Manipulator device applied to vacuum environment

Abstract

The utility model provides a manipulator device applied to a vacuum environment, which comprises a manipulator assembly, a first base, a second base, a first sealing transmission structure, a magnetofluid transmission assembly, a first transmission shaft and a driving device, the output end of the mechanical arm assembly is correspondingly connected with a first transmission shaft through a first sealing transmission structure, the first transmission shaft is connected with the magnetofluid transmission assembly through a first coupler, and the magnetofluid transmission assembly comprises a corrugated pipe and a second transmission shaft. The two ends of the corrugated pipe are correspondingly connected with the first base and the driving device to form a first sealing structure, and the space between the corrugated pipe and the second transmission shaft is filled with magnetic fluid to form a second sealing structure. According to the utility model, three layers of independent sealing structures are formed, so that the axial sealing function is realized, and the manipulator can work in a vacuum environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of manipulators, in particular to a manipulator device applied in a vacuum environment. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of microelectronics, optoelectronics, and various high-precision manufacturing industries, and with the advancement of semiconductor technology, the vacuum level requirements for related equipment are becoming increasingly stringent. For example, establishing a vacuum environment during wafer handling can improve operational accuracy, reduce contamination risks, and protect wafers from physical damage. Wafer handling is a particularly critical and sensitive process in semiconductor manufacturing. This process requires extremely high precision and stability to protect these extremely fragile and high-value wafers from damage. Furthermore, because wafer surfaces are very smooth and prone to static electricity, static electricity and dust interference must also be prevented during handling. A vacuum environment provides a dust-free, low-pressure handling space, effectively addressing these issues. Wafers are highly susceptible to static electricity during handling. Static electricity can not only attract dust and particles, causing physical contamination, but can also damage the wafer's internal microcircuits through electrostatic discharge. In a vacuum environment, controlling the atmosphere and pressure can significantly reduce the generation and accumulation of static electricity. This helps maintain the cleanliness and integrity of the wafer surface, thereby improving the overall yield rate of semiconductor manufacturing. Wafer handling in a vacuum environment can significantly reduce impurities and moisture in the air. These impurities and moisture can easily react with the wafer surface under normal conditions, forming an oxide layer or contamination. For example, a vacuum environment can significantly reduce the impact of water vapor, which is crucial for maintaining a high degree of cleanliness and purity on the wafer surface. This not only improves the quality of the wafer, but also reduces the scrap rate caused by contamination. In a vacuum environment, gripping technologies such as robots can work more efficiently. This makes the wafer safer and more stable during transportation. The vacuum environment can provide more stable and controllable transportation conditions, which is crucial to ensuring the accuracy of the wafer position. Whether it is etching, deposition or photolithography steps, the wafer must be fixed in the exact position to ensure processing accuracy. The vacuum environment reduces interference from external factors, allowing various mechanical structures to work more stably, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the entire transportation process.

[0003] However, the existing manipulators suitable for use in vacuum environments generally have disadvantages such as insufficient reliability, poor sealing, and insufficient adaptability.

[0004] In view of the above problems existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need for a manipulator device with strong sealing performance for use in a vacuum environment to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to overcome the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present application provides a manipulator device for use in a vacuum environment, thereby being able to solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0006] The present application provides a manipulator device for use in a vacuum environment, comprising a manipulator assembly, a first base, a second base, a first sealed transmission structure, a magnetofluid transmission assembly, a first transmission shaft and a drive device, wherein the manipulator assembly is arranged on the first base, and the manipulator assembly is in a vacuum chamber, an isolation protrusion is arranged around the outer wall of the first base, and the isolation protrusion is connected to an external component to separate the vacuum chamber from the environment in which the second base is located, the first sealed transmission structure is arranged in the first base, the output end of the manipulator assembly is correspondingly connected to the first transmission shaft through the first sealed transmission structure, and the end of the first transmission shaft away from the manipulator assembly is connected to the magnetofluid transmission assembly through a first coupling, the magnetofluid transmission assembly comprises a bellows and a second transmission shaft, the two ends of the bellows are respectively connected to the first base and the drive device to form a first sealing structure, the two ends of the second transmission shaft are respectively connected to the first transmission shaft and the drive device, and the bellows and the second transmission shaft are filled with magnetic fluid to form a second sealing structure.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first sealed transmission structure is a plurality of vacuum bearings, and the vacuum bearings are stacked in sequence along the length direction of the first transmission shaft.

[0008] In some embodiments, the robot device provided by the present application for use in a vacuum environment further includes:

[0009] The second base is arranged between the first base and the driving device, and the second base is sleeved on the bellows. The second base and the first base are sealed and connected by a sealing member.

[0010] By setting the first sliding part to slide in a directional manner along the sliding rail, the stability of the sliding process of the first sliding part is effectively improved, the stability and efficiency of the docking between the first electrode part and the corresponding metal part are achieved, thereby effectively ensuring the stability of current flow and subsequent discharge of carbon black.

[0011] In some embodiments, the manipulator assembly includes a boom transmission shaft and a forearm transmission shaft, and the boom transmission shaft and the forearm transmission shaft are connected by a steel wire rope.

[0012] By setting the second sliding part to slide directionally along the sliding groove, the stability of the sliding process of the second sliding part is effectively improved, the stability and efficiency of the docking between the second electrode part and the corresponding metal part are achieved, thereby effectively ensuring the stability of current flow and subsequent discharge of carbon black.

[0013] In some embodiments, the steel wire rope is correspondingly wound around the boom transmission shaft and the jib transmission shaft for multiple turns, and the steel wire rope is connected end to end to form a closed loop.

[0014] By providing an electric propulsion device, precise control of the pressure applied by the first sliding member to the carbon black can be achieved, thereby providing further guarantee for the product quality of graphene.

[0015] In some embodiments, a rotation groove is provided on both the upper arm transmission shaft and the lower arm transmission shaft, and the steel wire rope is wound in the rotation groove accordingly.

[0016] By providing a metal piece that matches the inner diameter of the reaction tube, the position of the metal piece can be adjusted according to actual needs, thereby adjusting the position and capacity of the carbon black raw material, making the entire preparation process and results more flexible and controllable.

[0017] In some embodiments, a fixing block is provided on the steel wire rope, and a width of the fixing block along the length direction of the steel wire rope is greater than a slot width of the rotation slot.

[0018] By simultaneously connecting the pressure sensor and the output power supply through the control system, partial intelligence of the graphene preparation process is realized, effectively improving the efficiency of the graphene preparation process.

[0019] In some embodiments, the radius of the boom transmission shaft is greater than the radius of the arm transmission shaft.

[0020] By setting a floating connector at the output end of the electric propulsion device to connect the pressure sensor, the role of soft connection is achieved, thereby effectively eliminating the stress generated during the extrusion process and effectively reducing the damage to the device caused by the force of the extrusion process.

[0021] In some embodiments, the driving device includes a driving motor and a reducer, the reducer is provided at the output end of the driving motor, and one end of the reducer away from the driving motor is connected to the second transmission shaft via a second coupling.

[0022] By setting up a temperature measuring device, the temperature of the reaction vessel components can be detected and recorded, thereby providing a data basis for subsequent product development and evolution.

[0023] In some embodiments, the vacuum bearing is made of silicon carbide.

[0024] The utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0025] 1. By setting up the first sealing transmission structure, the first sealing structure and the second sealing structure to form a three-layer independent sealing structure, the sealing of the entire transmission structure is effectively ensured, the axial sealing function is realized, and the manipulator can operate in a vacuum environment;

[0026] 2. By adopting a wire rope transmission structure, traditional belt transmission and gear transmission are avoided, so that the cleanliness of the transmission structure can meet the requirements of use in a vacuum environment. In addition, the rigidity of the transmission structure connection is effectively improved, the risk of slipping during operation is reduced, the working stability is effectively ensured, and the positioning accuracy of the robot when handling wafers is effectively improved;

[0027] 3. By adopting vacuum bearings, the use of lubricating materials such as grease is avoided. At the same time, it can adapt to high temperatures in a vacuum environment and has the advantages of high load capacity and good sealing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a manipulator device applied to a vacuum environment according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of a manipulator device applied in a vacuum environment according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a manipulator assembly of a manipulator device applied to a vacuum environment according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Description of reference numerals:

[0032] 10: Manipulator assembly; 11: Arm transmission shaft; 12: Arm transmission shaft; 13: Wire rope; 14: Rotating slot; 15: Fixed block;

[0033] 20: first base; 21: isolation protrusion;

[0034] 30: Second base;

[0035] 40: driving device; 41: speed reducer;

[0036] 50: magnetic fluid transmission assembly; 51: second transmission shaft;

[0037] 60: first sealing transmission structure;

[0038] 70: first transmission shaft;

[0039] 80: first coupling;

[0040] 90: Second coupling. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present application will be introduced in conjunction with some embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this application are limited to the implementation. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the application in conjunction with the implementation is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present application. In order to provide an in-depth understanding of the present application, the following description will contain many specific details. The present application can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present application, some specific details will be omitted in the description. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other unless there is a conflict.

[0042] It should be noted that in this specification, similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined or explained in subsequent drawings.

[0043] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of this application and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0044] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0045] This application actually provides a robot device for use in a vacuum environment, see Figures 1 to 3, including a manipulator assembly 10, a first base 20, a second base 30, a first sealed transmission structure 60, a magnetic fluid transmission assembly 50, a first transmission shaft 70 and a driving device 40, wherein the manipulator assembly 10 is arranged on the first base 20, and the manipulator assembly 10 is in a vacuum chamber, an isolation protrusion 21 is arranged around the outer wall of the first base 20, and the isolation protrusion 21 is connected to the external components to isolate the vacuum chamber from the environment where the second base 30 is located, the first sealed transmission structure 60 is arranged in the first base 20, and the manipulator assembly 1 The output end of 0 is connected to the first transmission shaft 70 through the first sealed transmission structure 60, and the end of the first transmission shaft away from the manipulator assembly 10 is connected to the magnetofluid transmission assembly through the first coupling 80. The magnetofluid transmission assembly 50 includes a bellows and a second transmission shaft 51. The two ends of the bellows are respectively connected to the first base 20 and the drive device 40 to form a first sealing structure. The two ends of the second transmission shaft 51 are respectively connected to the first transmission shaft and the drive device 40. The bellows and the second transmission shaft 51 are filled with magnetic fluid to form a second sealing structure.

[0046] Specifically, the robot device is mainly used for handling and transmitting wafers, wherein the robot assembly 10 is mainly used to work in a vacuum chamber, and is connected to the external environment by setting an isolation protrusion 21 and an external structure to separate the external environment and the vacuum environment. The robot assembly 10 is connected to the drive device 40 in turn through the first transmission shaft 70, the first coupling 80 and the second rotating shaft to realize the power transmission function, so that the drive device 40 can drive the robot assembly 10 to position according to actual needs, so that the robot can send the wafer to the designated position. A three-layer sealing structure is arranged along the power transmission axis direction of the robot device, wherein the first sealing transmission structure 60 realizes the preliminary sealing, and the second sealing structure realizes the motion sealing effect of the overall transmission structure. The first sealing structure is further strengthened by being arranged on the second transmission shaft 51, and the three-layer sealing structure is provided to strengthen the sealing performance of the axial transmission structure on the robot device, so as to enable the robot to operate in a vacuum environment.

[0047] In some embodiments, see Figure 2 The first sealed transmission structure 60 is a plurality of vacuum bearings, which are stacked in sequence along the length direction of the first transmission shaft 70 .

[0048] Specifically, the vacuum bearing mainly includes an inner sleeve, an outer sleeve and rolling elements, wherein a number of rolling elements are arranged between the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve, and the rotating shaft is correspondingly connected to the inner sleeve. By arranging multiple vacuum bearings and stacking them along the length direction of the first transmission shaft 70, the vacuum environment of the first transmission shaft 70 can be expanded, thereby further optimizing the sealing performance of the connection between the first transmission shaft 70 and the manipulator assembly 10.

[0049] In some embodiments, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The manipulator device for use in a vacuum environment provided in the present application also includes a second base 30, which is arranged between the first base 20 and the driving device 40, and the second base 30 is sleeved on the bellows, and the second base 30 and the first base 20 are sealed and connected by a seal.

[0050] Specifically, the second base 30 is used to support the connection structure between the driving device 40 and the second transmission shaft 51, thereby effectively ensuring the stability of the power transmission. In addition, sealing grooves are provided on the first base 20 and the second base 30. The two sealing grooves are arranged opposite to each other, and the sealing member is correspondingly clamped between the two sealing grooves to further strengthen the sealing strength of the connection between the first base 20 and the second base 30.

[0051] In some embodiments, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 The manipulator assembly 10 includes a boom transmission shaft 11 and a forearm transmission shaft 12 , and the boom transmission shaft 11 and the forearm transmission shaft 12 are connected by a wire rope 13 .

[0052] Specifically, the manipulator assembly 10 also includes an arm, a forearm, and a gripper provided at the end of the forearm. The arm and the forearm are respectively provided on the arm transmission shaft 11 and the forearm transmission shaft 12, so that the arm and the forearm can be driven by the arm transmission shaft 11 and the forearm transmission shaft 12 to rotate, thereby realizing that the wafer grasped by the gripper at the end of the forearm can be transported to a designated location. At the same time, the forearm transmission shaft 12 is provided at the end of the arm. In addition, the arm transmission shaft 11 and the forearm transmission shaft 12 are connected by a steel wire rope 13 to realize that both the arm and the forearm can rotate. The steel wire rope is used as a transmission connector to meet the cleanliness requirements of the vacuum environment. In addition, the steel wire rope can also be replaced by a plastic chain.

[0053] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 The steel wire rope 13 is wound around the boom transmission shaft and the arm transmission shaft 12 for multiple turns, and the steel wire rope 13 is connected end to end to form a closed loop.

[0054] Specifically, by setting the wire rope 13 to be wound around the upper arm transmission shaft 11 and the lower arm transmission shaft 12 for multiple turns, the friction between the wire rope 13 and the upper arm transmission shaft 11 and the lower arm transmission shaft 12 is effectively increased, thereby effectively avoiding the risk of slipping during work, effectively ensuring the stability of work, and effectively improving the positioning accuracy of the robot when transporting wafers. In addition, the wire rope 13 is connected end to end to form a closed loop so that the lower arm rotation shaft can be driven by the upper arm rotation shaft to transmit in both forward and reverse directions, so as to further expand the range of movement of the robot.

[0055] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 A rotation groove 14 is provided on the boom transmission shaft 11 and the arm transmission shaft 12 , and the wire rope 13 is wound in the rotation groove 14 accordingly.

[0056] Specifically, the opening of the rotating groove 14 enables the wire rope 13 to rotate along a fixed path, which not only effectively avoids the situation where the overlapping of the wire rope 13 causes the corresponding contact area wrapped around the boom transmission shaft 11 and the arm transmission shaft 12 to be unstable, but also further increases the friction force, further improving the stability of the manipulator device.

[0057] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 A fixing block 15 is provided on the steel wire rope 13 , and the width of the fixing block 15 along the length direction of the steel wire rope 13 is greater than the groove width of the rotating groove 14 .

[0058] Specifically, the fixed block 15 is arranged between the boom transmission shaft 11 and the arm transmission shaft 12. The width of the fixed block 15 along the length direction of the wire rope 13 is greater than the groove width of the rotation groove 14. When the wire rope 13 moves, it drives the fixed block 15 to move. When the fixed block 15 moves to contact the boom transmission shaft 11 and the arm transmission shaft 12, it cannot slide into the corresponding rotation groove 14, and the fixed block 15 cannot move further, thereby limiting the rotation range of the boom transmission shaft 11 and the arm transmission shaft 12, so as to effectively avoid the boom transmission shaft 11 and the arm transmission shaft 12 from being damaged due to excessive rotation.

[0059] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 , the radius of the boom transmission shaft 11 is greater than the radius of the arm transmission shaft 12.

[0060] Specifically, the radius of the boom transmission shaft 11 is larger than the radius of the arm transmission shaft 12, so that when the boom transmission shaft 11 drives the arm transmission shaft 12 to rotate, the rotation amplitudes of the boom transmission shaft 11 and the arm transmission shaft 12 are different, and the rotation angle of the arm transmission shaft 12 is larger than the rotation angle of the boom transmission shaft 11, thereby enabling the gripper at the end of the arm to move more flexibly and in a larger range, effectively expanding the range of movement of the manipulator and effectively improving the flexibility and applicability of the manipulator.

[0061] In some embodiments, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The driving device 40 includes a driving motor and a reducer 41 . The reducer 41 is provided at the output end of the driving motor. The end of the reducer 41 away from the driving motor is connected to the second transmission shaft 51 through a second coupling 90 .

[0062] Specifically, the reducer 41 is used to reduce the rotation speed of the drive motor so that the rotation speed of the second transmission shaft 51 transmitted to the robot assembly 10 is not too fast, thereby meeting the requirement that the robot device rotates at a slow speed, effectively ensuring the smoothness of the wafer transfer and transportation process, and at the same time increasing the torque to meet the load-bearing capacity requirements of the drive robot assembly 10, effectively improving the reliability of the robot device.

[0063] In some embodiments, the vacuum bearing is made of silicon carbide.

[0064] Specifically, since a magnetofluidic transmission component is used in the robot device in the present application, in order to avoid magnetic field interference, the bearings are preferably made of non-magnetic materials, so the vacuum bearings can be made of silicon carbide to meet the requirements of transportation in a non-magnetic environment, thereby effectively ensuring the stability of the operation of the robot device.

[0065] It should be pointed out that the material of the vacuum bearing can also be non-magnetic alloy, high manganese non-magnetic structural steel, or other non-magnetic materials. The specific material depends on actual needs and is not limited here.

[0066] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A manipulator device for use in a vacuum environment, characterized in that: It includes a manipulator assembly, a first base, a second base, a first sealed transmission structure, a magnetofluid transmission assembly, a first transmission shaft and a drive device, wherein the manipulator assembly is arranged on the first base, and the manipulator assembly is in a vacuum chamber, an isolation protrusion is arranged around the outer wall of the first base, and the isolation protrusion is connected to an external component to separate the vacuum chamber from the environment in which the second base is located, the first sealed transmission structure is arranged in the first base, the output end of the manipulator assembly is connected to the first transmission shaft through the first sealed transmission structure, and the end of the first transmission shaft away from the manipulator assembly is connected to the magnetofluid transmission assembly through a first coupling, the magnetofluid transmission assembly includes a bellows and a second transmission shaft, the two ends of the bellows are respectively connected to the first base and the drive device to form a first sealing structure, the two ends of the second transmission shaft are respectively connected to the first transmission shaft and the drive device, and the bellows and the second transmission shaft are filled with magnetic fluid to form a second sealing structure.

2. The robot device for use in a vacuum environment according to claim 1, wherein: The first sealed transmission structure is a plurality of vacuum bearings, and the vacuum bearings are stacked in sequence along the length direction of the first transmission shaft.

3. The robot device for use in a vacuum environment according to claim 2, wherein: Also includes: The second base is arranged between the first base and the driving device, and the second base is sleeved on the bellows. The second base and the first base are sealed and connected by a sealing member.

4. The robot device for use in a vacuum environment according to claim 3, wherein: The manipulator assembly includes a large arm transmission shaft and a small arm transmission shaft, and the large arm transmission shaft and the small arm transmission shaft are connected by a steel wire rope.

5. The robot device for use in a vacuum environment according to claim 4, wherein: The steel wire rope is correspondingly wound around the boom transmission shaft and the arm transmission shaft for multiple turns, and the steel wire rope is connected end to end to form a closed loop.

6. The manipulator device for use in a vacuum environment according to any one of claims 4 to 5, characterized in that: The upper arm transmission shaft and the lower arm transmission shaft are both provided with rotation grooves, and the steel wire ropes are wound in the rotation grooves accordingly.

7. The robot device for use in a vacuum environment according to claim 6, wherein: The steel wire rope is provided with a fixing block, and the width of the fixing block along the length direction of the steel wire rope is greater than the groove width of the rotating groove.

8. The robot device for use in a vacuum environment according to claim 7, wherein: The radius of the boom transmission shaft is greater than the radius of the arm transmission shaft.

9. The robot device for use in a vacuum environment according to claim 8, wherein: The driving device includes a driving motor and a reducer. The reducer is provided at the output end of the driving motor. One end of the reducer away from the driving motor is connected to the second transmission shaft via a second coupling.

10. The robot device for use in a vacuum environment according to claim 2, wherein: The vacuum bearing is made of silicon carbide.

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