Vacuum panel conveying mechanism

Abstract

The utility model provides a vacuum panel wafer conveying mechanism, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor production, and the vacuum panel wafer conveying mechanism comprises a supporting part; the shifting fork assembly is arranged on the supporting part, and the shifting fork assembly is provided with a first connecting part; the translation driving assembly is used for driving the shifting fork assembly to move in the first direction, and the translation driving assembly is provided with a second connecting part; the first connecting part and the second connecting part are configured to be of a structure which is clamped in the first direction and matched in a sliding mode in the vertical direction. According to the vacuum panel sheet conveying mechanism, the shifting fork assembly is installed on the supporting part, the supporting part can be used for improving the supporting strength, the application conditions that the panel is large in size and heavy in weight are met accordingly, in combination with cooperation of the first connecting part and the second connecting part, lifting and translation of the shifting fork assembly do not interfere with each other, and the working efficiency is improved. Therefore, the defects of a traditional structure can be effectively overcome, and the wafer conveying requirement of a panel with large size and heavy weight is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, specifically relating to a vacuum panel transfer mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor industry, the requirements for equipment automation are becoming increasingly stringent. To meet the needs of automated wafer transfer, including loading and unloading, existing technologies utilize vacuum robotic arms. However, current vacuum robotic arm structures are primarily designed for transferring small wafers and are not suitable for applications involving larger or heavier wafers. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application aims to at least solve one of the aforementioned technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this application provides a vacuum panel wafer transfer mechanism that can solve the problem of transferring large and heavy wafers.

[0004] The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to an embodiment of this application includes:

[0005] The support part is raised and lowered.

[0006] A shift fork assembly is movably disposed at the upper end of the support portion in a first direction, and the shift fork assembly is provided with a first connecting portion;

[0007] A translation drive assembly is connected to the shift fork assembly and is used to drive the shift fork assembly to move along the first direction. The translation drive assembly is provided with a second connecting part.

[0008] The first connecting part and the second connecting part are configured to engage in the first direction and slide in the vertical direction, so that when the support part is adjusted up and down, the fork assembly slides up and down relative to the translation drive assembly.

[0009] The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to the embodiments of this application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0010] The vacuum panel transfer mechanism in this application has a fork assembly that can be raised and lowered by adjusting the support, and can also be moved and adjusted along a first direction by adjusting the translation drive assembly. Panels can be loaded and unloaded by raising and lowering and moving.

[0011] The vacuum panel transfer mechanism in this application has a fork assembly mounted on a support. The support can be used to increase the support strength, thereby meeting the application requirements of large-sized and heavy panels. In addition, with the cooperation of the first connecting part and the second connecting part, the lifting and translation of the fork assembly do not interfere with each other. Therefore, it can effectively solve the shortcomings of traditional structures and meet the transfer needs of large-sized and heavy panels.

[0012] According to some embodiments of this application, at least one of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion is provided with a locking block, the locking block extending in a vertical direction, and the other portion is provided with rollers rotatably on both sides of the locking block at least along the first direction, the rollers abutting against the locking block.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this application, the card block is disposed on the second connecting portion, the first connecting portion is provided with two mounting arms, the two mounting arms are located on both sides of the card block and extend along the first direction to both ends of the card block, and the mounting arms are provided with rollers on both sides of the card block opposite to the first direction.

[0014] According to some embodiments of this application, the upper end of the support is provided with a slide rail along the first direction, and the fork assembly is slidably mounted on the slide rail.

[0015] According to some embodiments of this application, the translation drive component includes:

[0016] A translation drive screw, wherein the axial direction of the translation drive screw is arranged along the first direction;

[0017] A translation guide portion is provided along the first direction and distributed on both sides of the translation drive screw;

[0018] A translation drive unit is connected to the translation drive screw and is used to drive the translation drive screw to rotate.

[0019] The second connecting part passes through the translation guide part and the translation drive screw, and is threaded to the translation drive screw.

[0020] According to some embodiments of this application, the translation drive screw, the translation guide, the second connecting part, and the shift fork assembly are all disposed in the vacuum chamber, the translation drive part is disposed outside the vacuum chamber, and the translation drive part and the translation drive screw are connected by a magnetohydrodynamic seal.

[0021] According to some embodiments of this application, the vacuum panel transfer mechanism further includes a lifting drive assembly, which includes:

[0022] A lifting drive screw, wherein the lifting drive screw is vertically arranged;

[0023] A lifting guide, wherein the lifting guide is vertically arranged and is distributed at least on both opposite sides of the support;

[0024] A lifting drive unit is connected to the lifting drive screw and is used to drive the lifting drive screw to rotate.

[0025] The support portion passes through the lifting drive screw and the lifting guide portion, and is threadedly connected to the lifting drive screw.

[0026] According to some embodiments of this application, the lifting drive screw, the lifting drive unit, and the support unit are all disposed in a vacuum chamber, the lifting drive unit is disposed outside the vacuum chamber, and the lifting drive unit and the lifting drive screw are connected by a magnetohydrodynamic seal.

[0027] According to some embodiments of this application, the shift fork assembly includes:

[0028] A first tissue-retrieving finger extends along the first direction, and a first limiting block is provided at the end of the first tissue-retrieving finger;

[0029] The second tissue-retrieving finger is disposed on at least one side of the first tissue-retrieving finger. The second tissue-retrieving finger extends along a second direction, which is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction. A second limiting block is disposed at the end of the second tissue-retrieving finger.

[0030] The first and second picking fingers together define a picking area suitable for supporting the panel.

[0031] According to some embodiments of this application, the first and second tissue-retrieving fingers are configured as an integral structure and are detachably connected to the first connecting part.

[0032] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and some of these additional aspects and advantages will become apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0033] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an application structure of the vacuum panel transfer mechanism in this application;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a structural cross-sectional view of the translation drive component in this application;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a structural cross-sectional view of the lifting drive assembly in this application;

[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an overall structure of the vacuum panel transfer mechanism in this application;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the translation drive component in this application;

[0039] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of one installation of the shift fork assembly and support in this application;

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the shift fork assembly in this application;

[0041] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of one state of the vacuum panel transfer mechanism supporting the panel in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0043] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0044] In the description of this application, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0045] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as "setup," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this application in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0046] In the description of this application, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0047] Reference Figures 1 to 8 This application provides a vacuum panel transfer mechanism, including a support portion 200, a shift fork assembly 100, and a translation drive assembly 300. Specifically, the support portion 200 is height-adjustable. The shift fork assembly 100 is disposed at the upper end of the support portion 200 and is adjustable along a first direction, thereby enabling simultaneous height adjustment and translation along the first direction based on the height adjustment of the support portion 200. The translation drive assembly 300 is connected to the shift fork assembly 100 and drives the shift fork assembly 100 to move along the first direction.

[0048] Furthermore, the shift fork assembly 100 is provided with a first connecting part 101, and the translation drive assembly 300 is provided with a second connecting part 301. The first connecting part 101 and the second connecting part 301 are configured to engage in a first direction and slide in a vertical direction, so that when the support part 200 is adjusted in height, the shift fork assembly 100 slides up and down relative to the translation drive assembly 300.

[0049] With the structural configuration of this embodiment, the shift fork assembly 100 can be raised and lowered by the lifting adjustment of the support 200, and can be moved and adjusted along the first direction by the adjustment of the translation drive assembly 300. The panel can be loaded and unloaded by lifting and moving.

[0050] In practical applications, the mechanism of this embodiment can be set in the inlet and outlet chamber that is connected to the process chamber. Since the shift fork assembly 100 is mounted on the support part 200, the support part 200 can be used to improve the support strength, thereby meeting the application situation of large panel size and heavy weight. In addition, with the cooperation of the first connecting part 101 and the second connecting part 301, the lifting and translation of the shift fork assembly 100 do not interfere with each other. Therefore, it can effectively solve the shortcomings of the traditional structure and meet the needs of transferring large and heavy panels.

[0051] Reference Figure 1In some embodiments of this application, at least one of the first connecting portion 101 and the second connecting portion 301 is provided with a locking block 3011, which extends in a vertical direction, and the other is provided with rollers 1011 rotatably on both sides of the locking block 3011 at least in a first direction, with the rollers 1011 abutting against the locking block 3011.

[0052] In this embodiment, rollers 1011 are provided on both sides of the locking block 3011 along the first direction for locking, so that the first connecting part 101 and the second connecting part 301 can move smoothly up and down during the lifting and lowering of the support part 200, taking into account both translation along the first direction and lifting and lowering in the vertical direction.

[0053] Reference Figure 1 In some embodiments of this application, a locking block 3011 is disposed on a second connecting portion 301. A first connecting portion 101 is provided with two mounting arms 1013, located on both sides of the locking block 3011 and extending along a first direction to both ends of the locking block 3011. Rollers 1011 are disposed on both sides of the locking block 3011 relative to the first direction on the mounting arms 1013. Referring to the figures, the first direction is defined as the front-back direction, and the left-right direction is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction. Along the front-back direction, the locking block 3011 includes a front sidewall and a rear sidewall. The two mounting arms 1013 extend from the left and right sides of the locking block 3011 to the front and rear sides of the locking block 3011. Each locking block 3011 is provided with a roller 1011 abutting against the front sidewall and a roller 1011 against the rear sidewall.

[0054] The structural arrangement of this embodiment utilizes two mounting arms 1013 to mount rollers 1011, which engage with the locking block 3011. This effectively improves the engagement strength between the first connecting part 101 and the second connecting part 301, meeting the requirements for transferring panels that are large in size and heavy in weight. Furthermore, each mounting arm 1013 has rollers 1011 mounted on the front and rear side walls of the locking block 301 for contact, effectively preventing gaps from forming in the second connecting part 301 during long-term traction of the first connecting part 101, thus improving translational accuracy.

[0055] Reference Figure 4 In some embodiments of this application, a slide rail 201 is provided at the upper end of the support portion 200 along a first direction, and the shift fork assembly 100 is slidably mounted on the slide rail 201. Thus, the shift fork assembly 100 is supported by the slide rail 201.

[0056] Specifically, a slide rail 201 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the support portion 200. The slide rail 201 extends along a first direction. Two support legs 1012 extend downward from the bottom of the first connecting portion 101, and the bottoms of the two support legs 1012 are slidably mounted on the slide rail 201. The support legs 1012 and the slide rail 201 are connected by an assembly relationship, so that the two can only slide along the first direction and cannot swing, which can effectively ensure the stability of the shift fork assembly 100.

[0057] Reference Figures 1 to 5 In some embodiments of this application, the translation drive assembly 300 includes a translation drive screw 302, a translation guide 303, and a translation drive part 304. The axial direction of the translation drive screw 302 is arranged along a first direction, and the translation drive screw 302 is rotatable about its own axis. The translation guide 303 is arranged along the first direction and distributed on both sides of the translation drive screw 302. The translation drive part 304 is drively connected to the translation drive screw 302 and is used to drive the translation drive screw 302 to rotate. A second connecting part 301 passes through the translation guide 303 and the translation drive screw 302, and is threadedly connected to the translation drive screw 302. With the structural arrangement of this embodiment, the second connecting part 301 is supported and guided by the translation guide 303, and moves along the first direction by utilizing the rotation of the translation drive screw 302, which can effectively ensure the stability of the translation.

[0058] In this embodiment, the translation guide 303 can be a guide rod, a guide rail, or other structural forms.

[0059] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments of this application, the translation drive screw 302, the translation guide 303, the second connecting part 301, and the shift fork assembly 100 are all disposed in the vacuum chamber, while the translation drive part 304 is disposed outside the vacuum chamber. The translation drive part 304 and the translation drive screw 302 are connected by a magnetohydrodynamic seal.

[0060] With the structural configuration of this embodiment, the translation drive unit 304 is located outside the vacuum chamber to drive the translation drive screw 302 to rotate, so that the shift fork assembly 100 can be located entirely inside the vacuum chamber. During the loading and unloading of the panel, the vacuum chamber can maintain a matching vacuum environment with the process chamber, so there is no need to worry about the influence of the external environment on the panel, and it is also conducive to improving production efficiency.

[0061] Reference Figures 2 to 4 , Figure 6In some embodiments of this application, the vacuum panel transfer mechanism further includes a lifting drive assembly 400, which includes a lifting drive screw 401, a lifting guide portion 403, and a lifting drive portion 402. The lifting drive screw 401 is vertically arranged and rotatable about its own axis. The lifting guide portion 403 is vertically arranged and distributed at least on opposite sides of the support portion 200. The lifting drive portion 402 is drively connected to the lifting drive screw 401 and is used to drive the lifting drive screw 401 to rotate. The support portion 200 passes through the lifting drive screw 401 and the lifting guide portion 403, and is threadedly connected to the lifting drive screw 401.

[0062] In this embodiment, the weight of the support 200 is borne by the lifting drive screw 401. Since gravity is difficult to reverse through the screw thread to rotate the lifting drive screw 401, this helps ensure the lifting stability of the support 200 and improves the lifting adjustment accuracy. Specifically, when the support 200 has a circular structure, the lifting guide 403 is preferably evenly distributed along its circumference; when the support 200 has a rectangular structure, the lifting guide 403 is preferably located at the four apex corners of the support 200 to ensure the stability of the lifting guide.

[0063] Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, in some embodiments of this application, the lifting drive screw 401, the lifting drive unit 402, and the support unit 200 are all disposed inside the vacuum chamber, the lifting drive unit 402 is disposed outside the vacuum chamber, and the lifting drive unit 402 and the lifting drive screw 401 are connected by a magnetohydrodynamic seal.

[0064] In this embodiment, by placing the lifting drive unit 402 outside the vacuum chamber to drive the lifting drive screw 401 to rotate, the support unit 200 as a whole can be located inside the vacuum chamber to support the shift fork assembly 100. This helps to reduce the off-center load torque on the shift fork assembly 100 when the panel is placed on it, which is beneficial to improve the support strength and the transmission accuracy of panel loading and unloading.

[0065] Reference Figures 6 to 8In some embodiments of this application, the toggle fork assembly 100 includes a first pick-up finger 102 and a second pick-up finger 103. The first pick-up finger 102 extends along a first direction, and a first limiting block 1021 is provided at both ends of the first pick-up finger 102 along the first direction. The second pick-up finger 103 is disposed on at least one side of the first pick-up finger 102, and the second pick-up finger 103 extends along a second direction, which is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction. A second limiting block 1031 is provided at each end of the second pick-up finger 103 along the second direction. The first pick-up finger 102 and the second pick-up finger 103 are used to jointly support the panel, and the first limiting block 1021 and the second limiting block 1031 jointly define a pick-up area suitable for supporting the panel at the upper ends of the first pick-up finger 102 and the second pick-up finger 103.

[0066] It is understood that the distance between the two first limiting blocks 1021 matches the size of the panel along the first direction, so that when the panel is placed on the first picking finger 102 and the second picking finger 103, it is positioned on both sides of the panel along the first direction, thus limiting the panel. The second limiting block 1031 limits the panel on the outer side along the second direction.

[0067] Reference Figure 7 In some embodiments of this application, the fork assembly 100 is provided with a plurality of first pick-up fingers 102 spaced apart along a second direction, and at least one second pick-up finger 103 is provided on each of the two outermost first pick-up fingers 102 along the second direction, with the second pick-up fingers 103 located on the side opposite to each other of the two first pick-up fingers 102. This structural arrangement improves the stability of the panel support, and allows the gaps between the first pick-up fingers 102 to engage with the substrate stage of the process chamber, enabling the substrate stage to lift the panel upwards from the gaps and separate the panel from the fork assembly 100. Furthermore, the second pick-up fingers 103 on both sides can limit the panel's movement along both sides of the second direction.

[0068] In some embodiments of this application, the first pick-up finger 102 and the second pick-up finger 103 are configured as an integral structure and are detachably connected to the first connecting part 101, so as to replace the pick-up finger structure with different shapes and sizes according to the needs of the panel for picking up the film.

[0069] The drive unit in this application can be a motor or other structures, which will not be described in detail here.

[0070] The embodiments of this application also propose a vacuum panel transfer method, which, using the vacuum panel transfer mechanism of any of the above embodiments, includes the following steps:

[0071] First, install the support 200, the shift fork assembly 100, the lifting drive assembly 400 (excluding the lifting drive 402) and the translation drive assembly 300 (excluding the translation drive 304) into the film inlet / outlet chamber.

[0072] First, control the support part 200 to rise, raise the shift fork assembly 100, and move the shift fork assembly 100 to the retracted state along the first direction by the translation drive assembly 300. Then, place the panel on the shift fork assembly 100. After that, move the shift fork assembly 100 to the extended state along the first direction by the translation drive assembly 300, so that the panel moves from the in-and-out chamber to above the substrate stage in the process chamber. Control the support part 200 to fall, so that the shift fork assembly 100 falls, place the panel on the substrate stage and separate it from the panel. After that, move the shift fork assembly 100 out of the process chamber to the retracted state by the translation drive assembly 300 along the first direction.

[0073] After the process is completed, the shift fork assembly 100 is moved to the extended state along the first direction by the translation drive assembly 300, and then the support part 200 is controlled to rise, lifting the shift fork assembly 100 to remove the panel from the substrate stage. After that, the translation drive assembly 300 moves the shift fork assembly 100 to the retracted state along the first direction to complete the removal of the panel.

[0074] In this embodiment, the vacuum panel transfer method places the shift fork assembly 100 in the inlet and outlet chamber. By controlling the lifting and translating of the shift fork assembly 100, the automatic transfer of the panel to the process chamber can be realized. Since the shift fork assembly 100 is slidably disposed on the support part 200, the support strength of the shift fork assembly 100 can be effectively improved, thereby effectively solving the shortcomings of the traditional structure and meeting the needs of transferring panels with larger size and greater weight.

[0075] The embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this application. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

Claims

1. A vacuum panel transfer mechanism, characterized in that, include: The support part is raised and lowered. A shift fork assembly is movably disposed at the upper end of the support portion in a first direction, and the shift fork assembly is provided with a first connecting portion; A translation drive assembly is connected to the shift fork assembly and is used to drive the shift fork assembly to move along the first direction. The translation drive assembly is provided with a second connecting part. The first connecting part and the second connecting part are configured to engage in the first direction and slide in the vertical direction, so that when the support part is adjusted up and down, the fork assembly slides up and down relative to the translation drive assembly.

2. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion is provided with a locking block, the locking block extending in a vertical direction, and the other portion is provided with rollers rotatably on both sides of the locking block at least along the first direction, the rollers abutting against the locking block.

3. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The locking block is disposed on the second connecting part, and the first connecting part is provided with two mounting arms. The two mounting arms are located on both sides of the locking block and extend to both ends of the locking block along the first direction. The mounting arms are provided with rollers on both sides of the locking block opposite to the first direction.

4. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper end of the support is provided with a slide rail along the first direction, and the fork assembly is slidably mounted on the slide rail.

5. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The translation drive component includes: A translation drive screw, wherein the axial direction of the translation drive screw is arranged along the first direction; A translation guide portion is provided along the first direction and distributed on both sides of the translation drive screw; A translation drive unit is connected to the translation drive screw and is used to drive the translation drive screw to rotate. The second connecting part passes through the translation guide part and the translation drive screw, and is threaded to the translation drive screw.

6. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that, The translation drive screw, the translation guide, the second connecting part, and the shift fork assembly are all disposed inside the vacuum chamber, while the translation drive part is disposed outside the vacuum chamber. The translation drive part and the translation drive screw are connected by a magnetohydrodynamic seal.

7. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum panel transfer mechanism further includes a lifting drive assembly, which includes: A lifting drive screw, wherein the lifting drive screw is vertically arranged; A lifting guide, wherein the lifting guide is vertically arranged and is distributed at least on both opposite sides of the support; A lifting drive unit is connected to the lifting drive screw and is used to drive the lifting drive screw to rotate. The support portion passes through the lifting drive screw and the lifting guide portion, and is threadedly connected to the lifting drive screw.

8. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lifting drive screw, the lifting drive unit, and the support unit are all located inside the vacuum chamber, while the lifting drive unit is located outside the vacuum chamber. The lifting drive unit and the lifting drive screw are connected by a magnetohydrodynamic seal.

9. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shift fork assembly includes: A first tissue-retrieving finger extends along the first direction, and a first limiting block is provided at the end of the first tissue-retrieving finger; The second tissue-retrieving finger is disposed on at least one side of the first tissue-retrieving finger. The second tissue-retrieving finger extends along a second direction, which is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction. A second limiting block is disposed at the end of the second tissue-retrieving finger. The first and second picking fingers together define a picking area suitable for supporting the panel.

10. The vacuum panel transfer mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first and second tissue-retrieving fingers are configured as a single unit and are detachably connected to the first connecting part.

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