Chip transfer switching device and etching equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and provides a wafer transfer switching device and etching equipment, and the wafer transfer switching device comprises a bearing unit, an identification unit and a height adjustment unit. The bearing unit is used for bearing a wafer box; the identification unit is used for identifying the film magazine to be carried by the carrying unit and extracting the type information of the film magazine; the height adjusting unit is used for adjusting the height of the bearing unit based on the type information. The wafer transfer switching device can adapt to wafer transfer of different types of wafer boxes, and the application range of the whole wafer transfer system is widened.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, especially relates to a wafer transfer switching device and etching equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] Etching refers to the selective removal of materials by physical or chemical methods to achieve the designed structure pattern. Etching is a very important step in semiconductor manufacturing and micro-nano processing technology.

[0003] Wet etching is an indispensable process technology in compound semiconductor device manufacturing. The main principle is that the etching liquid and the material immersed in the etching liquid undergo a chemical reaction to generate a soluble product, thereby removing the area to be etched.

[0004] During the etching process, the wafer needs to be transferred first, that is, the wafer is transferred from the storage box to the cassette, and the cassette carries the wafer to soak in the etching liquid for etching process.

[0005] The existing cassette has different numbers of storage slots set in the cassette based on different use requirements, and the number of wafers carried is different. For example, for thinner wafers, due to the larger warping degree, a wider storage slot is needed to form a larger space redundancy to prevent the storage slot from interfering with the wafer warping part. At this time, the width of the storage slot in the cassette is large, and the number of storage slots is small.

[0006] During the wafer transfer process, the cassette and the storage box need a specific relative position relationship so that the wafer in the storage box can be pushed into the cassette. For different specifications of the cassette, the required position height of the cassette is different, and in the same system, the wafer transfer of different specifications of the cassette cannot be well adapted, frequent manual intervention is needed, which leads to a longer adjustment and verification time and affects the work efficiency of the machine.

[0007] Therefore, the utility model provides a wafer transfer switching device and etching equipment to adapt to the wafer transfer of different specifications of the cassette and improve the application range of the whole wafer transfer system. UTILITY MODEL CONTENTS

[0008] The utility model aims at providing a wafer transfer switching device and etching equipment to adapt to the wafer transfer of different types of the cassette and improve the application range of the whole wafer transfer system.

[0009] The utility model provides a wafer transfer switching device, which comprises a bearing unit, an identification unit and a height adjustment unit.

[0010] The bearing unit is used for bearing the cassette.

[0011] The identification unit is used for identifying the cassette to be borne by the bearing unit and extracting the type information of the cassette.

[0012] The height adjusting unit is configured to adjust the height of the bearing unit based on the type information.

[0013] Optionally, the film switching device further comprises a control unit and a conveying unit.

[0014] The control unit is configured to specify a type before the film conveying, the specified type being used to specify the type of the film cassette to be involved in the film conveying.

[0015] The conveying unit is configured to convey the film cassette of the corresponding type based on the specified type so as to involve the film cassette in the film conveying.

[0016] Optionally, the control unit is further configured to receive the type information and determine whether the type information matches the specified type.

[0017] If the type information matches the specified type, the height of the bearing unit is adjusted by the height adjusting unit.

[0018] If the type information does not match the specified type, the film cassette of the corresponding type is conveyed again by the conveying unit.

[0019] Optionally, the film switching device further comprises a storage unit, the storage unit having a plurality of storage positions, the storage positions being used to store the film cassettes of different types.

[0020] The conveying unit is configured to select the storage position corresponding to the specified type and convey the film cassette on the storage position so as to involve the film cassette in the film conveying.

[0021] Optionally, the film cassette is provided with an information identification area, the information identification area recording the type information of the film cassette itself, and the identification unit is configured to identify the information identification area and extract the type information.

[0022] Optionally, the bearing unit comprises a carrier and a base, the carrier being used to bear the film cassette, the carrier being arranged on the base in a liftable manner, and the height adjusting unit is connected with the carrier and is used to adjust the height of the carrier relative to the base.

[0023] Optionally, the bearing unit further comprises a guide member, the guide member being arranged between the carrier and the base and being used to guide the lifting direction of the carrier.

[0024] Optionally, the bearing unit further comprises a positioning member, the carrier having a bearing surface, and the positioning member being arranged on the bearing surface and being used to position the film cassette borne on the bearing surface.

[0025] Optionally, the carrier is provided with a hollow area, the hollow area being used to avoid the film cassette borne on the bearing surface.

[0026] The utility model also provides a kind of etching equipment, and the etching equipment includes the wafer switching device described above.

[0027] In summary, wafer switching device includes: bearing unit, identification unit and height adjustment unit;The bearing unit is used to bear wafer magazine;The identification unit is used to identify the wafer magazine to be carried by bearing unit, and extract the type information of this wafer magazine;The height adjustment unit is used to adjust the height of the bearing unit based on the type information.

[0028] So configure, the wafer switching device in the utility model can identify the type of wafer magazine involved in wafer transfer, and adjust the height of bearing unit based on the type of wafer magazine, so that the relative position relationship of wafer magazine and storage box when wafer magazine is carried on bearing unit meets the wafer transfer requirements, and then wafer transfer can be smoothly realized, and the broken piece phenomenon caused by poor relative position of wafer magazine and storage box in wafer transfer process is improved.The wafer switching device can adapt to wafer transfer of different types of wafer magazines, and improve the application range of the whole wafer transfer system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is the structure diagram of the wafer switching device of an embodiment of the utility model;

[0030] Figure 2 It is the structure diagram of the wafer switching device of an embodiment of the utility model;

[0031] Figure 3 It is the side view structure diagram of the bearing unit of an embodiment of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 4 It is the three-dimensional structure diagram of the bearing unit of an embodiment of the utility model;

[0033] Figure 5 It is the flow chart of the wafer transfer method of an embodiment of the utility model.

[0034] Wherein, the reference signs are as follows:

[0035] 10-bearing unit;11-stage;111-bearing surface;112-hollow area;12-base;13-guide;14-positioning piece;

[0036] 20-identification unit;

[0037] 30-height adjustment unit;

[0038] 40-control unit;

[0039] 50-conveying unit;51-first horizontal track;52-second horizontal track;53-vertical track;54-driving device;

[0040] 60 - storage unit;

[0041] 70 - cassette;

[0042] 80 - storage cassette;

[0043] 90 - platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The wafer transfer switching device and the etching equipment according to the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The advantages and features of the present application will be more apparent according to the following description. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are all in a very simplified form and all use non-precise proportions, only for the purpose of facilitating and clarifying the purpose of assisting in the description of the embodiments of the present application.

[0045] As used in the present application, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents, the term "or" is generally used in the sense of "and / or", the term "at least one" is generally used in the sense of "one or more", the term "at least two" or "more" is generally used in the sense of "two or more", and in addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second", "third" can be explicitly or implicitly included one or at least two of the features. In addition, as used in the present application, "mounting", "connection", "connection", "one element" set in another element should be understood broadly, generally only indicates the connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission relationship between the two elements, and the two elements can be directly or indirectly connected, coupled, cooperated or transmitted through intermediate elements, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the spatial position relationship between the two elements, i.e. one element can be in the interior, exterior, upper, lower or one side of another element, etc. unless the content is otherwise explicitly indicated. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In addition, directional terms such as upper, lower, up, down, left, right, etc. are used with respect to the exemplary embodiments as they are shown in the drawings, upward or upward direction is toward the top of the corresponding drawing, and downward or downward direction is toward the bottom of the corresponding drawing.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present embodiment provides a wafer transfer switching device, which comprises a bearing unit 10, an identification unit 20 and a height adjustment unit 30.

[0047] The bearing unit 10 is used to bear the cassette;Figure 2 As shown, the wafer box 70 is carried on the carrying unit 10, and the storage box 80 is placed on another platform 90. The storage box 80 has a plurality of storage slots, and each storage slot can store one wafer, so that the storage box 80 can store a plurality of wafers. The wafer box 70 also has a plurality of storage slots, and the storage box 80 with a size suitable for the wafer box 70 is selected based on the size of the wafer box 70, so that the number of storage slots of the storage box 80 on the platform 90 is consistent with the number of storage slots of the wafer box 70 on the carrying unit 10.

[0048] The existing wafer box 70 usually has a size of 13-slot wafer box and 25-slot wafer box, and the wafer box 70 of the two sizes has the same size. The 13-slot wafer box has 13 storage slots and can store 13 wafers, and the slot width is relatively large, so it can store wafers with large warping; the 25-slot wafer box has 25 storage slots and can store 25 wafers, and the slot width is relatively small, so it can store wafers with small warping.

[0049] In combination Figure 2 As shown, the wafer box 70 placed on the carrying unit 10 is horizontally opposite to the opening of the storage box 80 on the platform 90, and the storage slots on the wafer box 70 and the storage slots on the storage box 80 are horizontally aligned, and then the wafer on the storage box 80 is pushed by the wafer pushing machine 80, so that the wafer is transferred to the storage slot of the wafer box 70. Then the wafer box 70 carrying the wafer carries out the wet etching process. During the above wafer transfer process, the wafer box 70 and the storage box 80 need to have a specific relative position relationship to ensure that the wafer can be smoothly transferred from the storage box 80 to the wafer box 70. When the size of the wafer box 70 changes, the relative position relationship changes, so the height of the carrying unit 10 needs to be adjusted, and then the relative position relationship between the wafer box 70 on the carrying unit 10 and the storage box 80 on the platform 90 is adjusted, so that the relative position relationship meets the wafer transfer requirement.

[0050] The identification unit 20 is used to identify the wafer box to be carried by the carrying unit 10 and extract the type information of the wafer box. In this embodiment, the identification unit 20 is a code scanner, and the wafer box is provided with an information identification area, and the information identification area is provided with a bar code or a two-dimensional code, and the information identification area records the type information of the wafer box itself, which can include the slot number, slot width, and thickness of the stored wafer. The identification unit 20 is used to scan the information identification area and extract the above-mentioned type information. Then the type information of the wafer box participating in the wafer transfer can be obtained through the identification unit 20. The structure of the code scanner and the technical means of obtaining the information of the information identification area through the code scanner are both prior art, which will not be described here.

[0051] In other alternative embodiments, the recognition unit 20 can be a camera or a scanner, etc. It can use image recognition technology to capture images through the recognition unit 20, use a computer to process the images for denoising, enhancement, filtering, etc. to improve image quality and recognition accuracy, then extract useful feature information such as the number of slots, color, texture, shape, etc. from the images, match the extracted features with a known feature library to determine the category or purpose of the image, and then output the recognition result such as the name and attributes of the film box, etc. At this time, the information recognition area on the film box can be set with specific images, colors, etc. for the recognition unit 20 to recognize, or the film box can not be specially set with an information recognition area, at which time the recognition unit 20 captures the overall image of the film box for recognition, at which time it can also be understood that the film box itself serves as the information recognition area. Obtaining the type information of the film box through image recognition is also prior art, which will not be described in more detail here.

[0052] In other alternative embodiments, the recognition unit 20 can be a microphone or other sound collecting device, and the corresponding film box is equipped with a corresponding sound emitting device to record the type information of the film box through sound. The sound signal is collected by the recognition unit 20, then pre-processed such as filtering and noise reduction, then the feature information of the voice signal is extracted, then a model trained by deep learning algorithm is used for matching, and finally the matching result is converted into text output through a decoder to obtain the type information of the film box.

[0053] In other alternative embodiments, the recognition unit 20 can also use magnetic card recognition technology, IC card recognition technology, radio frequency identification technology, etc. to realize the transmission and extraction of information, which will not be described one by one here.

[0054] The height adjustment unit 30 is used to adjust the height of the carrying unit 10 based on the type information. Each type of film box has a specific position when the film is transmitted, so after the type information of the film box is recognized, the height information required when the film is transmitted can be obtained. Then the height of the carrying unit 10 is adjusted by the height adjustment unit 30, so that when the film box participating in the film transmission is placed on the carrying unit 10, the film box is at the preset height, thereby ensuring that the film box is aligned with the storage box 80 when the film is transmitted. Figure 2 The height adjustment unit 30 can automatically perform height adjustment actions based on the type information obtained by the recognition unit 20 when adjusting the height, or manually control the height adjustment unit 30 to perform height adjustment based on the type information.

[0055] The film transmission switching device can identify the type of the film box participating in film transmission, and adjust the height of the bearing unit 10 based on the type of the film box, so that the relative position relationship between the film box and the storage box when the film box is carried on the bearing unit meets the film transmission requirements, and the film transmission is smoothly realized, and the broken film phenomenon caused by the poor relative position between the film box and the storage box in the film transmission process is improved. The film transmission switching device can adapt to film transmission of different types of film boxes, and improve the application range of the whole film transmission system.

[0056] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 The film transmission switching device further includes a control unit 40 and a conveying unit 50.

[0057] The control unit 40 is used for specifying a type before film transmission, and the specified type is used for specifying the type of the film box participating in film transmission. The specified type is determined based on the type of the wafer participating in etching, for example, when the wafer thickness is relatively thin, the wafer warpage phenomenon is relatively obvious, at this time, the film box with less storage groove and larger storage groove width is specified; when the wafer thickness is relatively large, the wafer warpage degree is relatively not obvious, and therefore the film box with more storage groove and smaller storage groove width can be specified.

[0058] The conveying unit 50 is used for conveying the film box of the corresponding type based on the specified type to participate in film transmission.

[0059] Figure 2 The first horizontal rail 51, the second horizontal rail 52, the vertical rail 53 and the driving device 54 arranged on each rail in the conveying unit 50 belong to a part of the conveying unit 50. In the embodiment, the conveying unit 50 further includes a mechanical arm and the like component for transmission on each rail, and the conveying unit 50 is mainly used for conveying the film box 70 to the corresponding position in the whole etching process. The conveying unit 50 adopts the existing transmission structure in the etching equipment, and the structure of the conveying unit 50 belongs to the existing structure, which will not be described here.

[0060] As shown in the combination Figure 1 The control unit 40 is connected with the bearing unit 10, the identification unit 20, the height adjusting unit 30 and the conveying unit 50.

[0061] The control unit 40 is further used for receiving the type information identified by the identification unit 20, and judging whether the type information matches the specified type;

[0062] If the type information matches the specified type, it means that the film box type selection is correct, and at this time, the height of the bearing unit 10 is adjusted through the height adjusting unit 30;

[0063] If the type information does not match the specified type, it means that the cassette type selection is wrong, at this time the selected cassette needs to be returned to the original position by the conveying unit 50, and then the cassette of the corresponding type is selected by the conveying unit 50 to participate in the film transmission. In addition, an alarm can also be added on this basis, which is used to issue a warning when the type information does not match the specified type, such as an audible tone, a visual signal, a tactile feedback to form an audible / visible alarm or other warnings; for example, the alarm can be an alarm light, which flashes to alarm, or the alarm can be a buzzer, which alarms by emitting a sound, or the alarm can be a warning mark integrated into the display interface, which is used to remind the staff.

[0064] The setting of the type information accuracy recognition described above helps to improve the correctness of cassette selection, avoids the phenomenon of cassette selection error, and further avoids the phenomenon of film transmission failure and fragments caused by cassette selection error during film transmission.

[0065] In addition, the film transmission switching device also includes a database unit, which is used to store the type information of each type of cassette and the position information (such as the height information during film transmission) corresponding to each type of cassette;

[0066] The height adjustment unit 30 traverses the database unit based on the type information, queries the position information corresponding to the type of the cassette to be carried by the carrying unit 10, and adjusts the height of the carrying unit 10 based on the position information.

[0067] The control unit 40 described above generally includes at least one processor, which can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc.

[0068] The at least one processor can communicate with a plurality of peripheral devices via a bus subsystem. These peripheral devices can include a storage system, a user interface input device, a user interface output device, and a network interface.

[0069] The network interface provides an interface to external networks and / or other devices. The network interface includes one or more interfaces known in the art, such as LAN, WLAN, Bluetooth, other wired and wireless interfaces, etc.

[0070] User interface input devices can include a keyboard, pointing devices such as a mouse, trackball, touchpad, or graphics tablet, a scanner, a foot pedal, a joystick, a touch screen incorporated into the display, audio input devices such as voice recognition systems, microphones, and other types of input devices. In general, use of the term "input device" is intended to include all kinds of conventional and proprietary devices and ways to input information into the controller. In this embodiment, the specified type can be inputted through the user interface input device.

[0071] User interface output devices can include a display subsystem, a printer, a fax machine, or non-visual displays such as audio output devices. The display subsystem can be a flat-panel device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a touch-screen display, or other display. The display subsystem can also provide a non-visual display such as via an audio output device. In general, use of the term "output device" is intended to include all kinds of conventional and proprietary devices and ways to output information from the control unit 40 to the user. In this embodiment, the alarm can be a warning icon displayed by the user interface output device, which can display the warning icon when the identified type information does not match the specified type.

[0072] The storage system can store basic programming and data structures that implement the various functions of the present application. The database unit described above can be part of the storage system. As described herein, databases and modules that implement the functions of the methods of the present application can be stored in the storage system. These software modules are generally executed by the processor. In a distributed environment, the software modules can be stored on a plurality of computer systems and executed by the processors of the plurality of computer systems. The storage system typically includes a memory subsystem and a file storage subsystem. The memory subsystem typically includes a number of memories including a main random access memory (RAM) for storage of instructions and data during program execution and a read only memory (ROM) in which fixed instructions are stored that are accessible to the processor. The file storage subsystem provides persistent (non-volatile) storage for program and data files. The file storage system can include a hard disk drive and associated removable media, a compact disk (CD) drive, an optical drive, a DVD, solid state memory, and / or other removable media. One or more of these drives can be located at a remote location from the other components of the control unit 40 on other connected computer systems at other sites. Modules that implement the functions of the present application can be stored by the file storage system.

[0073] The bus subsystem provides a means for letting the various components and subsystems of the control unit 40 communicate with each other as intended. The various subsystems and components of the control unit 40 do not have to be co-located, but can be distributed at various locations within a distributed network. The bus subsystem can be a single bus or can be comprised of multiple buses interconnected to each other. The communication over the bus subsystem can be achieved through the use of any known bus protocols.

[0074] The control unit 40 described above is only intended as an example to show only one embodiment of the present application. Due to the ever-changing nature of computers and networks, the control unit 40 can also have some differences from the configuration described above in other alternative embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0075] Further, as shown in Figure 2 The storage unit 60 is provided with a plurality of storage positions for storing the idle magazine of each type. Since the storage unit 60 can be used to store the idle magazine, the entire machine system can operate efficiently.

[0076] The conveying unit 50 is used to select the storage position corresponding to the specified type and convey the magazine in the storage position to participate in the magazine conveying.

[0077] The storage unit 60 can be a three-dimensional library with a plurality of storage positions inside, and each type of magazine can be stored in a designated storage position. The conveying unit 50 moves to the storage position corresponding to the specified type based on the specified type, and conveys the magazine in the storage position to participate in the magazine conveying.

[0078] In addition, the database unit can also store the type of magazine stored in each storage position and the state information of each storage position, including the storage state or the empty state. The storage state represents that the storage position stores a magazine, and the empty state represents that the storage position does not store a magazine. After the control unit 40 issues the specified type, it traverses the storage positions in the database and selects a storage position corresponding to the specified type from the storage positions in the storage state. The storage position information is sent to the conveying unit 50, and the conveying unit 50 is instructed to move to the storage position to convey the magazine in the storage position, so that the magazine participates in the magazine conveying.

[0079] When there is an idle magazine in the system, the control unit 40 issues a homing instruction, and the conveying unit 50 conveys the magazine to the recognition unit 20 for type information recognition, and transmits the recognized type information to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 traverses the database unit based on the type information, selects a storage position corresponding to the type in the empty state, and sends the storage position information to the conveying unit 50, so that the conveying unit 50 conveys the idle magazine to the selected storage position. The conveying unit 50 sends the homing completion information to the control unit 40, and the control unit 40 updates the state information of the selected storage position in the database unit to the storage state.

[0080] In combination with Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown in the drawings, the bearing unit 10 includes a carrier 11 and a base 12.

[0081] The carrier 11 is in a plate structure, and is used for carrying a film cassette. The carrier 11 is arranged on the base 12 in a lifting manner, and the base 12 is fixed on a machine table.

[0082] The height adjusting unit 30 is connected with the carrier 11, and is used for adjusting the height of the carrier 11 relative to the base 12.

[0083] In the embodiment, the height adjusting unit 30 is a cylinder, the output end of which is connected with the bottom of the carrier 11, and the shell of the height adjusting unit 30 is fixed on the machine table. In other alternative embodiments, the height adjusting unit 30 can be a linear motor or other linear driving structure. The height adjusting unit 30 can select an existing driving structure based on the requirement of height adjustment accuracy.

[0084] The carrier unit 10 further comprises a guide 13 arranged between the carrier 11 and the base 12, and used for guiding the lifting direction of the carrier 11.

[0085] In combination with Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the carrier 11 is in a rectangular plate structure, the base 12 is in a split structure, and the height adjusting unit 30 is arranged between the two split structures of the base 12. The guide 13 is in a column structure, and specifically comprises four cylindrical columns. The four columns are respectively connected with the four corners of the carrier 11, and are connected with the base 12 in a vertical sliding manner with single degree of freedom. The lifting accuracy of the carrier 11 is ensured by the arrangement of the columns. In other alternative embodiments, the guide 13 can be a vertical rail structure to ensure the lifting accuracy of the carrier 11. The specific structure of the guide 13 can be adjusted based on actual use requirements.

[0086] The carrier unit 10 further comprises a positioning member 14. The carrier 11 has a carrying surface 111, wherein Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the upper surface of the carrier 11 is used as the carrying surface 111, and the carrying surface 111 is used for carrying the film cassette.

[0087] The positioning member 14 is arranged on the carrying surface 111, and is used for positioning the film cassette carried on the carrying surface 111.

[0088] In combination with Figure 3 and Figure 4 , in the embodiment, the positioning member 14 comprises four bosses, and the four bosses are distributed in a trapezoidal shape on the carrying surface 111. Each boss has an inner right angle structure, which is used for adapting to the right angle edge of the outer wall of the film cassette, so as to realize the positioning of the film cassette.

[0089] In other alternative embodiments, the positioning member 14 can also be a positioning pin which can cooperate with a pin hole on the wafer cassette to achieve the positioning of the wafer cassette. The specific structure of the positioning member 14 can be adjusted based on the cooperation relationship with the wafer cassette.

[0090] In addition, the carrier 11 is provided with a hollow area 112 which is used to avoid the wafer cassette carried on the carrying surface 111. The hollow area 112 is vertically through the carrier 11 along the carrying surface 111, and the four bosses of the positioning member 14 are arranged around the hollow area 112. The hollow area 112 has a T-shaped structure as a whole and is used to avoid the bottom of the wafer cassette placed on the carrying surface 111. Meanwhile, the arrangement of the hollow area 112 is also conducive to the lightweight design of the carrying unit 10.

[0091] In other alternative embodiments, the specific shape, arrangement position and number of the hollow area 112 can be adjusted based on actual needs.

[0092] In combination with Figure 2 the drawings, Figure 2 four wafer cassettes 70 and two storage cassettes 80 are shown in FIG. 1. Each wafer cassette 70 and each storage cassette 80 can be regarded as the position of the same wafer cassette 70 and the same storage cassette 80 at different times. It can also be regarded as multiple wafer cassettes 70 and multiple storage cassettes 80 participating in the wafer transfer at the same time.

[0093] In this embodiment, the wafer transfer process is illustrated by taking one wafer cassette 70 and one storage cassette 80 as an example.

[0094] Figure 2 In FIG. 1, the wafer cassettes at positions a, b, c and d are the positions of the same wafer cassette at different times. The storage cassettes at positions e and f are the positions of the same storage cassette at different times.

[0095] The idle wafer cassette is first transported by the conveying unit 50 to the position a of the storage unit 60 for storage. When receiving the designated type instruction from the control unit 40, the conveying unit 50 moves to the corresponding storage position in the storage unit 60, and conveys the wafer cassette of the corresponding type to participate in the wafer transfer. In the conveying process, the wafer cassette will pass through the position b which is passed through the identification unit 20. The identification unit 20 identifies the information on the wafer cassette and extracts the type information of the wafer cassette. If the type information matches the designated type, the conveying unit 50 continues to convey the wafer cassette to the carrying unit 10 (position c). After adjusting the height of the carrying unit 10 by the height adjusting unit 30, the wafer in the storage cassette 80 is transferred to the wafer cassette at the position c by the wafer pushing machine. At this time, the storage cassette 80 is empty. Then the conveying unit 50 conveys the wafer cassette carrying the wafer to the etching tank for wet etching. After the etching is completed, the conveying unit 50 conveys the wafer cassette to Figure 2 the position d in FIG. 1. At this time, the storage cassette 80 is conveyed to Figure 2At the middle position f, the wafer in the wafer box after etching is transferred into the empty storage box at position f by the wafer pushing machine. Figure 2 The carrying unit 10 and the height adjusting unit 30 can also be arranged at position d, and the height of the carrying unit 10 can be adjusted by the height adjusting unit 30 during the wafer transfer process from the wafer box to the storage box, so as to adjust the height of the wafer box at position d.

[0096] The embodiment also provides an etching device, which belongs to a wet etching device, and the etching device comprises the wafer transfer switching device described above. The etching device further comprises an etching tank and a cleaning tank, etc. The etching tank is used for containing etching liquid for soaking wafers to be etched; and the cleaning tank is used for cleaning wafers after etching. The etching device is different from the existing etching device in that the wafer transfer switching device is replaced, and other structures remain consistent with the existing etching device.

[0097] The embodiment also provides a wafer transfer method, which comprises the following steps:

[0098] S1: identifying the type of the wafer box participating in wafer transfer; specifically, the type information of the wafer box can be extracted by an identification unit, and the identification unit is a code scanner. An information identification area is arranged on the wafer box, and a bar code or a two-dimensional code is arranged on the information identification area. The information identification area records the type information of the wafer box itself, which can include the number of slots, the slot width, the thickness of the stored wafer, etc. The identification unit is used for identifying the information identification area and extracting the type information. Then the type information of the wafer box participating in wafer transfer can be obtained by the identification unit. Alternatively, the identification unit can be a camera or a scanner, etc. Image recognition technology can be used to collect images by the identification unit, and the images are processed by calculation to improve the image quality and recognition accuracy, such as denoising, enhancement, filtering, etc. Then useful feature information such as the number of slots, color, texture, shape, etc. is extracted from the images, and the extracted features are matched with the known feature library to determine the category or purpose of the images, and then the recognition result is output, such as the name and attributes of the wafer box, etc. At this time, the information identification area on the wafer box can be provided with specific images, colors, etc. for identification by the identification unit, or the wafer box can not be specially provided with an information identification area, and at this time the identification unit collects the overall image of the wafer box for identification, and at this time the wafer box itself can be understood as the information identification area. The identification unit can be a microphone or other sound collecting device, and the wafer box is matched with a corresponding sound emitting device to record the type information of the wafer box by sound emission. The sound signal is collected by the identification unit, and then preprocessed, such as filtering and denoising, etc. Then the feature information of the voice signal is extracted, and then a model trained by deep learning algorithm is used for matching. Finally, the matching result is converted into text output by a decoder to obtain the type information of the wafer box. In addition, magnetic card recognition technology, IC card recognition technology, radio frequency identification technology, etc. can also be used to realize information transmission and extraction, which will not be described here.

[0099] S2: adjusting the height of the carrying unit based on the type of the wafer box; each type of wafer box has a specific position when the wafer is transferred, and the type information of each type of wafer box and the corresponding position information of each type of wafer box can be stored in the database unit. Therefore, after identifying the type information of the wafer box, the data in the database unit can be traversed to query the position information (such as the height information when the wafer is transferred) corresponding to the type of the wafer box to be carried by the carrying unit, and the height of the carrying unit is adjusted based on the position information. Further, it is ensured that the wafer box is aligned with the storage box when placed in the carrying unit.

[0100] S3: loading the wafer in the storage box into the wafer box. Specifically, after the height of the carrying unit is adjusted, the wafer box is transported to the carrying unit, and the wafer box is horizontally arranged opposite to the opening of the storage box. The wafer in the storage box is pushed by the wafer pushing machine, so that the wafer is transferred into the wafer box.

[0101] Further, the following steps are included: specifying the type of the wafer box, and selecting the wafer box of the corresponding type to participate in the wafer transfer, and judging whether the type information identified by the recognition unit matches the specified type.

[0102] Specifically, the control unit can issue a specified type to specify the type of the wafer box participating in the wafer transfer. Then the wafer box of the corresponding type is transported by the conveying unit to participate in the wafer transfer. The control unit receives the type information identified by the recognition unit, and judges whether the type information matches the specified type.

[0103] If it matches, it means that the wafer box type selection is correct, and the height of the carrying unit is adjusted by the height adjusting unit at this time; if it does not match, it means that the wafer box type selection is incorrect, and the wafer box selected needs to be returned to the original position by the conveying unit, and then the wafer box of the corresponding type is selected by the conveying unit 50 to participate in the wafer transfer. In addition, an alarm can be added on this basis, which is used to issue a warning when the type information does not match the specified type, such as audible / visible alarm or other warnings through audio tone, visual signal, and tactile feedback; for example, the alarm can be an alarm light, which flashes to alarm, or a buzzer, which emits a sound to alarm, or a warning icon integrated into the display interface, which is used to remind the staff through the alarm.

[0104] The wafer transfer method further includes the following steps:

[0105] The idle empty wafer box is stored in the storage unit, so that the entire machine system can operate efficiently.

[0106] The storage unit has a plurality of storage positions, and each type of wafer box is stored in a specified storage position. The conveying unit moves to the storage position corresponding to the specified type based on the specified type, and transports the wafer box in the storage position to participate in the wafer transfer.

[0107] The database unit also stores the corresponding storage cassette type of each storage site and the state information of each storage site, the state information including a storage state or an empty state, the storage state representing that a cassette is stored in the storage site, and the empty state representing that no cassette is stored in the storage site. After the control unit issues the specified type, the control unit traverses the storage sites in the database, selects a storage site corresponding to the specified type from the storage sites in the storage state, and sends the storage site information to the conveying unit, and instructs the conveying unit to move to the storage site, and conveys the cassette in the storage site, so that the cassette participates in the film conveying.

[0108] When there is an idle empty cassette in the system, the control unit issues a homing instruction, and the conveying unit conveys the cassette to the recognition unit for type information recognition, and transmits the recognized type information to the control unit. The control unit traverses the database unit based on the type information, selects a storage site corresponding to the type in the empty state, and sends the storage site information to the conveying unit, so that the conveying unit conveys the idle cassette to the selected storage site. The conveying unit sends a homing completion information to the control unit, and the control unit updates the state information of the selected storage site in the database unit to the storage state.

[0109] Each embodiment in the specification is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the difference from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between each embodiment can be referred to each other.

[0110] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the utility model, and does not limit the scope of the utility model. Any modification or modification of the above disclosure by a person skilled in the art is within the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A tile switching device, characterized by, The application relates to a film conveying switching device. The film conveying switching device comprises a bearing unit, an identifying unit and a height adjusting unit. The bearing unit is used for bearing a film box. The identifying unit is used for identifying the film box to be borne by the bearing unit and extracting type information of the film box. The height adjusting unit is used for adjusting the height of the bearing unit based on the type information.

2. The tile switching device of claim 1, wherein, The film conveying switching device further comprises a control unit and a conveying unit. The control unit is used for specifying a type before film conveying, and the specified type is used for specifying the type of the film box to be involved in the film conveying. The conveying unit is used for conveying the film box of the corresponding type based on the specified type so as to participate in the film conveying.

3. The tile switching device of claim 2, wherein, The control unit is further used for receiving the type information and judging whether the type information matches the specified type. If the type information matches the specified type, the height of the bearing unit is adjusted by the height adjusting unit. If the type information does not match the specified type, the film box of the corresponding type is conveyed by the conveying unit again.

4. The tile switching device of claim 2, wherein, The film conveying switching device further comprises a storage unit, and the storage unit has a plurality of storage positions used for storing the film boxes of different types. The conveying unit is used for selecting the storage position corresponding to the specified type and conveying the film box on the storage position so as to participate in the film conveying.

5. The tile switching device of claim 1, wherein, The film box is provided with an information identifying area, and the information identifying area records the type information of the film box itself.

6. The tile switching device of claim 1, wherein, The bearing unit comprises a bearing table and a base, the bearing table is used for bearing the film box, the bearing table is arranged on the base in a liftable mode, and the height adjusting unit is connected with the bearing table and used for adjusting the height of the bearing table relative to the base.

7. The tile switching device of claim 6, wherein, The bearing unit further comprises a guide element arranged between the bearing table and the base and used for guiding the lifting direction of the bearing table.

8. The tile switching device of claim 6, wherein, The bearing unit further comprises a positioning element, the bearing table has a bearing surface, and the positioning element is arranged on the bearing surface and used for positioning the film box borne on the bearing surface.

9. The tile switching device of claim 6, wherein, The bearing table is provided with a hollow area used for avoiding the film box borne on the bearing surface.

10. An etching apparatus, characterized by, The etching equipment comprises the film conveying switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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