Wafer waiting device, groove type cleaning machine and wafer cleaning equipment
By setting up a cleaning water tank shell and support frame in the wafer waiting device, and utilizing the cooperation of drive components and lifting drive components, the cleanliness of the wafers is maintained during the cleaning process cycle between tank cleaning and single-wafer cleaning machines, thereby improving the wafer manufacturing yield and removal efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-07
AI Technical Summary
During the cleaning process cycle between tank cleaning and single-wafer cleaning, it is difficult to maintain the cleanliness of the wafer, resulting in a decrease in manufacturing yield.
A wafer waiting device was designed, including a cleaning water tank shell, a support frame, a lifting drive component, and a wafer limiting component. The drive component drives the wafer limiting component to align with the receiving cavity, and the lifting drive component drives the support frame into the cleaning water tank, so that the wafer is immersed in the cleaning water. The cleanliness of the wafer is maintained by buoyancy and limiting effect.
Maintain wafer cleanliness, improve manufacturing yield, and ensure wafer positional stability and removal efficiency within the support holder cavity during the process cycle between tank cleaning and single-wafer cleaning.
Smart Images

Figure CN224098101U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of wafer cleaning technology, and in particular to a wafer waiting device and a tank cleaning machine. Background Technology
[0002] Wafers are the core material in semiconductor manufacturing, typically made of materials such as silicon, sapphire, silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium oxide, lithium tantalate, or lithium niobate. These wafers are used to manufacture semiconductor devices and are widely used in photovoltaic devices, LED light-emitting diodes, power devices, and other fields. During the manufacturing process, a single wafer undergoes a series of complex process steps to ultimately form an extremely small circuit structure. However, these process steps leave residues on the wafer surface, necessitating cleaning operations to remove contaminants and ensure the quality and performance of subsequent processes.
[0003] Currently, to achieve better cleaning results for wafers, a combination of tank cleaning and single-wafer cleaning is typically used. After tank cleaning, the wafers are placed in a waiting station and then transferred to single-wafer cleaning.
[0004] However, there is a certain cleaning process cycle between tank cleaning and single-wafer cleaning. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a device that can maintain a certain level of cleanliness for wafers at the waiting station. Utility Model Content
[0005] This application provides a wafer waiting device, a tank cleaning machine, and a wafer cleaning equipment. It addresses the existing problem of needing a device that can maintain a certain level of cleanliness for wafers at the waiting station. The technical solution is as follows:
[0006] On one hand, a wafer waiting device is provided, which is installed inside a tank cleaning machine, and the wafer waiting device includes:
[0007] Cleaning tank housing, support frame, lifting drive components, wafer limiting components and drive components;
[0008] The cleaning water tank shell has a tank body for holding cleaning water;
[0009] The support frame has an inlet and an outlet arranged opposite to each other, and a plurality of horizontally arranged receiving cavities stacked between the inlet and the outlet, each receiving cavity being used to hold a wafer after it has been cleaned by the tank cleaning machine;
[0010] The lifting drive is connected to the support frame, and the lifting drive is configured to drive the support frame to descend into the tank to clean the wafer.
[0011] The wafer positioning member has a plurality of annular positioning grooves distributed along the axial direction of the wafer positioning member on its side surface. The plurality of annular positioning grooves correspond one-to-one with the multilayer receiving cavity, and each annular positioning groove extends radially along the wafer positioning member.
[0012] The driving component is mounted on the lifting driving component and is connected to the wafer limiting component. The driving component is configured to: drive the wafer limiting component to move to the inlet or outlet so that the annular limiting groove is aligned with the corresponding receiving cavity, or drive the wafer limiting component to move to a position offset from the inlet or outlet.
[0013] Wherein, after the wafer is located in the receiving cavity, a portion of the edge of the wafer is located within the annular limiting groove.
[0014] Optionally, the driving component is a rotary driving component, the rotation axis of the rotary driving component is connected to the wafer positioning component, and the central axis of the wafer positioning component is parallel to but not on the same axis as the rotation axis; the rotary driving component is configured to drive the wafer positioning component to rotate around the rotation axis by a target angle.
[0015] Optionally, the wafer positioning component includes: an adapter plate and a wafer positioning rod, wherein the extension direction of the adapter plate is perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation shaft, a first end of the adapter plate is fastened to the rotation shaft, and a second end of the adapter plate is fastened to one end of the wafer positioning rod.
[0016] The plurality of annular limiting grooves are disposed on the wafer limiting rod.
[0017] Optionally, the wafer waiting device further includes: an angle sensor disposed in the rotary drive, the angle sensor detecting the rotation angle of the rotary axis and generating an angle detection signal output to the control component; the control component generating an electrical signal and outputting it to the rotary drive.
[0018] Optionally, the support frame includes: an outer frame, and multiple sets of support plates fixed in an array within the outer frame, with adjacent sets of support plates forming the receiving cavity, and each set of support plates containing multiple support plates;
[0019] Each of the support plates has a limiting support protrusion at its end, and the top of the limiting support protrusion has a support surface that contacts and engages with the chamfered surface of the wafer edge portion.
[0020] Optionally, the multiple support plates in each group of support plates are arranged in two rows along the target direction, and the limiting support protrusions in each row of support plates include at least two first-type support protrusions and at least two second-type support protrusions. The space enclosed by the first-type support protrusions in the two rows of support plates is distributed within the space enclosed by the second-type support protrusions.
[0021] Wherein, the top of the second type of support protrusion protrudes beyond the top of the first type of support protrusion relative to the support plate, and the target direction is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the inlet and the opening.
[0022] Optionally, the lifting drive component includes: a mounting frame, a drive motor, a transmission screw, and a lifting connecting frame. The drive motor is fixed on the mounting frame, the transmission screw is mounted on the mounting frame and its axial direction is parallel to the lifting direction of the support frame; the lifting connecting frame is drivenly connected to the transmission screw, and the support frame is fastened to the lifting connecting frame; the output shaft of the drive motor is connected to one end of the transmission screw.
[0023] The drive motor is configured to drive the lifting connecting frame to move axially along the transmission screw via the transmission screw, thereby driving the support frame to rise and fall synchronously.
[0024] Optionally, the side of the support frame has flow holes for the flow of cleaning water.
[0025] On the other hand, a tank cleaning machine is provided, the tank cleaning machine comprising: a wafer waiting device, the wafer waiting device being any of the wafer waiting devices given above.
[0026] In another aspect, a wafer cleaning device is provided, comprising: a tank cleaning machine and a single-wafer brushing machine arranged side by side, wherein the tank cleaning machine is any of the tank cleaning machines described above.
[0027] The tank-type cleaning machine has a film outlet on its side; the single-piece brush washing machine has a film inlet communicating with the film outlet, and a film picking mechanism.
[0028] The wafer waiting device in the trough cleaning machine is located on the side of the wafer outlet opposite to the wafer inlet;
[0029] The wafer handling mechanism is used to transfer the wafers on the wafer waiting device to the single-wafer washing machine through the wafer inlet and wafer outlet.
[0030] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in this application include at least the following:
[0031] By incorporating a cleaning water tank housing to hold cleaning water into the wafer waiting device, and multiple horizontally oriented receiving cavities within the support frame, wafers cleaned by the tank cleaning machine can be placed into the receiving cavities of the support frame through the support frame's inlet. A drive unit then moves a wafer positioning component to the support frame's inlet (or outlet), aligning the annular positioning groove on the wafer positioning component with the receiving cavity, ensuring that a portion of the wafer's edge lies within the annular positioning groove. Subsequently, a lifting drive unit moves the drive unit and support frame synchronously into the cleaning water tank housing, allowing the wafers held in the receiving cavities of the support frame to be immersed in the cleaning water within the tank. Thus, this wafer waiting device can maintain wafer cleanliness throughout the cleaning process cycle between a tank cleaning machine and a single-wafer cleaning machine, further improving wafer manufacturing yield. In addition, after the wafer is immersed in the cleaning water in the tank, the wafer will be subject to the buoyancy of the cleaning water. Here, the annular limiting groove in the wafer limiting component will have a certain limiting effect on the wafer, ensuring the stability of the wafer's position in the receiving cavity of the support frame, thereby ensuring the efficiency and stability when the wafer is subsequently taken out from the outlet. Attached Figure Description
[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0033] Figure 1 This is a top view of a tank-type cleaning machine provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer waiting device provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0035] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A side view of the wafer waiting device shown;
[0036] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows a front view of the wafer waiting device;
[0037] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 A partial structural schematic diagram of the wafer waiting device is shown;
[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another wafer waiting device provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0039] Figure 7This is a partially exploded schematic diagram of a wafer waiting device provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0040] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A partial structural schematic diagram of the wafer waiting device is shown;
[0041] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 A partial structural schematic diagram of the wafer waiting device is shown;
[0042] Figure 10 This is a top view of a wafer cleaning device provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0043] The components include: wafer waiting device 000, chemical solution tank 001, cleaning water tank 002, wafer gripping mechanism 003, tank cleaning machine 00, single wafer brushing machine 01, cleaning water tank shell 100, support frame 200, lifting drive component 300, wafer limiting component 400, drive component 500, tank body 101, inlet a1, outlet a2, receiving cavity b1, annular limiting groove 401, wafer A, flow hole 201, and rotation drive component 5. 01, Adapter plate 402, Wafer limiting rod 403, Outer frame 202, Support plate 203, Support surface m1, Limiting support protrusion 203a, First type of support protrusion B1, Second type of support protrusion B2, Translation drive component 600, Translation drive cylinder 601, Moving slider 602, Mounting bracket 301, Drive motor 302, Transmission screw 303, Lifting connecting bracket 304, Wafer picking mechanism 01a, Brushing and spin-drying assembly 01b.
[0044] The accompanying drawings illustrate specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to particular embodiments. Detailed Implementation
[0045] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0046] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0047] It should be understood that the phrase "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
[0048] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a top view of a tank-type cleaning machine provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer waiting device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The side view of the wafer waiting device shown is shown. Figure 4 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows a front view of the wafer waiting device. Figure 5 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows a partial structural schematic of the wafer waiting device. The wafer waiting device 000 can be installed inside a tank-type cleaning machine 00. Wafers cleaned by the tank-type cleaning machine 000 can be placed in the wafer waiting device 000 so that a subsequent wafer single-wafer brushing machine 01 can extract the wafers from the wafer waiting device 000 for further brushing and drying. The wafer waiting device 000 may include: a cleaning tank housing 100, a support frame 200, a lifting drive component 300, a wafer limiting component 400, and a drive component 500.
[0049] The cleaning water tank housing 100 in the wafer waiting device 000 may have a tank 101 for carrying cleaning water.
[0050] The support frame 200 in the wafer waiting device 000 may have an inlet a1 and an outlet a2 arranged opposite each other, and multiple horizontally stacked receiving cavities b1 distributed between the inlet a1 and the outlet a2. Each receiving cavity b1 can be used to hold wafers after cleaning by the tank cleaning machine 00. Here, the wafers cleaned by the tank cleaning machine 00 can enter the receiving cavity b1 through the inlet a1 of the support frame 200, and the outlet a2 of the support frame 200 can be used to transfer the wafers to the subsequent single-wafer brushing machine 01. It should be noted that, in order to facilitate the smooth entry and exit of the wafers in the receiving cavity b1, the height of the receiving cavity b1 can be greater than the thickness of the wafer.
[0051] The lifting drive 300 in the wafer waiting device 000 can be connected to the support frame 200. The lifting drive 300 can be configured to: drive the support frame 200 down into the tank 101 of the cleaning water tank 100 to clean the wafer, or drive the support frame 200 out of the tank 101 of the cleaning water tank 100.
[0052] The wafer positioning member 400 in the wafer waiting device 000 may have multiple annular positioning grooves 401 distributed along the axial direction of the wafer positioning member 400. The multiple annular positioning grooves 401 may correspond one-to-one with the multilayer receiving cavity b1 in the support frame 200. Each annular positioning groove 401 may extend radially along the wafer positioning member 400.
[0053] The drive unit 500 in the wafer waiting device 000 can be mounted on the lifting drive unit 300, and the drive unit 500 can be connected to the wafer limiting member 400 in a transmission manner. The drive unit 500 can be configured to: drive the wafer limiting member 400 to move to the inlet a1 or outlet a2 of the support frame 200, so that the annular limiting groove 401 is aligned with the corresponding receiving cavity b1 in the support frame 200; or drive the wafer limiting member 400 to move to a position offset from the inlet a1 or outlet a2 of the support frame 200. For example, in one case, the wafer limiting member 400 and the drive unit 500 are grouped together, and the drive unit 500 can drive the wafer limiting member 400 to move to the inlet a1 or outlet a2, depending on the setting position of the drive unit 500 and the wafer limiting member 400. In another configuration, there are two sets of wafer positioning elements 400 and driving elements 500. One set of driving elements 500 can be used to move one wafer positioning element 400 to the entrance a1 of the support frame 200, so that the annular limiting groove 401 in the wafer positioning element 400 is aligned with the corresponding receiving cavity b1; or, to move the wafer positioning element 400 to a position offset from the entrance a1 of the support frame 200. The other set of driving elements 500 can be used to move another wafer positioning element 400 to the exit a2 of the support frame 200, so that the annular limiting groove 401 in the wafer positioning element 400 is aligned with the corresponding receiving cavity b1; or, to move the wafer positioning element 400 to a position offset from the exit a2 of the support frame 200. Here, the wafer positioning element 400 is offset from the entrance a1 of the support frame 200 to prevent the wafer A from interfering with the wafer positioning element 400 during its entry into the receiving cavity b1 of the support frame 200. The wafer limiting component 400 is offset from the outlet a2 of the support frame 200 to prevent the wafer A from interfering with the wafer limiting component 400 during the transfer of the wafer A from the receiving cavity b1 of the support frame 200.
[0054] Wherein, after wafer A is placed in the receiving cavity b1 in the support frame 200, a portion of the edge of wafer A may be located in the annular limiting groove 401 in the wafer limiting member 400 corresponding to the receiving cavity b1.
[0055] In this embodiment, a cleaning water tank shell 100 for carrying cleaning water is provided in the wafer waiting device 000, and a plurality of horizontally arranged receiving cavities b1 are provided in the support frame 200. Thus, wafer A, after being cleaned by the tank cleaning machine 00, can be placed into the receiving cavity b1 of the support frame 200 through the inlet a1; then, the drive member 500 can drive the wafer limiting member 400 to move to the inlet a1 (or the outlet a2) of the support frame 200, so that the annular limiting groove 401 on the wafer limiting member 400 is aligned with the receiving cavity b1, and ensuring that a portion of the edge of wafer A located in the receiving cavity b1 is located within the annular limiting groove 401; subsequently, the lifting drive member 300 drives the drive member 500 and the support frame 200 to move synchronously into the tank body 101 of the cleaning water tank shell 100, so that the wafer A carried in the receiving cavity b1 of the support frame 200 can be immersed in the cleaning water in the tank body 101. In this way, during the cleaning process cycle between the tank-type cleaning machine 00 (integrated with the wafer waiting device 000) and the single-wafer cleaning machine 01, the wafer waiting device 000 can still ensure the cleanliness of wafer A, further improving the manufacturing yield of wafer A. Furthermore, after wafer A is immersed in the cleaning water in the tank 101, wafer A will be subject to the buoyancy of the cleaning water. Here, the annular limiting groove 401 in the wafer limiting member 400 will exert a certain limiting effect on wafer A, ensuring the stability of wafer A's position within the receiving cavity b1 of the support frame 200, thereby ensuring the efficiency and reliability of subsequent removal of wafer A from the outlet a2.
[0056] It should be noted that when it is necessary to transport wafer A to the single-wafer cleaning machine 01, the lifting drive 300 drives the support frame 200 to move along the direction away from the cleaning water tank shell 100 and the tank body 101 to a certain height so that wafer A leaves the tank body 101.
[0057] In summary, this application provides a wafer waiting device, which may include: a cleaning water tank shell, a support frame, a lifting drive, a wafer limiting member, and a drive unit. By incorporating a cleaning water tank shell to hold cleaning water within the wafer waiting device, and having multiple horizontally oriented receiving cavities in the support frame, wafers cleaned by a tank cleaning machine can be placed into the receiving cavities of the support frame through the support frame's inlet. The drive unit then moves the wafer limiting member to the support frame's inlet, aligning the annular limiting groove on the wafer limiting member with the receiving cavity, ensuring that a portion of the wafer's edge is within the annular limiting groove. Subsequently, the lifting drive unit drives the drive unit and the support frame to move synchronously into the cleaning water tank shell, allowing the wafers held in the receiving cavities of the support frame to be immersed in the cleaning water within the tank. Thus, during the cleaning process cycle between a tank cleaning machine and a single-wafer cleaning machine, this wafer waiting device can still ensure wafer cleanliness, further improving wafer manufacturing yield. In addition, after the wafer is immersed in the cleaning water in the tank, the wafer will be subject to the buoyancy of the cleaning water. Here, the annular limiting groove in the wafer limiting component will have a certain limiting effect on the wafer, ensuring the stability of the wafer's position in the receiving cavity of the support frame, thereby ensuring the efficiency and stability when the wafer is subsequently taken out from the outlet.
[0058] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the support frame 200 in the wafer waiting device 000 may have a flow hole 201 for the flow of cleaning water. Here, the flow hole 201 in the support frame 200 may be in communication with the receiving cavity b1.
[0059] Optional, please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another wafer waiting device provided in an embodiment of this application. The driving component 500 in the wafer waiting device 000 can be a rotary driving component 501. The rotation axis of the rotary driving component 501 can be connected to the wafer positioning component 400. The central axis of the wafer positioning component 400 can be parallel to but not aligned with the rotation axis of the rotary driving component 500. The rotary driving component 501 can be configured to drive the wafer positioning component 400 to rotate around the rotation axis by a target angle. In this case, by driving the wafer positioning component 400 to rotate via the rotary driving component 501 to move towards or away from the support frame 200, the structure of the mechanism composed of the rotary driving component 501 and the wafer positioning component 400 is simple and compact, facilitating the miniaturization design of the tank cleaning machine 00. Here, the target angle is the angle at which the wafer positioning member 400 rotates from its initial position to the inlet a1 or outlet a2 of the support frame 200, such that a portion of the edge of the wafer A in the receiving cavity b1 is located within the annular limiting groove 401 in the wafer positioning member 400.
[0060] In the embodiments of this application, such asFigure 6 As shown, the wafer positioning component 400 may include an adapter plate 402 and a wafer positioning rod 403. The extension direction of the adapter plate 402 may be perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation axis of the rotary drive component 501. A first end of the adapter plate 402 may be fastened to the rotation axis of the rotary drive component 501, and a second end of the adapter plate 402 may be fastened to one end of the wafer positioning rod 403. Multiple annular positioning grooves 401 in the wafer positioning component 400 may be provided on the wafer positioning rod 403.
[0061] In this application, the wafer waiting device 000 may further include: an angle sensor (not shown) disposed in the rotary drive 501, which can detect the rotation angle of the rotary shaft in the rotary drive 501 and generate an angle detection signal output to a control component (not shown), which can generate an electrical signal and output it to the rotary drive 501. In this case, by providing a position sensor in the rotary drive 501, the position sensor can be used to detect the rotation angle of the rotary shaft to a target angle and then generate an angle detection signal output to the control component. The control component generates an electrical signal based on the angle detection signal and outputs it to the rotary drive to control the rotary shaft of the rotary drive 501 to stop rotating.
[0062] For example, the control component may include a PLC control system and a signal converter. The angle sensor can be communicatively connected to the signal converter, and the signal converter can be communicatively connected to the PLC control system. The rotary drive 501 can be communicatively connected to the PLC control system. The angle sensor can be a Hall sensor or a reed switch, etc., and the rotary drive 501 can be a rotary cylinder or a servo motor, etc. The embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations on these aspects.
[0063] Optional, please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 , Figure 7 This is a partially exploded view of a wafer waiting device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The diagram shown is a partial structural schematic of the wafer waiting device. Figure 9 yes Figure 8The diagram shows a partial structural schematic of the wafer waiting device. The support frame 200 in the wafer waiting device 000 may include: an outer frame 202, and multiple sets of support plates 203 arranged in an array fixed within the outer frame 202. Adjacent support plates 203 can form a receiving cavity b1. Each set of support plates 203 may contain multiple support plates 203. Each support plate 203 may have a limiting support protrusion 203a at its end, and the top of the limiting support protrusion 203a may have a support surface m1 that contacts and engages with the chamfered surface of the edge portion of wafer A. For example, the support surface m1 can be an arc-shaped conical surface. In this case, after wafer A is placed in the receiving cavity b1, it can be supported by the limiting support protrusion 203a on each set of support plates 203, and the chamfered surface of the edge portion of wafer A contacts and engages with the support surface at the top of the limiting support protrusion 203a, effectively reducing the probability of damage to the front and back sides of wafer A.
[0064] In this embodiment, the multiple support plates in each group of support plates 203 can be arranged in two rows. The limiting support protrusions 203a in each row of support plates can include at least two first-type support protrusions B1 and at least two second-type support protrusions B2. The space enclosed by the first-type support protrusions B1 in the two rows of support plates in each group of support plates 203 can be distributed within the space enclosed by the second-type support protrusions B2. The top of the second-type support protrusions B2 can protrude beyond the top of the first-type support protrusions B1 relative to the support plate 203. In this case, the first-type support protrusions B1 can be used to support wafers A with smaller areas, and the second-type support protrusions B2 can be used to support wafers A with larger areas, thus effectively improving the flexibility of the support frame 200 in supporting wafers A. For example, the number of first-type support protrusions B1 in each layer of support plate 203 can be six, and the six first-type support protrusions B1 can be arranged in a ring; the number of second-type support protrusions B2 can be four, and the four second-type support protrusions B2 can be arranged in a square.
[0065] It should be noted that, as Figure 5 and Figure 8As shown, when the limiting support protrusion 203a in each support plate 203 includes a first type of support protrusion B1 and a second type of support protrusion B2, the number of annular limiting grooves 401 corresponding to each receiving cavity b1 in the wafer limiting member 400 can be two. One annular limiting groove 401 can be used to limit the wafer A supported by the first type of support protrusion B1; the other annular limiting groove 401 can be used to limit the wafer A supported by the second type of support protrusion B2. In addition, when the area of the wafer A supported by the first type of support protrusion B1 is small, in order to ensure that a part of the edge of the wafer A can be located within the annular limiting groove 401 in the wafer limiting member 400 that cooperates with the first type of support protrusion B1, the opening of the annular limiting groove 401 that cooperates with the first type of support protrusion B1 can be made closer to the support frame 200 than the opening of the annular limiting groove 401 that cooperates with the second type of support protrusion B2.
[0066] In other possible implementations, such as Figure 8 As shown, the wafer waiting device 000 may further include: a translation drive 600, which can be connected to the lifting drive 300 and the rotation drive 501 respectively, and the translation drive 600 is configured to: when the wafer limiting member 400 rotates to the target position of the support frame 200 (the inlet a1 or outlet a2 of the support frame 200), drive the rotation drive 501 and the wafer limiting member 400 to move synchronously along the direction close to the wafer A supported by the first type of support protrusion B1, so that a portion of the edge of the wafer A supported by the first type of support protrusion B1 is located in the annular limiting groove 401 in the wafer limiting member 400.
[0067] For example, the translation drive 600 may include a translation drive cylinder 601 and a moving slider 602 connected by a transmission. The translation drive cylinder 601 may be connected to the lifting drive 300, and the rotation drive 501 may be mounted on the moving slider 602. The translation drive cylinder 601 can drive the moving slider 602 to translate.
[0068] Optional, such as Figure 7As shown, the lifting drive unit 300 in the wafer waiting device may include: a mounting frame 301, a drive motor 302, a transmission screw 303, and a lifting connecting frame 304. The drive motor 302 can be fixed on the mounting frame 301, and the transmission screw 303 can be mounted on the mounting frame 301, with its axial direction parallel to the lifting direction of the support frame 200. The lifting connecting frame 304 can be driven by the transmission screw 303, and both the support frame 200 and the drive unit 500 can be securely connected to the lifting connecting frame 304. The output shaft of the drive motor 302 can be connected to one end of the transmission screw 303. The drive motor 302 can be configured to drive the lifting connecting frame 304 to move along the axial direction of the transmission screw 303, thereby synchronously lifting and lowering the support frame 200.
[0069] For example, the mounting bracket 301 can be fixed inside the tank cleaning machine 00. When the drive motor 302 is in working condition, it drives the transmission screw 303 to rotate, thereby driving the lifting connecting bracket 304 to rise and fall along the axial direction of the transmission screw 303, so as to drive the support bracket 200 and the wafer limiting component 400 to move up and down synchronously.
[0070] It should be noted that when the translation drive component 600 includes a translation drive cylinder 601 and a moving slider 602, the translation drive cylinder 601 can be mounted on the lifting connecting frame 304.
[0071] This application embodiment also provides a tank-type cleaning machine 00, which may include a wafer waiting device 000, which may be any of the wafer waiting devices given above. For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the tank cleaning machine 00 may further include: a chemical solution tank 001, a cleaning water tank 002, and a wafer gripping mechanism 003 disposed within the tank cleaning machine. The wafer gripping mechanism 003 is used to sequentially transport the wafers to be cleaned into the chemical solution tank 001 and the cleaning water tank 002 for cleaning, and is also used to transport the cleaned wafers in the cleaning water tank 002 to the wafer waiting device 000.
[0072] This application also provides a wafer cleaning device; please refer to... Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a top view of a wafer cleaning apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. The wafer cleaning apparatus may include: a tank-type cleaning machine 00 and a single-wafer brushing machine 01 arranged side by side, wherein the tank-type cleaning machine 00 may be the tank-type cleaning machine given above.
[0073] The side of the tank-type cleaning machine 00 may have a film outlet (not shown in the figure). It should be noted that the film outlet is located on the side of the housing of the tank-type cleaning machine 00.
[0074] The single-piece washing machine 01 may have a film inlet that communicates with the film outlet in the tank washing machine 00, and a film taking mechanism 01a.
[0075] The wafer waiting device 000 in the trough cleaning machine 00 can be located on the side of the wafer outlet opposite to the wafer inlet of the single wafer brushing machine 01.
[0076] The wafer picking mechanism 01a can be used to transfer wafer A on the wafer waiting device 000 to the wafer picking machine 01 through the wafer inlet in the single wafer brushing machine 01 and the wafer outlet in the tank cleaning machine 00.
[0077] For example, the single-wafer washing machine 01 may also have at least one washing and drying assembly 01b. After the wafer picking mechanism 01a picks up wafer A from the wafer waiting device 000, it can place wafer A in the washing and drying assembly 01b and wash and dry wafer A through the washing and drying assembly 01b.
[0078] In this way, the wafers cleaned by the tank cleaning machine 00 are placed in the wafer waiting device 000. The wafer picking mechanism 01a in the single-wafer cleaning machine 01 transfers the wafer A in the wafer waiting device 000 to the single-wafer cleaning machine 01 for cleaning and drying through the wafer outlet and wafer inlet.
[0079] In this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. The term "multiple" refers to two or more unless otherwise expressly defined.
[0080] The above description is merely an optional embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. A wafer waiting device, characterized in that, The wafer waiting device is installed inside the tank cleaning machine. The device includes: a cleaning tank shell, a support frame, a lifting drive component, a wafer limiting component, and a drive component. The cleaning water tank shell has a tank body for holding cleaning water; The support frame has an inlet and an outlet arranged opposite to each other, and a plurality of horizontally arranged receiving cavities stacked between the inlet and the outlet, each receiving cavity being used to hold a wafer after it has been cleaned by the tank cleaning machine; The lifting drive is connected to the support frame, and the lifting drive is configured to drive the support frame to descend into the tank to clean the wafer. The wafer limiting member has a plurality of annular limiting grooves distributed along the axial direction of the wafer limiting member on its side surface. The plurality of annular limiting grooves correspond one-to-one with the plurality of receiving cavities, and each of the annular limiting grooves extends radially along the wafer limiting member. The driving component is mounted on the lifting driving component and is connected to the wafer limiting component. The driving component is configured to: drive the wafer limiting component to move to the inlet or outlet so that the annular limiting groove is aligned with the corresponding receiving cavity, or drive the wafer limiting component to move to a position offset from the inlet or outlet. Wherein, after the wafer is located in the receiving cavity, a portion of the edge of the wafer is located within the annular limiting groove.
2. The wafer waiting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driving component is a rotary driving component, and the rotation axis of the rotary driving component is connected to the wafer positioning component. The central axis of the wafer positioning component is parallel to but not on the same axis as the rotation axis. The rotary driving component is configured to drive the wafer positioning component to rotate around the rotation axis by a target angle.
3. The wafer waiting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wafer positioning component includes: an adapter plate and a wafer positioning rod. The extension direction of the adapter plate is perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft. The first end of the adapter plate is fastened to the rotating shaft, and the second end of the adapter plate is fastened to one end of the wafer positioning rod. The plurality of annular limiting grooves are disposed on the wafer limiting rod.
4. The wafer waiting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wafer waiting device further includes: an angle sensor disposed in the rotary drive component, the angle sensor detecting the rotation angle of the rotary axis and generating an angle detection signal output to the control component; the control component generating an electrical signal and outputting it to the rotary drive component.
5. The wafer waiting device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The support frame includes: an outer frame, and multiple sets of support plates arranged in an array within the outer frame, with adjacent sets of support plates forming the receiving cavity, and each set of support plates containing multiple support plates. Each of the support plates has a limiting support protrusion at its end, and the top of the limiting support protrusion has a support surface that contacts and engages with the chamfered surface of the wafer edge portion.
6. The wafer waiting device according to claim 5, characterized in that, In each group of support plates, multiple support plates are arranged in two rows along the target direction. The limiting support protrusions in each row of support plates include at least two first-type support protrusions and at least two second-type support protrusions. The space enclosed by the first-type support protrusions in the two rows of support plates is distributed within the space enclosed by the second-type support protrusions. Wherein, the top of the second type of support protrusion protrudes beyond the top of the first type of support protrusion relative to the support plate, and the target direction is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the inlet and the opening.
7. The wafer waiting device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The lifting drive component includes: a mounting frame, a drive motor, a transmission screw, and a lifting connecting frame. The drive motor is fixed on the mounting frame, the transmission screw is mounted on the mounting frame and its axial direction is parallel to the lifting direction of the support frame; the lifting connecting frame is driven by the transmission screw, and the support frame is fastened to the lifting connecting frame; the output shaft of the drive motor is connected to one end of the transmission screw. The drive motor is configured to drive the lifting connecting frame to move axially along the transmission screw via the transmission screw, thereby driving the support frame to rise and fall synchronously.
8. The wafer waiting device according to any one of claims 1-4 and 6-7, characterized in that, The side of the support frame has flow holes for the flow of cleaning water.
9. A tank-type cleaning machine, characterized in that, Includes the wafer waiting device as described in any one of claims 1-8.
10. A wafer cleaning device, characterized in that, include: A trough-type cleaning machine and a single-blade brush cleaning machine are arranged side by side, wherein the trough-type cleaning machine is as described in claim 9; The tank-type cleaning machine has a film outlet on its side; the single-piece brush washing machine has a film inlet communicating with the film outlet, and a film picking mechanism. The wafer waiting device in the trough cleaning machine is located on the side of the wafer outlet opposite to the wafer inlet; The wafer handling mechanism is used to transfer the wafers on the wafer waiting device to the single-wafer washing machine through the wafer inlet and wafer outlet.