Wafer box reading locking assembly

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductors, in particular to a wafer box reading locking assembly, which comprises a carrying table plate body, and the carrying table plate body is provided with at least one sensing part used for reading a label at the bottom of a wafer box and an adjusting part used for finely adjusting the height of the carrying table plate body. A locking mechanism used for opening and closing the wafer box is installed on the lower end face of the carrying table plate body. The locking mechanism drives the locking rod to unlock and lock the box cover of the wafer box; according to the wafer box reading and locking assembly, the overall structure is simple, the reading function and the box opening and locking function are integrated, the equipment size is reduced, the equipment and labor cost is controlled, it is guaranteed that correct wafer boxes are circulated in batches in carrying and subsequent machining actions, and the overall efficiency and quality of wafer machining are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor technology, specifically to a wafer cassette reader locking assembly. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, wafer transport is crucial for IC manufacturing. To ensure the quality of wafers during transport between different processes and to prevent wafers from being contaminated by dust or other particles, more and more transport operations are using standard transport containers, namely wafer cassettes, for temporary storage.

[0003] During wafer fabrication, wafers need to be transferred and loaded between multiple devices and equipment. The conventional method is to manually move and open the wafer cassettes to accommodate the various steps in the fabrication process. However, frequent manual operations and turnover steps increase the risk of human error and create unsatisfactory quality.

[0004] Existing AGVs can solve the handling needs of wafer cassettes. Their programmable and remotely controllable features can adapt to the handling and transfer needs of various application scenarios, improving the efficiency of turnover and handling. However, the opening and closing of wafer cassettes is still mainly done manually. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a customized opening platform or device that can be adapted to automated AGVs to reduce manual operation and improve the overall automation coverage of wafer processing. In the operation of wafer cassettes, unlocking and locking the cassette is also an important step. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wafer cassette reader locking component that integrates loading and reading functions, has a simplified structure, and has low modification costs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution;

[0007] A wafer cassette reader locking assembly includes a stage plate, the stage plate being provided with at least one sensing part for reading the label on the bottom of the wafer cassette and an adjusting part for finely adjusting the height of the stage plate.

[0008] The lower end face of the stage plate is equipped with a locking mechanism for opening and closing the wafer cassette; the locking mechanism drives the locking rod to unlock and lock the cover of the wafer cassette.

[0009] Furthermore, each of the sensing units is provided with at least one set of antenna mounting slots below it, the antenna mounting slots being used to install the reading antenna for reading the electronic tag of the wafer cell;

[0010] Furthermore, the adjusting component is an adjusting screw installed in the countersunk groove, which is used to connect the platform plate to the platform base frame; the platform base frame is composed of three plates spliced ​​together to form an arch shape.

[0011] Furthermore, the locking mechanism includes a locking base for mounting the locking rod, a locking drive for driving the locking base, and a locking sensor for detecting that the locking base has moved into position.

[0012] Furthermore, the locking mechanism includes a locking base for mounting the locking rod, a locking drive for driving the locking base to rotate, and a locking sensor for detecting that the locking base has rotated to a specified position; the locking drive and the locking sensor are both fixed on the lower end face of the platform plate, and the locking base is rotatably mounted on the lower end face of the platform plate.

[0013] Furthermore, a locking lever is provided at the bottom of the locking base, which is used to trigger the locking sensor;

[0014] Furthermore, the locking sensor is a slotted photoelectric switch, which can determine whether the locking lever has moved to the designated position;

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0016] In operation, the platform of this invention carries the wafer cassette delivered by the overhead crane. The bottom of the wafer cassette is pre-loaded with an RFID electronic tag. A sensing unit reads the information from the wafer cassette, acquiring and recording the batch and model information of the incoming wafer. Furthermore, the platform's horizontal tilt angle and height are finely adjusted via an adjusting mechanism to ensure its horizontal position is flush with other downstream components. The invention also integrates the opening and closing actions of the wafer cassette, preparing the platform for subsequent operations.

[0017] This wafer cassette reader and latch assembly features a streamlined overall structure, integrating reading and unlocking functions. This reduces equipment size, controls equipment and labor costs, and ensures the correct batch flow of wafer cassettes during transport and subsequent processing, thereby improving the overall efficiency and quality of wafer processing. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall oblique view of this utility model;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention from an oblique upward view;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installed state of this utility model; Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0022] refer to Figure 1-3 As shown, a wafer cassette reader locking assembly includes a stage plate 31, wherein the stage plate 31 is provided with at least one sensing part 311 for reading the label on the bottom of the wafer cassette and an adjusting part 312 for finely adjusting the height of the stage plate 31.

[0023] The lower end face of the stage plate 31 is equipped with a locking mechanism 33 for opening and closing the wafer cassette; the locking mechanism 33 drives the locking rod 32 to unlock and lock the cover of the wafer cassette.

[0024] In actual use, the platform 31 is used to carry the wafer cassette transported by the overhead crane. The bottom of the wafer cassette is pre-installed with an RFID electronic tag. The sensing unit 311 reads the information of the wafer cassette, obtains and records the batch and related model information of the incoming wafer cassette. The horizontal tilt angle and height of the platform 31 are finely adjusted by the adjusting component 312 to ensure that the horizontal position of the platform 31 is flush with other downstream components and equipment. The integrated locking mechanism 33 drives the locking rod 32 to unlock and lock the cover of the wafer cassette, preparing the front end for other subsequent operations.

[0025] This wafer cassette reader and latch assembly features a streamlined overall structure, integrating reading and unlocking functions. This reduces equipment size, controls equipment and labor costs, and ensures the correct batch flow of wafer cassettes during transport and subsequent processing, thereby improving the overall efficiency and quality of wafer processing.

[0026] In this embodiment, each sensing unit 311 is provided with at least one set of antenna mounting slots 313 below it. The antenna mounting slots 313 are used to install the reading antenna 34 for reading the electronic tags of the wafer cassette. By providing multiple sets of antenna mounting slots 313, it can be ensured that the installation position of the reading antenna 34 can be adjusted as needed to adapt to wafer cassettes of different sizes and wafer cassettes with different tag positions. This improves the adaptability of this component to wafer cassettes of various sizes, realizes multiple uses of one device, and reasonably saves costs.

[0027] In this embodiment, the adjusting component 312 is an adjusting screw installed in the countersunk groove, which connects the platform plate 31 to the platform base 35. The platform base 35 is composed of three plates spliced ​​into an arch shape. The adjusting component 312 is located at the four end corners of the end face of the platform plate 31. By rotating and adjusting the adjusting screws at different positions, the horizontal plane of the platform plate 31 can be finely adjusted to different heights and tilt angles as needed, to adapt to other equipment at the front or rear end, and to ensure that the overall processing flow is on the same horizontal plane.

[0028] In this embodiment, the locking mechanism 33 includes a locking base 332 for mounting the locking rod 32, a locking drive 331 for driving the locking base 332 to rotate, and a locking sensor 333 for detecting that the locking base 332 has rotated to a specified position. The locking drive 331 and the locking sensor 333 are both fixed on the lower end face of the stage plate 31, and the locking base 332 is rotatably mounted on the lower end face of the stage plate 31. The locking drive 331 can be a motor, which drives the locking base 332 to rotate at a predetermined angle using a belt. The rotation of the locking base 332 drives the locking rod 32 to rotate. The locking rod 32 usually extends into the corresponding operating hole or operating slot on the wafer cassette, and the rotation realizes the locking and opening action of the wafer cassette cover.

[0029] In this embodiment, a locking lever 334 is provided at the bottom of the locking base 332. The locking lever 334 is used to trigger the locking sensor 333. When the locking base 332 rotates, it rotates along with the locking lever 333. When the locking lever 333 rotates, it passes through the locking sensor 333, thereby triggering the locking sensors 333 installed in different positions to detect and determine different actions. This ensures that locking and unlocking actions can be converted into control signals, making it easy for this component to be integrated into the overall automated equipment and system.

[0030] In this embodiment, the locking sensor 333 is a slotted photoelectric switch.

[0031] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative examples illustrating the spirit of this utility model. Those skilled in the art to which this utility model pertains may make various modifications or additions to the described specific embodiments or use similar methods to replace them, without departing from the scope defined by the spirit of this utility model.

Claims

1. A FOUP readlock assembly comprising a carrier plate body (31), characterized by, The carrier plate body (31) is provided with at least one induction part (311) for reading the bottom label of a wafer box and an adjusting member (312) for fine adjustment of the height of the carrier plate body (31); The lower end surface of the carrier plate body (31) is provided with a locking mechanism (33) for opening and closing the wafer box; the locking mechanism (33) drives the locking rod (32) to unlock and lock the box cover of the wafer box.

2. A FOUP readlock assembly according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the induction parts (311) is provided with at least one group of antenna mounting grooves (313) below, which are used for mounting the reading antenna (34) for reading the electronic label of the wafer box.

3. The FOUP readlock assembly of claim 1, wherein, The adjusting member (312) is an adjusting top screw mounted in a countersunk groove, and the carrier plate body (31) is connected with the carrier chassis (35) by the adjusting top screw; the carrier chassis (35) is arc-shaped by splicing three plate bodies.

4. The FOUP readlock assembly of claim 1, wherein, The locking mechanism (33) includes a locking base (332) for mounting the locking rod (32), a locking drive (331) for driving the locking base (332), and a locking sensor (333) for detecting the movement of the locking base (332) to the position.

5. A FOUP readlock assembly according to claim 4, wherein, The locking mechanism (33) includes a locking base (332) for mounting the locking rod (32), a locking drive (331) for driving the locking base (332) to rotate, and a locking sensor (333) for detecting the rotation of the locking base (332) to the specified position; the locking drive (331) and the locking sensor (333) are fixed on the lower end surface of the carrier plate body (31), and the locking base (332) is rotatably mounted on the lower end surface of the carrier plate body (31).

6. A FOUP readlock assembly according to claim 5, wherein, The bottom of the locking base (332) is provided with a locking tab (334) for triggering the locking sensor (333).

7. A FOUP readlock assembly according to claim 6, wherein, The locking sensor (333) is a slot photoelectric switch, which can determine whether the locking tab (334) moves to the specified position.

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