Wafer alignment tool

By designing the first positioning disk and the second positioning disk of the wafer alignment tool, combining the moving mechanism and the vacuum adsorption system, the problem of the wafer deviating from the preset position during the wafer transfer process is solved, and the alignment effect of precise positioning and high yield is achieved.

CN223308972UActive Publication Date: 2025-09-05YANTAI QIXIN SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202422554507.3
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-10-22
Publication Date
2025-09-05
Estimated Expiration
2034-10-22

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the prior art, the wafer may deviate from the preset position during the chip transfer process of the alignment machine, affecting the alignment accuracy.

Method used

A wafer alignment tool is designed, including a first positioning disk and a second positioning disk, which moves the second positioning disk relative to the first positioning disk by a moving mechanism, and ensures precise positioning and alignment of the wafer in combination with a vacuum adsorption system and positioning scores.

Benefits of technology

Accurate positioning of the wafer during placement is achieved, ensuring no offset in the initial position and maintaining precise alignment during movement, improving alignment accuracy and product yield.

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Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer alignment tool, and belongs to the technical field of wafer alignment. The wafer alignment tool comprises a first positioning disc, a second positioning disc and a moving mechanism, the first positioning disc comprises a first mounting surface, and the first mounting surface is used for arranging at least one positioning nick overlapped with the epitaxy of a first wafer and the epitaxy of a second wafer; the second positioning disc comprises a second mounting surface opposite to the first mounting surface, and the second mounting surface is suitable for fixing the first wafer; and the moving mechanism is in transmission connection with the second positioning disc, and is used for moving towards a first direction when the first wafer is fixed on the second mounting surface, moving towards a direction opposite to the first direction when the second wafer is fixed on the first mounting surface, and aligning the first wafer with the second wafer. According to the invention, the first wafer fixed on the second mounting surface and the second wafer fixed on the first mounting surface can be accurately aligned, and position deviation does not occur.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of wafer alignment technology, and in particular relates to a wafer alignment tool. Background Art

[0002] Wafer bonding refers to the process of placing two or more flat wafers face to face and applying certain external conditions such as pressure, temperature, and voltage to ensure that the bond between the two surfaces reaches a certain strength, thus integrating the two wafers into one, which can effectively increase the number of devices per unit area.

[0003] Before wafer bonding, two or more flat wafers need to be aligned up and down. The relevant technology uses an alignment machine to align the concentricity of the upper and lower wafers. However, during the wafer transfer process, the wafer may deviate from the preset position, affecting the alignment accuracy. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present application aims to at least solve the technical problem in the prior art that the wafer may deviate from the preset position during the wafer transfer process of the alignment machine, thereby affecting the alignment accuracy.

[0005] The present application provides a wafer alignment tool, comprising:

[0006] A first positioning plate, the first positioning plate comprising a first mounting surface, the first mounting surface being used to provide at least one positioning notch that overlaps with the first wafer and the second wafer epitaxially;

[0007] a second positioning plate, the second positioning plate comprising a second mounting surface facing the first mounting surface, the second mounting surface being suitable for fixing the first wafer;

[0008] A moving mechanism is in driving connection with the second positioning plate and is used to move the second mounting surface relative to the first mounting surface to align the first wafer with the second wafer.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present application, the positioning notch includes: a first positioning notch and a second positioning notch;

[0010] The first positioning mark coincides with the first wafer epitaxy; the second positioning mark coincides with the second wafer epitaxy; and the central axes of the first positioning mark and the second positioning mark coincide with each other.

[0011] A plurality of first vacuum suction holes are provided within the range of the positioning notch of the first mounting surface, and a first vacuum pipeline communicating with the plurality of first vacuum suction holes is provided in the first positioning plate.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present application, a plurality of second vacuum holes are provided on the second mounting surface within a range corresponding to the positioning notch, and a second vacuum pipeline communicating with the plurality of second vacuum holes is provided in the second positioning plate.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present application, the further comprising: a first vacuum generating member and a second vacuum generating member;

[0014] The air port of the first vacuum generating element is in communication with the first vacuum pipeline, and the air port of the second vacuum generating element is in communication with the second vacuum pipeline;

[0015] The first vacuum line is configured to open when the first wafer overlaps with the positioning mark, or when the second wafer overlaps with the positioning mark; the second vacuum generating element is configured to open when the second mounting surface contacts the first wafer and the first vacuum generating element is closed.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of first vacuum suction holes are uniformly distributed within the range of the positioning notches of the first mounting surface; and the plurality of second vacuum suction holes are uniformly distributed within the range of the second mounting surface corresponding to the positioning notches.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present application, a first notch is provided on the first positioning plate, and the first wafer or the second wafer is used to abut against the first notch.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present application, a second notch is provided on the second positioning plate, and the first wafer is used to abut against the second notch.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present application, the outer diameter of the second mounting surface is the same as that of the first wafer.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present application, it further includes: a rack;

[0021] The first positioning plate, the second positioning plate and the moving mechanism are installed on the frame; the frame is also provided with a vertical guide rail for the second positioning plate to slide, and the vertical guide rail is perpendicular to the first mounting surface.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present application, the moving mechanism includes: a mounting seat, a screw rod and a hand wheel;

[0023] The mounting seat is fixedly mounted on the frame, the second positioning plate is threadedly mounted on the screw rod, one end of the screw rod is rotatably disposed in the mounting seat, and the other end of the screw rod is connected to the hand wheel.

[0024] The above one or more technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application have at least one of the following technical effects:

[0025] The positioning notches on the first positioning plate of the present application can ensure that the wafer can be accurately positioned when placed, and ensure that its initial position is not offset; the first mounting surface of the first positioning plate is opposite to the second mounting surface of the second positioning plate. When the moving mechanism drives the second positioning plate toward or away from the first positioning plate, the first wafer fixed on the second mounting surface and the second wafer fixed on the first mounting surface can be accurately aligned without position offset.

[0026] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become obvious from the description below, or will be learned through practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the wafer alignment tool provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer alignment tool provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the first positioning plate and the second positioning plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a first positioning plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the second positioning plate provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Reference numerals:

[0034] 100, first positioning plate; 110, first mounting surface; 120, first vacuum suction hole; 130, first notch; 111, first positioning notch; 112, second positioning notch; 200, second positioning plate; 210, second mounting surface; 220, second vacuum suction hole; 230, second notch; 300, moving mechanism; 310, mounting seat; 320, screw rod; 330, handwheel; 400, frame; 410, vertical guide rail; 420, moving seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following describes in detail embodiments of the present application. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

[0036] Reference below Figure 1-Figure 5 A wafer alignment tool according to an embodiment of the present application is described.

[0037] like Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, the wafer alignment tool includes: a first positioning plate 100 , a second positioning plate 200 and a moving mechanism 300 .

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the first mounting surface 110 is used to set at least one positioning mark that overlaps with the first wafer and the second wafer epitaxially.

[0039] It should be noted that the first wafer and the second wafer may have the same size or different sizes; when the first wafer and the second wafer have the same size, only one positioning mark may be set; when the first wafer and the second wafer have different sizes, two positioning marks may be set, and this embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0040] The second positioning plate 200 includes a second mounting surface 210 facing the first mounting surface 110 . The second mounting surface 210 is suitable for fixing the first wafer.

[0041] The moving mechanism 300 is in transmission connection with the second positioning plate 200 and is used to move the second mounting surface 210 relative to the first mounting surface 110 to align the first wafer with the second wafer.

[0042] During use, the first wafer is placed on the first mounting surface 110 of the first positioning plate 100 , and it is ensured that the epitaxial portion of the first wafer coincides with the positioning notch, so that the initial position of the first wafer is not offset.

[0043] The moving mechanism 300 drives the second positioning plate 200 to move in a direction opposite to the first direction and approach the first positioning plate 100. When the second positioning plate 200 contacts the first wafer, the first wafer is fixed to the second mounting surface 210 of the second positioning plate 200 to ensure that the first wafer is not offset from the second mounting surface 210 of the second positioning plate 200. The first direction may be a vertical direction.

[0044] The moving mechanism 300 drives the second positioning plate 200 to move toward the first direction and away from the first positioning plate 100 .

[0045] The second wafer is placed on the first mounting surface 110 of the first positioning plate 100 , and the outer periphery of the second wafer is aligned with the positioning notch to ensure that the initial position of the second wafer is not offset.

[0046] Finally, the moving mechanism 300 drives the second positioning plate 200 to move in a direction opposite to the first direction and approach the first positioning plate 100 to align the first wafer with the second wafer.

[0047] In this embodiment, the positioning notches on the first positioning plate 100 can ensure that the wafer can be precisely positioned when placed, ensuring that its initial position is not offset; the first mounting surface 110 of the first positioning plate 100 is opposite to the second mounting surface 210 of the second positioning plate 200, so when the moving mechanism 300 drives the second positioning plate 200 toward or away from the first positioning plate 100, the first wafer fixed on the second mounting surface 210 and the second wafer fixed on the first mounting surface 110 can be precisely aligned without positional offset.

[0048] In actual implementation, the positioning notches include: a first positioning notch 111 and a second positioning notch 112 .

[0049] The first positioning mark 111 coincides with the first wafer epitaxial portion; the second positioning mark 112 coincides with the second wafer epitaxial portion; and the central axes of the first positioning mark 111 and the second positioning mark 112 coincide with each other.

[0050] In this embodiment, the surfaces of the first wafer and the second wafer are both circular, the first positioning mark 111 enclosed by the first wafer epitaxy and the second positioning mark 112 enclosed by the second wafer epitaxy are also circular, and the size of the second wafer is larger than the first wafer.

[0051] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the wafer alignment tool further includes: a frame 400 .

[0052] The first positioning plate 100 , the second positioning plate 200 and the moving mechanism 300 are mounted on a frame 400 . The frame 400 is further provided with a vertical guide rail 410 for the second positioning plate 200 to slide on, and the vertical guide rail 410 is perpendicular to the first mounting surface 110 .

[0053] In this embodiment, the vertical guide rail 410 can ensure that the movement of the second positioning plate 200 is completely carried out in the vertical direction, thereby ensuring that the second positioning plate 200 does not have any lateral or tilt offset during the lifting process, so that the first wafer fixed on the second mounting surface 210 and the second wafer fixed on the first mounting surface 110 can be precisely aligned.

[0054] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, illustratively, the moving mechanism 300 includes: a mounting base 310, a screw rod 320 and a hand wheel 330;

[0055] The mounting seat 310 is fixedly mounted on the frame 400 , and the second positioning plate 200 is threadedly mounted on the screw rod 320 . One end of the screw rod 320 is rotatably disposed in the mounting seat 310 , and the other end of the screw rod 320 is connected to the hand wheel 330 .

[0056] In this example, the hand wheel 330 is manually rotated to drive the screw rod 320 to rotate, so as to realize the lifting and lowering of the second positioning plate 200, which makes the entire operation process simple and easy to use, and reduces the manufacturing cost and maintenance complexity of the equipment.

[0057] In actual implementation, a movable seat 420 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the second positioning plate 200. The movable seat 420 is threadedly installed on the screw rod 320. By driving the screw rod 320 to rotate, the second positioning plate 200 and the movable seat 420 can be lifted or lowered.

[0058] The second mounting surface 210 of the second positioning plate 200 is used to mount the first wafer, and the first mounting surface 110 of the first positioning plate 100 is used to mount the second wafer. The structures may be at least one of the following:

[0059] First, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, a plurality of first vacuum holes 120 are provided within the range of the second positioning notch 112 of the first mounting surface 110 , and a first vacuum pipeline communicating with the plurality of first vacuum holes 120 is provided in the first positioning plate 100 .

[0060] A plurality of second vacuum holes 220 are provided on the second mounting surface 210 within a range corresponding to the first positioning notch 111 , and a second vacuum pipeline communicating with the plurality of second vacuum holes 220 is provided in the second positioning plate 200 .

[0061] In this embodiment, the wafer alignment tool can be externally connected to other vacuum generating devices, which are connected to the first vacuum pipeline and the second vacuum pipeline, and are used to extract gas from the first vacuum pipeline so as to adsorb the first wafer on the first mounting surface 110 through multiple first vacuum suction holes 120; or to extract gas from the second vacuum pipeline so as to adsorb the second wafer on the second mounting surface 210 through multiple second vacuum suction holes 220.

[0062] In other implementations, the wafer alignment tool may also include: a first vacuum generating component and a second vacuum generating component.

[0063] The air port of the first vacuum generating component is communicated with the first vacuum pipeline, and the air port of the second vacuum generating component is communicated with the second vacuum pipeline.

[0064] Among them, the first vacuum pipeline is configured to open when the first wafer coincides with the first positioning mark 111, or when the second wafer coincides with the second positioning mark 112; the second vacuum generating part is configured to contact the first wafer on the second mounting surface 210, and open when the first vacuum generating part is closed.

[0065] The first vacuum generating member and the second vacuum generating member may be vacuum pumps.

[0066] Furthermore, the plurality of first vacuum holes 120 are evenly distributed on the first mounting surface 110 ; and the plurality of second vacuum holes 220 are evenly distributed on the second mounting surface 210 .

[0067] This can apply uniform adsorption force to the entire surface of the wafer, ensuring that the wafer can be adsorbed smoothly and maintaining the stability of the wafer position.

[0068] Secondly, a first mounting member is provided on the first mounting surface 110, and the first wafer is fixed to the first mounting surface 110 by the first mounting member; a second mounting member is provided on the second mounting surface 210, and the second wafer is fixed to the second mounting surface 210 by the second mounting member (not shown).

[0069] The first mounting member and the second mounting member may be clamps, and the first wafer is clamped and fixed on the first mounting surface 110 or the second mounting surface 210 by the clamps, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0070] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, a first notch 130 is defined on the first positioning plate 100 , and the first wafer or the second wafer is used to abut against the first notch 130 .

[0071] In this embodiment, since the edge of the first wafer or the second wafer is suspended on the notch, the edge of the first wafer or the second wafer can be more easily contacted during operation, which ensures that the first wafer or the second wafer can be easily placed in the first positioning plate 100 or taken out from the first positioning plate 100.

[0072] Similarly, a second notch 230 may also be provided on the second positioning plate 200 , and the first wafer is used to abut against the second notch 230 .

[0073] In actual implementation, the outer diameter of the second mounting surface 210 is the same as that of the first wafer.

[0074] When the outer diameter of the second mounting surface 210 is exactly the same as that of the first wafer, the edge of the first wafer can be clearly exposed, so that the first wafer is easier to access and more convenient to remove.

[0075] In the specific implementation given below, the surfaces of the first wafer and the second wafer are both circular, and the central axis of the first wafer and the central axis of the second wafer are collinear, so the first wafer and the second wafer are aligned, see the table below.

[0076]

[0077] The upper edge distance is the distance between the upper end of the first wafer and the corresponding upper end of the second wafer; the lower edge distance is the distance between the lower end of the first wafer and the corresponding lower end of the second wafer;

[0078] The first difference is the difference between the upper edge distance and the lower edge distance;

[0079] The left edge distance is the distance between the left end of the first wafer and the corresponding left end of the second wafer; the right edge distance is the distance between the right end of the first wafer and the corresponding right end of the second wafer;

[0080] The second difference is the difference between the left edge distance and the right edge distance.

[0081] It should be noted that under the process flow, the size of the first difference and the second difference is less than 400μm, which is within the error range allowed by the process. It can be considered that the first wafer and the second wafer are aligned. Most of the data in Table 1 are in line with the error range allowed by the process, and the first wafer and the second wafer are aligned. It can be seen that the product yield of the wafer alignment tooling of this application is high.

[0082] The terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein, and that the objects distinguished by "first," "second," and the like are generally of the same type, and do not limit the number of objects; for example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, the term "and / or" in the specification and claims refers to at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects connected are in an "or" relationship.

[0083] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0084] In the description of this application, "first feature" and "second feature" may include one or more of the features.

[0085] In the description of this application, “plurality” means two or more.

[0086] In the description of the present application, a first feature being “on” or “under” a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact with each other, or the first and second features being in contact with each other not directly but via another feature therebetween.

[0087] In the description of this application, a first feature “on”, “above” and “above” a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is horizontally higher than the second feature.

[0088] Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0089] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and intent of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wafer alignment tool, characterized in that: include: A first positioning plate (100), comprising a first mounting surface (110), the first mounting surface (110) being used to provide at least one positioning notch that overlaps with the first wafer and the second wafer epitaxially; a second positioning plate (200), the second positioning plate (200) comprising a second mounting surface (210) facing the first mounting surface (110), the second mounting surface (210) being suitable for fixing the first wafer; A moving mechanism (300) is connected to the second positioning plate (200) in a transmission manner and is used to move the second mounting surface (210) relative to the first mounting surface (110) to align the first wafer with the second wafer.

2. The wafer alignment tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning notches include: a first positioning notch (111) and a second positioning notch (112); The first positioning mark (111) coincides with the first wafer epitaxy; the second positioning mark (112) coincides with the second wafer epitaxy; and the central axes of the first positioning mark (111) and the second positioning mark (112) coincide with each other.

3. The wafer alignment tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of first vacuum suction holes (120) are provided within the range of the positioning notch of the first mounting surface (110), and a first vacuum pipeline communicating with the plurality of first vacuum suction holes (120) is provided in the first positioning plate (100).

4. The wafer alignment tool according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second mounting surface (210) is provided with a plurality of second vacuum suction holes (220) within a range corresponding to the positioning notch, and the second positioning plate (200) is provided with a second vacuum pipeline in communication with the plurality of second vacuum suction holes (220).

5. The wafer alignment tool according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also includes: a first vacuum generating member and a second vacuum generating member; The air port of the first vacuum generating element is in communication with the first vacuum pipeline, and the air port of the second vacuum generating element is in communication with the second vacuum pipeline; The first vacuum pipeline is configured to open when the first wafer overlaps with the positioning mark, or when the second wafer overlaps with the positioning mark; the second vacuum generating element is configured to open when the second mounting surface (210) contacts the first wafer and the first vacuum generating element is closed.

6. The wafer alignment tool according to claim 4, characterized in that: The plurality of first vacuum suction holes (120) are evenly distributed within the range of the positioning notches of the first mounting surface (110); and the plurality of second vacuum suction holes (220) are evenly distributed within the range of the second mounting surface (210) corresponding to the positioning notches.

7. The wafer alignment tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first positioning plate (100) is provided with a first notch (130), and the first wafer or the second wafer is used to abut against the first notch (130); And / or, a second notch (230) is provided on the second positioning plate (200), and the first wafer is used to abut against the second notch (230).

8. The wafer alignment tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer diameter of the second mounting surface (210) is the same as that of the first wafer.

9. The wafer alignment tool according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Also included: a rack (400); The first positioning plate (100), the second positioning plate (200) and the moving mechanism (300) are mounted on the frame (400); a vertical guide rail (410) for the second positioning plate (200) to slide is further provided on the frame (400), and the vertical guide rail (410) is perpendicular to the first mounting surface (110).

10. The wafer alignment tool according to claim 9, characterized in that: The moving mechanism (300) comprises: a mounting seat (310), a screw rod (320) and a hand wheel (330); The mounting seat (310) is fixedly mounted on the frame (400), the second positioning plate (200) is threadedly mounted on the screw rod (320), one end of the screw rod (320) is rotatably disposed in the mounting seat (310), and the other end of the screw rod (320) is connected to the hand wheel (330).

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