212. The two free ends of the second open ring 212 are respectively provided with a threaded hole and a countersunk hole. The second tensioning bolt passes through the countersunk hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole.

[0114] In this embodiment, Figure 11 The second opening ring 212 shown is provided with a countersunk hole on the left free end, which accommodates the head of the second tightening bolt. The second tightening bolt passes through the countersunk hole on the left free end and exits from the threaded hole on the right free end. Tightening the second tightening bolt can make the two free ends move closer to each other, causing the second opening ring 212 to deform and shrink to hold the first rotating shaft 207.

[0115] like Figure 20As shown, when wafers W are stored in the wafer buffer structure, the gaps between adjacent layers of wafers are relatively narrow. If the wafer fork's levelness deviates significantly, it may scrape the wafers during wafer removal and placement, causing scratches on the wafer surface. This can render uncoated wafers unusable and render coated wafers wasteful. Furthermore, significant levelness deviations can negatively impact the smoothness of the wafer transfer process.

[0116] At the same time, since the wafer retrieval fork will pass through the valve port of the load lock chamber during the wafer transfer process, the position of the valve port is fixed. If the position of the wafer retrieval fork deviates in the vertical direction, it is easy to interfere with the valve port and cause the wafer retrieval fork to collide.

[0117] Traditional wafer handling robots do not have the function of adjusting the wafer fork in the vertical direction. Therefore, after assembly is completed, the position of the wafer fork in the vertical direction cannot be adjusted. The relative position of the wafer fork depends entirely on the previous processing accuracy and assembly accuracy. Once a problem occurs during the processing or assembly process, the wafer handling robot cannot meet the use requirements of the wafer fork through fine-tuning.

[0118] To ensure that the wafer handling robot can meet the requirements of the wafer fork through fine adjustment, after the swing arm 2 is installed on the turntable 3, the horizontality of the swing arm 2 and the height of the swing arm 2 relative to the turntable 3 need to be fine-tuned;

[0119] When fine-tuning is required, the locking bolt 804 can be loosened so that the tensioning block 805 no longer stretches the tensioning strip 807. At this time, the tensioning strip 807 no longer locks the connecting sleeve 301, and the two are separated from each other. The vertical displacement of the hollow tensioning shaft 803 is no longer constrained by the connecting sleeve 301. At this time, the hollow adjusting piece 802 is screwed, and the hollow adjusting piece 802 drives the hollow tensioning shaft 803 to move vertically, thereby driving the lower second swing arm 203 to move vertically relative to the turntable 3. After adjusting the rear position, the locking bolt 804 is tightened, and the tensioning block 805 stretches the tensioning strip 807, and the tensioning strip 807 is close to the connecting sleeve 301, so that the connecting sleeve 301 and the hollow tensioning shaft 803 are locked;

[0120] Loosen the first tightening bolt to separate the two free ends of the first open ring 211 from each other. The first open ring 211 no longer holds the hollow shaft 701 tightly. At this time, the position of the lower first swing arm 201 relative to the hollow shaft 701 can be adjusted vertically. After the position is adjusted, retighten the first tightening bolt to make the first open ring 211 hold the hollow shaft 701 tightly again.

[0121] Loosen the second tightening bolt to separate the two free ends of the second open ring 212 from each other. The second open ring 212 no longer holds the first rotating shaft 207 tightly. At this time, the position of the upper first swing arm 204 relative to the first rotating shaft 207 can be adjusted vertically. After the position is adjusted, re-tighten the second tightening bolt to make the second open ring 212 hold the first rotating shaft 207 tightly again.

[0122] The lower first swing arm 201 adjusts its position in the vertical direction through the first open ring 211, the upper first swing arm 204 adjusts its position in the vertical direction through the second open ring 212, and the lower second swing arm 203 adjusts its position in the vertical direction through the swing arm adjustment mechanism 4. By adjusting the height of the three points, the horizontality and height adjustment of the wafer fork 1 are achieved, thereby enabling the wafer handling robot to meet the use requirements of the wafer fork through fine-tuning.

[0123] In a specific embodiment, Figure 8 As shown, a spring 808 is further included, one end of the spring 808 is connected to the tensioning portion 806, and the other end of the spring 808 is connected to the tensioning block 805;

[0124] By loosening the locking bolt 804, the spring 808 can release its elastic force, separating the tension block 805 from the tension strip 807, thereby preventing the tension block 805 and the tension strip 807 from being stuck together due to friction, making it impossible to separate the connecting sleeve 301 and the hollow tension shaft 803.

[0125] In a specific embodiment, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the apparatus further includes a pipe fixing bracket 9. In this embodiment, the pipe fixing bracket 9 is fixed to the linkage portion above the turntable 3 by bolts. The pipe fixing bracket 9 is used to fix the gas hose connecting the slice taking fork 1 and the hollow shaft 701. The pipe fixing bracket 9 constrains the position of the gas hose to prevent the gas hose from interfering with the movement of the swing arm 2.

[0126] In this embodiment, if Figure 12 As shown, the pipeline fixing bracket 9 includes a bracket body 901 and a pressing plate 902. Figure 13 As shown, the bracket body 901 is provided with a groove for placing the gas hose, and the pressing plate 902 is fixed to the bracket body 901 by bolts, and the gas hose is pressed into the groove by the pressing plate 902.

[0127] In a specific embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, a plurality of vacuum suction cups 104 are evenly distributed on one end of the wafer picking fork 1 away from the swing arm portion 2 , and the plurality of vacuum suction cups 104 can better absorb the wafer W.

[0128] The following introduces a wafer cache structure, such as Figure 21 and Figure 22 As shown, it includes a wafer buffer box G and a wafer buffer box lifting device, and the wafer buffer box G is provided with a plurality of storage positions for storing wafers along the vertical direction (such as Figure 14 As shown, the storage location is a groove on the wafer cache box G), and the wafer cache box lifting device is used to lift the wafer cache box G;

[0129] The wafer cache box lifting device includes a mounting support F01, a drive motor F02, a cache box lifting screw F03, a cache box Z-direction slide rail F04, a cache box Z-direction slider F05, a connecting shaft clamping block F06 and a cache box screw nut seat F08. The mounting support 8401 is fixed on the cavity body of the load lock chamber, and the connecting shaft clamping block F06 is fixed to the cache box screw nut seat F08 by bolts. The connecting shaft clamping block F06 is used to clamp and fix the connecting shaft H fixed on the wafer cache box G on the cache box screw nut seat F08. In this embodiment, the mounting support F01 is provided with an axial hole matching the connecting shaft H, and the connecting shaft H can slide along the axial hole;

[0130] The cache box lifting screw F03 is rotatably arranged on the mounting support F01 through a bearing, and the drive motor F02 is fixed on the mounting support F01. The drive motor F02 can drive the cache box lifting screw F03 to rotate. In this embodiment, the drive motor F02 drives the cache box lifting screw F03 to rotate through a belt transmission. The cache box Z-direction slide rail F04 is arranged on the mounting support F01, and the cache box Z-direction slider F05 is installed on the cache box Z-direction slide rail F04. The cache box screw nut seat F08 is fixedly connected to the cache box Z-direction slider F05. The cache box screw nut seat F08 is provided with a cache box screw nut F07, and the cache box screw nut F07 is installed on the cache box lifting screw F03;

[0131] The wafer buffer box G is lifted and lowered in the vertical direction by the wafer buffer box lifting device, lifting the wafer on the wafer fork 1 or placing the wafer on the storage position, so that the wafer can be placed from the wafer fork 1 to the wafer buffer structure or from the wafer buffer structure to the wafer fork 1;

[0132] When the number of wafers without thin film deposition stored in the wafer buffer box G reaches the number required by the process (in this application, the upper limit of the number of wafers stored in the wafer buffer box G is 15, and the number required by the process is not greater than the upper limit of the storage number), the load lock chamber is closed, the reaction chamber is opened, and the wafer fork 1 is taken to transfer the wafers without thin film deposition to the reaction chamber for thin film deposition;

[0133] When the number of wafers that have completed thin film deposition stored in the wafer buffer box G reaches the number required by the process (in this application, the upper limit of the number of wafers that can be stored in the wafer buffer box G is 15, and the number required by the process is not greater than the upper limit of the storage number), the reaction chamber is closed, the load lock chamber is opened, and the wafer fork 1 transfers the wafers that have completed thin film deposition to the wafer box;

[0134] Before the chemical vapor deposition equipment is officially put into operation, the wafer fork 1 needs to be leveled to ensure the horizontality of the wafer fork 1, thereby ensuring that the wafer fork 1 does not scratch the wafer in the wafer buffer structure during operation.

[0135] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer handling robot, characterized in that: include: Slice removal fork (1), swing arm (2), turntable (3), base flange (4), telescopic drive device (5) and rotation drive device (6); The turntable (3) is rotatably arranged on the base flange (4), the swing arm portion (2) is mounted on the turntable (3), the rotary drive device (6) is capable of driving the turntable (3) to rotate, and the telescopic drive device (5) is capable of driving the swing arm portion (2) to move, so that the swing arm portion (2) drives the slice taking fork (1) to extend or retract; The wafer taking fork (1) is provided with a slot for placing wafers, the end of the wafer taking fork (1) away from the swing arm portion (2) is provided with a vacuum suction cup (104), and a vacuum air duct connected to the vacuum suction cup (104) is provided inside the wafer taking fork (1).

2. A wafer handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: include: A multi-axis magnetic fluid sealed transmission device (7), comprising a hollow shaft (701), an intermediate shaft (702), and a base shaft (703) coaxially arranged in sequence from the inside to the outside; The hollow shaft (701) and the intermediate shaft (702) are rotatably connected, the intermediate shaft (702) and the base shaft (703) are rotatably connected, and the base shaft (703) is fixed on the base flange (4); The two ends of the intermediate shaft (702) are respectively connected to the turntable (3) and the rotation drive device (6), and the rotation drive device (6) can rotate the turntable (3) by driving the intermediate shaft (702); The two ends of the hollow shaft (701) are respectively connected to the swing arm part (2) and the telescopic drive device (5). The telescopic drive device (5) can drive the hollow shaft (701) to rotate, thereby causing the swing arm part (2) to move. The hollow shaft (701) is connected to the vacuum air duct through a gas hose.

3. A wafer handling robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The swing arm portion (2) comprises a lower first swing arm (201), an upper second swing arm (202), a lower second swing arm (203), an upper first swing arm (204) and a linkage portion; One end of the lower first swing arm (201) is fixedly connected to the hollow shaft (701), and the other end of the lower first swing arm (201) is connected to the upper second swing arm (202) via a linkage portion. The lower first swing arm (201) drives the upper second swing arm (202) to swing via the linkage portion, and the end of the upper second swing arm (202) away from the linkage portion is hinged to the slice taking fork (1); One end of the lower second swing arm (203) is rotatably connected to the turntable (3), and the other end of the lower second swing arm (203) is rotatably connected to the upper second swing arm (202) via a second rotating shaft (208); One end of the upper first swing arm (204) is rotatably connected to the end of the lower first swing arm (201) away from the hollow shaft (701) via a first rotating shaft (207), and the other end of the upper first swing arm (204) is hinged to the slice taking fork (1).

4. A wafer handling robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The linkage part includes a driving gear (205), a driven gear (206), a gear upper cover (209) and a gear lower cover (210); The gear upper cover (209) is rotatably connected to the first rotating shaft (207) and the second rotating shaft (208) respectively through two bearings, and the gear lower cover (210) is connected to the gear upper cover (209) through bolts. The gear lower cover (210) and the gear upper cover (209) enclose a cavity for accommodating the driving gear (205) and the driven gear (206); The driving gear (205) is fixedly mounted on one end of the lower first swing arm (201) away from the hollow shaft (701), and the driven gear (206) is fixedly mounted on one end of the upper second swing arm (202) away from the slice taking fork (1), and the driven gear (206) is meshed with the driving gear (205).

5. The wafer handling robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rotary drive device (6) comprises a first motor (601), a first mounting frame (602), a first transmission shaft (603) and a first wire rope pulley (604), wherein the first transmission shaft (603) and the first wire rope pulley (604) are connected via a wire rope transmission; The first mounting frame (602) is fixedly connected to the base shaft (703), the first transmission shaft (603) is rotatably arranged on the first mounting frame (602), the first wire rope pulley (604) is fixed on the intermediate shaft (702), and the first motor (601) can drive the first transmission shaft (603) to rotate.

6. The wafer handling robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The telescopic drive device (5) comprises a second motor (501), a second mounting frame (502), a second transmission shaft (503) and a second wire rope pulley (504), wherein the second transmission shaft (503) and the second wire rope pulley (504) are connected via a wire rope transmission; The second mounting frame (502) is fixedly connected to the first wire rope pulley (604), the second transmission shaft (503) is rotatably arranged on the second mounting frame (502), the second wire rope pulley (504) is fixed on the hollow shaft (701), and the second motor (501) can drive the second transmission shaft (503) to rotate.

7. The wafer handling robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a swing arm adjustment mechanism (8), which includes a support (801), a hollow adjustment member (802), a hollow tensioning shaft (803), a locking bolt (804) and a tensioning block (805); The support (801) is fixed on the top of the turntable (3), the support (801) is provided with a threaded hole, and the hollow adjustment member (802) is provided with an external thread corresponding to the threaded hole; The hollow adjusting member (802) is screwed to vertically displace the hollow adjusting member (802) relative to the support (801); The hollow tensioning shaft (803) is sleeved with a bearing fixed to the lower second swing arm (203); one end of the hollow tensioning shaft (803) is detachably connected to the hollow adjustment member (802); the other end of the hollow tensioning shaft (803) is provided with a tensioning portion (806); the tensioning portion (806) is provided with a plurality of tensioning strips (807) uniformly distributed around the circumference; the tensioning strips (807) can be inserted into a connecting sleeve (301) provided on the turntable (3); The locking bolt (804) passes through the center holes of the hollow adjusting member (802) and the hollow tensioning shaft (803) and is then threadedly connected to the tensioning block (805); By screwing the locking bolt (804), the locking bolt (804) can drive the tensioning block (805) to vertically displace relative to the tensioning portion (806), so as to open or close the plurality of tensioning strips (807), thereby achieving locking or unlocking of the tensioning strips (807) and the connecting sleeve (301).

8. The wafer handling robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a first tightening bolt, a first opening ring (211) is provided at one end of the lower first swing arm (201) close to the hollow shaft (701), the hollow shaft (701) is located in the center hole of the first opening ring (211), a threaded hole and a countersunk hole are respectively provided on the two free ends of the first opening ring (211), and the first tightening bolt passes through the countersunk hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole; Tightening the first tightening bolt can bring the two free ends closer to each other, causing the first open ring (211) to deform and shrink to hold the hollow shaft (701); It also includes a second tightening bolt, a second open ring (212) is provided at one end of the upper first swing arm (204) close to the first rotating shaft (207), the first rotating shaft (207) is located in the center hole of the second open ring (212), and two free ends of the second open ring (212) are respectively provided with a threaded hole and a countersunk hole, and the second tightening bolt passes through the countersunk hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole; Tightening the second tightening bolt can bring the two free ends closer to each other, causing the second open ring (212) to deform and shrink to hold the first rotating shaft (207).

9. The wafer handling robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a spring (808), one end of the spring (808) is connected to the tensioning portion (806), and the other end of the spring (808) is connected to the tensioning block (805); By loosening the locking bolt (804), the spring (808) can release its elastic force, so that the tensioning block (805) is separated from the tensioning strip (807).

10. The wafer handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a pipeline fixing bracket (9), which is arranged above the turntable (3) and is used to fix the gas hose connected to the slice taking fork (1) and the hollow shaft (701).

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