Vertical clamping device for wafers

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vertical clamping device for a wafer. The vertical clamping device comprises a clamping frame for clamping a wafer therein such that a surface of the wafer is parallel to a surface of the clamping frame, the clamping frame being provided with a first, a second and a third spherical protrusion at an upper, a middle and a lower portion of an outer contour of the clamping frame, respectively, when the surface of the clamping frame is in a vertical direction; and a first, a second and a third adjustment device, each being provided with a clamping groove for clamping the first, the second and the third spherical protrusion, respectively, therein in a spherical hinge connection, wherein at least one of the first and the third adjustment device and the second adjustment device are movable in a first direction perpendicular to the surface of the clamping frame when in the vertical direction. Thereby, the wafer can be clamped in a desired vertical plane.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and more specifically, to a vertical clamping device for wafers. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the semiconductor industry, higher requirements are being placed on wafer quality. However, defects such as scratches, contamination, and pinpoint defects are inevitably generated during wafer manufacturing. These defects significantly reduce wafer quality, thereby affecting the performance and reliability of semiconductor products made from the wafers. Therefore, wafer inspection is necessary to control wafer yield.

[0003] As an important component of wafer inspection equipment, the wafer clamping device is used to hold the wafer to be inspected so that it can be inspected. Typically, the wafer clamping device holds the wafer horizontally so that the optical metrology equipment can inspect the wafer in the horizontal direction.

[0004] However, with the continuous development of testing technology, optical measurement equipment is increasingly required to perform vertical testing on wafers, which requires clamping the wafer to be tested in the desired vertical plane. Utility Model Content

[0005] This section provides a general overview of this disclosure, rather than a full disclosure of the entire scope or all features of this disclosure.

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a vertical clamping device capable of clamping a wafer in a desired vertical plane.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, a vertical clamping device for wafers is provided, comprising:

[0008] A clamping frame for clamping a wafer such that the wafer surface is parallel to the surface of the clamping frame. The clamping frame is provided with a first spherical protrusion, a second spherical protrusion, and a third spherical protrusion located respectively at the upper, middle, and lower parts of the outer contour of the clamping frame when the surface is in the vertical direction; and

[0009] The first adjustment device, the second adjustment device, and the third adjustment device are each provided with a slot for engaging the first spherical protrusion, the second spherical protrusion, and the third spherical protrusion in a ball-joint connection manner, respectively. At least one of the first adjustment device and the third adjustment device, as well as the second adjustment device, is capable of moving in a first direction perpendicular to the surface of the clamping frame when it is in the vertical direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, each of the first adjustment device, the second adjustment device, and the third adjustment device may include a slot and a slide. The slot may be provided with a slot, and the slide may extend along a first direction. The slot may be movable along the first direction on the slide.

[0011] In some implementations, the slot can be a saddle slot.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first adjusting device can also move in the vertical direction.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first adjustment device may further include a vertical slide table that extends in a vertical direction, and the slot portion of the first adjustment device is capable of moving in a vertical direction on the vertical slide table.

[0014] In some embodiments, the slot of the first adjusting device may face downward in the vertical direction, and the slots of the second and third adjusting devices may both face upward in the vertical direction.

[0015] In some embodiments, the slots of each of the first, second, and third adjusting devices may be through-through in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first and vertical directions.

[0016] In some embodiments, the vertical clamping device may also include a detection device for detecting the inclination of the clamping frame surface relative to a predetermined vertical plane.

[0017] In some embodiments, the vertical clamping device may further include a control device for controlling the slots of at least one of the first and third adjustment devices and the slots of the second adjustment device to move in a first direction according to the tilt detected by the detection device, so that the surface of the clamping frame is in a predetermined vertical plane.

[0018] In some implementations, the control device can control the first adjustment device, the second adjustment device, and the third adjustment device to move synchronously in a first direction.

[0019] According to the above technical solution, by providing spherical protrusions at the upper, middle, and lower parts of the outer contour of the clamping frame, and by connecting the spherical protrusions to the slots of the three adjustment devices by ball joints, the tilt of the clamping frame and the wafer it clamps relative to the vertical direction and the tilt relative to the second direction can be adjusted by the translation of the adjustment devices. This achieves the adjustment of the tilt of the clamping frame and the wafer it clamps relative to the desired vertical plane, so as to clamp the wafer to be tested in the desired vertical plane. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become more readily understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not drawn to scale and some features may be enlarged or reduced to show details of specific components. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view of a vertical clamping device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The image shows a front view of a vertical clamping device in which a wafer is clamped.

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The vertical clamping device shown is viewed from the left side.

[0024] Figure 4 schematically shown Figure 1 The fitting relationship between the second spherical protrusion and the slot of the second adjustment device.

[0025] In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding technical features or components are represented by the same or corresponding reference numerals. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and exemplary embodiments. It should be noted that the following detailed description of the present disclosure is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0027] It should be noted that, for clarity, not all features of a particular embodiment are described or shown in the specification and drawings. Furthermore, to avoid unnecessary details obscuring the technical solutions of interest in this disclosure, only the device structure closely related to the technical solutions of this disclosure is described and shown in the specification and drawings, while other details that are not closely related to the technical content of this disclosure and are known to those skilled in the art are omitted.

[0028] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a vertical clamping device 1 for a wafer 2 is provided. Hereinafter, referring to... Figures 1 to 4 The vertical clamping device 1 is described in detail.

[0029] It should be noted that vertical refers to Figure 1 The Z-axis direction, that is, the up and down direction, is the direction perpendicular to the ground or horizontal plane.

[0030] The vertical clamping device 1 includes a clamping frame 10, a first adjusting device 20, a second adjusting device 30, and a third adjusting device 40.

[0031] The clamping frame 10 is used to clamp the wafer 2 therein, such that the surface 2a of the wafer 2 is parallel to the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10.

[0032] Surface 2a of wafer 2 refers to the front or back side of wafer 2, and surface 10a of clamping frame 10 refers to the front or back side of clamping frame 10. By positioning surface 10a in the desired vertical plane, clamping frame 10 is positioned in that vertical plane. It should be noted that the vertical plane is not only in the vertical direction, but also encompasses its entire plane, for example... Figure 1 The ZX2 plane is still in a specific orientation.

[0033] Specifically, the clamping frame 10 can clamp the wafer 2 in a manner such as snap-fit ​​to prevent the wafer 2 from moving or shifting during the inspection process; that is, the relative positions of the two remain unchanged. Moreover, the clamping frame 10's clamping of the wafer 2 also enables the surface 2a of the wafer 2 to be parallel to the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10.

[0034] Therefore, by adjusting the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10 to be in the vertical direction Z, the surface 2a of the wafer 2 can also be in the vertical direction Z, thereby achieving vertical clamping of the wafer 2.

[0035] The clamping frame 10 is provided with a first spherical protrusion 110 located at the upper part of the outer contour 10b (i.e. the outer boundary of the clamping frame 10) of its surface 10a when it is in the vertical direction Z, a second spherical protrusion 120 located at the middle part of the outer contour 10b, and a third spherical protrusion 130 located at the lower part of the outer contour 10b.

[0036] The term "spherical" refers to the fact that the surfaces of the first spherical protrusion 110, the second spherical protrusion 120, and the third spherical protrusion 130 are all spherical or approximately spherical, with continuous curvature changes and no sharp edges or corners.

[0037] like Figure 4 As shown, the first adjustment device 20, the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40 are each provided with a slot 51 for respectively engaging the first spherical protrusion 110, the second spherical protrusion 120 and the third spherical protrusion 130 in a ball joint manner. At least one of the first adjustment device 20 and the third adjustment device 40 and the second adjustment device 30 are movable in a first direction X1 perpendicular to the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10 when it is in the vertical direction Z.

[0038] The first spherical protrusion 110, the second spherical protrusion 120, and the third spherical protrusion 130 can engage with their respective slots 51 to form a ball joint connection. In this way, based on the characteristics of the ball joint connection, each spherical protrusion can rotate relative to the other in its respective slot 51.

[0039] It is understood that the movement of at least one of the first adjusting device 20 and the third adjusting device 40 and the second adjusting device 30 in the first direction X1 means the following three situations: only the first adjusting device 20 and the second adjusting device 30 move in the first direction X1; only the third adjusting device 40 and the second adjusting device 30 move in the first direction X1; and the first adjusting device 20, the third adjusting device 40 and the second adjusting device 30 all move in the first direction X1.

[0040] When at least one of the first adjustment device 20 and the third adjustment device 40 moves in the first direction X1, at least one of the corresponding first spherical protrusion 110 at the upper part and the third spherical protrusion 130 at the lower part of the outer contour 10b of the clamping frame 10 can be synchronously linearly moved in the first direction X1. Alternatively, when the second adjustment device 30 moves in the first direction X1, the corresponding second spherical protrusion 120 at the middle part of the outer contour 10b of the clamping frame 10 can be synchronously linearly moved in the first direction X1. Since each spherical protrusion is connected to its corresponding slot by a ball joint, each spherical protrusion rotates within its corresponding slot 51 under the influence of the linear movement. Thus, the orientation of the clamping frame 10 and the wafer 2 can be adjusted so that the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10 and the surface 2a of the wafer 2 are in the desired vertical plane.

[0041] It is easy to understand that by connecting the spherical protrusions in the corresponding slots, not only can the orientation of the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10 be adjusted, but also damage to the clamping frame 10 and the wafer 2 it holds due to local torsion can be avoided.

[0042] Specifically, when only the first adjustment device 20 moves in the first direction X1, the first spherical protrusion 110 and the upper part of the clamping frame 10 containing it can move linearly synchronously in the first direction X1, driven by the slot 51 of the first adjustment device 20. Since each spherical protrusion is connected to its corresponding slot by a ball joint, the first spherical protrusion 110 can rotate within the slot 51 of the first adjustment device 20, and the second spherical protrusion 120 and the third spherical protrusion 130 can also rotate within the slots 51 of the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40, respectively. Thus, the tilt of the clamping frame 10 and the wafer 2 relative to the vertical direction Z can be adjusted.

[0043] Similarly, it is easy to understand that the tilt of the clamping frame 10 relative to the vertical direction Z can be adjusted by moving only the third adjustment device 40 in the first direction X1, or by moving both the first adjustment device 20 and the third adjustment device 40 in the first direction X1. Since the adjustment process is similar, it will not be described in detail here.

[0044] On the other hand, when the second adjustment device 30 moves in the first direction X1, the second spherical protrusion 120 and the middle part of the clamping frame 10 thereon can be driven by the slot 51 of the second adjustment device 30 to perform linear motion synchronously in the first direction X1. Similarly, during this linear motion, the second spherical protrusion 120 can rotate within the slot 51 of the second adjustment device 30, and the first spherical protrusion 110 and the third spherical protrusion 130 will also rotate within the slots 51 of the first adjustment device 20 and the third adjustment device 40, respectively. Thus, the tilt of the clamping frame 10 and the wafer 2 relative to the second direction X2 can be adjusted, wherein the second direction X2 is perpendicular to the vertical direction Z and the first direction X1.

[0045] By adjusting the tilt of the clamping frame 10 relative to the vertical direction Z and the tilt of the clamping frame 10 relative to the second direction X2, the clamping frame 10 can be positioned in the desired vertical plane, thereby positioning the wafer to be tested held by the clamping frame 10 in the desired vertical plane.

[0046] It is understood that the first adjusting device 20, the second adjusting device 30, and the third adjusting device 40 can move simultaneously or individually, and the adjustments can be performed in any order.

[0047] In this way, vertical clamping of the wafer can be achieved, so that the wafer can be accurately clamped in the desired vertical plane, so as to perform vertical detection of the wafer, for example, using optical measurement equipment.

[0048] It is conceivable that, for example Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, each of the first adjustment device 20, the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40 includes a slot 50 and a slide 60. The slot 50 is provided with a slot 51, and the slide 60 extends along the first direction X1. The slot 50 is movable on the slide 60 along the first direction X1.

[0049] The slide 60 may be an electric slide, for example, which provides smooth movement so that the first adjustment device 20, the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40 can make precise linear movement in the first direction X1, thereby improving the accuracy of adjustment.

[0050] In some implementations, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the slot 51 can be a saddle slot.

[0051] The saddle groove is a symmetrical groove resembling a saddle. When the slot 51 is a saddle groove, the first spherical protrusion 110, the second spherical protrusion 120, and the third spherical protrusion 130 make point contact with the corresponding slot 51, making it easier to rotate within the corresponding slot 51 and allowing rotation in all directions. This allows for smoother and more accurate adjustment of the orientation of the clamping frame 10, and reduces the risk of localized twisting and damage to the clamping frame 10 and the clamped wafer 2.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first adjusting device 10 can also move in the vertical direction Z.

[0053] Specifically, during the assembly of the vertical clamping device 1, on the one hand, by moving the first adjusting device 20 upward in the vertical direction Z, sufficient space can be provided for the ball joint connection between each spherical protrusion and the corresponding slot 51, which is convenient for position adjustment during connection; on the other hand, by moving the first adjusting device 20 downward in the vertical direction Z, the force generated by this movement can drive the slot 51 to fit tightly with the first spherical protrusion 110, which is convenient for each slot 51 to clamp the corresponding spherical protrusion and form a tight ball joint connection.

[0054] It is conceivable that, for example Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the first adjustment device 20 also includes a vertical slide 201, which extends along the vertical direction Z, and the slot portion 50 of the first adjustment device 20 can move along the vertical direction Z on the vertical slide 201.

[0055] The vertical slide 201 provides smooth movement, enabling the first adjustment device 20 to move precisely linearly in the vertical direction Z, thereby reducing the deviation between the spherical protrusion and the slot and improving the accuracy of assembly.

[0056] In some implementations, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the slot 51 of the first adjustment device 20 faces downward in the vertical direction Z, while the slots 51 of the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40 face upward in the vertical direction Z.

[0057] In this way, during the assembly process of the vertical clamping device 1, the slots of the first spherical protrusion 120, the second spherical protrusion 120, and the third spherical protrusion 130 can easily enter the corresponding slots 51 and form a ball joint connection with the slots 51.

[0058] In some implementations, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the slots 51 of each of the first adjustment device 20, the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40 are all through in the second direction X2.

[0059] The through-hole design of the slot 51 provides greater flexibility for the assembly of the vertical clamping device 1. Specifically, during the assembly of the vertical clamping device 1, by translating in the second direction X2, each spherical protrusion of the clamping frame 10 can be engaged into the corresponding slot 51, forming a ball joint connection. In this way, the spherical protrusions of the vertical clamping device 1 can be quickly assembled with the corresponding slot 51.

[0060] It is easy to understand that although the slot 51 passes through in the second direction X2, the spherical protrusion will not disengage from the corresponding slot 51 when the first adjustment device 20, the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40 move in the first direction X1.

[0061] In some embodiments, the vertical clamping device 1 may also include a detection device (not shown) for detecting the inclination of the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10 relative to a predetermined vertical plane.

[0062] In this way, the tilt angle of the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10, and therefore the surface 2a of the wafer 2, relative to a predetermined (i.e., desired) vertical plane can be accurately determined. Based on this accurate tilt angle, the accuracy of adjusting the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10, and therefore the surface 2a of the wafer 2 under test, to the predetermined vertical plane can be improved. On the other hand, by providing a detection device, the error of human detection of tilt angle can also be reduced, and the accuracy of detection can be improved.

[0063] In some embodiments, the vertical clamping device 1 may further include a control device (not shown) for controlling the slot 51 of at least one of the first adjusting device 20 and the third adjusting device 40 and the slot 51 of the second adjusting device 30 to move in a first direction X1 according to the tilt detected by the detection device, so that the clamping frame 10 is in a predetermined vertical plane.

[0064] As discussed earlier, the inclination of the surface 10a of the clamping frame 10 relative to the predetermined vertical plane can be adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the surface 10a relative to the vertical direction Z and the inclination of the surface 10a relative to the second direction X2.

[0065] Based on the real-time detection of the tilt of wafer 2 relative to the predetermined vertical plane by the detection device, when wafer 2 is not in the predetermined vertical plane, the control device can control the slots 51 of the first adjustment device 20, the third adjustment device 40 and the second adjustment device 30 to move along the first direction X1 as needed, so as to correct the vertical clamping of wafer 2 by the vertical clamping device 1, so that the surface 2a of wafer 2 is adjusted to the predetermined vertical plane.

[0066] This method avoids the inaccuracies and delays of manual observation and intervention, resulting in higher efficiency and accuracy.

[0067] It is conceivable that the control device can control the first adjustment device 20, the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40 to move synchronously in the first direction X1.

[0068] When the first adjustment device 20, the second adjustment device 30 and the third adjustment device 40 move synchronously, the translation of each slot 51 is always consistent. Therefore, each spherical protrusion will not rotate in the corresponding slot 51. During this synchronous movement, the inclination of the clamping frame 10 and the wafer 2 relative to the predetermined vertical plane will never change.

[0069] In this way, the clamping frame 10 and the wafer 2 can be translated in the first direction X1, so that the wafer 2 can be placed in the required test position.

[0070] In this disclosure, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used merely for descriptive purposes and should not be considered restrictive. Furthermore, although this disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described and shown herein. Various changes to the exemplary embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope defined by the claims of this disclosure.

[0071] The features mentioned and / or shown in the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may be combined in the same or similar manner with one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for corresponding features in other embodiments. Such combinations or substitutions should also be considered as including within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A vertical clamping device for wafers, characterized in that, include: A clamping frame for clamping a wafer such that the surface of the wafer is parallel to the surface of the clamping frame, the clamping frame having a first spherical protrusion, a second spherical protrusion, and a third spherical protrusion located respectively at the upper, middle, and lower portions of the outer contour of the clamping frame when its surface is in the vertical direction; and The first adjustment device, the second adjustment device, and the third adjustment device are each provided with a slot for engaging the first spherical protrusion, the second spherical protrusion, and the third spherical protrusion in a ball-joint manner, respectively. At least one of the first adjustment device and the third adjustment device, as well as the second adjustment device, is movable in a first direction perpendicular to the surface of the clamping frame when it is in the vertical direction.

2. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the first adjustment device, the second adjustment device, and the third adjustment device includes a slot and a slide. The slot is provided with the slot, and the slide extends along the first direction. The slot is movable along the first direction on the slide.

3. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slot is a saddle slot.

4. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first adjustment device is also capable of moving in the vertical direction.

5. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first adjustment device further includes a vertical slide table that extends in a vertical direction, and the slot portion of the first adjustment device is capable of moving in a vertical direction on the vertical slide table.

6. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slot of the first adjusting device faces downward in the vertical direction, while the slots of the second and third adjusting devices both face upward in the vertical direction.

7. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slots of each of the first adjustment device, the second adjustment device, and the third adjustment device are all through in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the vertical direction.

8. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a detection device for detecting the inclination of the surface of the clamping frame relative to a predetermined vertical plane.

9. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes a control device for controlling the slots of at least one of the first and third adjustment devices and the slot of the second adjustment device to move in the first direction according to the tilt detected by the detection device, so that the surface of the clamping frame is in the predetermined vertical plane.

10. The vertical clamping device for wafers according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control device can control the first adjustment device, the second adjustment device, and the third adjustment device to move synchronously in the first direction.

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