Wafer feeding mechanism

Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer feeding mechanism. The wafer feeding mechanism comprises a material box, a positioning jig, a linear module and a belt conveying mechanism, wherein the material box is provided with a plurality of material inserting grooves, and the material inserting grooves are used for placing wafers; a first opening is formed in the bottom of the box; the positioning jig is used for positioning the material box, a second opening is formed in the positioning jig, and the second opening is connected with the first opening; the output end of the linear module is connected with the positioning jig and can drive the positioning jig to move up and down; and the belt conveying mechanism is connected with the positioning jig and is used for conveying the wafer. According to the utility model, the problems of low manual feeding efficiency, inaccurate feeding position and the like in the existing wafer detection are effectively solved; labor cost and wafer loss are reduced, and the requirements of the semiconductor manufacturing industry for high-quality and high-efficiency detection are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology, and in particular to a wafer loading mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, the inspection of wafer technical parameters is a critical step in ensuring product quality. Currently, most companies still manually place wafers one by one onto a conveyor belt, which then transports them to the respective inspection positions for testing. This traditional manual loading method has significant drawbacks: firstly, manual operation is extremely inefficient, making it difficult to meet the high-efficiency production demands of large-scale wafer inspection and severely restricting the overall inspection progress; secondly, the manual placement of wafers can easily lead to collisions, affecting inspection accuracy and potentially causing wafer damage, thus increasing production costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a wafer loading mechanism is provided, comprising:

[0004] The material box has several insertion slots for placing wafers; the bottom of the material box has a first opening.

[0005] A positioning fixture is used for positioning the material box. The positioning fixture has a second opening that connects with the first opening.

[0006] The linear module's output end is connected to the positioning fixture, which can drive the positioning fixture to move up and down.

[0007] The belt conveyor mechanism is connected to the positioning fixture and is used to transport wafers.

[0008] Furthermore, the positioning fixture has several first positioning steps symmetrically arranged at the front end and several second positioning steps symmetrically arranged at the rear end. The first positioning steps and the second positioning steps cooperate to fix the material box on the positioning fixture.

[0009] Furthermore, the positioning fixture is also equipped with a first detection sensor to detect whether the material box is placed on the positioning fixture.

[0010] Furthermore, the belt conveyor mechanism includes: a first drive mechanism, a first fixed base, a first rotating shaft, and several conveyor belts;

[0011] The first drive mechanism is mounted on the first fixed base, and its output end is connected to the first rotating shaft, which can drive the first rotating shaft to rotate.

[0012] The first rotating shaft is rotatably connected to one end of the first fixed base, and a first pulley is provided at each end of the first rotating shaft;

[0013] A pair of second pulleys are rotatably provided at the other end of the first fixed base, and the pair of second pulleys corresponds one-to-one with the pair of first pulleys;

[0014] Several conveyor belts are fitted at one end onto the first pulley and at the other end onto the second pulley.

[0015] Furthermore, the conveyor belt is made of PU material.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes a second detection sensor for detecting whether the wafer has fallen onto the conveyor belt.

[0017] Furthermore, the first drive mechanism includes: a servo motor and a transmission assembly;

[0018] The output end of the servo motor is connected to the input end of the transmission component;

[0019] The output end of the transmission component is connected to the first rotating shaft, which can drive the first rotating shaft to rotate.

[0020] Furthermore, the transmission assembly includes: a synchronous belt, a first synchronous pulley, and a second synchronous pulley;

[0021] The first synchronous belt pulley is mounted on the output shaft of the servo motor;

[0022] The second synchronous belt pulley is sleeved on the first rotating shaft;

[0023] The synchronous belt meshes with the first synchronous pulley and the second synchronous pulley, respectively.

[0024] Furthermore, it also includes: a support frame and support rollers;

[0025] The two ends of the support rollers are rotatably connected to the support frame;

[0026] The support rollers are located below the material box.

[0027] Furthermore, a third opening is provided at the bottom of the material box, and a first slot is provided on the positioning fixture, which corresponds to the third opening; the support frame passes through the first slot and does not contact the positioning fixture.

[0028] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0029] 1. Significantly improves testing and loading efficiency: Through the automated linear module-driven positioning fixture and the continuous operation of the belt conveyor mechanism, wafers can be loaded and transported quickly during the testing process without the need for manual placement. Compared with traditional manual loading, the loading time can be shortened by several times, significantly improving the overall efficiency of wafer testing and meeting the needs of large-scale testing.

[0030] 2. Precise positioning and stable conveying: The first and second positioning steps on the positioning fixture work together to achieve precise positioning of the material box, thereby ensuring the consistency and accuracy of the wafer loading position each time; the linear module precisely controls the up and down movement of the positioning fixture to ensure that the wafer smoothly contacts the belt conveyor mechanism.

[0031] 3. Reduce costs and losses: Reduce manual labor and lower labor costs; at the same time, through precise positioning and stable delivery, effectively avoid damage to wafers during the inspection and loading process, reduce wafer losses, thereby reducing enterprise production costs and improving economic efficiency.

[0032] It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further illustration of the claimed technology. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer loading mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention after the material box has been removed;

[0034] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Top view;

[0035] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The main view;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the belt conveyor mechanism according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer loading mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a bottom view of the material box according to an embodiment of the present utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, further illustrating the present invention.

[0040] First, combine Figures 1-6 The wafer loading mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is used for wafer loading and has a wide range of applications.

[0041] like Figures 1-6 As shown, the wafer loading mechanism of this utility model embodiment includes:

[0042] The material box 1 is provided with several insertion slots 11 for placing wafers; the bottom of the material box 1 is provided with a first opening 12 to facilitate the output of wafers from the material box 1 and to provide a channel for the wafers to enter the belt conveyor mechanism 4.

[0043] Positioning fixture 2 is used for positioning the material box 1. The positioning fixture 2 is provided with a second opening 21, which is connected to the first opening 12 and located below the first opening 12.

[0044] Linear module 3, the output end of linear module 3 is connected to positioning fixture 2, which can drive positioning fixture 2 to move up and down. By driving positioning fixture 2 to descend through linear module 3, the wafer contacts the belt of belt conveyor mechanism 4, realizing a smooth transition of wafer from material box 1 to belt.

[0045] The belt conveyor mechanism 4 is connected to the positioning fixture 2 and is used to transport wafers.

[0046] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, the positioning fixture 2 has a plurality of first positioning steps 22 symmetrically arranged at the front end and a plurality of second positioning steps 23 symmetrically arranged at the rear end. The first positioning steps 22 and the second positioning steps 23 cooperate to fix the material box 1 on the positioning fixture 2. The multiple first positioning steps 22 and the multiple second positioning steps 23 are provided to accommodate different models of material boxes 1, so that the material box 1 is stuck between the corresponding first positioning steps 22 and second positioning steps 23.

[0047] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, the positioning fixture 2 is also provided with a first detection sensor 5, which is used to detect whether the material box 1 is placed on the positioning fixture 2.

[0048] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, the belt conveyor mechanism 4 includes: a first drive mechanism, a first fixed base 42, a first rotating shaft 43, and a plurality of conveyor belts 44;

[0049] The first drive mechanism is mounted on the first fixed base 42, and its output end is connected to the first rotating shaft 43, which can drive the first rotating shaft 43 to rotate.

[0050] The first rotating shaft 43 is rotatably connected to one end of the first fixed base 42, and a first pulley 431 is provided at each end of the first rotating shaft 43;

[0051] A pair of second pulleys 421 are rotatably provided at the other end of the first fixed base 42, and the pair of second pulleys 421 corresponds one-to-one with the pair of first pulleys 431;

[0052] Several conveyor belts 44 are fitted at one end on the first pulley 431 and at the other end on the second pulley 421.

[0053] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-2As shown, in this embodiment, the conveyor belt 44 is made of PU material, which has good wear resistance and flexibility.

[0054] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, it also includes a second detection sensor 45, which is used to detect whether the wafer has fallen onto the conveyor belt 44.

[0055] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, the first drive mechanism includes: a servo motor 411 and a transmission assembly 412;

[0056] The output terminal of the servo motor 411 is connected to the input terminal of the transmission assembly 412;

[0057] The output end of the transmission component 412 is connected to the first rotating shaft 43, which can drive the first rotating shaft 43 to rotate.

[0058] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, the transmission assembly 412 includes: a synchronous belt 4121, a first synchronous pulley 4122, and a second synchronous pulley 4123;

[0059] The first synchronous pulley 4122 is sleeved on the output shaft of the servo motor 411;

[0060] The second synchronous pulley 4123 is sleeved on the first rotating shaft 43;

[0061] The synchronous belt 4121 meshes with the first synchronous pulley 4122 and the second synchronous pulley 4123 respectively.

[0062] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-3 As shown, in this embodiment, it also includes: a support frame 6 and support rollers 7;

[0063] The two ends of the support roller 7 are rotatably connected to the support frame 6;

[0064] The support roller 7 is located below the material box 1 to support the wafer and facilitate the delivery of the wafer out of the insertion slot 11.

[0065] Furthermore, such as Figures 1-2 As shown in Figures 6 and 7, in this embodiment, the bottom of the material box 1 is also provided with a third opening, and the positioning fixture 2 is provided with a first slot, which corresponds to the third opening; the support frame 6 passes through the first slot and does not contact the positioning fixture 2; the third opening and the first slot are provided so that the support frame 6 does not interfere with the material box 1 and the positioning fixture 2.

[0066] Working principle:

[0067] First, the material box 1 is placed on the positioning fixture 2 and positioned by the first positioning step 22 and the second positioning step 23. At this time, the first opening 12 at the bottom of the material box 1 is aligned with the second opening 21 on the positioning fixture 2. The first detection sensor 5 on the positioning fixture 2 detects whether the material box 1 is in place. Once in place, it sends a signal to prepare for the next operation.

[0068] Then, the linear module 3 drives the positioning fixture 2 to move downwards until the wafer at the bottom of the material box 1 contacts the support roller 7 and the belt 44, at which point the linear module 3 stops moving.

[0069] Then, the second detection sensor 45 is triggered, and the servo motor 411 in the first drive mechanism starts. Through the transmission assembly 412 (synchronous belt 4121, first synchronous pulley 4122 and second synchronous pulley 4123), the first rotating shaft 43 is driven to rotate, which in turn causes the conveyor belt 44 to rotate. The friction generated by the rotation of the conveyor belt 44 drives the wafer to move along the conveying direction of the belt 44, so that the wafer is output from the material box 1.

[0070] Above, refer to Figures 1-6 The present invention describes a wafer loading mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, which effectively solves the problems of low efficiency and inaccurate loading position of existing manual wafer inspection; reduces labor costs and wafer loss, and meets the semiconductor manufacturing industry's demand for high-quality and high-efficiency inspection.

[0071] It should be noted that, in this specification, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0072] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above content. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wafer loading mechanism, characterized in that, Include: The material box has several insertion slots for placing wafers; the bottom of the material box has a first opening. A positioning fixture is provided for positioning the material box, and the positioning fixture is provided with a second opening, which is connected to the first opening; A linear module, the output end of which is connected to the positioning fixture, can drive the positioning fixture to move up and down; A belt conveyor mechanism, which is connected to the positioning fixture, is used to transport the wafer.

2. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning fixture has several first positioning steps symmetrically arranged at the front end and several second positioning steps symmetrically arranged at the rear end. The first positioning steps and the second positioning steps cooperate to fix the material box on the positioning fixture.

3. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning fixture is also equipped with a first detection sensor for detecting whether the material box is placed on the positioning fixture.

4. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The belt conveyor mechanism includes: a first drive mechanism, a first fixed base, a first rotating shaft, and several conveyor belts; The first drive mechanism is mounted on the first fixed base, and its output end is connected to the first rotating shaft, which can drive the first rotating shaft to rotate. The first rotating shaft is rotatably connected to one end of the first fixed base, and a first pulley is provided at each end of the first rotating shaft; A pair of second pulleys are rotatably provided at the other end of the first fixed base, and the pair of second pulleys corresponds one-to-one with a pair of first pulleys; One end of each of the several conveyor belts is fitted onto the first pulley, and the other end is fitted onto the second pulley.

5. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The conveyor belt is made of PU material.

6. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes: a second detection sensor, which is used to detect whether the wafer has fallen onto the conveyor belt.

7. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The first drive mechanism includes: a servo motor and a transmission assembly; The output end of the servo motor is connected to the input end of the transmission component; The output end of the transmission component is connected to the first rotating shaft, which can drive the first rotating shaft to rotate.

8. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The transmission assembly includes: a synchronous belt, a first synchronous pulley, and a second synchronous pulley; The first synchronous pulley is sleeved on the output shaft of the servo motor; The second synchronous pulley is sleeved on the first rotating shaft; The synchronous belt meshes with the first synchronous pulley and the second synchronous pulley, respectively.

9. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes: a support frame and support rollers; The two ends of the support roller are rotatably connected to the support frame; The support rollers are located below the material box.

10. The wafer loading mechanism as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The bottom of the material box is also provided with a third opening, and the positioning fixture is provided with a first slot, which corresponds to the third opening; the support frame passes through the first slot and does not contact the positioning fixture.

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