Plate library mechanism and photoetching machine

By introducing attitude adjustment and segmented transport mechanisms into the lithography machine substrate storage mechanism, the problems of damage and structural complexity during mask transportation have been solved, achieving efficient and safe mask transportation and storage.

CN223611838UActive Publication Date: 2025-11-28SHENZHEN WENDING CORE POLYMER TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202422099234.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-08-27
Publication Date
2025-11-28
Estimated Expiration
2034-08-27

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing lithography machine mask storage mechanisms are prone to damaging masks during transportation and storage, and the complex structure of the transportation mechanism increases costs.

Method used

A mask storage mechanism was designed, comprising a mask storage unit, an attitude adjustment mechanism, and a transport mechanism. By setting an attitude adjustment mechanism between the mask stage and the mask storage unit, the attitude of the mask can be adjusted to meet the requirements of entering and exiting the storage space, simplifying the transport path. The mask is transported in segments by the first and second transport mechanisms, ensuring that the mask attitude is accurate and does not require secondary adjustment.

Benefits of technology

It effectively simplifies the structure of the transportation mechanism, improves the accuracy and safety of mask transportation, reduces the probability of mask damage, and lowers transportation difficulty and cost.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The utility model mainly relates to a plate library mechanism and a photoetching machine, the plate library mechanism is used for the photoetching machine, and the plate library mechanism comprises: a plate library comprising a bearing main body and a plurality of bearing boxes arranged at intervals; the posture adjusting mechanism is provided with a first bearing plane for supporting the mask plate, and is at least used for adjusting the posture of the mask plate which is conveyed back to the posture adjusting mechanism from a mask table of the photoetching machine in the first bearing plane; the first conveying mechanism conveys the mask plate subjected to posture adjustment through the posture adjustment mechanism to the containing space of the bearing box from the posture adjustment mechanism through the opening; wherein a second bearing plane used for supporting the mask plate is arranged in the containing space, and the opening direction of an opening of the second bearing plane is parallel to the opening direction of the opening of the second bearing plane and is parallel to the first bearing plane. By means of the mode, the structure of the first conveying mechanism can be effectively simplified, meanwhile, the mask plate can be conveyed back to the containing space more accurately, and the probability that the mask plate is damaged is reduced.
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Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of photoetching machines, in particular to a plate library mechanism and a photoetching machine. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of photoetching technology, the demand for photoetching machines in various fields is increasingly obvious. In order to effectively improve the working efficiency of photoetching machines, the existing photoetching machines are usually equipped with corresponding plate library mechanisms to store different types of mask plates for the photoetching machines to quickly select corresponding mask plates for photoetching work. The existing plate library mechanism is generally provided with a transportation mechanism and a bearing box for storing mask plates. Due to the space limitation of the bearing box, it is difficult to put mask plates in and out of the bearing box. When the transportation mechanism takes out or puts in mask plates, the mask plates are easily bumped and damaged. At present, the transportation mechanism is usually configured with a posture adjusting function to adjust the posture of the mask plates while transporting the mask plates, so that the posture of the mask plates meets the posture requirements for entering and exiting the bearing box. However, the existing method causes the structure of the transportation mechanism to be relatively complex, thereby increasing the cost of the plate library mechanism. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0003] The present application provides a plate library mechanism for a photoetching machine, which comprises: a plate library comprising a bearing main body and a plurality of interval arranged bearing boxes arranged on the bearing main body, the bearing box comprising a box body and a cover, the box body is provided with a containing space with an opening for containing mask plates, the cover is movably connected with the box body for selectively opening or closing the opening; a posture adjusting mechanism provided with a first bearing plane for supporting mask plates, at least for adjusting the posture of the mask plates transported from a mask table of the photoetching machine to the posture adjusting mechanism in the first bearing plane; a first transportation mechanism comprising a first movement mechanism and a first grabbing mechanism arranged on the first movement mechanism, the first grabbing mechanism is used for grabbing mask plates, and the first movement mechanism is used for driving the first grabbing mechanism to move relative to the plate library and the posture adjusting mechanism to transport the mask plates adjusted in posture by the posture adjusting mechanism from the posture adjusting mechanism to the containing space through the opening; wherein the containing space is provided with a second bearing plane for supporting mask plates, and the opening direction of the opening of the second bearing plane is arranged in parallel with the first bearing plane.

[0004] In some embodiments, the first moving mechanism is further configured to take out the mask from the mask taking-out space along the opening and transport the mask to a posture adjusting mechanism, the posture adjusting mechanism is further configured to adjust a posture of the mask taken out from the mask taking-out space in the first bearing plane, and the plate library mechanism comprises: a second transport mechanism comprising a second moving mechanism and a second grabbing mechanism arranged on the second moving mechanism, the second moving mechanism is independently operable relative to the first moving mechanism, the second grabbing mechanism is configured to grab the mask, and the second moving mechanism is configured to drive the second grabbing mechanism to move between the posture adjusting mechanism and the mask table, so as to transport the mask adjusted by the posture adjusting mechanism to the mask table and / or transport the mask on the mask table to the posture adjusting mechanism.

[0005] In some embodiments, the mask table is provided with a third bearing plane configured to support the mask, and the third bearing plane is arranged in parallel with the first bearing plane.

[0006] In some embodiments, the second moving mechanism comprises a beam assembly and two groups of support assemblies arranged at intervals, the first transport mechanism, the posture adjusting mechanism and the plate library are located between the two groups of support assemblies, the second grabbing mechanism is arranged on the beam assembly, the beam assembly is arranged between the two groups of support assemblies, and the two ends of the beam assembly are movably connected with the two groups of support assemblies respectively; each support assembly comprises a movable member, a guide rail member and a support member configured to support the guide rail member, the extension direction of the guide rail member is arranged in parallel with the opening direction, the movable member is movably connected with the guide rail member, and the movable member is movable along the opening direction relative to the guide rail member, and the two ends of the beam assembly are connected with the corresponding movable members respectively, so that the beam assembly is movable along the opening direction relative to the guide rail members.

[0007] In some embodiments, the second grabbing mechanism comprises a mechanism body, a clamping assembly arranged on the mechanism body and a suction assembly arranged on the mechanism body, the mechanism body is arranged on the second moving mechanism, the clamping assembly and the suction assembly are independently operable, the suction assembly is configured to adsorb the surface of the mask by suction force, and the clamping assembly is configured to clamp the outer circumferential side of the mask.

[0008] In some embodiments, the posture adjusting mechanism comprises: an adjusting body arranged on the bearing body; and a counter-actuating mechanism comprising a first actuating member, a second actuating member and a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is in transmission connection with the first actuating member and / or the second actuating member, the first actuating member and the second actuating member are arranged at intervals relative to each other, the mask is located between the first actuating member and the second actuating member when the mask is placed on the first bearing plane, and the driving mechanism is configured to drive the first actuating member and the second actuating member to move relative to each other, so as to adjust the posture of the mask in the first bearing plane.

[0009] In some embodiments, the plate library mechanism further comprises an uncovering mechanism arranged on the first moving mechanism and configured to selectively open or close the opening by the cover, and the first moving mechanism is configured to drive the uncovering mechanism to move along the interval direction of the plurality of bearing boxes.

[0010] In some embodiments, the box body comprises at least two oppositely spaced side wall members and a bottom plate member connecting the two side wall members, the two side wall members and the bottom plate member form a containing space, the opening direction is parallel to the plate surface of the bottom plate member and perpendicular to the opposite direction of the two side wall members, the spacing direction is perpendicular to the plate surface of the bottom plate member, the side wall member away from the bottom plate member is provided with a first rotary connecting part, the cover body is provided with a second rotary connecting part, the first rotary connecting part is rotatably connected with the second rotary connecting part, so that the cover body can rotate relative to the box body, the opening mechanism is arranged on the side of one side wall member away from the containing space, along the opposite direction, the side of the cover body close to the opening mechanism is provided with an extension part, the opening mechanism is used for abutting against the extension part to drive the cover body to rotate relative to the box body.

[0011] In some embodiments, the spacing direction of the plurality of carrying boxes is perpendicular to the second carrying plane, and along the spacing direction, the plate library, the posture adjusting mechanism and the second grabbing mechanism are sequentially stacked, the first carrying plane is arranged on the top of the side of the posture adjusting mechanism away from the plate library, and is oppositely arranged with the second grabbing mechanism.

[0012] The application also provides a photolithography machine, which comprises a photolithography mechanism, a mask table and the plate library mechanism of any one of the above embodiments, the mask table is used for carrying a mask plate, and the photolithography mechanism is used for photolithography on a target to be photolithographed based on the mask plate.

[0013] The application has the following beneficial effects: the application provides a plate library mechanism, wherein the plate library mechanism comprises a plate library, a posture adjusting mechanism and a first conveying mechanism. The posture adjusting mechanism is arranged between the conveying path between the mask table and the plate library, and is used for at least adjusting the posture of the mask plate conveyed from the mask table to the posture adjusting mechanism, so that the posture of the mask plate meets the posture requirement of entering and exiting the containing space. Therefore, after the first grabbing mechanism grabs the mask plate, only the posture of the mask plate after the adjustment of the posture adjusting mechanism needs to be maintained, and when the first motion mechanism drives the first grabbing mechanism to move to the position where the opening is directly opposite, the mask plate can be directly conveyed to the containing space along the opening. Therefore, the first motion mechanism does not need to adjust the posture of the mask plate again, and the mask plate and the opening can be simply and efficiently aligned, and the mask plate can be conveyed to the containing space along the opening, so that the structure of the first conveying mechanism is effectively simplified, the mask plate can be more accurately conveyed to the containing space, and the probability of damage of the mask plate is reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the board library mechanism and an embodiment of the mask stage of this application;

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the carrier box is shown;

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a three-dimensional structural schematic of an embodiment of the first motion mechanism, an embodiment of the plate library, and an embodiment of the attitude adjustment mechanism.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified structural diagram of part A shown;

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the attitude adjustment mechanism shown;

[0020] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the second motion mechanism shown. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that the following embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the application. Similarly, the following embodiments are only some, not all, embodiments of the present application, and all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0022] The reference to "embodiment" in this application means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in this application can be combined with other embodiments.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, this application provides a board storage mechanism 10 for a lithography machine. The board storage mechanism 10 includes: a board storage 100, a posture adjustment mechanism 200, and a first transport mechanism 300.

[0024] Specifically, such asFigures 1 to 3 As shown, the plate library 100 is used for storing mask plates, the plate library 100 comprises a carrying main body 110 and a plurality of interval arranged carrying boxes 120 arranged on the carrying main body 110, the carrying box 120 comprises a box body 122 and a cover 121, the box body 122 is provided with a containing space 124 with an opening 123 for containing mask plates, the cover 121 is movably connected with the box body 122 for selectively opening or closing the opening 123. The carrying box 120 as the main body for containing mask plates is provided with a containing space 124 with an opening 123, the mask plate can enter or exit the containing space 124 along the opening 123, and the cover 121 can selectively open or close the opening 123, for example, when the photolithography machine needs to perform photolithography work on the corresponding mask plate, the cover 121 can be moved relative to the box body 122 to open the opening 123, so that the first conveying mechanism 300 can take out the mask plate along the opening 123, and for another example, after the photolithography machine finishes photolithography, the first conveying mechanism 300 can also convey the mask plate to the containing space 124 along the opening 123, and the cover 121 can be moved relative to the box body 122 to close the opening 123, so as to seal the mask plate in the containing space 124, thereby reducing the risk of environmental pollution of the mask plate.

[0025] Optionally, the first conveying mechanism 300 comprises a first moving mechanism 320 and a first grabbing mechanism 310 arranged on the first moving mechanism 320, the first grabbing mechanism 310 is used for grabbing the mask plate, and the first moving mechanism 320 is used for driving the first grabbing mechanism 310 to move relative to the plate library 100 and the posture adjusting mechanism 200, so as to convey the mask plate after posture adjustment by the posture adjusting mechanism 200 from the posture adjusting mechanism 200 to the containing space 124 through the opening 123. Wherein, the posture adjusting mechanism 200 is arranged between the conveying path between the mask table 20 and the plate library 100, and the posture adjusting mechanism 200 is at least used for adjusting the posture of the mask plate conveyed from the mask table 20 to the posture adjusting mechanism 200, so as to make the posture of the mask plate meet the posture requirement of entering or exiting the containing space 124, so that after the first grabbing mechanism 310 grabs the mask plate, only the posture of the mask plate after adjustment by the posture adjusting mechanism 200 needs to be maintained, and when the first moving mechanism 320 drives the first grabbing mechanism 310 to move to the position opposite to the opening 123, the mask plate can be directly conveyed to the containing space 124 along the opening 123, so that the first moving mechanism 320 does not need to adjust the posture of the mask plate again, and the mask plate and the opening 123 can be simply and efficiently aligned, and the mask plate can be conveyed to the containing space 124 along the opening 123, thereby effectively simplifying the structure of the first conveying mechanism 300, and more accurately conveying the mask plate to the containing space 124, and reducing the probability of damage to the mask plate.

[0026] Since the size of the opening 123 is limited, whether the mask plate can smoothly enter the accommodating space 124 along the opening 123 depends on the relative attitude relationship between the extension surface of the mask plate and the opening 123 and the relative attitude relationship between each side edge of the mask plate and the opening 123. In the embodiment of the present application, the attitude adjusting mechanism 200 is provided with the first bearing plane 210 for supporting the mask plate, and based on this, after the mask plate is placed on the first bearing plane 210, the extension surface of the mask plate is parallel to the first bearing plane 210, so that the relative attitude relationship between the extension surface of the mask plate and the opening 123 can be realized by adjusting the relative attitude relationship between the first bearing plane 210 and the box body 122, for example, the spatial attitude relationship between the attitude adjusting mechanism 200 and the box body 122 can be adjusted when the plate library mechanism 10 is assembled, so as to adjust the relative attitude relationship between the first bearing plane 210 and the opening 123, so that the relative attitude relationship between the extension surface of the mask plate and the opening 123 meets the requirement of the mask plate entering the accommodating space 124 along the opening 123, and compared with adjusting the attitude relationship between the first bearing plane 210 and the opening 123 by the adjusting function of the attitude adjusting mechanism 200 itself, such a setting can effectively simplify the structure of the attitude adjusting mechanism 200. Therefore, by providing the first bearing plane 210 on the mask plate, the attitude adjusting mechanism 200 only needs to adjust the spatial attitude in the extension surface of the mask plate, so that the relative attitude relationship between each side edge of the mask plate and the opening 123 meets the attitude requirement of the mask plate entering and exiting the accommodating space 124 along the opening 123, thereby effectively reducing the difficulty of the attitude adjusting mechanism 200 adjusting the attitude of the mask plate, and further effectively simplifying the structure of the attitude adjusting mechanism 200.

[0027] The second bearing plane 125 is arranged in the accommodating space 124 and is used for bearing the mask plate. The second bearing plane 125 is arranged in parallel with the opening direction x1 of the opening 123 and is arranged in parallel with the first bearing plane 210. Specifically, as described above, the relative attitude relationship between the first bearing plane 210 and the opening 123 can make the extension plane of the mask plate meet the requirement that the mask plate is required to pass through the opening 123 to enter or exit the accommodating space 124. Therefore, the first bearing plane 210 is arranged in parallel with the second bearing plane 125, that is, the relative attitude relationship between the second bearing plane 125 and the opening 123 is the same as the relative attitude relationship between the first bearing plane 210 and the opening 123. After the attitude of the mask plate is adjusted by the attitude adjusting mechanism 200, the attitude relationship between the extension plane of the mask plate and the opening 123 is the same as the attitude relationship between the second bearing plane 125 and the opening 123. Based on this, during the process that the first moving mechanism 320 aligns the mask plate with the opening 123 and transports the mask plate to the accommodating space 124 along the opening direction x1 by the above-mentioned manner, the extension plane of the mask plate can always keep the attitude in parallel with the second bearing plane 125. Therefore, after the mask plate completely enters the accommodating space 124, the first moving mechanism 320 does not need to adjust the attitude of the mask plate again, and the first grabbing mechanism 310 can directly and stably place the mask plate on the second bearing plane 125. In this way, the stability of the mask plate placed on the second bearing plane 125 by the first grabbing mechanism 310 is effectively ensured, and the difficulty of transporting the mask plate into the accommodating space 124 by the first moving mechanism 300 is effectively reduced.

[0028] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the "bearing plane" such as the first bearing plane 210, the second bearing plane 125 or the third bearing plane 21 can be a continuous plane or a discontinuous plane that meets the bearing requirement. In the embodiment of the present application, any one of the first bearing plane 210, the second bearing plane 125 or the third bearing plane 21 is a discontinuous plane.

[0029] Optionally, as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the plate library mechanism 10 further comprises a cover opening mechanism 500 arranged on the first moving mechanism 320, which is used to control the cover 121 to selectively open or close the opening 123, and the first moving mechanism 320 is used to drive the cover opening mechanism 500 to move along the spacing direction x3 of the plurality of carrying boxes 120, so that the cover opening mechanism 500 is aligned with the corresponding cover 121, and the cover 121 is driven to selectively open or close.

[0030] Specifically, as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the box body 122 comprises at least two oppositely spaced side wall members 1221 and a bottom plate member 1222 connecting the two side wall members 1221, and the two side wall members 1221 and the bottom plate member 1222 surround to form a containing space 124, wherein the opening direction x1 of the opening 123 of the containing space 124 is arranged parallel to the plate surface of the bottom plate member 1222 and perpendicular to the opposite direction x2 of the two side wall members 1221, that is, the box body 122 adopts a side opening 123, so that the mask plate can enter and exit the containing space along the side of the box body 122. The side wall member 1221 away from the bottom plate member 1222 is provided with a first rotary connecting portion, the cover 121 is provided with a second rotary connecting portion, and the first rotary connecting portion and the second rotary connecting portion are rotatably connected, so that the cover 121 can rotate relative to the box body 122. The cover opening mechanism 500 is arranged on the side of the side wall member 1221 away from the containing space 124 along the opposite direction x2, and the side of the cover 121 close to the cover opening mechanism 500 is provided with an extension 1211, and the cover opening mechanism 500 is used to abut against the extension 1211 to drive the cover 121 to rotate relative to the box body 122. In this embodiment, the cover opening mechanism 500 comprises a driving assembly (not marked in the figure) and a crank assembly 520, and the driving assembly is arranged on the first moving mechanism 320 and is in transmission connection with the crank assembly 520, wherein the first moving mechanism 320 is used to drive the driving assembly and the crank assembly 520 to move along the spacing direction x3, so that the crank assembly 520 abuts against the corresponding extension 1211, the driving assembly drives the crank assembly 520, and then the crank assembly 520 drives the cover 121 to rotate, so as to realize the opening of the cover 121.

[0031] Optionally, as Figure 4As shown, in some embodiments, the cover opening mechanism 500 further comprises a cover opening to position detection assembly 530 and a connecting body 510, the crank assembly 520, the driving assembly and the cover opening to position detection assembly 530 are all arranged on the connecting body 510, the crank assembly 520 can move (for example, rotate) relative to the connecting body 510 under the transmission of the driving assembly, the connecting body 510 is arranged on the first movement mechanism 320, the cover opening to position detection assembly 530 is connected with the driving assembly, for detecting the relative attitude relationship between the cover body 121 and the box body 122 to determine whether the cover body 121 is completely opened, and after the cover body 121 is completely opened, sending a to position signal to the driving assembly, the driving assembly stops transmitting the crank assembly 520 based on the to position signal, so that the cover body 121 remains in the completely opened state. For example, in some embodiments, the cover opening to position detection assembly 530 can determine whether the cover body 121 is completely opened by detecting the relative rotation angle between the cover body 121 and the box body 122, or, in the embodiments of the present application, the cover opening to position detection assembly 530 is a trigger switch assembly, wherein the trigger switch assembly is provided with an abutting section, when the cover body 121 is in the completely opened spatial position, the trigger switch assembly can generate abutment with the cover body 121, and then generate a corresponding to position signal.

[0032] Optionally, as Figure 3 As shown, the side wall piece 1221 is provided with a boss portion (not marked in the figure) near one side of the bottom plate piece 1222, and the two boss portions are used to bear the mask plate, in other words, the two boss portions form a discontinuous second bearing plane 125 to stably support the mask plate, the second bearing plane 125 is arranged in parallel and spaced apart from the plate surface of the bottom plate piece 1222, and a plurality of box bodies 122 are arranged in spaced apart directions x3 perpendicular to the plate surface of the bottom plate piece 1222, that is, the spacing direction x3 of the plurality of bearing boxes 120 is arranged perpendicular to the plate surface of the bottom plate piece 1222, wherein, since the second bearing plane 125 is a plane for supporting the plate surface of the mask plate, the box body 122 occupies a large space in the direction parallel to the second bearing plane 125, therefore, the spacing direction x3 is arranged perpendicular to the second bearing plane 125, which can effectively improve the space utilization rate of the plate library 100.

[0033] It should be noted that in actual production, it is obviously difficult to achieve absolute "parallel" or absolute "perpendicular" between two objects, therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, the relative description involving "parallel" or "perpendicular" between two objects, such as "the first bearing plane 210 is arranged in parallel with the second bearing plane 125" or "the first bearing plane 210 is perpendicular to the width direction", etc., should be understood as a nearly "parallel" positional relationship or a nearly "perpendicular" positional relationship within the process error allowance.

[0034] Optionally, as Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments, the first moving mechanism 320 is further configured to take out the mask from the mask storage space 124 along the opening 123 and transport the mask to the posture adjustment mechanism 200, the posture adjustment mechanism 200 is further configured to adjust the posture of the mask taken out from the mask storage space 124 in the first bearing plane 210, the mask library mechanism 10 further comprises a second transport mechanism 400, the second transport mechanism 400 is located in a transport path (also referred to as a second transport path) between the mask table 20 and the posture adjustment mechanism 200, and is configured to transport the mask whose posture has been adjusted by the posture adjustment mechanism 200 from the posture adjustment mechanism 200 to the mask table 20, and transport the mask after the photolithography work to the mask table 20 back to the posture adjustment mechanism 200, wherein the second transport mechanism 400 comprises a second moving mechanism 420 and a second grabbing mechanism 410 arranged on the second moving mechanism 420, the second moving mechanism 420 is independently operable relative to the first moving mechanism 320, the second grabbing mechanism 410 is configured to grab the mask, and the second moving mechanism 420 is configured to drive the second grabbing mechanism 410 to move between the posture adjustment mechanism 200 and the mask table 20, so as to transport the mask adjusted by the posture adjustment mechanism 200 to the mask table 20, and / or transport the mask on the mask table 20 to the posture adjustment mechanism 200. Specifically, the transport path between the mask table 20 and the mask library 100 comprises a first transport path (i.e. the transport path between the mask storage space 124 and the posture adjustment mechanism 200) and a second transport path. The posture adjustment mechanism 200 is arranged at the intersection of the first transport path and the second transport path, the first transport mechanism 300 is responsible for the transport of the mask on the first transport path, and the second transport mechanism 400 is responsible for the transport of the mask on the second transport path. Therefore, the mask is transported in a segmented manner by the two transport mechanisms, i.e. the first transport mechanism 300 and the second transport mechanism 400, which can effectively simplify the structure of any transport mechanism (the first transport mechanism 300 or the second transport mechanism 400), and thus effectively simplify the overall structure of the mask library mechanism 10.

[0035] In the process of transporting the mask from the accommodation space 124 to the mask table 20, the first transport mechanism 300 takes out the mask from the accommodation space 124 and places it on the posture adjusting mechanism 200, which adjusts the posture of the mask to make the posture of the mask meet the posture requirement of being placed on the mask table 20. Thus, when the second transport mechanism 400 transports the mask whose posture has been adjusted by the posture adjusting mechanism 200 to the mask table 20, the second transport mechanism 400 only needs to keep the posture of the mask unchanged after the adjustment by the posture adjusting mechanism 200 and transport the mask to the mask table 20 by linear motion, so that the second transport mechanism 400 can efficiently and stably place the mask on the mask table 20 without adjusting the posture of the mask again, thereby effectively simplifying the structure of the second transport mechanism 400. For example, in the embodiment of the present application, the mask table 20 and the posture adjusting mechanism 200 are arranged in a spaced-apart and opposite manner along the opening direction x1, and the second movement mechanism 420 can realize linear motion along the opening direction x1 to drive the second grabbing mechanism 410 to transport the mask from the posture adjusting mechanism 200 to the mask table 20 or from the mask table 20 to the posture adjusting mechanism 200.

[0036] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1 The mask table 20 is provided with a third bearing plane 21 for supporting the mask, and the third bearing plane 21 is arranged in parallel with the first bearing plane 210. Thus, after the mask is placed on the posture adjusting mechanism 200, the extension plane of the mask can be parallel to the first bearing plane 210, so that the mask only needs to adjust the posture of the mask in the first bearing plane 210 to make the posture of the mask meet the posture requirement of being placed on the mask table 20, thereby effectively reducing the difficulty of adjusting the posture of the mask by the posture adjusting mechanism 200 and making the posture adjusting mechanism 200 more compact.

[0037] Moreover, the posture of the mask placed on the mask table 20 is the same as the posture of the mask placed in the accommodation space 124. Thus, whether the mask is taken out and placed on the mask table 20 or transported back to the accommodation space 124, the posture adjusting mechanism 200 adjusts the posture of the mask in the same way, so that the posture adjusting mechanism 200 only needs to be provided with a mechanism with one posture adjusting function to meet the requirements of the mask out of the warehouse (i.e., transporting the mask to the mask table 20) and the mask back to the warehouse (i.e., transporting the mask back to the accommodation space 124), thereby effectively simplifying the structure of the posture adjusting mechanism 200. Optionally, the third bearing plane 21 can be arranged in parallel with the second bearing plane 125 to make the spatial posture relationship between the mask table 20 and the box body 122 the same as the posture of the mask placed on the mask table 20 and the posture of the mask placed in the accommodation space 124, thereby providing a spatial position basis.

[0038] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5 The posture adjusting mechanism 200 comprises an adjusting body 230 and a counter-pushing mechanism 220. The adjusting body 230 is arranged on the carrying body 110. The counter-pushing mechanism 220 comprises a first pushing member 221, a second pushing member 223 and a driving mechanism 222. The driving mechanism 222 is in driving connection with the first pushing member 221 and / or the second pushing member 223. The first pushing member 221 and the second pushing member 223 are arranged in opposite directions. The first pushing member 221 and the second pushing member 223 together form a discontinuous first carrying plane 210. When the mask is placed on the first carrying plane 210, the mask is located between the first pushing member 221 and the second pushing member 223. The driving mechanism 222 is used to drive the relative movement of the first pushing member 221 and the second pushing member 223, so as to adjust the posture of the mask in the first carrying plane 210.

[0039] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 6 The second movement mechanism 420 can be arranged as a gantry conveying mechanism. In this way, the stability of the second movement mechanism 420 in conveying the mask can be effectively ensured, and the first conveying mechanism 300, the posture adjusting mechanism 200 and the plate library 100 and other components can be arranged in the erection space of the gantry, so as to effectively improve the space utilization of the plate library mechanism 10.

[0040] Specifically, as shown in Figure 6 The second movement mechanism 420 comprises a beam assembly 421 and two groups of support assemblies 422 (not labeled in the figure) arranged in opposite directions. The first conveying mechanism 300, the posture adjusting mechanism 200 and the plate library 100 are located between the two groups of support assemblies 422. The second grabbing mechanism 410 is arranged on the beam assembly 421. The beam assembly 421 is arranged between the two groups of support assemblies 422 to form a gantry structure. The two ends of the beam assembly 421 are movably connected with the two groups of support assemblies 422, respectively.

[0041] Optionally, as shown in Figure 6 The support assembly 422 comprises a movable member 4221, a guide rail member 4222 and a support member 4223 for supporting the guide rail member 4222. The extension direction of the guide rail member 4222 is arranged in parallel with the opening direction x1. The movable member 4221 is movably connected with the guide rail member 4222. The movable member 4221 can move along the opening direction x1 relative to the guide rail member 4222. The two ends of the beam assembly 421 are connected through the corresponding movable members 4221, so that the beam assembly 421 can move along the opening direction x1 relative to the guide rail member 4222.

[0042] Optionally, as shown in Figure 6As shown, the second grabbing mechanism 410 comprises a mechanism body 411, a clamping assembly 412 arranged on the mechanism body 411, and a suction assembly 413 arranged on the mechanism body 411, the mechanism body 411 is arranged on the second moving mechanism 420, the clamping assembly 412 and the suction assembly 413 work independently of each other, the suction assembly 413 is used to adsorb the plate surface of the mask plate through adsorption force, so as to ensure that the extension surface of the mask plate is always parallel to the first bearing plane 210 during transportation, and the clamping assembly 412 is used to clamp the outer circumferential side of the mask plate, wherein the outer circumferential side of the mask plate is the circumferential surface perpendicular to the extension surface of the mask plate, so that under the clamping action of the clamping assembly 412, the posture of the mask plate in the extension surface thereof can be effectively ensured from changing due to factors such as vibration and shaking during transportation.

[0043] Optionally, referring to Figure 1 , the interval direction x3 of the plurality of bearing boxes 120 is arranged vertically to the second bearing plane 125, and the plate library 100, the posture adjusting mechanism 200 and the second grabbing mechanism 410 are sequentially stacked along the interval direction x3. Specifically, since the second bearing plane 125 is a plane for supporting the plate surface of the mask plate, the bearing box 120 will occupy a large space in the direction parallel to the second bearing plane 125, so the interval direction x3 is arranged vertically to the second bearing plane 125, which can effectively improve the space utilization of the plate library 100. Further, the plate library 100, the posture adjusting mechanism 200 and the second grabbing mechanism 410 are sequentially and spaced apart along the interval direction x3, so that the first moving mechanism 320 only needs to drive the first grabbing mechanism 310 to realize two linear motions, i.e. linear motion along the opening direction x1 and linear motion along the interval direction x3, so as to take out the mask plate from the plate library 100 and transport it to the posture adjusting mechanism 200 or transport the mask plate from the posture adjusting mechanism 200 back to the plate library 100, thereby effectively simplifying the structure of the first moving mechanism 320. Moreover, the first bearing plane 210 is arranged on the top of the side of the posture adjusting mechanism 200 away from the plate library 100, and is arranged opposite to the second grabbing mechanism 410, based on which the difficulty of the second grabbing mechanism 410 in grabbing the mask plate in the posture adjusting mechanism 200 can be effectively reduced, and the probability of collision of the mask plate during transportation can be reduced.

[0044] Optionally, as Figure 6As shown, the second movement mechanism 420 comprises at least one driving assembly 423, which is in transmission connection with the movable member 4221 and is configured to drive the movable member 4221 to drive the crossbeam assembly 421 to move along the opening direction x1, so that the second grabbing mechanism 410 can move the reticle to the pose adjusting mechanism 200 or move the pose adjusting mechanism 200 to the reticle stage 20. In the embodiment of the present application, the second movement mechanism 420 is provided with two driving assemblies 423, each of which is arranged on the corresponding guide member 4222 and is in transmission connection with the corresponding movable member 4221.

[0045] Optionally, in some embodiments, the reticle library mechanism 10 can comprise a plurality of reticle libraries 100 arranged at intervals along the opposite direction x2 and a plurality of pose adjusting mechanisms 200, wherein the second grabbing mechanism 410 is arranged to move relative to the crossbeam assembly 421 along the opposite direction x2, so that the second grabbing mechanism 410 can be moved to the corresponding pose adjusting mechanism 200.

[0046] The present application also provides a lithography machine, which comprises a lithography mechanism (not shown in the figure), a reticle stage 20 and the reticle library mechanism 10 described in any of the above embodiments. The reticle stage 20 is configured to carry a reticle, and the lithography mechanism is configured to perform lithography on a target to be lithographed based on the reticle.

[0047] The above only describes some embodiments of the present application, and does not limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent device or equivalent process transformation based on the content of the specification and drawings, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A plate library mechanism characterized by comprising: A plate library mechanism for a lithography machine, the plate library mechanism comprising: a plate library comprising a carrier body and a plurality of spaced-apart carrier boxes arranged on the carrier body, each carrier box comprising a box body having an accommodating space with an opening for accommodating a mask, and a cover movably connected to the box body for selectively opening or closing the opening; a posture adjustment mechanism arranged with a first carrier plane for supporting the mask, for adjusting a posture of the mask in the first carrier plane when the mask is transported from a mask table of the lithography machine to the posture adjustment mechanism; a first transport mechanism comprising a first movement mechanism and a first gripping mechanism arranged on the first movement mechanism, the first gripping mechanism being configured to grip the mask, and the first movement mechanism being configured to move the first gripping mechanism relative to the plate library and the posture adjustment mechanism to transport the mask from the posture adjustment mechanism to the accommodating space through the opening after the posture of the mask is adjusted by the posture adjustment mechanism; wherein the accommodating space is arranged with a second carrier plane for supporting the mask, the second carrier plane being arranged parallel to the first carrier plane and parallel to an opening direction of the opening.

2. The plate library mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first movement mechanism is further configured to move the mask out of the accommodating space through the opening and to the posture adjustment mechanism, and the posture adjustment mechanism is further configured to adjust a posture of the mask in the first carrier plane when the mask is moved out of the accommodating space. The plate library mechanism further comprises:

3. The plate library mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, a second transport mechanism comprising a second movement mechanism and a second gripping mechanism arranged on the second movement mechanism, the second movement mechanism being configured to operate independently of the first movement mechanism, and the second gripping mechanism being configured to grip the mask, and the second movement mechanism being configured to move the second gripping mechanism between the posture adjustment mechanism and the mask table to transport the mask to the mask table after the posture of the mask is adjusted by the posture adjustment mechanism, and / or to transport a mask on the mask table to the posture adjustment mechanism.

4. The plate library mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The mask table is arranged with a third carrier plane for supporting the mask, the third carrier plane being arranged parallel to the first carrier plane. The second movement mechanism comprises a cross beam assembly and two sets of spaced-apart support assemblies, the first transport mechanism, the posture adjustment mechanism and the plate library being located between the two sets of support assemblies, the second gripping mechanism being arranged on the cross beam assembly, the cross beam assembly being arranged between the two sets of support assemblies and being movably connected to the two sets of support assemblies at two ends thereof, and each support assembly comprising a movable member, a guide member and a support member for supporting the guide member, the guide member being arranged parallel to the opening direction, the movable member being movably connected to the guide member and being configured to move along the opening direction relative to the guide member, and the two ends of the cross beam assembly being connected to the two sets of support assemblies through the corresponding movable members so that the cross beam assembly is configured to move along the opening direction relative to the guide members.

5. The plate library mechanism according to claim 2, wherein, The second grabbing mechanism comprises a mechanism body, a clamping component arranged on the mechanism body, and a suction component arranged on the mechanism body, the mechanism body is arranged on the second movement mechanism, the clamping component and the suction component work independently, the suction component is used for adsorbing the plate surface of the mask plate through adsorption force, and the clamping component is used for clamping the outer circumferential side of the mask plate.

6. The plate library mechanism according to claim 2, wherein, The posture adjusting mechanism comprises: an adjusting body arranged on the bearing body; a facing dial mechanism comprising a first dial member, a second dial member, and a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is in transmission connection with the first dial member and / or the second dial member, the first dial member and the second dial member are arranged in relative spacing, when the mask plate is placed on the first bearing plane, the mask plate is located between the first dial member and the second dial member, and the driving mechanism is used for driving the first dial member and the second dial member to move relatively to adjust the posture of the mask plate in the first bearing plane.

7. The plate library mechanism according to claim 1, wherein The plate library mechanism further comprises an uncovering mechanism arranged on the first movement mechanism, which is used for controlling the cover to selectively open or close the opening, and the first movement mechanism is used for driving the uncovering mechanism to move in the spacing direction of a plurality of the bearing boxes.

8. The plate library mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The box body comprises at least two oppositely spaced side wall members and a bottom plate member connecting the two side wall members, the two side wall members and the bottom plate member surround to form the containing space, the opening direction is arranged in parallel with the plate surface of the bottom plate member and perpendicular to the relative direction of the two side wall members, the spacing direction is arranged perpendicular to the plate surface of the bottom plate member, the side wall member away from the bottom plate member is provided with a first rotary connection part, the cover is provided with a second rotary connection part, the first rotary connection part is in rotary connection with the second rotary connection part, so that the cover can rotate relative to the box body, the uncovering mechanism is arranged on the side of one of the side wall members away from the containing space, and the side of the cover close to the uncovering mechanism is provided with an extension part, the uncovering mechanism is used for abutting against the extension part to drive the cover to rotate relative to the box body.

9. The plate library mechanism according to claim 2, wherein, The spacing direction of the plurality of bearing boxes is arranged perpendicular to the second bearing plane, and the plate library, the posture adjusting mechanism, and the second grabbing mechanism are sequentially stacked along the spacing direction, the first bearing plane is arranged on the top of the side of the posture adjusting mechanism away from the plate library, and is arranged opposite to the second grabbing mechanism.

10. A lithographic machine characterized by, The photolithography machine comprises a photolithography mechanism, a mask table, and the plate library mechanism of any one of claims 1-9, the mask table is used for bearing the mask plate, and the photolithography mechanism is used for photolithography on a target to be photolithographed based on the mask plate.