Wafer carrier

Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer carrier, which relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and adopts the scheme that the wafer carrier comprises a bearing base body, a plurality of wafer positioning grooves are sequentially formed in two opposite sides in the bearing base body along a preset direction, and each wafer positioning groove comprises a wafer avoiding section and a wafer bearing section; the plurality of limiting pieces are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of wafer positioning grooves, and the plurality of limiting pieces are respectively arranged in the corresponding wafer positioning grooves; the driving assembly is connected with the plurality of limiting pieces, and the driving assembly can drive the plurality of limiting pieces to synchronously move in the wafer positioning groove; wherein in the limiting state, the limiting piece moves to a preset limiting point of the wafer bearing section so as to limit the position of the wafer; the problems of surface damage and edge cracking caused by waggling and displacement of the wafer can be reduced, and the wafer circulation safety and the production yield are remarkably improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, specifically relates to a wafer carrier. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing, the wafer carrier is an indispensable core tool, which provides three key functions of depth integration protection, positioning and circulation, and is the core hub of efficient operation of the industry. Since the wafer is essentially a brittle and hard single crystal silicon material, the surface process is precise to the nanometer level, and any slight impact or extrusion may cause wafer surface defects and structural damage, directly leading to a sharp decline in chip yield. Therefore, using the wafer carrier for full-process control is an inevitable choice for the industry to ensure production quality and reduce cost loss.

[0003] According to the authorized announcement number (CN222421915U) of a kind of wafer turnover box capable of reducing breakage rate, including boat-shaped box body, two sides of boat-shaped box body inside relative symmetry are fixedly connected with several partitions, several partitions are all provided with wafer. When using, after placing the wafer in the inside of boat-shaped box body, rotate two arc-shaped shielding covers to make two connecting plates close tightly, the arc-shaped shielding cover can shield the top of the boat-shaped box body, so as to avoid the situation that the wafer moves out from the inside of the boat-shaped box body.

[0004] The structure disclosed in this patent has defects in actual application, specifically as follows, since the boat-shaped box body is simply separated by the partition inside, no special limiting and fixing device is provided for the wafer, resulting in that the wafer is placed in a relatively loose state in the boat-shaped box body. In the actual transfer process, even if the top of the boat-shaped box body is closed, the wafer will still shake and shift due to external forces such as handling vibration, acceleration or deceleration, and further cause physical damage such as surface scratching and edge cracking, which seriously affects the wafer yield and the production quality of semiconductor devices. UTILITY MODEL CONTENTS

[0005] The utility model aims at providing a wafer carrier, which can solve the problem of lack of effective limiting and fixing of the wafer in the wafer carrier in the prior art, and the wafer is prone to surface scratching and edge cracking due to shaking and shifting during the transfer process, and proposes a solution, which can reduce the surface damage and edge cracking of the wafer caused by shaking and shifting, and significantly improve the wafer circulation safety and production yield.

[0006] The utility model realizes the following technical solutions:

[0007] A wafer carrier, comprising: a bearing base, opposite sides of the bearing base are provided with a plurality of wafer positioning grooves in a preset direction in sequence, the wafer positioning groove comprises a wafer avoiding section and a wafer supporting section; a plurality of limiting pieces, the plurality of limiting pieces correspond to the plurality of wafer positioning grooves one by one, and the plurality of limiting pieces are respectively installed in the corresponding wafer positioning grooves; a driving assembly, the driving assembly is connected with the plurality of limiting pieces, and the driving assembly can drive the plurality of limiting pieces to move synchronously in the wafer positioning groove; wherein, in the limiting state, the limiting piece moves to a preset limiting point of the wafer supporting section to limit the position of the wafer; in the non-limiting state, the limiting piece moves into the wafer avoiding section, so that the wafer avoiding section forms an avoiding space, thereby avoiding interference on the wafer entering and leaving the wafer positioning groove.

[0008] Further, in the utility model, the driving assembly comprises a transmission shaft, a lifting bracket and a plurality of connecting rods; the outer side of the bearing base is provided with two oppositely arranged base plates, the bearing base is provided with a plurality of guide through grooves, and the plurality of guide through grooves correspond to the plurality of wafer positioning grooves one by one; the transmission shaft penetrates the two base plates in sequence and is rotationally matched with the two base plates; the lifting bracket is sleeved on the outer side of the transmission shaft and is threadedly matched with the transmission shaft, and a plurality of connecting rods are installed on the lifting bracket; the plurality of connecting rods correspond to the plurality of guide through grooves one by one, the plurality of connecting rods extend into the corresponding guide through grooves respectively, and the connecting rod is connected with the limiting piece.

[0009] Further, in the utility model, the driving assembly comprises a transmission shaft, a lifting bracket and a plurality of connecting rods; the outer side of the bearing base is provided with two oppositely arranged base plates, the bearing base is provided with a plurality of guide through grooves, and the plurality of guide through grooves correspond to the plurality of wafer positioning grooves one by one; the transmission shaft penetrates the two base plates in sequence and is rotationally matched with the two base plates; the lifting bracket is sleeved on the outer side of the transmission shaft and is threadedly matched with the transmission shaft, and a plurality of connecting rods are installed on the lifting bracket; the plurality of connecting rods correspond to the plurality of guide through grooves one by one, the plurality of connecting rods extend into the corresponding guide through grooves respectively, and the connecting rod is connected with the limiting piece.

[0010] Further, in the utility model, one end of the limiting piece towards the connecting rod is provided with a limiting sliding groove; one end of the connecting rod extends into the limiting sliding groove, and the connecting rod is guidingly matched with the limiting sliding groove; wherein, in the limiting state, the limiting piece moves away from the connecting rod, and the limiting piece can enter the wafer supporting section; in the non-limiting state, the limiting piece moves towards the connecting rod, and the limiting piece can enter the wafer avoiding section.

[0011] Further, in the utility model, the top of the end of the limiting piece away from the connecting rod is provided with a first guide inclined surface, and the bottom of the end of the limiting piece away from the connecting rod is provided with a second guide inclined surface; wherein, the first guide inclined surface and the second guide inclined surface can be guidingly matched with the wafer.

[0012] Further, in the utility model, the inner wall of the wafer positioning groove is provided with an elastic buffer layer.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the advantages and beneficial effects as follows:

[0014] 1.The driving assembly of the application can control the precise movement of the limiting piece to the preset limiting point of the wafer supporting section, so that the limiting piece is close to the edge of the wafer to realize stable limiting. Compared with the simple separation method by the partition plate in the prior art, the design significantly improves the fixing effect of the wafer during the transfer process, reduces the surface scratches and edge cracking caused by shaking.

[0015] 2.The mechanical self-driving obstacle avoidance function of the double guide inclined surfaces of the limiting piece can automatically complete the avoidance action without relying on an additional power source, only by the contact force generated when the wafer moves. This design significantly simplifies the picking and placing process of the operator, reduces the manual intervention link, and greatly improves the wafer transfer efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] The drawings described herein are used to provide further understanding of the embodiments of the application, constitute a part of the application, and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the application. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of a wafer carrier;

[0018] Figure 2 It is Figure 1 the enlarged view of A in the middle;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a left view of a wafer carrier;

[0020] Figure 4 It is Figure 3 the sectional view along the direction of A-A;

[0021] Figure 5 It is a sectional view of the limiting piece.

[0022] The marks in the drawings and the corresponding names of the parts are as follows:

[0023] 1-bear base, 2-wafer positioning groove, 3-motor, 4-base plate, 5-lifting bracket, 6-wafer avoidance section, 7-wafer supporting section, 8-transmission shaft, 9-guide groove, 10-limiting piece, 11-connecting rod, 12-limiting sliding groove, 13-first guide inclined surface, 14-second guide inclined surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the application more clear and understandable, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and drawings. The schematic embodiments and their descriptions of the application are only used to explain the application, and do not limit the application.

[0025] EMBODIMENT

[0026] Please refer toFigures 1 to 4 The embodiment of the utility model provides a wafer carrier. The opposite two sides in the inside of bearing base body 1 are arranged with a plurality of wafer positioning groove 2 along the preset direction in proper order, every wafer positioning groove 2 adopts two-section type layered structure, and is divided into wafer avoiding section 6 and wafer supporting section 7 from top to bottom. This structure design effectively plans wafer storage path, and provides guarantee for the stability and safety of wafer transfer process. A plurality of limit parts 10 correspond to wafer positioning groove 2 one to one, and are accurately installed in the corresponding groove, and the limit and release function of wafer are realized through moving.

[0027] Driving assembly is linked with all limit parts 10, can realize multi-station synchronous driving. Through the control of driving assembly, all limit parts 10 can be synchronously controlled to move in wafer positioning groove 2, and the consistency and efficiency of wafer positioning and release are ensured. When wafer pick-and-place operation, driving assembly controls limit part 10 to move up to wafer avoiding section 6, makes the wafer avoiding section 6 form the unobstructed avoidance space, completely avoids the wafer access path, effectively prevents the collision interference of wafer and limit part 10. When wafer enters wafer supporting section 7 through wafer avoiding section 6, driving assembly synchronously drives all limit parts 10 to move down to the preset limit point of wafer supporting section 7, firmly fixes the position of wafer through the multi-point cooperative limiting, significantly reduces the damage risk of wafer in the transfer process due to shaking. Realize the efficient obstacle avoidance and accurate positioning of wafer pick-and-place process, can be widely applied to high-precision scenes such as semiconductor manufacturing, wafer detection, effectively improve the safety and reliability of wafer transmission.

[0028] It should be noted that the wafer carrier adopts open structure design, and does not configure any sealing assembly, so it has the characteristics of simple structure, light and easy operation. Based on this design feature, the carrier is only suitable for short-distance wafer transfer scene, and the use environment needs to meet the requirements of clean and pollution-free, such as hundred-level clean area of semiconductor production workshop, dust-free operation table of laboratory and other specific places. This design can effectively avoid the increase of cost and maintenance complexity caused by sealing structure, and at the same time ensure the efficient and safe transfer of wafer in the adaptive environment.

[0029] It should be noted that for different sizes of wafers, control limit part 10 is lowered to the corresponding limit point in wafer supporting section 7 to achieve accurate positioning. Specifically, a plurality of limit points matched with different wafer sizes (such as 8 inches, 12 inches, etc.) are preset in wafer supporting section 7, and limit part 10 can be accurately moved to the target limit point by adjusting driving assembly, so as to adapt to the positioning needs of wafers of various specifications, and ensure that wafers of different sizes can be reliably fixed during transfer.

[0030] The wafer supporting section 7 adopts a stepped composite structure, and the vertical linear part and the arc-shaped placing part are sequentially arranged from top to bottom. The vertical linear part is a dedicated movement channel of the limiting piece 10, and the inner wall of the vertical linear part matches the movement path of the limiting piece 10, so that the lifting track of the limiting piece 10 is limited in the vertical linear part region.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some embodiments of the present application, the driving assembly specifically includes a vertically arranged transmission shaft 8, a lifting bracket 5 sleeved on the outer side of the transmission shaft 8, and a plurality of transmission connecting rods 11 corresponding to the limiting pieces 10. The outer side of the carrying base body 1 is symmetrically provided with two base plates 4, and the transmission shaft 8 is supported by a bearing pair between the two base plates 4 to ensure that the transmission shaft 8 can rotate freely. The outer periphery of the transmission shaft 8 is processed with threads, and the transmission shaft 8 and the inner threads of the lifting bracket 5 form a screw transmission pair.

[0032] The outer wall of the lifting bracket 5 is connected with a plurality of connecting rods 11, and the carrying base body 1 is provided with a vertically extending guide through slot 9 corresponding to the position of each wafer positioning groove 2. The other end of the connecting rod 11 is rigidly connected with the limiting piece 10 after penetrating through the guide through slot 9. When the operator rotates the operation turntable installed at the top end of the transmission shaft 8, the rotary motion of the transmission shaft 8 is converted into the linear motion of the lifting bracket 5 through the thread pair. Since each transmission connecting rod 11 is constrained in the guide through slot 9, the lifting bracket 5 can only vertically ascend along the axial direction of the transmission shaft 8, thereby synchronously driving all the limiting pieces 10 to move linearly in the wafer positioning groove 2.

[0033] Specifically, the above structure design can realize the precise displacement control of the limiting piece 10 between the wafer avoiding section 6 and the wafer supporting section 7. When the lifting bracket 5 rises, the transmission connecting rod 11 drives the limiting piece 10 to completely retreat into the wafer avoiding section 6, avoiding the taking and placing path of the wafer. When the lifting bracket 5 descends, the limiting piece 10 is positioned at the preset limiting point of the wafer supporting section 7 to constrain the wafer position. Through the rotary motion of the single transmission shaft 8, the synchronous switching of all the limiting pieces 10 between the two working positions is realized, ensuring the safety and efficiency of the wafer transfer process.

[0034] It should be noted that the transmission shaft 8 is not provided with an additional constraint structure, and there is a risk of spontaneous rotation when not operated by human. However, considering that the wafer carrier is mainly applied to short-distance transfer scenes, and the environment is usually a low-disturbance safe area (such as the inside of a clean room), the actual impact of the slight rotation of the transmission shaft 8 on the wafer positioning accuracy can be controlled within a reasonable range, so the impact of such non-functional rotation can be ignored in this application scenario.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 3For example, the motor 3 is installed on one of the substrates 4, and the output end of the motor 3 is rigidly connected to the top end of the transmission shaft 8 through a shaft coupling. Through forward and reverse rotation control of the motor 3, the transmission shaft 8 can be accurately driven to rotate, thereby stably driving the lifting bracket 5 to ascend and descend along the axial direction, and realizing automatic synchronous control of the limiting piece 10.

[0036] The motor 3 driving scheme not only eliminates the potential risk of non-human rotation of the transmission shaft 8, but also significantly improves work efficiency: through the closed-loop control system of the motor 3. In addition, the torque output characteristics of the motor 3 can ensure that the lifting bracket 5 remains stationary at any position without the need for additional brake devices, further simplifying the mechanical structure design.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 5 In some embodiments of the present application, the limiting piece 10 is provided with a limiting sliding groove 12 at one end thereof facing the connecting rod 11, and one end of the connecting rod 11 is embedded in the limiting sliding groove 12 to form a guide matching structure. The limiting piece 10 can slide relative to the connecting rod 11 along the length direction of the limiting sliding groove 12 to realize bidirectional motion control.

[0038] Non-limiting state: control the limiting piece 10 to slide along the limiting sliding groove 12 towards the connecting rod 11, so that the limiting piece 10 is completely withdrawn into the wafer avoidance section 6, completely eliminating the interference with the wafer in-out path

[0039] Limiting state: control the limiting piece 10 to slide along the limiting sliding groove 12 away from the connecting rod 11, so that the limiting piece 10 is separated from the avoidance area of the wafer avoidance section 6, and then control the limiting piece 10 to move towards the wafer supporting section 7 until it reaches the preset limiting point, and realize stable clamping by abutting against the wafer edge.

[0040] It should be noted that the limiting piece 10 and the connecting rod 11 adopt an embedded guide matching structure, and the limiting piece 10 can slide along the connecting rod 11 in the axial direction through the limiting sliding groove 12. This design not only provides necessary displacement compensation for the limiting piece 10 to switch between the wafer avoidance section 6 and the wafer supporting section 7, but also prevents falling through the mechanical stop structure of the limiting sliding groove 12 and the connecting rod 11.

[0041] It should be noted that when the position adjustment of the limiting piece 10 relative to the connecting rod 11 is controlled manually, the operator needs to wear a dust-free glove to operate, so as to avoid the attachment of hand sweat, bacteria and other pollutants to the surface of the limiting piece 10. Since the wafer directly contacts the limiting piece 10, the above protective measures can effectively prevent pollution from being transmitted to the wafer through the limiting piece 10, and ensure the process requirements in the semiconductor clean environment.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 5In some embodiments of the present application, the limiting piece 10 is provided with a double-guiding inclined surface structure at the end away from the connecting rod 11: a first guiding inclined surface 13 is arranged at the top of the limiting piece 10, and a second guiding inclined surface 14 is arranged at the bottom of the limiting piece 10, both of which are adapted to the shape of the wafer edge. This design greatly optimizes the wafer picking and placing process.

[0043] When the wafer is placed, the limiting piece 10 is initially placed at the wafer avoiding section 6. During the falling process of the wafer, the wafer edge contacts the first guiding inclined surface 13, and the gravity of the wafer itself generates a horizontal component force through the first guiding inclined surface 13, which automatically pushes the limiting piece 10 to slide towards the connecting rod 11, so that the limiting piece 10 completely retreats into the wafer avoiding section 6, leaving space for the wafer to fall.

[0044] When the wafer is picked up, the limiting piece 10 is also placed at the wafer avoiding section 6. During the upward movement of the wafer, the wafer contacts the second guiding inclined surface 14, and the moving force of the wafer is converted into a horizontal component force through the second guiding inclined surface 14, which drives the limiting piece 10 to slide again towards the connecting rod 11, so that the limiting piece 10 completely retreats into the wafer avoiding section 6, avoiding interference with the wafer.

[0045] The double-guiding inclined surface structure utilizes the principle of mechanical mechanics to convert the moving force of the wafer into the avoiding power of the limiting piece 10, without the need for additional operations to achieve automatic obstacle avoidance. This realizes smooth picking and placing of the wafer, significantly simplifies the operation process, and improves work efficiency.

[0046] It should be noted that the operation of completely withdrawing the limiting piece 10 from the wafer avoiding section 6 can be achieved by manual control. The operator needs to push the limiting piece 10 to slide away from the connecting rod 11 until the limiting piece 10 completely exits the wafer avoiding section 6. To improve the fault tolerance of the operation, a third guiding inclined surface is arranged at the bottom of the end of the limiting piece 10 close to the connecting rod 11. If the limiting piece 10 does not completely exit the wafer avoiding section 6, when the limiting piece 10 is controlled to move towards the wafer supporting section 7, the bottom edge of the wafer avoiding section 6 will contact the third guiding inclined surface, which automatically pushes the limiting piece 10 to completely exit the wafer avoiding section 6 through the guiding effect of the inclined surface.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present application, the inner wall of the wafer positioning groove 2 is provided with an elastic buffer layer. The elastic buffer layer is made of high-elasticity material, has a soft touch and good deformation ability. When the wafer is placed in the wafer positioning groove 2, the elastic buffer layer absorbs impact energy through elastic compression, reduces the rigid collision between the wafer and the groove wall of the wafer positioning groove 2, and thus protects the wafer edge from damage.

[0048] The above specific embodiments explain the purpose, technical scheme and beneficial effects of the present application in further detail, and it should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present application and is not used to limit the protection scope of the present application, and any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A wafer carrier, characterized by, The utility model relates to a wafer positioning device, including: A bearing base (1) is provided with a plurality of wafer positioning grooves (2) on both sides in a preset direction, and the wafer positioning groove (2) includes a wafer avoiding section (6) and a wafer supporting section (7); A plurality of limiters (10) are provided in the wafer positioning groove (2) one by one, and the limiter (10) is installed in the corresponding wafer positioning groove (2) respectively; A driving assembly is connected with the limiter (10), and the driving assembly can drive the limiter (10) to move synchronously in the wafer positioning groove (2); In the limiting state, the limiter (10) moves to the preset limiting point of the wafer supporting section (7) to limit the position of the wafer; In the non-limiting state, the limiter (10) moves into the wafer avoiding section (6), and the wafer avoiding section (6) forms an avoiding space to avoid interference with the wafer entering and exiting the wafer positioning groove (2).

2. The wafer carrier of claim 1, wherein, The driving assembly includes a transmission shaft (8), a lifting bracket (5) and a plurality of connecting rods (11); The outer side of the bearing base (1) is provided with two oppositely arranged base plates (4), and the bearing base (1) is provided with a plurality of guide through grooves (9) corresponding to the wafer positioning groove (2); The transmission shaft (8) penetrates the two base plates (4) in sequence, and the transmission shaft (8) is rotationally connected with the two base plates (4); The lifting bracket (5) is sleeved on the outer side of the transmission shaft (8), and the lifting bracket (5) is threadedly connected with the transmission shaft (8), and a plurality of connecting rods (11) are installed on the lifting bracket (5); The connecting rod (11) is connected with the limiter (10).

3. The wafer carrier of claim 2, wherein, It also includes a motor (3); The motor (3) is installed on one of the base plates (4), and the output end of the motor (3) is connected with the transmission shaft (8).

4. The wafer carrier of claim 2, wherein, The limiter (10) is provided with a limiting sliding groove (12) at one end of the connecting rod (11); One end of the connecting rod (11) extends into the limiting sliding groove (12), and the connecting rod (11) is guidedly connected with the limiting sliding groove (12); In the limiting state, the limiter (10) moves away from the connecting rod (11), and the limiter (10) can enter the wafer supporting section (7); In the non-limiting state, the limiter (10) moves towards the connecting rod (11), and the limiter (10) can enter the wafer avoiding section (6).

5. The wafer carrier of claim 4, wherein, The top of the limiter (10) away from one end of the connecting rod (11) is provided with a first guide inclined surface (13), and the bottom of the limiter (10) away from one end of the connecting rod (11) is provided with a second guide inclined surface (14); The first guide inclined surface (13) and the second guide inclined surface (14) can guide the wafer.

6. Wafer carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The inner wall of the wafer positioning groove (2) is provided with an elastic buffer layer.

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