Automatic feeding mechanism of epitaxial equipment
By designing an automated feeding mechanism for epitaxial wafer equipment, and utilizing devices such as dual-arm robotic arms and purge nozzles, the problems of low wafer handling efficiency and high contamination risk were solved, achieving an efficient and clean wafer transfer process and ensuring product quality.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422967658.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-02
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-11
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-02
AI Technical Summary
In existing high-temperature vapor phase silicon carbide epitaxial furnaces, the wafer handling and placement operations are inefficient, require manual intervention, increase the risk of wafer contamination, and affect product quality.
Design an automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment, including a process chamber, a sample feeding chamber, a robotic arm chamber, and a wafer cassette chamber. A dual-arm robotic arm is used to transfer the tray and wafers. Purging nozzles and lifting devices are installed in each chamber to keep the chamber clean and reduce the contact between the wafers and the outside environment.
This achieves a continuous and seamless connection between wafer removal and storage, improving work efficiency, reducing the risk of wafer contamination, and enhancing product cleanliness and yield.
Smart Images
Figure CN223535297U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor wafer manufacturing technology, specifically to an automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment. Background Technology
[0002] In high-temperature vapor phase silicon carbide epitaxial furnaces, operators first place the silicon carbide substrate in a graphite tray in the sample loading chamber. Then, a robotic arm transfers the graphite tray and substrate to the process chamber for growth. After growth, the robotic arm removes the graphite tray and substrate from the process chamber and transfers them back to the sample loading chamber. Finally, the operator removes the grown substrate (wafer) from the graphite tray. This method is convenient but inefficient, requires manual handling of materials, and increases the wafer's contact with the external environment, increasing the risk of contamination and potentially leading to product defects and compromised product quality. Utility Model Content
[0003] To address the aforementioned shortcomings, the purpose of this utility model is to provide an automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment that has a reasonable structural design, reduces the probability of wafer contamination, and has high working efficiency.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided by this utility model is as follows:
[0005] An automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment includes a process chamber, a sample inlet chamber, a robotic arm chamber, and a wafer cassette chamber. The process chamber, sample inlet chamber, and wafer cassette chamber are distributed around the periphery of the robotic arm chamber. The walls of the robotic arm chamber are provided with corresponding process ports, sample inlets, and wafer cassette ports that communicate with the process chamber, sample inlet chamber, and wafer cassette chamber. The robotic arm chamber is equipped with a dual-arm robotic arm capable of conveying trays to the process chamber and sample inlet chamber, and conveying wafers to the sample inlet chamber and wafer cassette chamber.
[0006] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the dual-arm robotic arm includes a support frame, a large arm, a lower arm, an upper arm, an upper three-joint arm, a lower three-joint arm, a tray fork, and a wafer fork. One end of the large arm is rotatably mounted on the support frame, one end of the lower arm and one end of the upper arm are rotatably mounted on the other end of the large arm, one end of the lower three-joint arm is rotatably mounted on the other end of the lower arm, and the wafer fork is mounted on the other end of the lower three-joint arm; one end of the upper three-joint arm is rotatably mounted on the other end of the upper arm, and the tray fork is mounted on the other end of the upper three-joint arm.
[0007] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the wafer cassette cavity includes a cavity body, a lid, a lifting device, and a wafer cassette. The top of the cavity body is provided with an opening, and the lid is closed on the opening. The cavity wall of the cavity body facing the robotic arm cavity is provided with a wafer window that is aligned with the opening of the wafer cassette. The lifting device is disposed inside the cavity body, and the wafer cassette is disposed on the lifting device.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the cavity is equipped with a purge nozzle. This nozzle is used to introduce clean gas into the cavity and maintain the internal pressure slightly higher than the external pressure, preventing other gases or suspended matter from entering and contaminating the wafer, thus keeping the cavity clean.
[0009] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the lifting device is an electric cylinder, which has the advantages of smooth lifting operation and low noise.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the sample inlet chamber includes a sample chamber body, a sample chamber cover, a tray base, a rotating tray, a push rod, an up-and-down drive device, a rotary motor, and a hollow motor. The sample chamber cover covers the sample chamber body, the hollow motor is located at the bottom of the sample chamber body, the rotating tray is located on the hollow shaft of the hollow motor, and the tray base is located on the rotating tray. Both the rotating tray and the tray base are provided with through holes aligned with the hollow shaft. The rotary motor is located on the bottom surface of the sample chamber body via the up-and-down drive device. One end of the push rod is located on the shaft of the rotary motor, and the other end passes through the hollow shaft.
[0011] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the up-down driving device includes a cylinder and a linkage plate. The two cylinders are symmetrically arranged on the bottom surface of the sample cavity. The two ends of the linkage plate are correspondingly installed on the piston rods of the two cylinders. The rotary motor is located at the center of the linkage plate.
[0012] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the sample cavity cover is equipped with a camera, which is used to locate the edge of the wafer.
[0013] As a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the inner wall of the sample cavity is provided with a purge nozzle for introducing clean gas and maintaining the gas pressure slightly higher than the outside pressure, so as to prevent other gases or suspended matter from entering and contaminating the wafer and keeping the cavity clean.
[0014] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the push rod is a hollow rod with a suction cup opening at the upper end and an air pipe connector at the lower end. A vacuum pump is connected via the air pipe connector, allowing the wafer to be adsorbed onto the push rod through the suction cup opening during wafer handling, thus preventing the wafer from falling.
[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: The structure of this utility model is reasonably designed, with the process chamber, sample injection chamber and wafer cassette chamber distributed on the side of the robotic arm chamber. The dual-arm robotic arm in the robotic arm chamber can transfer trays to the process chamber and sample injection chamber and transfer wafers to the sample injection chamber and wafer cassette chamber, realizing a continuous and seamless connection from wafer removal, process growth to storage. This not only improves work efficiency, but also reduces the contact between wafers and the external environment, reduces the risk of wafer contamination, improves product cleanliness and yield, and ensures product quality.
[0016] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the robotic arm cavity and the dual-arm robotic arm in this utility model.
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the middle section box cavity in this utility model.
[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the opening structure of the sample inlet chamber in this utility model.
[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the full cross-sectional structure of the sample inlet chamber in this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0022] See the example. Figures 1 to 5 This embodiment provides an automatic feeding mechanism for an epitaxial device, which includes a process chamber 1, a sample inlet chamber 2, a robotic arm chamber 3, and a wafer cassette chamber 4. The process chamber 1, sample inlet chamber 2, and wafer cassette chamber 4 are distributed around the periphery of the robotic arm chamber 3. The wall of the robotic arm chamber 3 is provided with a process port 31, a sample inlet 32, and a wafer cassette port 33, which are respectively connected to the process chamber 1, the sample inlet chamber 2, and the wafer cassette chamber 4.
[0023] The robotic arm cavity 3 is equipped with a dual-arm robotic arm 5 capable of conveying trays to the process cavity 1 and the sample injection cavity 2, and conveying wafers to the sample injection cavity 2 and the wafer cassette cavity 4. Specifically, the dual-arm robotic arm 5 includes a support frame 51, a large arm 52, a lower arm 53, an upper arm 54, an upper three-joint arm 55, a lower three-joint arm 56, a tray fork 57, and a wafer fork 58. One end of the large arm 52 is rotatably mounted on the support frame 51, and one end of the lower arm 53 and the upper arm 54 are rotatably mounted on the other end of the large arm 52. One end of the lower three-joint arm 56 is rotatably mounted on the other end of the lower arm 53, and the wafer fork 58 is mounted on the other end of the lower three-joint arm 56. One end of the upper three-joint arm 55 is rotatably mounted on the other end of the upper arm 54, and the tray fork 57 is mounted on the other end of the upper three-joint arm 55. The lower arm 53 and the upper arm 54 are distributed vertically, so that the tray fork 57 and the wafer fork 58 do not interfere with each other during operation.
[0024] The wafer cassette cavity 4 includes a cavity body 41, a cover 42, a lifting device 43, and a wafer cassette 44. The top of the cavity body 41 has an opening, and the cover 42 closes the opening. The cover 42 can be removed by an operator to replace the wafer cassette 44. The cavity wall of the cavity body 41 facing the robotic arm cavity 3 has a wafer window 411 aligned with the wafer cassette opening 33. The lifting device 43 is disposed within the cavity body 41, and the wafer cassette 44 is mounted on the lifting device 43. The wafer cassette 44 is used to store multiple wafers. The lifting device 43 is preferably an electric cylinder, which offers advantages such as smooth lifting operation and low noise. The lifting device 43 adjusts the vertical position of the wafer cassette 44, allowing the wafer fork 58 to select and place wafers at any position. Preferably, a purge nozzle 6 is provided within the cavity body 41. This is used to introduce clean gas into the cavity 41 and maintain the gas pressure inside the cavity 41 slightly higher than the outside pressure, so as to prevent other gases or suspended matter from entering and contaminating the wafer, and to keep the cavity clean.
[0025] The sample inlet chamber 2 includes a sample chamber body 21, a sample chamber cover 22, a tray base 23, a rotating tray 24, a push rod 25, an up-and-down drive device 26, a rotary motor 27, a hollow motor 28, and a camera 29. The sample chamber cover 22 is connected to the sample chamber body 21 via a hinge and can be flipped to cover the sample chamber body 21. The camera 29 is mounted on the sample chamber cover 22 via a bracket and is used for edge-finding and positioning of the wafer. The sample chamber body 21 has a sample chamber window on its wall that is aligned with the sample inlet 32. The hollow motor 28 is located at the bottom of the sample chamber body 21. The rotating tray 24 is mounted on the hollow shaft of the hollow motor 28. The tray base 23 is mounted on the rotating tray 24. Both the rotating tray 24 and the tray base 23 have through holes aligned with the hollow shaft.
[0026] The rotary motor 27 is mounted on the bottom surface of the sample cavity 21 via a vertical drive device 26 and is driven by the vertical drive device 26 to move up and down. Specifically, the vertical drive device 26 includes cylinders 261 and a linkage plate 262. Two cylinders 261 are symmetrically arranged on the bottom surface of the sample cavity 21, and the two ends of the linkage plate 262 are correspondingly mounted on the piston rods of the two cylinders 261. The rotary motor 27 is located at the center of the linkage plate 262.
[0027] One end of the push rod 25 is mounted on the shaft of the rotary motor 27, and the other end passes through the hollow shaft. The push rod 25 is used to push the wafer out of the tray or to slowly place the wafer into the tray. The push rod 25 is preferably a hollow rod with a suction cup at the upper end and an air pipe connector at the lower end. A vacuum pump is connected through the air pipe connector, and during wafer handling, the wafer is attracted to the push rod 25 through the suction cup to prevent it from falling. The rotary motor 27 controls the rotation of the push rod 25 and works with the camera 29 to locate the wafer at the edge. Preferably, a purge nozzle 6 is also provided on the inner wall of the sample chamber 21 to introduce clean gas and maintain a pressure slightly higher than the outside pressure, preventing other gases or suspended matter from entering and contaminating the wafer, thus keeping the chamber clean.
[0028] The operating procedure is as follows:
[0029] S1: The operator opens the sample cavity cover 22, places the tray on the tray base 23, and closes the sample cavity cover 22; the camera 29 detects the orientation of the tray and controls the hollow motor 28 to rotate a certain angle so that the graphite tray reaches the initial position and orientation.
[0030] S2: The upper arm 52, lower arm 53, lower three-joint arm 56 and wafer fork 58 work together to pass through the wafer cassette opening 33 and wafer window 411, take out a wafer from the wafer cassette cavity 4 and transfer it to the position above the tray in the sample injection cavity 2; the cylinder 261 retracts, and the push rod 25 pushes the wafer off the wafer fork 58, and the wafer fork 58 retracts into the robotic arm cavity 3.
[0031] S3: The wafer orientation is obtained by camera 29 and rotated by rotary motor 27 to make the wafer orientation consistent with the tray orientation; cylinder 261 extends and push rod 25 descends to place the wafer into the corresponding groove of the tray.
[0032] S4: The wafer-loaded tray is transferred to the process chamber 1 through the injection port 32 and sample cavity window via the cooperation of the large arm 52, upper arm 54, upper three-joint arm 55 and tray fork 57. After growth is completed, the tray is transferred back from the process chamber 1 to the injection chamber 2. After cleaning and removal, the push rod 25 ejects the wafer. Then, the wafer is transferred from the injection chamber 2 to the wafer cassette chamber 4 via the cooperation of the large arm 52, lower arm 53, lower three-joint arm 56 and wafer fork 58. This achieves a continuous and seamless connection from wafer removal, process growth to storage, which not only improves work efficiency, but also reduces the contact between the wafer and the external environment, reduces the risk of wafer contamination, improves product cleanliness and pass rate, and ensures product quality.
[0033] Based on the disclosure and teachings of the above specification, those skilled in the art can make changes and modifications to the above embodiments. Therefore, this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and described above, and some modifications and changes to this utility model should also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model. Furthermore, although some specific terms are used in this specification, these terms are only for convenience of explanation and do not constitute any limitation on this utility model. Any mechanism that is the same as or similar to that used is within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. An automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial growth equipment, comprising a process chamber and a sample feeding chamber, characterized in that, It also includes a robotic arm cavity and a wafer cassette cavity. The process cavity, sample injection cavity, and wafer cassette cavity are distributed around the periphery of the robotic arm cavity. The walls of the robotic arm cavity are provided with corresponding process ports, sample injection ports, and wafer cassette ports that communicate with the process cavity, sample injection cavity, and wafer cassette cavity. The robotic arm cavity is equipped with a dual-arm robotic arm that can transfer trays to the process cavity and sample injection cavity and transfer wafers to the sample injection cavity and wafer cassette cavity.
2. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dual-arm robotic arm includes a support frame, a large arm, a lower arm, an upper arm, an upper three-joint arm, a lower three-joint arm, a tray fork, and a wafer fork. One end of the large arm is rotatably mounted on the support frame, and one end of the lower arm and one end of the upper arm are rotatably mounted on the other end of the large arm. One end of the lower three-joint arm is rotatably mounted on the other end of the lower arm, and the wafer fork is mounted on the other end of the lower three-joint arm. One end of the upper three-joint arm is rotatably mounted on the other end of the upper arm, and the tray fork is mounted on the other end of the upper three-joint arm.
3. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer cassette cavity includes a cavity body, a lid, a lifting device, and a wafer cassette. The top of the cavity body has an opening, and the lid closes the opening. The cavity wall of the cavity body facing the robotic arm cavity has a wafer window that is aligned with the opening of the wafer cassette. The lifting device is located inside the cavity body, and the wafer cassette is mounted on the lifting device.
4. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cavity of the box is equipped with a purge nozzle.
5. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lifting device is an electric cylinder.
6. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample inlet chamber includes a sample chamber body, a sample chamber cover, a tray base, a rotating tray, a push rod, an up-and-down drive device, a rotary motor, and a hollow motor. The sample chamber cover covers the sample chamber body. The hollow motor is located at the bottom of the sample chamber body. The rotating tray is located on the hollow shaft of the hollow motor. The tray base is located on the rotating tray. Both the rotating tray and the tray base have through holes aligned with the hollow shaft. The rotary motor is located on the bottom surface of the sample chamber body via the up-and-down drive device. One end of the push rod is located on the shaft of the rotary motor, and the other end passes through the hollow shaft.
7. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The up-and-down driving device includes cylinders and a linkage plate. Two cylinders are symmetrically arranged on the bottom surface of the sample cavity. The two ends of the linkage plate are respectively installed on the piston rods of the two cylinders. The rotary motor is located at the center of the linkage plate.
8. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: A camera is installed on the sample cavity cover.
9. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inner wall of the sample cavity is equipped with a purge nozzle.
10. The automatic feeding mechanism for epitaxial equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The top rod is a hollow rod with a suction cup at the upper end and an air pipe connector at the lower end.