Handheld wafer suction cup

Abstract

The handheld wafer suction cup comprises a wafer suction cup body, an air control base is installed in the middle of the top end of the wafer suction cup body, the outer side of the air control base is connected with a plurality of airflow branch bases distributed in an annular array, a main air cavity is formed in the middle of the air control base, and an air source access hole communicated with the main air cavity is formed in the outer wall of the air control base. The outer end of the air source access hole is connected with an air source connecting pipe, the flow dividing air channels in the main air cavity are communicated with the air flow channels in the air flow branch base in a one-to-one correspondence mode, the middle of the bottom end of the air flow branch base is provided with an air sealing gasket, and the air control base is provided with a balance exhaust hole. Through the non-contact adsorption design, stable adsorption of the wafer is realized by using the Bernoulli effect, and the problems of surface scratch, edge cracking and pollution caused by traditional mechanical clamping or contact vacuum adsorption are avoided.

Description

Handheld wafer chuck Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of suction cup technology, and in particular to a handheld wafer suction cup. Background Technology

[0002] Wafers are the core substrate of semiconductor devices. They are usually thin circular wafers with a relatively small thickness. Their surfaces need to be processed by high-precision photolithography, etching and other processes. The requirements for flatness, cleanliness and surface integrity are extremely high. Any tiny scratch, contamination or deformation may cause device failure.

[0003] When handling or transferring wafers, traditional mechanical clamping directly contacts the edge or surface of the wafer with the clamps. This can easily cause edge chipping and surface scratches due to improper clamping force. For large-size, thin wafers, mechanical stress may also cause warping deformation. Although contact vacuum adsorption reduces mechanical contact, it relies on a strictly sealed environment. If there are tiny particles or unevenness on the wafer surface, air leakage can easily occur, causing a sharp drop in adsorption force. This not only affects the stability of the transfer, but may also cause surface contamination due to repeated adsorption, making it difficult to meet the handling requirements of high-precision wafers.

[0004] Therefore, those skilled in the art have provided handheld wafer chucks to address the problems mentioned in the background section. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by proposing a handheld wafer chuck.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A handheld wafer chuck includes a wafer adsorption disk. A pneumatic control base is installed at the top center of the wafer adsorption disk. Multiple airflow branch seats arranged in a ring array are connected to the outside of the pneumatic control base. The bottom of the end of the airflow branch seat away from the pneumatic control base penetrates through the wafer adsorption disk.

[0008] The pneumatic control base has a main air chamber in the middle, and an air source inlet hole connected to the main air chamber is opened on its outer wall. An air source connecting pipe is connected to the outer end of the air source inlet hole. The air source connecting pipe is used to connect to an external high-pressure air source.

[0009] The airflow branch seat has an airflow channel inside, and the inner wall of the main air chamber has multiple branch air channels, and the branch air channels are connected to the airflow channels one by one.

[0010] An air-sealing gasket is installed at the bottom center of the airflow branch seat, and multiple balanced exhaust holes arranged in a ring array are opened through the air control base.

[0011] Preferably, a cover plate is installed at the top center of the gas control base corresponding to the position of the main gas chamber. Both the cover plate and the wafer adsorption disk are provided with exhaust communication holes at the positions corresponding to the balance exhaust holes. The exhaust communication holes on the wafer adsorption disk are shaped like downward-facing trumpets, and the balance exhaust holes are not connected to the main gas chamber.

[0012] Preferably, a plurality of wafer positioning posts arranged in a ring array are installed at the bottom edge of the wafer adsorption disk.

[0013] Preferably, the bottom end of the airflow branch seat is provided with a gasket mounting groove, the gasket is located in the gasket mounting groove, two gasket fixing posts are provided inside the gasket mounting groove, and the top surface of the gasket is provided with a fixing post slot corresponding to the gasket fixing post, and the gasket fixing post and the fixing post slot are interference fit.

[0014] Preferably, the surface of the gasket is provided with a cross-shaped flow divider groove, and each end of the cross-shaped flow divider groove away from the center is provided with an arc-shaped air outlet groove extending to the outside. The air outlet end of the airflow channel inside the airflow branch seat is connected to the center of the cross-shaped flow divider groove, and the opening end of the gasket mounting groove is an outwardly inclined guide surface.

[0015] Preferably, the gas source connection pipe consists of a gas source input pipe, a gas path control sleeve, and a gas flow adapter pipe. The gas path control sleeve has gas path communication grooves at both ends, and is connected to the gas source input pipe and the gas flow adapter pipe respectively through the gas path communication grooves at both ends. The gas path control sleeve is equipped with a switch assembly.

[0016] Preferably, the switch assembly includes a pneumatic switch push rod, the upper surface of the pneumatic control sleeve is provided with a push rod groove for sliding the pneumatic switch push rod, the pneumatic switch push rod is provided with a pneumatic conduction cavity inside, both ends of the pneumatic conduction cavity are provided with air holes extending to the outside, and both ends of the pneumatic control sleeve are provided with pneumatic connection holes that connect to the push rod groove.

[0017] The bottom end of the pneumatic switch push rod is fixed to a flow-blocking slider via a push rod connecting post. The lower surface of the pneumatic control sleeve is provided with a slider guide groove for the flow-blocking slider to slide, and a connecting hole for the push rod connecting post to move is connected between the slider guide groove and the push rod groove.

[0018] Preferably, both ends of the airflow adapter are threaded, and both ends are connected to the air source inlet hole and the air passage communication groove of the air passage control sleeve respectively through the threads.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0020] The handheld wafer chuck designed in this invention uses a non-contact adsorption design to achieve stable wafer adsorption using the Bernoulli effect, avoiding surface scratches, edge cracks and contamination problems caused by traditional mechanical clamping or contact vacuum adsorption; the airflow branch seat of the annular array cooperates with the cross-shaped flow distribution groove of the gas sealing gasket to ensure uniform gas distribution, and the balanced exhaust hole optimizes the gas pressure balance, thereby improving adsorption stability.

[0021] The wafer positioning posts on the edge of the wafer adsorption pad enable rapid wafer positioning and form radial constraints to prevent offset.

[0022] The gas supply connection pipe adopts a segmented structure for easy hand operation, and its equipped switch component can quickly control the gas supply on and off without frequent plugging and unplugging of the interface, effectively improving the ease of operation. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art more specifically and intuitively, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the handheld wafer chuck structure proposed in this utility model;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the pneumatically controlled base structure proposed in this utility model;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the pneumatic control base proposed in this utility model;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the gasket installation structure proposed in this utility model;

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the airflow branch seat structure proposed in this utility model;

[0029] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the wafer positioning post mounting structure proposed in this utility model;

[0030] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the gas-tight gasket structure proposed in this utility model;

[0031] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the cover plate structure proposed in this utility model;

[0032] Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gas source connection pipe proposed in this utility model.

[0033] Figure 10 is an enlarged structural diagram of point A in Figure 9 proposed by this utility model.

[0034] In the diagram: 1. Wafer adsorption disk; 2. Gas control base; 21. Cover plate; 211. Exhaust connection hole; 22. Main gas chamber; 23. Gas source inlet hole; 24. Diverting gas channel; 25. Balanced exhaust hole; 3. Airflow branch seat; 31. Airflow channel; 32. Gasket mounting slot; 33. Gasket fixing post; 4. Gas source connection pipe; 41. Gas source input pipe; 42. Gas path control sleeve; 421. Gas path switch push rod; 422. Push rod connecting post; 423. Cut-off slider; 424. Gas path conduction cavity; 425. Gas hole; 426. Gas path docking hole; 427. Linkage hole; 43. Airflow adapter pipe; 5. Gas sealing gasket; 51. Cross diverting groove; 52. Fixing post slot; 6. Wafer positioning post. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0036] Referring to Figures 1-10, a handheld wafer chuck includes a wafer chuck 1. A pneumatic control base 2 is installed at the top center of the wafer chuck 1. Multiple airflow branch seats 3 arranged in a ring array are connected to the outside of the pneumatic control base 2. The bottom of the end of the airflow branch seat 3 away from the pneumatic control base 2 passes through the wafer chuck 1.

[0037] The pneumatic base 2 has a main air chamber 22 in the middle, and an air source inlet hole 23 connected to the main air chamber 22 is opened on its outer wall. An air source connecting pipe 4 is connected to the outer end of the air source inlet hole 23. The air source connecting pipe 4 is used to connect to an external high-pressure air source.

[0038] An airflow channel 31 is provided inside the airflow branch seat 3, and multiple diversion channels 24 are provided on the inner wall of the main air chamber 22, and the diversion channels 24 are connected to the airflow channel 31 in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0039] An air seal gasket 5 is installed at the bottom center of the airflow branch seat 3, and multiple balanced exhaust holes 25 arranged in a ring array are opened through the air control base 2.

[0040] By adopting the above technical solution, the overall structural design of the wafer adsorption disk 1, the gas control base 2, the airflow branch seat 3, and the gas source connection pipe 4 achieves non-contact stable adsorption of the wafer. The main gas chamber 22 serves as the core of gas distribution. It is connected to the airflow channel 31 of the airflow branch seat 3 through the diversion air channel 24, ensuring that the high-pressure gas source can be evenly distributed to each branch after entering. The gas seal gasket 5 acts on the wafer surface, and a stable low-pressure adsorption zone is formed by utilizing the Bernoulli effect. The balanced exhaust port 25 can discharge the redundant gas between the suction disk and the wafer in real time, preventing airflow stagnation and pressure fluctuations, and keeping the adsorption force stable.

[0041] A cover plate 21 is installed at the top center of the gas control base 2, corresponding to the position of the main gas chamber 22. Both the cover plate 21 and the wafer adsorption disk 1 are provided with exhaust communication holes 211 at the positions corresponding to the balance exhaust holes 25. The exhaust communication holes 211 on the wafer adsorption disk 1 are shaped like downward trumpets. The balance exhaust holes 25 are not connected to the main gas chamber 22.

[0042] Using the above technical solutions, the cover plate 21 seals the main gas chamber 22 to prevent gas leakage and ensure stable gas pressure; the exhaust connection hole 211 forms an efficient exhaust path, and the horn-shaped design reduces resistance, accelerates exhaust, and optimizes gas pressure balance; the balanced exhaust hole 25 is isolated from the main gas chamber 22 to avoid airflow interference and ensure that adsorption and exhaust do not affect each other.

[0043] Multiple wafer positioning posts 6 arranged in a ring array are installed at the bottom edge of the wafer adsorption disk 1.

[0044] By adopting the above technical solution, the wafer positioning post 6 can quickly complete mechanical positioning through edge contact when placing the wafer, and at the same time form radial constraint, effectively preventing the wafer from shifting due to external force disturbance after adsorption, and ensuring its stable posture.

[0045] The bottom end of the airflow branch seat 3 is provided with a gasket mounting groove 32, the gas seal gasket 5 is located in the gasket mounting groove 32, and two gasket fixing posts 33 are provided on the inner side of the gasket mounting groove 32. The top surface of the gas seal gasket 5 is provided with a fixing post slot 52 corresponding to the position of the gasket fixing post 33, and the gasket fixing post 33 and the fixing post slot 52 are interference fit.

[0046] Using the above technical solution, the gasket mounting groove 32 provides a stable installation space for the gasket 5, and the interference fit between the gasket fixing post 33 and the fixing post slot 52 can effectively fix the gasket 5, prevent it from loosening and falling off, and ensure the airflow guidance accuracy.

[0047] The surface of the gasket 5 is provided with a cross-shaped flow divider groove 51. Each end of the cross-shaped flow divider groove 51 away from the center is provided with an arc-shaped air outlet groove extending to the outside. The air outlet end of the airflow channel 31 inside the airflow branch seat 3 is connected to the center of the cross-shaped flow divider groove 51. The opening end of the gasket mounting groove 32 is an outwardly inclined guide surface.

[0048] Using the above technical solutions, the cross-shaped flow divider 51 can evenly distribute the high-pressure gas delivered by the airflow channel 31 from the center to the surrounding area, and then smoothly guide it to the wafer surface through the arc-shaped outlet groove at the end, avoiding the impact of local high pressure formed by direct airflow on the wafer; at the same time, the outward inclined guide surface at the opening end of the gasket mounting groove 32 can guide the gas to flow smoothly along the wafer surface, reduce airflow turbulence, and form a continuous and stable low-pressure area under the wafer, significantly improving the uniformity and stability of the adsorption force.

[0049] The gas source connection pipe 4 consists of a gas source input pipe 41, a gas path control sleeve 42, and a gas flow transfer pipe 43. The gas path control sleeve 42 has gas path connecting grooves at both ends, and is connected to the gas source input pipe 41 and the gas flow transfer pipe 43 respectively through the gas path connecting grooves at both ends. The gas path control sleeve 42 is equipped with a switch assembly.

[0050] Using the above technical solutions, the segmented gas source connection pipe 4 is easy to assemble and replace flexibly; the gas path control sleeve 42 connects to the pipeline through the gas path connecting groove, and works with the switch assembly to realize the rapid on / off of the gas source without the need for frequent plugging and unplugging of the interface, thus improving the ease of operation.

[0051] The switch assembly includes a pneumatic switch push rod 421. The upper surface of the pneumatic control sleeve 42 is provided with a push rod groove for sliding the pneumatic switch push rod 421. The pneumatic switch push rod 421 is provided with a pneumatic conduction cavity 424. Both ends of the pneumatic conduction cavity 424 are provided with air holes 425 extending to the outside. Both ends of the pneumatic control sleeve 42 are provided with pneumatic connection holes 426 that connect to the push rod groove.

[0052] The bottom end of the gas circuit switch push rod 421 is fixedly connected to the flow-stopping slider 423 via the push rod connecting post 422. The lower surface of the gas circuit control sleeve 42 is provided with a slider guide groove for the flow-stopping slider 423 to slide, and there is a connecting hole 427 between the slider guide groove and the push rod groove for the push rod connecting post 422 to move.

[0053] Using the above technical solution, in the switch assembly, the sliding cooperation between the pneumatic switch push rod 421 and the push rod groove can accurately control the alignment or misalignment of the air hole 425 and the air connection hole 426 in the pneumatic conduction cavity 424, so as to realize the rapid opening and closing of the pneumatic circuit; the pneumatic switch push rod 421 is linked with the flow blocking slider 423 through the push rod connecting column 422, and the three slide synchronously to form a stable structure.

[0054] Both ends of the airflow adapter 43 are threaded, and both ends are connected to the air source inlet hole 23 and the air passage communication groove of the air passage control sleeve 42 respectively through the threads.

[0055] By adopting the above technical solution, the threaded design at both ends of the airflow adapter 43 enables a stable connection with the air source inlet hole 23 and the air path control sleeve 42, ensuring the air path sealing and connection reliability. At the same time, the detachable nature of the threaded connection facilitates later maintenance or component replacement.

[0056] Working principle:

[0057] An external high-pressure air source is input through the air source connecting pipe 4, and sequentially passes through the air source input pipe 41, the air path control sleeve 42, and the air flow adapter pipe 43, entering the main air chamber 22 of the air control base 2 through the air source inlet hole 23. The gas in the main air chamber is diverted one-to-one with the air flow channel 31 of the air flow branch seat 3 through the diversion air channel 24, and then introduced into the cross diversion groove 51 of the gas sealing gasket 5, and then discharged to the wafer surface through the arc-shaped outlet groove. The low-pressure area is formed by utilizing the Bernoulli effect to adsorb the wafer. The balancing exhaust hole 25 and the exhaust communication hole 211 work together to balance the air pressure inside and outside the suction cup, and the wafer positioning post 6 assists in wafer positioning. When the air path switch push rod 421 is pushed, the push rod connecting post 422 drives the flow blocking slider 423 to slide in the slider guide groove. With the opening and closing of the air hole 425 of the air path conduction cavity 424 and the air path docking hole 426, the air path control is realized, and the wafer adsorption and release operation is completed.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, but the protection scope of the present utility model is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or changes made by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present utility model, based on the technical solution and the inventive concept of the present utility model, should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A handheld wafer chuck, comprising a wafer adsorption disk (1), characterized in that, A gas control base (2) is installed at the top center of the wafer adsorption disk (1). Multiple airflow branch seats (3) arranged in a ring array are connected to the outside of the gas control base (2), and the bottom of the end of the airflow branch seat (3) away from the gas control base (2) penetrates the wafer adsorption disk (1). A main gas chamber (22) is opened in the middle of the gas control base (2), and an air source inlet hole (23) communicating with the main gas chamber (22) is opened on its outer wall. The outer end of the air source inlet hole (23) is connected to an air supply. The gas source connection pipe (4) is used to connect to an external high-pressure gas source; the gas flow branch seat (3) has a gas flow channel (31) inside, and the inner wall of the main gas chamber (22) has multiple branch gas channels (24), and the branch gas channels (24) are connected to the gas flow channel (31) one by one; the bottom center of the gas flow branch seat (3) is equipped with an air sealing gasket (5), and the gas control base (2) has multiple balanced exhaust holes (25) arranged in a ring array.

2. The handheld wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that, A cover plate (21) is installed at the top center of the gas control base (2) corresponding to the position of the main gas chamber (22). Both the cover plate (21) and the wafer adsorption disk (1) are provided with exhaust communication holes (211) corresponding to the position of the balance exhaust hole (25). The exhaust communication hole (211) on the wafer adsorption disk (1) is shaped like a downward horn. The balance exhaust hole (25) is not connected to the main gas chamber (22).

3. The handheld wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer adsorption disk (1) has multiple wafer positioning posts (6) arranged in a ring array at its bottom edge.

4. The handheld wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom end of the airflow branch seat (3) is provided with a gasket mounting groove (32), the gas seal gasket (5) is located in the gasket mounting groove (32), the gasket mounting groove (32) is provided with two gasket fixing posts (33) inside, the top surface of the gas seal gasket (5) is provided with a fixing post slot (52) corresponding to the gasket fixing post (33), and the gasket fixing post (33) and the fixing post slot (52) are interference fit.

5. The handheld wafer chuck according to claim 4, characterized in that, The surface of the gas seal gasket (5) is provided with a cross-shaped flow divider groove (51). Each end of the cross-shaped flow divider groove (51) away from the center is provided with an arc-shaped air outlet groove extending to the outside. The air outlet end of the airflow channel (31) inside the airflow branch seat (3) is connected to the center of the cross-shaped flow divider groove (51). The opening end of the gasket mounting groove (32) is an outwardly inclined guide surface.

6. The handheld wafer chuck according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas source connection pipe (4) consists of a gas source input pipe (41), a gas path control sleeve (42), and a gas flow adapter pipe (43). The gas path control sleeve (42) has gas path communication slots at both ends, and is connected to the gas source input pipe (41) and the gas flow adapter pipe (43) respectively through the gas path communication slots at both ends. The gas path control sleeve (42) is equipped with a switch assembly.

7. The handheld wafer chuck according to claim 6, characterized in that, The switch assembly includes a pneumatic switch push rod (421). The upper surface of the pneumatic control sleeve (42) is provided with a push rod groove for sliding the pneumatic switch push rod (421). The pneumatic switch push rod (421) is provided with a pneumatic conduction cavity (424). Both ends of the pneumatic conduction cavity (424) are provided with air holes (425) extending to the outside. Both ends of the pneumatic control sleeve (42) are provided with pneumatic connection holes (426) connecting the push rod groove. The bottom end of the pneumatic switch push rod (421) is fixed to a flow-blocking slider (423) through a push rod connecting post (422). The lower surface of the pneumatic control sleeve (42) is provided with a slider guide groove for sliding the flow-blocking slider (423). The slider guide groove and the push rod groove are connected by a linkage hole (427) for the push rod connecting post (422) to move.

8. The handheld wafer chuck according to claim 6, characterized in that, Both ends of the airflow adapter (43) are threaded, and both ends are connected to the air source inlet hole (23) and the air path control sleeve (42) through the threads respectively.

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