Buffering device integrating various samples and manipulators

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor production, and particularly discloses a temporary storage device integrating various samples and manipulators, which comprises a device main body, a plurality of sample trays and a plurality of clamping jaw brackets, the device body comprises a supporting frame and a containing box. The placing box is arranged on the supporting frame; the sample tray is placed in the placing box; the clamping jaw bracket is arranged on the supporting frame and used for containing the mechanical clamping jaw. In the scheme, the support frame can be placed beside the semiconductor production equipment. In the production process, the containing box and the supporting frame can be used for containing a sample and the mechanical clamping jaw correspondingly. When the robot transfers the materials, the materials can be temporarily stored in the containing box, the production waiting time of the robot is shortened, and therefore the utilization rate of the robot is increased, and the production efficiency is improved. And moreover, the mechanical clamping jaw corresponding to the production equipment can be placed on the supporting frame, so that the robot does not need to move back and forth between specific manipulator placing areas, the transfer time of the robot is shortened, and the operation efficiency is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a buffer device that integrates multiple samples and a robotic arm. Background Technology

[0002] A semiconductor "lights-out" workshop is a scenario that enables unmanned, high-precision, and continuous production of semiconductor devices. The workshop features a high level of cleanliness and integrates various production equipment such as thin-film deposition, plasma etching, photolithography, and wafer inspection. To adapt to its unmanned operation and high-cleanliness environment, configuring robots for material handling within the workshop has become a research focus of interest for staff.

[0003] In actual production, the continuous production of semiconductor devices requires a process where preceding equipment completes processing, materials are transferred to subsequent equipment, and the subsequent equipment receives the materials and proceeds to the next process. Due to the difference in production time between preceding and subsequent equipment, the robots used for transfer need to wait for the time difference between the two. Furthermore, in actual operation, the production time of the equipment will fluctuate due to factors such as material batches and adjustments to process parameters, thus extending the robot transfer time and restricting production efficiency.

[0004] Furthermore, the robotic arms used by the robots differ when dealing with different equipment and transferring different materials. Therefore, dedicated areas for mounting these different robotic arms are provided within the workroom. During production, the robots need to frequently travel between the equipment and the robotic arm placement areas, further impacting production efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a buffer device that integrates multiple samples and a robotic arm to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] To achieve the above technical objectives, this application provides a buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm, comprising: a device body, several sample trays, and several gripper brackets;

[0007] The main body of the device includes a support frame and a placement box;

[0008] The placement box is disposed on the support frame;

[0009] The sample tray is placed inside the placement box;

[0010] The gripper bracket is disposed on the support frame and is used to hold the mechanical gripper.

[0011] Furthermore, the gripper bracket is provided with two support rods;

[0012] The support rod is used to support the mechanical gripper;

[0013] A placement cavity is formed between the two support rods for the mechanical gripper to insert.

[0014] Furthermore, an extension block is provided on the side of the support rod near the placement cavity;

[0015] The support rod narrows from the outside to the inside near the placement cavity, so that the placement cavity forms a funnel-shaped structure.

[0016] The extension block is used to support the mechanical gripper, and the side of the mechanical gripper abuts against the side of the support rod near the placement cavity.

[0017] Furthermore, the gripper brackets comprise multiple grippers, which are arranged in a straight line at intervals along the edge of the support frame.

[0018] Furthermore, the edge of the support frame is provided with a recessed groove;

[0019] The gripper bracket is disposed within the recessed groove.

[0020] Furthermore, the placement box is equipped with a door that can be opened and closed.

[0021] Furthermore, the door is located on the side of the storage box along the horizontal direction;

[0022] The gripper bracket and the box door are located on the same side of the placement box.

[0023] Furthermore, the cabinet door includes a first door body and a second door body;

[0024] Both the first door and the second door are slidably mounted on the placement box in a vertical direction;

[0025] During the opening of the cabinet door, the first door slides upward and the second door slides downward;

[0026] The support frame is provided with an avoidance opening to avoid the second door.

[0027] Furthermore, the placement box is provided with multiple placement plates.

[0028] Furthermore, the bottom of the support frame is provided with a buffer base and sliding wheels;

[0029] The sliding wheel is vertically extendable and retractable to the support frame.

[0030] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, this application provides a buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm, including: a device body, several sample trays and several gripper brackets; the device body includes a support frame and a placement box; the placement box is disposed on the support frame; the sample trays are placed inside the placement box; the gripper brackets are disposed on the support frame and are used to place mechanical grippers.

[0031] In this design, the support frame can be placed beside the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. During production, the placement box and the support frame can be used to place samples and mechanical grippers, respectively. When the robot transfers materials, the materials can be temporarily stored in the placement box, reducing the robot's waiting time for production and thus improving robot utilization and production efficiency. Furthermore, the mechanical grippers corresponding to the production equipment can be placed on the support frame, eliminating the need for the robot to travel back and forth between specific robotic gripper placement areas, reducing robot transfer time and further improving operational efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the 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 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of a buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm, provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a mechanical gripper placed in a buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm, provided for an embodiment of this application, performing a door-opening action;

[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a gripper bracket for a buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm, provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0036] In the diagram: 10. Main body of the device; 11. Placement box; 111. Box door; 112. First door body; 113. Second door body; 114. Placement plate; 12. Support frame; 121. Recessed groove; 122. Buffer base; 123. Sliding wheel;

[0037] 20. Sample tray;

[0038] 30. Gripper bracket; 31. Support rod; 32. Placement cavity; 33. Extension block;

[0039] 40. Mechanical gripper; 41. Support block. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. Based on the embodiments in this application specification, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0041] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application. In addition, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0042] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a replaceable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0043] Please see Figures 1 to 2 The embodiment of this application provides a buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm, including: a device body 10, several sample trays 20 and several gripper brackets 30.

[0044] The main body 10 of the device includes a support frame 12 and a placement box 11; the placement box 11 is disposed on the support frame 12; the sample tray 20 is placed inside the placement box 11; the gripper bracket 30 is disposed on the support frame 12 and is used to place the mechanical gripper 40.

[0045] In this embodiment, the device body 10 can be placed beside various production equipment such as thin film deposition, plasma etching, photolithography development, and wafer inspection. As one implementation, the device body 10 can be placed beside each piece of production equipment. As another implementation, the device body 10 can be placed between two adjacent pieces of production equipment. For example, the device body 10 can be placed between a thin film deposition device and a plasma etching device, with the mechanical grippers 40 and samples required for both devices correspondingly placed there.

[0046] In this embodiment, the sample tray 20 can be used to place samples such as wafers, wafers, and silicon wafers. Furthermore, depending on the sample type and size required by the equipment in actual application, multiple sample trays 20 may be included. During the transfer process, the robot can select the appropriate sample tray 20 based on the sample type and size.

[0047] In this embodiment, the sample tray 20 can be a tray from the prior art, specifically one that can hold the aforementioned sample.

[0048] In this embodiment, the robot used for transfer can be a robot from the prior art, which has the driving and navigation system of an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) and is equipped with gripping mechanical claws capable of picking up samples and opening mechanical claws capable of opening equipment doors. Furthermore, the opening mechanical claws can be configured in various models for different equipment and placed on the corresponding device body 10 beside the production equipment. Similarly, the gripping mechanical claws can also be configured in various models for different samples. For example… Figure 2 The mechanical gripper 40 shown is a door opening mechanical gripper. Its actuator is equipped with a gripper that can open and close, so as to grip the door of the production equipment to realize the action of opening and closing the door.

[0049] In this solution, by installing a buffer device next to the production equipment, the robot used for transfer can move directly between the preceding and subsequent production equipment without having to go to a specific area in the workshop to change grippers, thereby improving transfer efficiency. Furthermore, when the subsequent production equipment has not completed its production or deviates from the preset time, the transferred samples can be temporarily stored in the buffer device, reducing the robot's waiting time and further improving its utilization rate and production efficiency.

[0050] For a more specific embodiment, please refer to Figure 3 The gripper bracket 30 is provided with two support rods 31; the support rods 31 are used to support the mechanical gripper 40; a placement cavity 32 is formed between the two support rods 31 for the mechanical gripper 40 to be placed.

[0051] In this embodiment, a robotic arm may be provided on the robot. The front end of the robotic arm is provided with a quick-change interface, and the rear end (non-actuating end) of the mechanical gripper 40 is also provided with a quick-change interface. Through the quick-change interfaces of the robotic arm and the mechanical gripper 40, the robotic arm and the mechanical gripper 40 can be quickly connected and quickly separated.

[0052] In this embodiment, when the robot replaces the mechanical gripper 40, the robotic arm can move to place the connected mechanical gripper 40 through the placement cavity 32 onto the support rod 31, and then disconnect the robotic arm from the mechanical gripper 40, achieving quick disassembly of the mechanical gripper 40. Afterwards, the robotic arm moves to the gripper bracket 30 for placing other mechanical grippers 40, and connects a new mechanical gripper 40 through a quick-change interface, achieving quick replacement of the mechanical gripper 40. That is, the gripper bracket 30 provided in this embodiment allows the mechanical gripper 40 to be placed with the quick-change interface facing upwards. Simultaneously, the two support rods 31 are spaced apart, and the placement cavity 32 formed between them not only allows the mechanical gripper 40 to be inserted and removed vertically, but also opens horizontally to allow the mechanical gripper 40 to be inserted and removed horizontally, thereby achieving multi-directional insertion and removal of the mechanical gripper, improving replacement efficiency and enhancing operational flexibility.

[0053] In a further improved embodiment, an extension block 33 is provided on the side of the support rod 31 near the placement cavity 32; the side of the support rod 31 near the placement cavity 32 contracts from the outside to the inside, so that the placement cavity 32 forms a flared structure; the extension block 33 is used to support the mechanical gripper 40, and the side of the mechanical gripper 40 abuts against the side of the support rod 31 near the placement cavity 32.

[0054] When placing the mechanical gripper 40, the extension block 33 provides vertical support for the gripper 40. Simultaneously, in this embodiment, the support rod 31 forms a flared structure that gradually narrows from the outside in on the side near the placement cavity 32, located above the extension block 33. This flared structure allows the mechanical gripper 40 to gradually approach the inner wall of the flared structure as it is placed into the placement cavity 32 horizontally, thus achieving automatic guidance and positioning, improving the stability of the gripper 40 after placement, and facilitating rapid replacement of the robotic arm.

[0055] Based on the above, one embodiment of the gripper bracket 30 for placing the mechanical gripper 40 can be as follows: First, the mechanical gripper 40 can be passed from top to bottom through the outer side of the placement cavity 32, so that the inner side of the mechanical gripper 40 falls into the placement cavity 32. At this time, the support block 41 on the mechanical gripper 40 is placed on the extension block 33 and located on the outer side of the extension block 33. Then, the robotic arm pushes the mechanical gripper 40 to move horizontally from the outside to the inside, so that the two sides of the mechanical gripper 40 gradually fit against the inner wall of the support rod 31 until it is clamped by the two support rods 31, thus completing the stable placement of the mechanical gripper 40. At this time, the quick-change interface of the mechanical gripper 40 faces upward, which facilitates the rapid docking of the robotic arm. The process of removing the mechanical gripper 40 after the robotic arm connects to it is the same, so it will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0056] In one implementation, the gripper brackets 30 include multiple grippers, which are arranged at linear intervals along the edge of the support frame 12. Specifically, the multiple gripper brackets 30 are located on the same side of the support frame 12, which facilitates the replacement of the mechanical grippers 40 by the robot.

[0057] In one embodiment, the edge of the support frame 12 is provided with a recessed groove 121; the gripper bracket 30 is disposed in the recessed groove 121. The gripper bracket 30 located in the recessed groove 121 can reduce the protruding volume of the gripper bracket 30 itself and its mechanical gripper 40 relative to the device body 10, reduce the space occupied by the device before and after placing the mechanical gripper 40 in the work chamber, and at the same time facilitate the robot to pass through, avoiding interference between the robot and the mechanical gripper 40 when the robot passes in front of the device body 10.

[0058] In one embodiment, the placement box 11 is provided with a door 111 that can be opened and closed, so that the door 111 can be closed when the sample placed in the placement box 11 does not need to be taken out, thereby preventing the sample from being affected by the external environment and playing a protective role for the sample.

[0059] In one embodiment, the door 111 is located on the side of the placement box 11 along the horizontal direction; the gripper bracket 30 and the door 111 are located on the same side of the placement box 11, which facilitates the robot to replace the mechanical gripper 40 and pick up and put down the sample on the same side.

[0060] In one embodiment, the box door 111 includes a first door body 112 and a second door body 113; both the first door body 112 and the second door body 113 are slidably disposed on the box 11 in the vertical direction; during the opening of the box door 111, the first door body 112 slides upward and the second door body 113 slides downward; the support frame 12 is provided with a clearance opening to avoid the second door body 113.

[0061] In this embodiment, the vertical sliding of the first door 112 and the second door 113 reduces the horizontal space occupied when opening the door, preventing the main body 10 from interfering with adjacent equipment or work areas when opening the door, thereby improving the overall compactness and space utilization of the layout. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the door 111 is configured as a split-type structure, avoiding excessive sliding travel when opening a single door 111, thus reducing the time required for opening and the robot's waiting time, and reducing the vertical space occupied by the main body 10.

[0062] In one embodiment, the placement box 11 is provided with multiple placement plates 114, forming a multi-layer structure. Sufficient spacing is left between each placement plate 114 to accommodate samples or sample boxes of different sizes. The structure of the multiple placement plates 114 can improve the utilization rate of the internal space of the placement box 11, while realizing the classified storage of samples, making it convenient for the robot to quickly locate and pick up the target sample according to the sample type or experimental requirements.

[0063] In one embodiment, the bottom of the support frame 12 is provided with a buffer base 122 and a sliding wheel 123; the sliding wheel 123 is telescopically connected to the support frame 12 in the vertical direction.

[0064] The movable sliding wheel 123 is existing technology, and its structure will not be described in detail in this embodiment. When the sliding wheel 123 is retracted, the buffer base 122 is supported on the ground, providing support and stability for the support frame 12. When the sliding wheel 123 is extended to touch the ground, the support frame 12 can be moved via the sliding wheel 123, facilitating the flexible arrangement and adjustment of the main body 10 of the device.

[0065] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to examples, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing examples or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. However, 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 buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm, characterized in that, include: The device consists of a main body (10), several sample trays (20), and several gripper brackets (30). The main body (10) of the device includes a support frame (12) and a placement box (11). The placement box (11) is disposed on the support frame (12); The sample tray (20) is placed inside the placement box (11); The gripper bracket (30) is disposed on the support frame (12) and is used to place the mechanical gripper (40).

2. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripper bracket (30) is provided with two support rods (31). The support rod (31) is used to support the mechanical gripper (40). A placement cavity (32) is formed between the two support rods (31) for the mechanical gripper (40) to be inserted.

3. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 2, characterized in that, An extension block (33) is provided on the side of the support rod (31) near the placement cavity (32). The support rod (31) retracts from the outside to the inside near the placement cavity (32) so that the placement cavity (32) forms a flared structure; The extension block (33) is used to support the mechanical gripper (40), and the side of the mechanical gripper (40) abuts against the side of the support rod (31) near the placement cavity (32).

4. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripper brackets (30) include multiple ones, which are arranged in a straight line at intervals on the edge of the support frame (12).

5. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 4, characterized in that, The edge of the support frame (12) is provided with a recessed groove (121). The gripper bracket (30) is disposed in the recessed groove (121).

6. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The placement box (11) is equipped with a door (111) that can be opened and closed.

7. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 6, characterized in that, The box door (111) is located on the side of the placement box (11) in the horizontal direction; The gripper bracket (30) and the box door (111) are located on the same side of the placement box (11).

8. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 7, characterized in that, The cabinet door (111) includes a first door body (112) and a second door body (113). Both the first door (112) and the second door (113) are slidably disposed in the placement box (11) in the vertical direction. During the opening of the box door (111), the first door body (112) slides upward and the second door body (113) slides downward; The support frame (12) is provided with a clearance opening to avoid the second door body (113).

9. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The placement box (11) is provided with multiple placement plates (114).

10. The buffer device integrating multiple samples and a robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the support frame (12) is provided with a buffer base (122) and a sliding wheel (123). The sliding wheel (123) is telescopically connected to the support frame (12) in the vertical direction.

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