Suction piece isolation cleaning device and system
By using an air wall to hold and blow away silicon wafer fragments during the wafer chuck process, the problem of silicon wafer fragment retention was solved, and synchronous cleaning of the carrier was achieved, thus improving process efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TONGWEI SOLAR ENERGY (CHENGDU) CO LID
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-22
AI Technical Summary
During the wafer removal process, deep overlap and vibration within the cavity can cause the wafer to break. The flying fragments remain on the carrier, affecting subsequent wafer removal and creating a vicious cycle. Traditional purging methods need to be performed separately after the wafer removal process, which affects efficiency.
A suction-and-clean device is designed to clean the carrier plate by using an air wall to hold it against the carrier plate and blowing out airflow simultaneously during the suction cup process, thereby improving time utilization.
The carrier board cleaning is completed simultaneously during the wafer removal process, which improves process efficiency, avoids additional cleaning time, and increases output and efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN224267219U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and more specifically, to a wafer suction isolation cleaning device and system. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, in the process of picking up silicon wafers from a planar carrier using a suction cup, silicon wafers that are deeply recessed or have detached from the mounting point due to vibration within the cavity can break. The flying fragments remain on the carrier, affecting subsequent silicon wafers and creating a vicious cycle that causes a series of defects.
[0003] Currently, carrier plates are generally cleaned by directly blowing them. However, blowing the carrier plates needs to be done separately after the wafer removal process, which requires additional cleaning time and seriously affects process efficiency. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a suction-and-isolate cleaning device and system that can improve the efficiency of the film removal process.
[0005] The embodiments of this utility model can be implemented as follows:
[0006] In a first aspect, this utility model provides a suction-and-sweep cleaning device, comprising:
[0007] Carrier plate, used to support silicon wafers;
[0008] A suction cup is disposed above the carrier plate to adsorb the silicon wafer and drive the silicon wafer to move up and down;
[0009] An air wall is movably disposed on the carrier plate to cover the silicon wafer on the carrier plate; the air wall is hollow and connected to an external air source, and an air blowing port is opened at the bottom of the air wall facing the carrier plate;
[0010] A connecting mechanism is provided on both the air wall and the suction cup. The suction cup is movably connected to the air wall through the connecting mechanism, so that the suction cup and the air wall can move relative to each other between a first relative position and a second relative position.
[0011] The suction cup moves the air wall toward the carrier plate at the first relative position. The connecting mechanism is used to enable the suction cup to continue moving toward the silicon wafer to the second relative position with the air wall after the air wall abuts against the carrier plate, so as to adsorb the silicon wafer.
[0012] In an optional embodiment, the air inlet is opened around the bottom of the air wall.
[0013] In an optional embodiment, the connecting mechanism includes a support rod and a receiving cavity. The receiving cavity is formed in the vertical direction on the inner wall of the air wall. The support rod is disposed on the side of the suction cup and the end of the support rod extends into the receiving cavity.
[0014] In an optional embodiment, the receiving cavity is provided on all four inner walls of the air wall, and the suction cup is provided with support rods adapted to the receiving cavity around its perimeter.
[0015] In an optional embodiment, the receiving cavity is provided with an elastic element connected to the support rod, the elastic element being used to apply an upward elastic force to the support rod.
[0016] In an optional embodiment, an air pipe is connected to the air wall, the other end of the air pipe is connected to an external air source, and a solenoid valve is provided at the end of the air pipe near the external air source.
[0017] In an optional embodiment, a one-way valve is provided at the end of the air tube near the air wall.
[0018] In an optional embodiment, the airway is configured as a flexible tube with a telescoping range.
[0019] In an optional embodiment, a reflector is provided on the suction cup, and a photoelectric detection device electrically connected to the solenoid valve is provided on the inner wall of the air wall. The photoelectric detection device is used to detect the reflector when the suction cup and the air wall are in a first relative position, and to control the solenoid valve to close when the reflector is detected; and to control the solenoid valve to open when the reflector is not detected.
[0020] Secondly, this utility model provides a suction-and-sweep system for isolating and cleaning sheets, which includes a plurality of suction-and-sweep devices as described in any of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the plurality of suction-and-sweep devices are arranged in an array and interconnected with each other.
[0021] The beneficial effects of the suction-and-clean device and system provided in this embodiment of the present invention include:
[0022] During the process of the suction cup moving towards the silicon wafer while the air wall is pressed against the carrier, and during the process of the suction cup moving from a second relative position to a first relative position with the air wall, a purging airflow is blown towards the carrier through the air outlet to purge the carrier. The purging process is performed during the wafer picking process of the suction cup, without having to spend time separately after the wafer picking process is completed, thus improving time utilization and improving process efficiency. Attached Figure Description
[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the suction-and-sweep system provided in this embodiment;
[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the suction cup and the air wall in the suction cup isolation and cleaning device provided in this embodiment when they are in a first relative position;
[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the suction cup and the air wall in the suction cup isolation cleaning device provided in this embodiment when they are in a second relative position;
[0027] Figure 4 This is a top view of the suction-and-sweep cleaning device provided in this embodiment;
[0028] Figure 5 This is a partial structural diagram of the connection structure in the suction plate isolation cleaning device provided in this embodiment.
[0029] Icons: 100 - Isolation cleaning device; 110 - Carrier plate; 111 - Silicon wafer; 120 - Suction cup; 130 - Air wall; 131 - Air outlet; 140 - Connecting mechanism; 141 - Support rod; 142 - Receiving cavity; 150 - Elastic element; 160 - Air pipe; 161 - Solenoid valve; 162 - One-way valve; 170 - Reflector; 171 - Photoelectric detection device. Detailed Implementation
[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this utility model described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.
[0031] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0032] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.
[0033] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "inner," or "outer" are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the utility model product is usually placed during use, they are only for the convenience of describing this utility model 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model.
[0034] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0035] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of this utility model can be combined with each other.
[0036] Current methods for removing silicon wafers from planar carriers are ineffective at handling wafers with deep overlaps or concave surfaces (disengaged from the mounting point) caused by internal vibrations. During the 120° suction or lifting process, these wafers are often broken or jammed, resulting in a large amount of debris flying everywhere. This debris, whether splashed onto other wafers or remaining on the carrier, obstructs magnetron sputtering, ultimately causing incomplete wafer coating. Furthermore, the debris remaining on the carrier creates a vicious cycle during subsequent loading, leading to a series of defects.
[0037] Traditionally, silicon wafer debris on a carrier board is removed by directly blowing it. However, this blowing cannot be done during the wafer removal process and requires additional cleaning time after the wafer removal process is completed. This results in a significant reduction in time utilization, low process efficiency, and hinders production growth and efficiency improvement.
[0038] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides a suction-and-clean device and system for simultaneously cleaning the carrier plate during the suction cup pick-up process, improving time utilization and thus increasing process efficiency. The overall structure, working principle, and technical effects of the suction-and-clean device and system provided by this utility model are described in detail below with reference to embodiments and accompanying drawings.
[0039] Please refer to Figure 1 This utility model provides a suction and isolation cleaning system, including multiple suction and isolation cleaning devices 100 arranged in an array and connected to each other, so as to simultaneously blow and clean multiple wafer picking processes and improve wafer picking efficiency.
[0040] Please refer to Figure 2 - Figure 4 This utility model provides a wafer suction isolation cleaning device, which is used to simultaneously blow and clean the carrier board 110 during the wafer removal process of silicon wafer 111, so as to improve time utilization and thus improve process efficiency.
[0041] The wafer suction and cleaning device 100 provided in this embodiment includes a carrier plate 110, a wafer suction cup 120, an air wall 130, and a connecting mechanism 140. The carrier plate 110 is a flat carrier plate 110 that carries silicon wafers 111. The wafer suction cup 120 is installed directly above the silicon wafer 111 by an external driving mechanism, so that the wafer suction cup 120 can approach or move away from the silicon wafer 111 in the vertical direction and achieve adsorption of the silicon wafer 111 to realize wafer removal. The air wall 130 has a rectangular tube structure and is adapted to the size of the silicon wafer 111. The air wall 130 is movably disposed on the carrier plate 110 in the vertical direction. When the air wall 130 moves to abut against the carrier plate 110, the air wall 130 covers the silicon wafer 111. Meanwhile, the air wall 130 is hollow and connected to an external air source. An air outlet 131 is also provided at the bottom of the air wall 130, facing the surface of the carrier plate 110, so that a cleaning airflow is blown out through the air outlet 131 to clean the surface of the carrier plate 110. A connecting mechanism 140 is provided between the air wall 130 and the suction cup 120, and the suction cup 120 is movably connected to the air wall 130 through the connecting mechanism 140. Furthermore, when the air wall 130 is only connected to the suction cup 120, the air wall 130 and the suction cup are in a first relative position. At this time, the suction cup 120 can maintain the first relative position with the air wall 130 and move up and down. When the air wall 130 abuts against the carrier plate 110, the suction cup 120 can continue to move toward the silicon wafer 111 until it abuts against the silicon wafer 111 and adsorbs the silicon wafer 111. At this time, the suction cup 120 and the air wall 130 are in a second relative position.
[0042] By setting an air wall 130 on the carrier plate 110 and movably connecting the air wall 130 to the suction cup 120 through the connecting mechanism 140, when the suction cup 120 picks up the silicon wafer 111, the suction cup 120 drives the air wall 130 to move toward the carrier plate 110 in a first relative position. After the air wall 130 abuts against the carrier plate 110 and covers the silicon wafer 111, the suction cup 120 continues to move toward the silicon wafer 111 to a second relative position with the air wall 130, and then adsorbs and picks up the silicon wafer 111. During the process of the suction cup 120 moving towards the silicon wafer 111 while the air wall 130 abuts against the carrier plate 110, and during the process of the suction cup 120 moving from a second relative position to the air wall 130 to a first relative position, a purging airflow is blown towards the carrier plate 110 through the air outlet 131 to achieve purging of the carrier plate 110. Furthermore, the purging process is performed during the wafer removal process of the suction cup 120, eliminating the need for separate time allocation after the wafer removal process, thus improving time utilization and process efficiency. Additionally, during the purging of the carrier plate 110, the air wall 130 covers the silicon wafer 111, preventing the accumulation of external foreign matter and dust on the carrier plate 110 at the contact point with the silicon wafer 111, thereby improving the purging and cleaning effect of the carrier plate 110.
[0043] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 Furthermore, in some optional embodiments, to improve the purging effect on the carrier plate 110, the air inlet 131 is formed around the bottom of the air wall 130, that is, the air wall 130 is hollow and has a through bottom, and the air inlet 131 is set as an annular notch with its ends connected. So that when an external air source supplies air towards the air wall 130, the annular air inlet 131 simultaneously blows out a purging airflow towards the carrier plate 110, realizing comprehensive purging of all parts of the carrier plate 110 and improving purging efficiency.
[0044] Please refer to Figure 5 In this embodiment, the connecting mechanism 140 includes a support rod 141 and a receiving cavity 142. Since the conventional silicon wafer 111 is rectangular, the air wall 130 is also configured as a rectangular tube structure. Receiving cavities 142 are vertically formed on the four inner walls of the air wall 130. The support rods 141 are provided on the four sides of the suction cup 120, and the four support rods 141 correspond one-to-one with the four receiving cavities 142. The ends of the support rods 141 extend into the receiving cavities 142. The arrangement of the support rods 141 and the receiving cavities 142 limits the position of the air wall 130 outside the suction cup 120, while allowing the air wall 130 and the suction cup 120 to move relative to each other in the vertical direction, thus achieving the effect of movable connection between the air wall 130 and the suction cup 120.
[0045] Please refer to Figure 5In some alternative embodiments, an elastic element 150 is provided within the receiving cavity 142. The elastic element 150 is connected to the support rod 141, and the elastic element 150 applies an upward elastic force to the support rod 141, so that the air wall 130 always tends to move downward away from the suction cup 120 when no other external force is applied. During the process of the air wall 130 abutting against the carrier plate 110 and remaining stationary, and the suction cup 120 moving from a first relative position to the air wall 130 to a second relative position, the elastic element 150 applies a downward elastic force to the air wall 130, causing the air wall 130 to progressively adhere to the carrier plate 110, improving the adhesion between the air wall 130 and the carrier plate 110, reducing the possibility of gaps between the air wall 130 and the carrier plate 110, and thus improving the purging effect on the carrier plate 110. In this embodiment, the elastic element 150 is a spring. The lower end of the spring is connected to the bottom wall of the receiving cavity 142, and the upper end of the spring is connected to the support rod 141. The spring is always in a compressed state.
[0046] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, to facilitate communication between the air wall 130 and an external air source for purging the carrier plate 110, an air pipe 160 is connected to the air wall 130, with the other end of the air pipe 160 connected to the external air source. Simultaneously, to facilitate control of gas flow, a solenoid valve 161 is installed at the end of the air pipe 160 near the external air source. In this embodiment, the solenoid valve 161 is mounted on the suction cup 120 for easy installation. Furthermore, a one-way valve 162 is installed at the end of the air pipe 160 near the air wall 130 to control the purging airflow to flow only towards the air wall 130. Furthermore, since relative movement is required between the suction cup 120 and the carrier plate 110, to ensure the stability of the connection between the air pipe 160 and the air wall 130, the air pipe 160 is designed as a flexible hose with a telescopic range, allowing it to deform accordingly during relative movement between the suction cup 120 and the carrier plate 110.
[0047] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3To facilitate the control of the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 161 for the purging of the carrier plate 110, in some alternative embodiments, a reflector is provided on one side of the suction cup 120, and a photoelectric detection device 171 is provided on the inner wall of the air wall 130 on the side corresponding to the reflector. The photoelectric detection device 171 is electrically connected to the solenoid valve 161. When the suction cup 120 and the air wall 130 are in a first relative position, the photoelectric detection device 171 and the reflector are directly opposite each other in the horizontal direction, and the photoelectric detection device 171 is used to detect the reflector and control the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 161. When the photoelectric detection device 171 detects the reflector, that is, when the suction cup 120 and the air wall 130 are in a first relative position and move towards the carrier plate 110 together, the photoelectric detection device 171 controls the solenoid valve 161 to close. When the air wall 130 abuts against the carrier plate 110 and remains stationary, and the suction cup 120 continues to move, the reflector leaves the detection range of the photoelectric detection device 171. At this time, the photoelectric detection device 171 controls the solenoid valve 161 to open, and an external air source supplies air to the air wall 130, which is then ejected through the air outlet to purge the carrier plate 110. This continues until the suction cup 120 picks up the film and moves back to the first relative position with the air wall 130, at which point the photoelectric detection device 171 controls the solenoid valve 161 to close, stopping the purging of the carrier plate 110. This achieves automatic control of the purging of the carrier plate 110.
[0048] In summary, the implementation principle of the wafer suction isolation cleaning device 100 and system provided by this utility model is as follows: during the process of the air wall 130 abutting against the carrier plate 110 and the wafer suction cup 120 continuing to move towards the silicon wafer 111, and during the process of the wafer suction cup 120 moving from a second relative position with the air wall 130 to a first relative position with the air wall 130, a cleaning airflow is blown towards the carrier plate 110 through the air blowing port 131 to achieve cleaning of the carrier plate 110. Moreover, the cleaning process is carried out during the wafer picking process of the wafer suction cup 120, without having to spend time separately after the wafer picking process is completed, thereby improving time utilization and thus improving process efficiency.
[0049] The above description is only a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A suction-and-displacement cleaning device, characterized in that, include: Carrier plate, used to support silicon wafers; A suction cup is disposed above the carrier plate to adsorb the silicon wafer and drive the silicon wafer to move up and down; An air wall, movably disposed on the carrier plate, is used to cover the silicon wafer located on the carrier plate; The air wall is hollow and connected to an external air source, and an air blowing port is opened at the bottom of the air wall facing the carrier plate; A connecting mechanism is provided on the air wall and the suction cup to movably connect the suction cup to the air wall, so that the suction cup and the air wall can move relative to each other between a first relative position and a second relative position. The suction cup moves the air wall toward the carrier plate at the first relative position. The connecting mechanism is used to enable the suction cup to continue moving toward the silicon wafer to the second relative position with the air wall after the air wall abuts against the carrier plate, so as to adsorb the silicon wafer.
2. The suction-and-sweep cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air inlet is opened around the bottom of the air wall.
3. The suction-and-sweep cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting mechanism includes a support rod and a receiving cavity. The receiving cavity is formed in the vertical direction on the inner wall of the air wall. The support rod is disposed on the side of the suction cup and the end of the support rod extends into the receiving cavity.
4. The suction-and-sweep cleaning device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The receiving cavity is provided on the inner walls of all four sides of the air wall, and the suction cup is provided with support rods that are adapted to the receiving cavity.
5. The suction-and-sweep cleaning device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cavity is provided with an elastic element connected to the support rod, and the elastic element is used to apply an upward elastic force to the support rod.
6. The suction-and-clean device according to claim 1, characterized in that, An air pipe is connected to the air wall, and the other end of the air pipe is connected to an external air source. A solenoid valve is installed at the end of the air pipe closest to the external air source.
7. The suction-and-clean device according to claim 6, characterized in that, A one-way valve is installed at the end of the air pipe near the air wall.
8. The suction-and-clean device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The air tube is configured as a flexible tube with a telescopic range.
9. The suction-and-clean device according to claim 6, characterized in that, A reflector is provided on the suction cup, and a photoelectric detection device electrically connected to the solenoid valve is provided on the inner wall of the air wall. The photoelectric detection device is used to detect the reflector when the suction cup and the air wall are in a first relative position, and to control the solenoid valve to close when the reflector is detected and to control the solenoid valve to open when the reflector is not detected.
10. A suction-and-displacement cleaning system, characterized in that, It includes a plurality of suction-and-strip isolation cleaning devices as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the plurality of suction-and-strip isolation cleaning devices are arranged in an array and interconnected.