Wafer rapid classification device

Abstract

This utility model discloses a rapid wafer sorting device, including a wafer storage structure, a detection structure, and a lifting structure. The storage structure carries wafers via layered partitions and a sliding plate. A permanent magnet rotor is located at the end of a translation screw at the bottom of the sliding plate, electromagnetically coupled to the conductor rotor of the drive motor output shaft to drive the sliding plate. The lifting structure achieves vertical positioning of the detection structure through a lifting motor and a screw assembly, and works with a camera to visually inspect the wafers at each layer. A handling robot integrated into the mounting plate sorts and stores the wafers into a side wafer box based on the inspection results. The device employs non-contact electromagnetic drive technology, eliminating the risk of contamination from mechanical transmission. Through a layered automated inspection process, the inspection cycle is reduced by more than 40%. The detachable storage module supports rapid changeover of 8 / 12-inch wafers. It constructs an integrated closed loop of "detection-sorting-storage," significantly improving the efficiency of semiconductor wafer inspection and sorting and its adaptability to clean environments, making it suitable for large-scale automated production scenarios.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, wafers serve as the core carriers of integrated circuits, and their surface defect detection and quality classification are crucial steps in the production process. As chip manufacturing precision evolves towards the nanometer scale, wafer sizes are gradually increasing, transitioning from 8 inches to 12 inches and even 18 inches. This places higher demands on the detection efficiency, accuracy, and cleanroom adaptability of wafer sorting equipment. Traditional wafer sorting relies on manual sampling or single-station mechanical inspection equipment, which struggles to meet the high-speed inspection needs of hundreds of wafers per hour in large-scale mass production. Furthermore, manual intervention can introduce contamination risks, leading to yield fluctuations and increased production costs.

[0003] Existing wafer sorting devices mainly suffer from the following technical bottlenecks:

[0004] Most devices employ a single-layer temporary storage structure, requiring manual loading of wafers one by one to the inspection station. A single inspection cycle can take 30-60 seconds, which is unsuitable for the automated pace of wafer manufacturing lines. Multi-layer temporary storage designs often rely on complex robotic arms for layer-by-layer grasping, resulting in redundant mechanical structures, high equipment failure rates, and insufficient positioning accuracy that can easily cause edge damage to wafers. Furthermore, the temporary storage structure and inspection module are often fixedly integrated, requiring complete disassembly and adjustment when changing wafers of different sizes, making them unsuitable for multi-variety, small-batch production scenarios. Additionally, the classification and storage function is independent of the inspection module, requiring additional transfer stations or conveyors, leading to large equipment footprints and low space utilization.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical pain points, this invention aims to provide a rapid wafer sorting device with layered automated inspection capabilities, a non-contact drive structure, and a modular design. It avoids mechanical contact contamination through electromagnetic coupling drive technology, utilizes a lifting structure to achieve automatic positioning and inspection of multi-layered wafers, and combines a detachable temporary storage module with an integrated handling robot to construct an integrated "temporary storage-inspection-sorting-storage" process. This device can reduce the single-wafer inspection cycle to less than 8 seconds, decrease the risk of contamination by more than 90%, and shorten changeover time to 10 minutes. It effectively solves the shortcomings of existing devices in terms of efficiency, cleanliness, and flexible production, meeting the core needs of semiconductor manufacturing towards high integration and high yield. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by proposing a rapid wafer sorting device.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] A wafer rapid sorting device includes a wafer temporary storage structure, a detection structure, and a lifting structure. The wafer temporary storage structure includes a storage box with multiple partitions arranged vertically at equal intervals inside. Each partition has a slide plate on top, and a wafer to be detected is embedded in the center of the top of each slide plate. The lifting structure includes a base located at the bottom of the storage box. The side wall of the base has an "L"-shaped cross-section. A lifting plate is located on the side of the base away from the storage box. A drive motor is located on the top of the lifting plate. A drive component for moving the wafer is located at the bottom of the slide plate and at the end of the drive motor output shaft. A connecting rod is located at the end of the lifting plate, and a mounting plate is located at the end of the connecting rod away from the lifting plate. The detection structure includes a camera located at the bottom of the mounting plate.

[0009] The above technical solution utilizes layered partitions and sliding plates to support wafers, with a lifting structure driving the inspection structure to perform layer-by-layer inspections, and the drive components linking with the sliding plates for translation. This achieves three-dimensional temporary storage and automated layer-by-layer inspection of multi-layer wafers, avoiding the inefficiency of single-station inspection. Through integrated structural design, the inspection process is upgraded from "manual loading and unloading + single-batch inspection" to "multi-layer pre-storage + automatic cyclic inspection," significantly increasing the throughput per unit time.

[0010] Preferably, the drive assembly includes translation screws evenly distributed at the bottom of the slide plate, the ends of which rotatably pass through the side wall of the storage box and are coaxially provided with permanent magnet rotors, the output shaft of the drive motor is coaxially provided with conductor rotors, the conductor rotors and permanent magnet rotors are mutually adapted, and dovetail slide rails are symmetrically provided at the bottom of the slide plate, and the dovetail slide rails are slidably embedded in the top of the partition.

[0011] The above technical solution employs an electromagnetic coupling between a permanent magnet rotor and a conductor rotor to drive a translation screw, with the slide plate slidably embedded via a dovetail slide rail. Utilizing a non-contact electromagnetic drive principle, frictional loss and particulate contamination risks from mechanical transmission components are eliminated, meeting the ultra-clean environment requirements for semiconductor wafer inspection and reducing contamination levels. The high-precision guiding effect of the dovetail slide rail ensures the repeatability of the wafer's position in the inspection area, providing a stable image acquisition benchmark for visual inspection.

[0012] Preferably, a guide rod is vertically slidably inserted at one end of the lifting plate, and a lifting screw is vertically inserted at the other end of the lifting plate away from the guide rod. A lifting motor is provided at the top of the base, and the output shaft of the lifting motor is coaxially connected to the top of the lifting screw.

[0013] The above technical solution achieves vertical movement of the lifting plate through guide rods, lifting screws, and a lifting motor. A high-precision lifting and positioning system is constructed, with controllable lifting speed, ensuring precise alignment of the inspection structure with the drive components of different layer slides. This avoids electromagnetic coupling failure or wafer push jamming caused by height deviations, guaranteeing the continuity and reliability of the multi-layer inspection process.

[0014] Furthermore, each of the four corners of the bottom of the storage box is equipped with a positioning rod, which can be detachably slidably embedded inside the base.

[0015] The above technical solution allows for the storage box to be detachably connected to the base via a positioning rod. This enables rapid replacement and maintenance of the temporary storage module and supports switching between different wafer specifications for testing. The guiding and limiting function of the positioning rod reduces installation errors in the storage box, ensuring the consistency of position between each slide plate and the drive assembly, and preventing mechanical installation deviations from affecting the testing process.

[0016] Furthermore, a handling robot is installed on the top of the mounting plate.

[0017] Through the above technical solutions, an integrated closed loop of "detection-classification-transfer" is constructed, which improves the repeatability and positioning accuracy of the robotic arm. It can sort in real time according to the detection results, and store qualified wafers and defective wafers into the corresponding wafer boxes respectively, eliminating the risk of classification errors caused by human intervention and improving the automation and intelligence level of the classification process.

[0018] Preferably, the storage box has a number of notches on the side away from the lifting plate that are the same as the number of partitions and are used for the entry and exit of wafers.

[0019] The above technical solutions provide dedicated entry and exit channels for wafers, with channel widths adapted to the slide plate to ensure no interference risk during wafer pushing; the notch position is precisely aligned with the inspection area and the working range of the handling robot, shortening the movement path of wafers from temporary storage to inspection and improving the continuity of the inspection process.

[0020] Preferably, the storage box is further provided with two wafer boxes on the side away from the lifting plate for storing wafers.

[0021] Through the above technical solutions: a localized classification storage unit is constructed to support parallel storage of multiple categories; the wafer cassette and notch positions are arranged in a corresponding manner to shorten the travel of the handling robot and reduce idle time; combined with real-time data feedback from the detection structure, an instant response mechanism of "detection-decision-storage" is formed to improve the overall system processing efficiency.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0023] 1. Layered Automated Inspection Significantly Improves Classification Efficiency: This device uses partitions to divide the storage box into layers. Combined with a lifting mechanism and an electromagnetic coupling drive assembly of the motor, it enables automated layer-by-layer inspection of multi-layer wafers. No manual intervention is required during inspection. The lifting plate is precisely positioned to the target layer via guide rods and the lifting motor. The drive motor, through electromagnetic induction between a conductor rotor and a permanent magnet rotor, drives a sliding plate to move horizontally along a dovetail rail, pushing the wafer to the inspection area below the camera. This design avoids the limitations of single-station inspection in traditional devices. By processing wafers in parallel across multiple stations, it significantly reduces the inspection time for a single batch, improving inspection efficiency by over 60%.

[0024] 2. Non-contact drive and cleanroom adaptation: Utilizing an electromagnetic coupling drive system between a permanent magnet rotor and a conductor rotor, the slide plate can be moved without mechanical contact. This fundamentally avoids dust contamination issues that can arise from traditional mechanical transmission structures, making it perfectly suited for the ultra-clean environments required for semiconductor wafer production. Simultaneously, the dovetail slide rails and partitions at the bottom of the slide plate, along with positioning rods, precisely position the storage box, ensuring the wafers remain stable during movement. The detection position error is less than ±0.1mm, significantly improving image acquisition accuracy and avoiding the risk of wafer surface scratches caused by mechanical vibration or contact friction.

[0025] 3. Modular design and flexible classification adaptation: The storage box is detachably connected to the base via positioning rods, supporting quick replacement of temporary storage modules of different specifications, and is compatible with the inspection needs of various wafer sizes such as 8-inch and 12-inch. The mounting plate of the inspection structure integrates a handling robot and a camera, which can adjust the classification logic in real time according to the inspection algorithm to accurately place the wafers in the corresponding wafer boxes. In addition, the notches on the side of the storage box correspond to the positions of the wafer boxes, forming a closed-loop pipeline of "inspection-classification-storage", eliminating the need for additional transfer equipment, reducing the overall footprint of the device by 30%, and supporting seamless integration with automated production lines, significantly improving the intelligence level of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

[0026] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution of this utility model. In order to better understand the technical means of this utility model and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external overall structure of a wafer rapid sorting device proposed in this utility model;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting structure of a wafer rapid sorting device proposed in this utility model;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a side view of the wafer rapid sorting device proposed in this utility model;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer temporary storage structure of a wafer rapid sorting device proposed in this utility model;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the drive component structure of a wafer rapid sorting device proposed in this utility model.

[0032] In the diagram: 1. Wafer temporary storage structure; 101. Storage box; 102. Divider; 103. Slide plate; 104. Dovetail slide rail; 2. Detection structure; 201. Camera; 3. Lifting structure; 301. Base; 302. Lifting plate; 303. Guide rod; 304. Lifting screw; 305. Lifting motor; 306. Connecting rod; 307. Mounting plate; 4. Wafer; 5. Translation screw; 6. Permanent magnet rotor; 7. Positioning rod; 8. Drive motor; 9. Conductor rotor; 10. Wafer box; 11. Handling robot. Detailed Implementation

[0033] 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.

[0034] Example 1, referring to Figures 1 to 5 A wafer rapid sorting device includes a wafer temporary storage structure 1, a detection structure 2, and a lifting structure 3. The wafer temporary storage structure 1 includes a storage box 101, with multiple partitions 102 arranged vertically at equal intervals inside the storage box 101. Each partition 102 has a slide plate 103 on its top, and a wafer 4 to be detected is embedded in the center of the top of each slide plate 103. The lifting structure 3 includes a base 301 located at the bottom of the storage box 101. The side wall of the base 301 has an "L" shaped cross section. A lifting plate 302 is located on the side of the base 301 away from the storage box 101. A drive motor 8 is located on the top of the lifting plate 302. The bottom of the slide plate 103 and the end of the output shaft of the drive motor 8 are provided with drive components for moving the wafer 4. A connecting rod 306 is located at the end of the lifting plate 302. A mounting plate 307 is located at the end of the connecting rod 306 away from the lifting plate 302. The detection structure 2 includes a camera 201 located at the bottom of the mounting plate 307.

[0035] In this embodiment, the drive assembly includes translation screws 5 evenly distributed at the bottom of the slide plate 103. The ends of the translation screws 5 rotatably penetrate the side wall of the storage box 101 and are coaxially provided with permanent magnet rotors 6. A conductor rotor 9 is coaxially provided at the output shaft end of the drive motor 8. The conductor rotor 9 and the permanent magnet rotor 6 are mutually adapted. Dovetail slide rails 104 are symmetrically provided at the bottom of the slide plate 103. The dovetail slide rails 104 are slidably embedded in the top of the partition plate 102. A guide rod 303 is vertically slidably inserted into one end of the lifting plate 302, and a lifting rod is vertically inserted into the other end of the lifting plate 302 away from the guide rod 303. The base 301 has a lifting motor 305 on top of the lead screw 304 and a lifting screw 304. The output shaft of the lifting motor 305 is coaxially connected to the top of the lead screw 304. The storage box 101 has positioning rods 7 at the four corners of its bottom. The positioning rods 7 can be detachably slidably embedded in the base 301. The mounting plate 307 has a handling robot 11 on top. The storage box 101 has the same number of notches as the partition 102 on the side away from the lifting plate 302 for the entry and exit of the wafer 4. The storage box 101 also has two wafer boxes 10 on the side away from the lifting plate 302 for storing the wafer 4.

[0036] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows: The device mainly consists of a wafer temporary storage structure 1, a detection structure 2, and a lifting structure 3.

[0037] Temporary storage structure: The storage box 101 is divided into layers by partitions 102. The slide plate 103 at the top of each partition carries the wafer 4. The slide plate slides horizontally by dovetail slide rails 104.

[0038] Detection structure: Camera 201 is mounted on the bottom of mounting plate 307 and is used to capture defects or features on the surface of the wafer.

[0039] Lifting structure: The lifting motor 305 drives the lifting screw 304 to move the lifting plate 302 up and down, adjust the height of the detection structure and drive components, and adapt to different layers of the sliding plate.

[0040] Key Work Processes

[0041] Wafer positioning and driving

[0042] The end of the translation screw 5 at the bottom of each slide is equipped with a permanent magnet rotor 6, and the conductor rotor 9 of the output shaft of the drive motor 8 is adapted to the permanent magnet rotor.

[0043] When the drive motor starts, the conductor rotor rotates and generates an alternating magnetic field. Through electromagnetic induction, similar to the principle of an asynchronous motor, it drives the permanent magnet rotor to rotate synchronously, which in turn drives the translation screw to rotate, causing the slide plate to slide horizontally along the dovetail slide rail.

[0044] The sliding direction of the slide is such that the side of the storage box away from the lifting plate has a notch, which pushes the wafer from the temporary storage position to the inspection or handling area.

[0045] Layer detection and height adjustment

[0046] The lifting structure controls the lifting screw 304 through the lifting motor 305, which drives the lifting plate 302 to move vertically along the guide rod 303, so that the conductor rotor of the drive component is aligned with the permanent magnet rotor of the target layer.

[0047] Each time, only one slide is aligned with the wafer, and the wafer is processed layer by layer: the drive motor drives the slide of that layer to push out the wafer, and the camera 201 captures images of the wafer surface to detect parameters such as defects, size or markings.

[0048] Categorized handling and storage

[0049] After the inspection is completed, the handling robot 11 on the top of the mounting plate picks up the wafers from the slide or inspection position according to the inspection results, such as qualified / unqualified classification, and puts them into the wafer box 10 on the other side of the storage box. The number of wafer boxes matches the classification requirements.

[0050] The positioning rod 7 at the bottom of the storage box ensures precise positioning with the base 301, facilitating replacement or maintenance.

[0051] Complete Workflow Summary

[0052] Loading: Place the wafers to be tested on the slide plates 103 of each layer. The slide plates are initially located inside the storage box.

[0053] Layered detection:

[0054] The lifting motor drives the lifting plate, aligning the conductor rotor with the first layer of permanent magnet rotor.

[0055] The drive motor starts, and the slide pushes the wafer to the inspection area.

[0056] The camera captures images, and the system analyzes the quality or type of the wafer.

[0057] Categorized handling: Based on the inspection results, the handling robot places the wafers into the corresponding wafer boxes 10.

[0058] Cyclic processing: After one layer is inspected, the lifting structure is adjusted to the next layer, and the above steps are repeated until all wafers have been processed.

[0059] The electrical structure and operating principle of this device are as follows:

[0060] When the conductor rotor 9 at the output shaft end of the drive motor 8 is energized, it generates an alternating magnetic field, which forms an electromagnetic coupling with the permanent magnet rotor 6 at the end of the translation screw 5 at the bottom of the slide plate 103. When the conductor rotor rotates, it drives the permanent magnet rotor to rotate synchronously through electromagnetic induction, which in turn drives the translation screw to rotate, causing the slide plate 103 to move laterally along the dovetail slide rail 104 at the top of the partition plate 102, thus realizing contactless driving of the wafer 4.

[0061] After the lifting motor 305 is powered on, it drives the lifting screw 304 to rotate. Through the screw nut mechanism, the lifting plate 302 slides vertically along the guide rod 303, so that the camera 201 at the bottom of the mounting plate 307 is accurately positioned directly above the wafers 4 at different heights, realizing automatic row-by-row inspection of multi-layer wafers.

[0062] The wafer image signal captured by camera 201 is transmitted to the control system. After processing, the motor drive mechanism of the handling robot 11 is controlled to move the wafer 4 from the slide plate 103 to the corresponding wafer box 10 according to the detection results, and complete the classification and storage, forming an electrical control closed loop of "drive-detection-handling".

[0063] 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 wafer rapid classification device, comprising a wafer temporary storage structure (1), a detection structure (2) and a lifting structure (3), characterized in that, The wafer temporary storage structure (1) includes a storage box (101). Multiple partitions (102) are arranged vertically at equal intervals inside the storage box (101). Each partition (102) has a sliding plate (103) at its top. A wafer (4) to be inspected is embedded in the center of the top of each sliding plate (103). The lifting structure (3) includes a base (301) located at the bottom of the storage box (101). The sidewall of the base (301) has an "L"-shaped cross-section. The base (301) is located away from the storage box (101). 01) A lifting plate (302) is provided on one side. A drive motor (8) is provided on the top of the lifting plate (302). A drive assembly for driving the wafer (4) to move is provided at the bottom of the slide plate (103) and at the end of the output shaft of the drive motor (8). A connecting rod (306) is provided at the end of the lifting plate (302). A mounting plate (307) is provided at the end of the connecting rod (306) away from the lifting plate (302). The detection structure (2) includes a camera (201) provided at the bottom of the mounting plate (307).

2. The wafer rapid sorting device of claim 1, wherein The drive assembly includes translation screws (5) evenly arranged at the bottom of the slide plate (103). The ends of the translation screws (5) rotatably pass through the side wall of the storage box (101) and are all coaxially provided with permanent magnet rotors (6). The output shaft end of the drive motor (8) is coaxially provided with conductor rotors (9). The conductor rotors (9) and permanent magnet rotors (6) are mutually adapted. The bottom of the slide plate (103) is symmetrically provided with dovetail slide rails (104). The dovetail slide rails (104) are slidably embedded in the top of the partition (102).

3. The wafer rapid sorting device of claim 2, wherein A guide rod (303) is vertically slidably inserted at one end of the lifting plate (302), and a lifting screw (304) is vertically inserted at the other end of the lifting plate (302) away from the guide rod (303). A lifting motor (305) is provided on the top of the base (301), and the output shaft of the lifting motor (305) is coaxially connected to the top end of the lifting screw (304).

4. The wafer rapid sorting device of claim 1, wherein The storage box (101) is provided with positioning rods (7) at the four corners of its bottom, and the positioning rods (7) can be detachably and slidably embedded in the base (301).

5. The wafer rapid sorting device of claim 1, wherein The mounting plate (307) is equipped with a handling robot (11) on its top.

6. The wafer rapid sorting device of claim 1, wherein The storage box (101) has the same number of notches as the partition (102) on the side away from the lifting plate (302) for the wafer (4) to enter and exit.

7. The wafer rapid sorting device of claim 1, wherein The storage box (101) is further provided with two wafer boxes (10) on the side away from the lifting plate (302) for storing wafers (4).

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