Wafer manufacturing equipment
By setting limit blocks in the wafer manufacturing equipment to fix the position of the cover plate, the problem of cover plate displacement after preventive maintenance is solved, ensuring the safety and accuracy of the wafer transfer process and improving the working efficiency of the equipment.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520428051.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-30
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-03-11
AI Technical Summary
After preventative maintenance, the cover plate of wafer manufacturing equipment is prone to shifting, which can cause the launch control equipment to shift, affecting the safety and accuracy of the wafer transfer process.
Limiting blocks are installed at corresponding positions on the wafer storage equipment and the cover plate to ensure that the cover plate is fixed in position when covering the wafer compartment and to prevent displacement.
This avoids positional misalignment of the cover plate and launch control equipment, ensuring the safety and accuracy of the wafer transfer process, improving work efficiency, and eliminating the need for tedious calibration procedures.
Smart Images
Figure CN223859627U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wafer manufacturing equipment, in particular to a wafer manufacturing equipment. BACKGROUND
[0002] Some wafer manufacturing equipment has a lid control function sensor (LCF) disposed on the cover plate at the buffer area (Buffer) of the wafer manufacturing equipment, which is used to monitor the opening, closing and locking functions of the cover plate as a whole, and provide real-time feedback to ensure the safe operation of the equipment, and thus ensure the safety and accuracy of the wafer during the conveying process. However, after the wafer manufacturing equipment is subjected to preventive maintenance (PM), the position of the cover plate is prone to shift, which causes the position of the LCF to shift, and thus affects the positioning of the wafer manufacturing equipment on the wafer, and affects the safety and accuracy of the wafer during the conveying process.
[0003] Therefore, how to avoid the shift of the lid control function sensor during the operation of the wafer manufacturing equipment has become a technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL
[0004] The technical problem solved by the embodiments of the present application is to avoid the shift of the lid control function sensor during the operation of the wafer manufacturing equipment.
[0005] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a wafer manufacturing equipment, which comprises:
[0006] a wafer storage device, which is internally provided with a wafer cabin for storing wafers;
[0007] a cover plate, which is disposed on the surface of the wafer storage device and covers the wafer cabin, and the surface of the cover plate is provided with a lid control function sensor;
[0008] a limiting block, which is disposed at the corresponding positions of the side edge of the wafer cabin and the side edge of the cover plate, so as to fix the covering position of the cover plate on the wafer storage device.
[0009] Optionally, the limiting block comprises:
[0010] a first limiting block, which is disposed on the wafer storage device and at the side edge of the wafer cabin;
[0011] a second limiting block, which is disposed at the side edge of the cover plate and close to the corresponding position of the first limiting block;
[0012] When the cover plate is closed, the second limiting block and the first limiting block are mutually embedded.
[0013] Optionally, the first limiting block and the second limiting block have the same area of the opposite surface.
[0014] Optionally, the first limiting block has a groove, and the second limiting block has a protruding structure.
[0015] Optionally, when the cover plate is closed, the protruding structure of the second limiting block is embedded in the groove of the first limiting block.
[0016] Optionally, the first limiting block and the second limiting block are arranged on the wafer storage device or the cover plate through screws.
[0017] Optionally, the size of the screw is smaller than that of the first limiting block and the second limiting block.
[0018] Optionally, the wafer storage device and the cover plate are provided with screw holes, and the screw is used to fix the first limiting block and the second limiting block through the screw holes.
[0019] Optionally, the limiting block comprises:
[0020] A third limiting block is arranged on the wafer storage device and the side of the wafer chamber, and a third limiting hole is arranged on the third limiting block.
[0021] A fourth limiting block is movably arranged on the side of the cover plate and close to the corresponding position of the third limiting block, and a fourth limiting hole is arranged on the fourth limiting block.
[0022] A fixing structure is arranged to drive the fourth limiting block to move when the cover plate is closed, so that the fourth limiting hole is opposite to the third limiting hole, and the fixing structure is located between the third limiting hole and the fourth limiting hole.
[0023] Optionally, the wafer manufacturing device further comprises:
[0024] A wafer loader is arranged at one end of the housing of the wafer manufacturing device, and comprises a loading and unloading port for loading or unloading the wafer to or from the wafer manufacturing device.
[0025] Optionally, the wafer manufacturing device further comprises:
[0026] A gas lock chamber is in communication with the wafer loader, and is used to transfer the wafer loaded by the wafer loader between different pressure environments and control the pollution of the wafer.
[0027] A transfer chamber is in communication with the gas lock chamber, and is used to transfer the wafer in the gas lock chamber.
[0028] A processing chamber is in communication with the transfer chamber and is configured to process wafers transferred by the transfer chamber.
[0029] Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of the embodiment of the application has the following advantages:
[0030] The wafer manufacturing equipment provided by the embodiment of the application comprises a wafer storage device, a wafer chamber for storing wafers is arranged in the wafer storage device; a cover plate is arranged on the surface of the wafer storage device and covers the wafer chamber, and an emission control device is arranged on the surface of the cover plate; and a limiting block is arranged at a position corresponding to the side edge of the wafer chamber and the side edge of the cover plate, so as to fix the covering position of the cover plate on the wafer storage device. In this way, when the cover plate is closed, the cover plate needs to abut against the limiting block on the side edge of the wafer chamber to ensure covering the wafer chamber. Then, the limiting block can limit the position of the cover plate and fix the covering position of the cover plate on the wafer storage device, so as to ensure that the position of the cover plate does not deviate, thereby ensuring that the emission control device does not deviate. It can be seen that the wafer manufacturing equipment provided by the embodiment of the application can avoid the deviation of the position of the cover plate and the emission control device during the operation of the wafer manufacturing equipment, and ensure the safety and accuracy of the wafer during the conveying process. Meanwhile, the tedious calibration process of the emission control device can be omitted, and the working efficiency of the wafer manufacturing equipment is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical scheme in the embodiments of the application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only embodiments of the application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort on the basis of the provided drawings.
[0032] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the wafer manufacturing equipment provided by the embodiment of the application.
[0033] 1 Wafer storage device 2 Cover plate 3 Firing control device 41 First limit block 42 Second limit block 4 Limit block DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] As known from the background, after the PM process of the existing wafer manufacturing equipment, the position of the LCF (Lid Control Function Sensor, emission control device) may deviate, which affects the positioning of the wafer manufacturing equipment on the wafer and affects the safety and accuracy of the wafer during the conveying process.
[0035] Specifically, in the use of the wafer manufacturing equipment, PM (Preventive Maintenance) needs to be performed periodically, at which time the cover plate is opened for maintenance. The cover plate is located at the buffer area of the wafer manufacturing equipment. The buffer area can be provided with a device for temporarily storing and adjusting the flow of wafers. The device is mainly used to temporarily store wafers in the buffer area to prevent the production line from being blocked or stalled when wafers are transferred from one process equipment to the next, because the processing speed of each equipment can be different.
[0036] When the cover plate is opened to complete the PM, the cover plate will have a slight deviation when it is closed. Since the LCF is arranged on the cover plate, the slight deviation of the cover plate will cause the LCF position to move, affecting the positioning of the wafer manufacturing equipment on the wafer and affecting the safety and accuracy of the wafer during the conveying process. At this time, in order to ensure the safety of the wafer, the LCF calibration needs to be performed again to confirm the data during the wafer conveying process.
[0037] To solve the deviation of the emission control device during PM of the wafer manufacturing equipment, the wafer manufacturing equipment provided in the embodiments of the present application comprises:
[0038] a wafer storage device, which is internally provided with a wafer cabin for storing wafers;
[0039] a cover plate, which is arranged on the surface of the wafer storage device and covers the wafer cabin, and the surface of the cover plate is provided with an emission control device;
[0040] a limiting block, which is arranged at a position corresponding to the side of the wafer cabin and the side of the cover plate, so as to fix the covering position of the cover plate on the wafer storage device.
[0041] In this way, when the cover plate is closed, the cover plate needs to abut against the limiting block on the side of the wafer cabin to ensure covering the wafer cabin. Further, the limiting block can limit the position of the cover plate and fix the covering position of the cover plate on the wafer storage device, so as to ensure that the position of the cover plate does not deviate, thereby ensuring that the emission control device does not deviate. It can be seen that the wafer manufacturing equipment provided in the embodiments of the present application can avoid the deviation of the position of the cover plate and the emission control device during the operation of the wafer manufacturing equipment, and ensure the safety and accuracy of the wafer during the conveying process. At the same time, the tedious calibration process of the emission control device can be omitted, and the working efficiency of the wafer manufacturing equipment is improved.
[0042] With reference to the drawings and embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0043] It should be noted that the indicated orientation or position relationship involved in the present specification is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of description and simplification of description, and does not indicate or imply that the device must have a specific orientation or be constructed in a specific orientation, so it cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.
[0044] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer manufacturing equipment provided by the embodiments of the present application.
[0045] As Figure 1 indicated, the wafer manufacturing equipment provided by the embodiments of the present application comprises:
[0046] The wafer storage equipment 1 is internally provided with a wafer cabin (not shown) for storing wafers.
[0047] The cover plate 2 is arranged on the surface of the wafer storage equipment 1 and covers the wafer cabin (not shown). The surface of the cover plate 2 is provided with an emission control device 3.
[0048] The limiting block 4 is arranged at the corresponding positions of the side edges of the wafer cabin (not shown) and the side edges of the cover plate 2, so as to fix the covering position of the cover plate 2 on the wafer storage equipment 1.
[0049] It should be noted that the size of the wafer cabin (not shown) is less than or equal to the size of the cover plate 2, and the wafer cabin (not shown) is completely covered by the cover plate 2, so Figure 1 The area covered by the cover plate 2 in the above is the area where the wafer cabin (not shown) is located.
[0050] In this way, the limiting block 4 limits the position of the cover plate 2 when it is closed, so as to fix the covering position of the cover plate 2 on the wafer storage equipment 1, thereby avoiding the slight deviation of the cover plate 2 when it is closed, and further ensuring the accurate position of the emission control device 3 without deviation.
[0051] The wafer manufacturing equipment can be a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment for semiconductor processing.
[0052] Further, in a specific embodiment, the wafer manufacturing equipment provided by the utility model can include:
[0053] The first limiting block 41 is arranged on the wafer storage equipment 1 and on the side of the wafer cabin.
[0054] The second limiting block 42 is arranged on the side of the cover plate 2 and is close to the corresponding position of the first limiting block 41.
[0055] When the cover plate 2 is closed, the second limiting block 42 and the first limiting block 41 are mutually embedded.
[0056] It should be noted that in some specific embodiments, the thickness of the cover plate 2 can be thin or the material texture of the cover plate 2 can be soft. At this time, if only the first limiting block 41 is used to limit the cover plate 2, the edges of the first limiting block 41 or the cover plate 2 can be unevenly stressed, which can cause the first limiting block 41 to be slightly deformed, and thus the cover plate 2 can still be slightly offset.
[0057] Therefore, by arranging the limiting block 4 including the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 on the cover plate 2, the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 can be mutually embedded when the cover plate 2 is closed. The first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 are mutually embedded, the cover plate 2 is fixed on the covering position of the wafer storage equipment, and thus the position of the cover plate 2 and the emission control equipment 3 is accurate.
[0058] Further, in order to achieve better results, in a specific embodiment, the areas of the opposite surfaces between the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 are the same. That is, the area of the side surface of the first limiting block 41 facing the second limiting block 42 is equal to the area of the side surface of the second limiting block 42 facing the first limiting block 41.
[0059] In order to further ensure the stability of the covering position of the cover plate 2, in an optional implementation, the first limiting block 41 has a groove, and the second limiting block 42 has a protruding structure. In this way, through the mutual cooperation between the irregular first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42, the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 can be mutually limited in the Y direction and the X direction, so as to ensure that the cover plate 2 is stable in the Y direction and the X direction.
[0060] Specifically, in an optional implementation, as shown in Figure 1As shown, the protruding structure of the second limiting block 42 is embedded in the groove of the first limiting block 41 when the cover plate 2 is closed. In this way, the groove of the first limiting block 41 and the protruding structure of the second limiting block 42 form a structure similar to a mortise and tenon structure in the X direction and the Y direction. Thus, the first limiting block 41 can limit the movement of the second limiting block 42 in the Y direction and the X direction, thereby ensuring that the cover plate 2 is stable in both the Y direction and the X direction.
[0061] Further, in an alternative implementation, the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 are arranged on the wafer storage device 1 or the cover plate 2 by screws. In this way, the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 can be more stably arranged on the wafer storage device 1 or the cover plate 2, avoiding the offset of the cover plate 2 due to the loosening of the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42, thereby avoiding the positional offset of the emission control device 3 and ensuring the safety and accuracy of the wafer during the transmission process.
[0062] It should be noted that the screws used to fix the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 are flat head or round head screws. The size of the screws is smaller than that of the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42. The specifications of the screws are not limited, for example, they can be M3, M4, M5, etc.
[0063] Further, in an alternative implementation, to fix the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42, corresponding to the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42, screw holes are provided on the surface of the wafer storage device 1 and the cover plate 2. The screws fix the first limiting block 41 and the second limiting block 42 on the wafer storage device 1 or the cover plate 2 through the screw holes. The screw holes are used to arrange the screws, and the size of the screw holes matches that of the screws.
[0064] To enhance the flexibility of the limiting block 4, in some other embodiments, the limiting block can include:
[0065] A third limiting block is arranged on the wafer storage device and on the side of the wafer chamber. A third limiting hole is provided on the third limiting block.
[0066] A fourth limiting block is movably arranged on the side of the cover plate and close to the corresponding position of the third limiting block. A fourth limiting hole is provided on the fourth limiting block.
[0067] A fixing structure is arranged to move the fourth limiting block when the cover plate is closed, so that the fourth limiting hole is opposite to the third limiting hole. The fixing structure is located between the third limiting hole and the fourth limiting hole.
[0068] The fixing structure can be a locking pin inserted into the third limiting hole and the fourth limiting hole, which can fix the positions of the wafer storage device and the cover plate, preventing them from moving relative to each other.
[0069] In some embodiments, the wafer manufacturing device can further comprise:
[0070] A wafer loader is arranged at one end of the housing of the wafer manufacturing device, and comprises a loading / unloading port for loading a wafer into the wafer manufacturing device or unloading the wafer from the wafer manufacturing device.
[0071] The wafer loader is a wafer loading / unloading processing unit for various devices in the semiconductor production process. It is installed in front of the Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) of the wafer manufacturing device and serves as a window for the wafer to enter and exit the EFEM. The loading / unloading port allows the wafer to be loaded into or unloaded from the device.
[0072] In some embodiments, the wafer manufacturing device can further comprise:
[0073] A gas lock chamber is in communication with the wafer loader and is used to transfer the wafer loaded by the wafer loader between different pressure environments and control the contamination of the wafer.
[0074] A transmission chamber is in communication with the gas lock chamber and is used to transfer the wafer in the gas lock chamber.
[0075] A processing chamber is in communication with the transmission chamber and is used to process the wafer transferred by the transmission chamber.
[0076] The gas lock chamber is located between the wafer loader and the transmission chamber and is used to convert the pressure between vacuum and atmospheric pressure, preventing the wafer from being damaged when suddenly entering the atmospheric pressure environment from the vacuum environment. The gas lock chamber is an intermediate step before the wafer is transferred from the wafer loader to the processing chamber, ensuring the safe transfer of the wafer in different pressure environments.
[0077] The main function of the transmission chamber (also known as the transfer chamber) is to automatically transport wafers between different process chambers. In a wafer manufacturing device, the wafer is first placed in the gas lock chamber, and then after the pressure conversion and cleaning process of the gas lock chamber, the wafer is transferred to the transmission chamber. In the transmission chamber, the wafer will be further transferred to different process chambers for processing. Therefore, the gas lock chamber is usually located at the front end of the transmission chamber as the first station for the wafer to enter the production line, while the transmission chamber is located between the gas lock chamber and the process chamber, responsible for transferring the wafer from one process step to the next process step.
[0078] The processing chambers are used to perform specific process treatments on the wafers, such as chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, etching, etc. In some wafer manufacturing equipment, multiple processing chambers can be arranged around the transfer chamber, so that multiple wafers can be processed simultaneously in different processing chambers, improving the processing capacity and efficiency of the semiconductor transfer equipment.
[0079] The processing chambers can complete the loading and unloading or exchange of process pieces through the movement of the conveying device, without the need for vacuum locks or vertical adjustment of the processing chambers, so that the loading and unloading and exchange of processes can be more rapid and low-cost.
[0080] Although the embodiments of the present application are disclosed as above, the present application is not limited to the above. Any person skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, can make various changes and modifications, therefore the protection scope of the present application should be limited by the scope defined by the claims.
Claims
1. A wafer manufacturing apparatus characterized by comprising: The application relates to a wafer storage device. The wafer storage device comprises a wafer chamber for storing wafers. A cover plate is arranged on the surface of the wafer storage device to cover the wafer chamber. The surface of the cover plate is provided with an emission control device.
2. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein Limiting blocks are arranged at corresponding positions on the side edges of the wafer chamber and the cover plate to fix the cover plate in the covering position on the wafer storage device. The limiting blocks comprise: First limiting blocks arranged on the wafer storage device and on the side edges of the wafer chamber. Second limiting blocks arranged on the side edges of the cover plate and close to the corresponding positions of the first limiting blocks.
3. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein When the cover plate is closed, the second limiting blocks and the first limiting blocks are mutually embedded.
4. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The opposite surfaces of the first limiting blocks and the second limiting blocks have the same area.
5. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The first limiting blocks have grooves and the second limiting blocks have convex structures.
6. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein When the cover plate is closed, the convex structures of the second limiting blocks are embedded in the grooves of the first limiting blocks.
7. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The first limiting blocks and the second limiting blocks are arranged on the wafer storage device or the cover plate through screws.
8. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The size of the screws is smaller than that of the first limiting blocks and the second limiting blocks.
9. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein Screw holes are arranged on the surfaces of the wafer storage device and the cover plate, and the screws fix the first limiting blocks and the second limiting blocks on the wafer storage device or the cover plate through the screw holes. The limiting blocks comprise: Third limiting blocks arranged on the wafer storage device and on the side edges of the wafer chamber, and third limiting holes are arranged on the third limiting blocks. Fourth limiting blocks movably arranged on the side edges of the cover plate and close to the corresponding positions of the third limiting blocks, and fourth limiting holes are arranged on the fourth limiting blocks.
10. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein Fixing structures are arranged to drive the fourth limiting blocks to move when the cover plate is closed, so that the fourth limiting holes are opposite to the third limiting holes, and the fixing structures are located between the third limiting holes and the fourth limiting holes. The wafer storage device further comprises a wafer loading and unloading machine arranged on one end of the shell of the wafer manufacturing device and comprising a loading and unloading port for loading wafers into the wafer manufacturing device or unloading wafers from the wafer manufacturing device.
11. The wafer manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein The wafer storage device further comprises a gas lock chamber in communication with the wafer loading and unloading machine and used for transferring wafers loaded by the wafer loading and unloading machine between different pressure environments and controlling pollution to the wafers. The wafer storage device further comprises a transmission chamber in communication with the gas lock chamber and used for transmitting wafers in the gas lock chamber. The wafer storage device further comprises a processing chamber in communication with the transmission chamber and used for processing wafers transmitted by the transmission chamber.