Wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment, which comprises a conveying mechanism, the conveying mechanism comprises a base, a rotary driving device, an arm bearing platform and a wafer taking arm, and the arm bearing platform can drive the wafer taking arm to rotate under the action of the rotary driving device; communicating holes are formed in the arm bearing platform, the rotary driving device and the base, so that the arm bearing platform, the rotary driving device and the interior of the base are communicated; the conveying device further comprises an exhaust mechanism. The exhaust mechanism comprises an exhaust pipe, one end of the exhaust pipe communicates with the communicating hole, the other end of the exhaust pipe is used for being connected with an air extractor, and impurities generated during running of the conveying mechanism can be sucked. According to the conveying device provided by the invention, impurities generated during operation of the conveying mechanism can be sucked, so that the environment of a conveying area is clean and dust-free, meanwhile, pollution sources of a process cavity and a wafer box are effectively reduced, and finally, the purposes of reducing particles on the surface of a wafer and improving the yield are achieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of semiconductor production, concretely relates to a wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] The wafer for semiconductor is the raw material of the bottom layer of integrated circuit manufacturing, with the rapid development of semiconductor integrated circuit technology, the chip manufacturer also more and more high quality wafer requirements.In the wafer processing and manufacturing process, wafer cleaning is an essential process to obtain high-quality wafers, and its main purpose is to remove organic contamination, particles, metal and other impurities on the wafer surface.When using cleaning equipment to clean the wafer, the wafer needs to be conveyed from the wafer box to the process cavity through the wafer conveying device first, then the wafer is cleaned in the cavity, and finally the wafer is conveyed from the process cavity to the wafer box through the conveying device.

[0003] In the actual process of cleaning the wafer, the conveying device needs to continuously convey the wafer to be cleaned or the wafer after cleaning, so the arm of the conveying device needs to continuously perform actions such as lifting, rotating and stretching, and each action of the arm is completed by a motor driving a belt (the belt drives the mechanism) or a motor directly driving the mechanism, so that the inside of the conveying device will generate debris and particles due to the action of the motor, the belt and the mechanism.Under ideal conditions, if the shell of the conveying device is completely sealed, the debris and particles inside cannot overflow, but in actual conditions, the conveying device cannot be completely sealed during processing and assembly, and there will be gaps at the connection of the shell or the action of the mechanism, which will cause debris and particles to overflow during the action of the conveying device, and then the particles will enter the process cavity and the wafer box and cause pollution, or the particles will directly adhere to the wafer surface and cause particle out-of-specification quality anomalies.

[0004] Therefore, the wafer conveying device of the cleaning equipment is further improved, so that the debris and particles inside cannot overflow, the environment of the conveying area is clean and dust-free, the pollution source of the process cavity and the wafer box is effectively reduced, and the purpose of reducing the particles on the wafer surface is ultimately achieved.This has important technical value for subsequent improvement of product yield, cost reduction and avoidance of complaints. UTILITY MODEL CONTENTS

[0005] The utility model aims at providing a wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment to solve the problems in the prior art.

[0006] The utility model aims at providing a wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment to solve the problems in the prior art.

[0007] A wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment, comprising a conveying mechanism, the conveying mechanism comprising a base, a rotary driving device on the base, an arm support on the rotary driving device, and an extendable wafer taking arm on the arm support, the arm support being able to drive the wafer taking arm to rotate under the driving action of the rotary driving device.

[0008] The arm support, the rotary driving device and the base are provided with a communication hole, so that the inside of the arm support, the rotary driving device and the base are communicated.

[0009] The conveying device further comprises an exhaust mechanism; the exhaust mechanism comprises an exhaust pipe, one end of the exhaust pipe being communicated with the communication hole, and the other end being used for being connected with a suction device, so as to suck the impurities generated when the conveying mechanism operates.

[0010] Preferably, the bottom of the base is provided with a shell, and the exhaust pipe is fixed on the shell.

[0011] Preferably, the shell is further provided with a wire pipe for accommodating the wire used by the conveying mechanism.

[0012] Preferably, the exhaust pipe and the wire pipe are U-shaped.

[0013] Preferably, the exhaust pipe and the wire pipe are installed on the shell through flanges.

[0014] Preferably, the wafer taking arm comprises an upper arm and a lower arm, the upper arm comprising a first fork and a first driving device; the lower arm comprising a second fork and a second driving device; the second fork being located below the first fork; the first driving device and the second driving device being located on the arm support; the first fork and the second fork being able to extend and retract to take and place wafers under the action of the first driving device and the second driving device respectively.

[0015] Preferably, the upper arm further comprises a first connecting shaft, the first connecting shaft comprising three shafts, from top to bottom being a first upper side shaft, a first middle side shaft and a first lower side shaft.

[0016] One end of the first upper side shaft is connected with the first fork, and the other end is rotationally connected with one end of the first middle side shaft; the other end of the first middle side shaft is rotationally connected with one end of the first lower side shaft; the other end of the first lower side shaft is connected with the first driving device; first transmission belts are arranged between the first driving device and the first lower side shaft, between the first lower side shaft and the first middle side shaft, and between the first middle side shaft and the first upper side shaft.

[0017] The first driving device is used to drive the first lower side shaft to rotate, and then synchronously drive the first middle side shaft and the first upper side shaft to rotate, so as to realize the extension or retraction of the three shafts of the first connecting shaft to take or place a wafer.

[0018] Preferably, the lower arm further comprises a second connecting shaft, which also comprises three shafts, from top to bottom, a second upper side shaft, a second middle side shaft and a second lower side shaft.

[0019] One end of the second upper side shaft is connected with the second fork, and the other end is rotationally connected with one end of the second middle side shaft; the other end of the second middle side shaft is rotationally connected with one end of the second lower side shaft; the other end of the second lower side shaft is connected with the second driving device; the second driving device, the second lower side shaft, the second middle side shaft and the second upper side shaft are all provided with a second transmission belt.

[0020] The second driving device is used to drive the second lower side shaft to rotate, and then synchronously drive the second middle side shaft and the second upper side shaft to rotate, so as to realize the extension or retraction of the three shafts of the second connecting shaft to take or place a wafer.

[0021] Preferably, the first middle side shaft of the upper arm, the first lower side shaft and the second middle side shaft and the second lower side shaft of the lower arm are respectively located on the left and right sides of the arm support platform.

[0022] The first middle side shaft and the second middle side shaft have the same structure, and the first lower side shaft and the second lower side shaft have the same structure, which are all long strips; the second upper side shaft is also a long strip, and the first upper side shaft is L-shaped, has a corner, and is provided with a U-shaped groove below the corner, so that the lower arm can extend or retract to take or place a wafer through the U-shaped groove.

[0023] Preferably, the first fork and the second fork are both provided with a wafer support platform.

[0024] The conveying device provided by the application can absorb impurities generated during the operation of the conveying mechanism, so as to ensure that the environment of the conveying area is clean and dust-free, effectively reduce the pollution source of the process cavity and the wafer box, and ultimately achieve the purpose of reducing wafer surface particles and improving yield. Therefore, the wafer conveying device provided by the application has good practical value and technical improvement significance in the semiconductor wafer processing and cleaning process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] Fig. 1 is a right side schematic view of the conveying device provided by the application;

[0026] Fig. 2is a schematic view of the left side of the conveying device provided by the present application;

[0027] Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the bottom of the conveying device provided by the present application;

[0028] Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the top of the conveying device provided by the present application;

[0029] Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the right side of the upper part of the conveying device provided by the present application;

[0030] Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the back side of the upper part of the conveying device provided by the present application;

[0031] Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the base shell of the conveying device provided by the present application.

[0032] Explanation of reference signs:

[0033] 1 - upper arm; 2 - base; 3 - wire tube; 4 - lower arm; 5 - first fork; 6 - wafer; 7 - rotary drive device; 8 - shell; 9 - exhaust pipe; 10 - protective shell; 11 - first screw; 12 - second screw; 13 - wafer support; 14 - flange; 15 - U-shaped groove; 16 - arm support; 17 - second fork. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment provided by the present application, as shown in Figs. 1-7 , comprises a conveying mechanism and an exhaust mechanism.

[0035] The conveying mechanism comprises a base 2, a rotary drive device 7, an arm support 16 and a wafer taking arm. The base 2 is used to support the whole conveying mechanism, and the base is connected with the machine table lifting mechanism to drive the whole conveying mechanism to ascend or descend. The rotary drive device 7 is installed on the base 2, the wafer taking arm is installed on the arm support 16, and the arm support is located at the output end of the rotary drive device and can rotate under the driving action of the rotary drive device to drive the wafer taking arm to rotate. The rotary drive device preferably adopts a motor. The wafer taking arm can be telescopic and is used to take and place wafers.

[0036] Since the arm support 16 and the base 2 are internally provided with a rotary motor, an output shaft or a belt mechanism, etc., the mechanisms will also move when the conveying device moves, thus continuously generating debris and particles. Moreover, the rotary motor cannot be completely sealed, and its interior is hollow and has a hole for passing through a wire, so the debris and particles generated during work are easy to overflow. In view of the above technical problems, the present application is provided with an exhaust mechanism which can extract the debris and particles. The exhaust mechanism will be described in detail below in combination with the drawings.

[0037] The arm support 16, the rotating driving device 7 and the base 2 are provided with a communication hole, so that the arm support, the rotating driving device and the base are communicated.

[0038] The exhaust mechanism comprises an exhaust pipe 9, one end of the exhaust pipe 9 is communicated with the communication hole, and the other end is used for being connected with an exhaust device such as a factory exhaust system, and under the action of the exhaust device, the air inside the arm support, the rotating driving device and the base can be extracted, so that all the chippings and particles inside the conveying mechanism can be extracted, and the chippings and particles can be effectively prevented from overflowing to the outside of the rotating driving device.

[0039] Therefore, the conveying device provided by the application can suck the impurities generated during the operation of the conveying mechanism, so as to ensure that the conveying area is clean and dust-free, effectively reduce the pollution source of the process cavity and the wafer box, and finally achieve the purpose of reducing the wafer surface particles and improving the yield. Therefore, the wafer conveying device provided by the application has good practical value and technical improvement significance in the semiconductor wafer processing and cleaning process.

[0040] Preferably, the bottom of the base 2 is provided with a shell 8, and the exhaust pipe 9 is fixed on the shell 8. The shell is also provided with a wire pipe 3 for accommodating the lines or air pipes used by the conveying mechanism. Further, the shell 8 is fixed on the base 2 by eight first screws 11, and one flange 14 is installed in each of two holes formed on one side of the shell 8, and the flanges 14 are fixed by six second screws 12. Then, one pipe is installed below each flange 14, and the pipe close to the front side is the exhaust pipe 9, and the pipe at the rear side is the wire pipe 3. One end of the exhaust pipe 9 is connected to the factory exhaust system, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 9 is used for extracting the air inside the conveying device. The other end of the wire pipe is fixed on the machine table, and the wires and air pipes used by the conveying device are connected to the machine table through the pipes inside the wire pipe. Preferably, the two pipes are made in U shape, so as to ensure that there is enough pipe margin when the conveying device is lifted.

[0041] Preferably, the wafer taking arm comprises an upper arm 1 and a lower arm 4. The upper arm comprises a first fork 5 and a first driving device. The lower arm comprises a second fork 17 and a second driving device. The first driving device and the second driving device are located on the arm support 16. The second fork 17 is located below the first fork 5. The first fork and the second fork can be extended and retracted to take and place the wafers under the action of the first driving device and the second driving device. The first driving device and the second driving device preferably adopt motors, and a protective shell 10 can be arranged outside the motor, so as to further prevent the impurities from overflowing and polluting the wafers.

[0042] The wafer taking arm of the application comprises two forks arranged in upper and lower positions. The particles and chippings generated due to the friction when the upper arm takes and places the wafers fall on the fork of the lower arm, so the lower arm 4 is preferably used to take and place the unwashed wafers, and the upper arm 1 is used to take and place the washed wafers, i.e. clean wafers, so as to effectively prevent the wafers from being polluted.

[0043] Preferably, the first and second prongs 5 and 17 are provided with wafer supporting platforms 13 for supporting the wafer 6. There are four wafer supporting platforms 13 on each of the first and second prongs, which are distributed at the front and back ends of the first and second prongs.

[0044] Preferably, the upper arm 1 further comprises a first connecting shaft, which comprises three shafts, from top to bottom, a first upper shaft, a first middle shaft and a first lower shaft.

[0045] One end of the first upper shaft is connected with the first prong 5, and the other end is rotatably connected with one end of the first middle shaft. The other end of the first middle shaft is rotatably connected with one end of the first lower shaft. The other end of the first lower shaft is connected with the first driving device. First transmission belts are arranged between the first driving device and the first lower shaft, between the first lower shaft and the first middle shaft, and between the first middle shaft and the first upper shaft.

[0046] The first driving device is used to drive the first lower shaft to rotate, and the first middle shaft and the first upper shaft rotate synchronously under the action of the first transmission belts, so as to realize the forward stretching or backward folding of the three shafts of the first connecting shaft, and complete the action of taking and placing the wafer.

[0047] The lower arm 4 has the same structure as the upper arm 1. Specifically, the lower arm 4 further comprises a second connecting shaft, which also comprises three shafts, from top to bottom, a second upper shaft, a second middle shaft and a second lower shaft.

[0048] One end of the second upper shaft is connected with the second prong 17, and the other end is rotatably connected with one end of the second middle shaft. The other end of the second middle shaft is rotatably connected with one end of the second lower shaft. The other end of the second lower shaft is connected with the second driving device.

[0049] Second transmission belts are arranged between the second driving device and the second lower shaft, between the second lower shaft and the second middle shaft, and between the second middle shaft and the second upper shaft. The second driving device is used to drive the second lower shaft to rotate, and then synchronously drive the second middle shaft and the second upper shaft to rotate, so as to realize the stretching or retraction of the three shafts of the second connecting shaft to take and place the wafer.

[0050] Preferably, the first middle side shaft of the upper arm, the first lower side shaft and the second middle side shaft of the lower arm, the second lower side shaft are respectively located on the left and right sides of the arm support platform, the first middle side shaft and the second middle side shaft are the same in structure, the first lower side shaft and the second lower side shaft are the same in structure, and all are long strips. Since the second fork is located below the first fork, the second upper side shaft is located below the first upper side shaft. In order to prevent the first upper side shaft and the first fork from affecting the movement of the second upper side shaft and the second fork, the first upper side shaft and the second upper side shaft are different in structure. Specifically, the second upper side shaft is also a long strip, the first upper side shaft is L-shaped, has a right-angle corner, and is provided with a U-shaped groove 15 below the corner, so that the second upper side shaft and the second fork of the lower arm can be extended and retracted to take and place the wafer through the U-shaped groove.

[0051] In use, the base is installed on the machine table lifting mechanism, at this time, the three shafts of the upper arm and the lower arm are all in the retracted and folded state as shown in Figs. 1-2 When it is necessary to take the wafer, the rotating drive device 7 drives the arm support platform 16 and the wafer taking arm to rotate to below the wafer 6, and then the machine table lifting mechanism drives the conveying device to rise. When it is necessary to take and place the cleaned wafer, the first drive device is actuated to drive the first upper side shaft to rotate to the front, and under the action of the first conveying belt, the first middle side shaft and the first upper side shaft are synchronously rotated to the front, the three shafts are linearly extended forward, and the first fork is just located below the wafer. The wafer 6 is lifted up through the four wafer support platforms 13, then the rotating drive device drives the first fork to move to the target position, the machine table lifting mechanism drives the conveying device to descend to complete the wafer placement. The debris and particles generated due to friction during the operation of the upper arm fall onto the lower arm, thus contaminating the lower arm. Therefore, when the unwashed wafer is taken and placed, the lower arm is actuated, and the upper arm is not actuated. By limiting the lower arm 4 to take and place the unwashed wafer, and limiting the upper arm 1 to take and place the cleaned wafer, i.e. the clean wafer, the wafer contamination can be effectively prevented. When the conveying mechanism is actuated, the exhaust pipe can timely exhaust the air inside the base, the rotating drive device and the arm support platform, so as to prevent the particles and debris generated inside from overflowing, and further reduce the wafer contamination.

[0052] Although the preferred embodiments of the present application have been described, those skilled in the art who know the basic inventive concept can make further changes and modifications to the embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and changes of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application also intends to include these modifications and changes.

Claims

1. A wafer transfer device for a cleaning equipment, comprising a transfer mechanism, the transfer mechanism including a base, a rotary drive device located on the base, an arm support located on the rotary drive device, and a retractable wafer-picking arm located on the arm support, wherein the arm support is capable of rotating the wafer-picking arm under the driving action of the rotary drive device; characterized in that, The arm support, the rotary drive device, and the base are provided with connecting holes to allow internal communication between the arm support, the rotary drive device, and the base. The conveying device also includes an exhaust mechanism; the exhaust mechanism includes an exhaust pipe, one end of which is connected to the connecting hole, and the other end is used to connect to an air extraction device, which can absorb impurities generated during the operation of the conveying mechanism.

2. The wafer transfer device for cleaning equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The base has a housing at its bottom, and the exhaust pipe is fixed to the housing.

3. The wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The outer casing is also provided with conduit for housing the wiring used by the transmission mechanism.

4. The wafer transfer device for cleaning equipment as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The exhaust pipe and the conduit are U-shaped.

5. The wafer conveying device for cleaning equipment as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The exhaust pipe and the conduit are mounted on the housing via flanges.

6. The wafer transfer device for cleaning equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer picking arm includes an upper arm and a lower arm. The upper arm includes a first fork and a first driving device. The lower arm includes a second fork and a second driving device. The second fork is located below the first fork. The first driving device and the second driving device are both located on the arm support platform. The first fork and the second fork can extend and retract to pick up and place wafers under the action of the first driving device and the second driving device, respectively.

7. The wafer transfer device for cleaning equipment as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The upper arm also includes a first connecting shaft, which includes three shafts, from top to bottom: a first upper side shaft, a first middle side shaft, and a first lower side shaft. One end of the first upper side shaft is connected to the first fork, and the other end is rotatably connected to one end of the first middle side shaft; the other end of the first middle side shaft is rotatably connected to one end of the first lower side shaft. The other end of the first lower shaft is connected to the first drive device; a first transmission belt is provided between the first drive device and the first lower shaft, between the first lower shaft and the first middle shaft, and between the first middle shaft and the first upper shaft; The first driving device is used to drive the first lower side shaft to rotate, thereby synchronously driving the first middle side shaft and the first upper side shaft to rotate, so as to realize the extension or retraction of the three axes of the first connecting shaft for picking up and placing wafers.

8. The wafer transfer device for a cleaning apparatus as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The lower arm also includes a second connecting shaft, which also includes three shafts, from top to bottom: a second upper side shaft, a second middle side shaft, and a second lower side shaft. One end of the second upper shaft is connected to the second fork, and the other end is rotatably connected to one end of the second middle shaft; the other end of the second middle shaft is rotatably connected to one end of the second lower shaft; the other end of the second lower shaft is connected to the second drive device; a second transmission belt is provided between the second drive device and the second lower shaft, between the second lower shaft and the second middle shaft, and between the second middle shaft and the second upper shaft; The second driving device is used to drive the second lower side shaft to rotate, thereby synchronously driving the second middle side shaft and the second upper side shaft to rotate, so as to realize the extension or retraction of the three axes of the second connecting shaft for picking up and placing wafers.

9. The wafer transfer device for a cleaning equipment as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The first middle side shaft and the first lower side shaft of the upper arm, and the second middle side shaft and the second lower side shaft of the lower arm are respectively located on the left and right sides of the arm support. The first middle side shaft has the same structure as the second middle side shaft, and the first lower side shaft has the same structure as the second lower side shaft, both being elongated strips; the second upper side shaft is also elongated strips, and the first upper side shaft is L-shaped with a corner, and a U-shaped groove is provided below the corner, so that the lower arm can extend and retract through the U-shaped groove to pick up and place wafers.

10. The wafer transfer device for a cleaning apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Both the first fork and the second fork are provided with wafer support platforms.

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