Wafer pretreatment device and wafer processing apparatus
By introducing a placement stage and a transport mechanism into the wafer preprocessing unit, and using drive components and position acquisition devices to adjust the wafer center position, the problem of wafer center offset was solved, achieving high-precision positioning and a stable preprocessing process.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 吉姆西半导体科技(无锡)股份有限公司
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-07
Smart Images
Figure CN224473688U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and in particular to a wafer preprocessing apparatus and a wafer processing apparatus. Background Technology
[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the wafer preprocessing unit is a crucial basic functional module, and its performance directly affects the quality of subsequent processes. Taking thin film deposition equipment as an example, the preprocessing unit not only needs to complete basic processes such as wafer preheating, but more importantly, it establishes a precise positioning reference for the subsequent vacuum robot through the core component of the preprocessing stage. The preprocessing stage must ensure high-precision positioning of the wafer's center position, which is a key prerequisite for the robot to quickly and accurately pick up the wafer.
[0003] However, in actual operation, the preprocessing stage needs to be in a vacuum environment for extended periods and undergo frequent lifting and lowering movements. Since its motion connection structure typically uses metal bellows, this flexible connection structure inevitably experiences plastic deformation due to metal fatigue after repeated reciprocating motions. This can result in slight changes in the center of the preprocessing stage with each cycle. More importantly, the existing preprocessing equipment's transport system only includes the preprocessing stage as a single component, lacking auxiliary positioning mechanisms. Changes in the center of the preprocessing stage can cause uncontrollable random shifts in the center of the placed wafer, potentially leading to robotic arm failure to pick up the wafer or wafer breakage. Utility Model Content
[0004] This application aims to address at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this application proposes a wafer preprocessing apparatus and wafer processing equipment to solve the problem of how to assist in the precise positioning of the wafer center and the preprocessing stage center.
[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a wafer preprocessing apparatus, comprising at least one placement stage, a transport mechanism, and at least one preprocessing stage, wherein:
[0006] The transport mechanism includes a drive assembly and at least one first transport assembly;
[0007] The at least one set of first handling components is configured to move or place the wafer;
[0008] The driving end of the driving component is connected to at least one set of the first transport components. The driving component is configured to drive at least one set of the first transport components to move, so as to transfer the wafer on the first transport component between the placement stage and the corresponding preprocessing stage, and adjust the center of the wafer during the transfer to the preprocessing stage.
[0009] In one embodiment of the aforementioned wafer preprocessing apparatus,
[0010] The first conveying assembly includes a connecting arm and a conveying component;
[0011] One end of the connecting arm is mounted on the driving end of the driving assembly, and the other end is provided with the transport component; the driving assembly is configured to drive the connecting arm to rotate and / or move in a straight line, so as to move the transport component to the corresponding placement platform or the pretreatment platform.
[0012] In one embodiment of the aforementioned wafer preprocessing apparatus,
[0013] The driving assembly includes a translational driving component and a rotating component. The rotating component is mounted on the driving end of the translational driving component, and the translational driving component is configured to drive the rotating component to move along a straight line.
[0014] The connecting arm is mounted on the rotating member, which is configured to drive the connecting arm to rotate.
[0015] In one embodiment of the aforementioned wafer preprocessing apparatus,
[0016] The transport component is rotatably mounted on the end of the connecting arm away from the rotating component.
[0017] In one embodiment of the aforementioned wafer preprocessing apparatus,
[0018] The linear movement direction of the connecting arm is a first direction, which is consistent with the direction in which the wafer preprocessing device transports the wafer.
[0019] In one embodiment of the aforementioned wafer preprocessing apparatus,
[0020] The drive assembly has a proximal end and a distal end in its length direction, the proximal end being disposed on the side of the placement stage away from the pretreatment stage, and the distal end being disposed on the side of the pretreatment stage closer to the placement stage.
[0021] In one embodiment of the aforementioned wafer preprocessing apparatus,
[0022] The preprocessing apparatus further includes at least one position acquisition device and a controller. The position acquisition device is configured to acquire the position information of the wafer in the preprocessing apparatus. The controller is configured to control the wafer to be transferred to the corresponding preprocessing stage according to the wafer position information, and to make the center of the wafer coincide with the center of the preprocessing stage.
[0023] In one embodiment of the aforementioned wafer preprocessing apparatus,
[0024] Each of the placement platforms and each of the preprocessing platforms is equipped with a position acquisition device.
[0025] In a second aspect, this application provides a wafer processing apparatus, the wafer processing apparatus comprising a receiving mechanism, a processing device, and a wafer preprocessing device as described in any one of the first aspects, wherein:
[0026] The receiving mechanism is located near the placement stage. The receiving mechanism includes a second transport component and a plurality of wafer stages. The second transport component is configured to transfer wafers between the wafer stages and the placement stage.
[0027] The processing apparatus is located near the preprocessing stage and includes a third transport assembly and several processing sub-chambers. The third transport assembly is configured to transport wafers between the preprocessing stage and the respective processing sub-chambers.
[0028] In one embodiment of the wafer processing equipment described above,
[0029] The processing apparatus further includes a main chamber, the third transport assembly is disposed in the main chamber, and the processing sub-chamber is connected to the main chamber; the wafer preprocessing device has the same length as the portion of the main chamber that is connected to it.
[0030] The above-described one or more embodiments of this application have at least one or more of the following beneficial effects:
[0031] In implementing the technical solution of this application, by setting up a placement stage, a buffer can be provided during the wafer preprocessing transportation process, allowing the handling mechanism to adjust the position of the wafer between the placement stage and the preprocessing stage. This enables the wafer's center position to be adjusted during transportation to the preprocessing stage, so that the wafer's center coincides with the center of the preprocessing stage, improving the positioning accuracy of the wafer's center. It also improves the stability of the preprocessing process and ensures the accuracy of the vacuum robot in picking up wafers from the preprocessing stage.
[0032] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description
[0033] The disclosure of this application will become more readily understood with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that these drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Furthermore, similar numbers in the drawings are used to denote similar components, wherein:
[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a wafer preprocessing apparatus according to one embodiment of this application;
[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of a wafer preprocessing apparatus according to one embodiment of this application;
[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer preprocessing apparatus with a position acquisition device according to one embodiment of this application;
[0037] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer processing apparatus according to one embodiment of this application.
[0038] Figures 1 to 4 The following reference numerals are included:
[0039] 100. Place the platform;
[0040] 200. Transport mechanism; 201. Drive assembly; 2011. Proximal end; 2012. Distal end; 2013. Translation drive component; 2014. Rotating component; 202. First transport assembly; 2021. Connecting arm; 2022. Transport component;
[0041] 300. Pre-processing platform; 400. Position acquisition device;
[0042] 500. Receiving mechanism; 501. Second handling assembly; 502. Wafer stage;
[0043] 600. Processing device; 601. Third transport assembly; 602. Processing sub-chamber; 6021. Processing platform; 603. Main chamber. Detailed Implementation
[0044] Some embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical principles of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.
[0045] As described in the background section, existing wafer preprocessing apparatuses' transport systems consist of only a single component—the preprocessing stage—lacking auxiliary positioning mechanisms or error compensation devices. This simplified design allows the deformation error of the metal bellows to be directly transmitted to the stage's working surface. Experimental data shows that when the cumulative deformation of the metal bellows reaches 0.05 mm, the planar positioning error of the preprocessing stage amplifies to over 0.2 mm, causing uncontrollable random shifts in the wafer's center position. In severe cases, this can lead to robotic arm failure to pick up the wafer or wafer breakage. Based on this, this application proposes a wafer preprocessing apparatus to improve the precise positioning of the wafer's center relative to the preprocessing stage's center.
[0046] See appendix Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wafer preprocessing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1As shown, in one or more embodiments, the wafer preprocessing apparatus of this application includes at least one placement stage 100, a transport mechanism 200, and at least one preprocessing stage 300, wherein:
[0047] The conveying mechanism 200 includes a drive assembly 201 and at least one set of first conveying assemblies 202;
[0048] At least one first handling assembly 202 is configured to move or place the wafer;
[0049] The driving end of the driving component 201 is connected to at least one set of first transport components 202. The driving component 201 is configured to drive at least one set of first transport components 202 to move, so as to transfer the wafer on the first transport component 202 between the placement stage 100 and the corresponding preprocessing stage 300, and adjust the center of the wafer during the transfer to the preprocessing stage 300 so that the center of the wafer coincides with the center of the preprocessing stage 300.
[0050] Based on the above embodiments, referring to Figure 1 An optional working process of a wafer preprocessing apparatus according to this application is as follows: In the previous process, the wafer to be preprocessed is transferred to the placement stage 100. The driving component 201 drives the first transport component 202 to move to the placement stage 100 and picks up or clamps the wafer on the placement stage 100. After the first transport component 202 picks up or lifts the wafer, the driving component 201 drives the first transport component 202 to move to the preprocessing stage 300. During the movement, the center of the wafer is adjusted. When the center of the wafer coincides with the center of the preprocessing stage 300, the wafer is placed on the preprocessing stage 300 for relevant preprocessing or for subsequent processes to remove the wafer from the preprocessing stage 300.
[0051] In one or more embodiments of this application, by setting up the placement stage 100, a buffering effect can be provided during the wafer preprocessing transportation process, so that the handling mechanism 200 can adjust the position of the wafer between the placement stage 100 and the preprocessing stage 300. This allows the wafer's center position to be adjusted during transportation to the preprocessing stage 300, so that the wafer's center coincides with the center of the preprocessing stage 300, improving the positioning accuracy of the wafer's center. It also improves the stability of the preprocessing process and ensures the wafer picking accuracy of the vacuum robot on the preprocessing stage 300.
[0052] In one embodiment, reference Figure 1The preprocessing stage 300 has at least two units, each capable of processing two wafers simultaneously, thus improving processing efficiency. Each preprocessing stage 300 is configured with at least two placement stages 100, with each placement stage 100 corresponding to one preprocessing stage 300, thus assisting multiple preprocessing stages 300 and acting as a buffer. The preprocessing apparatus also includes at least two sets of first transport components 202, each corresponding to one set of placement stages 100 and preprocessing stages 300, with the same number as the preprocessing stages 300. Wafers can be simultaneously transferred between the corresponding placement stages 100 and preprocessing stages 300, improving wafer transport efficiency. It should be understood that the same driving component 201 can drive multiple sets of first transport components 202 simultaneously, or multiple driving components 201 can be configured to each drive one set of first transport components 202, depending on the actual production structure requirements. This application does not limit the specific number of driving components.
[0053] In one embodiment, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 For any set of first transport assembly 202, the first transport assembly 202 includes a connecting arm 2021 and a transport component 2022; one end of the connecting arm 2021 is mounted on the driving end of the driving assembly 201, and the other end is provided with the transport component 2022; the driving assembly 201 is configured to drive the connecting arm 2021 to rotate and / or move along a straight line (X direction in the figure) to move the transport component 2022 to the corresponding placement stage 100 or preprocessing stage 300. Specifically, the connecting arm 2021 can move laterally along a straight line on the driving assembly 201 and rotate under the drive of the driving assembly 201, so that the connecting arm 2021 can realize the transport of wafers only by lateral movement and rotation within the movement range of the driving assembly 201, without the need for a multi-section robot structure. The simple structure can improve the stability of transport and save costs. In this embodiment, the linear movement direction of the connecting arm 2021 is the first direction, which is the X direction in the figure. The first direction is consistent with the direction in which the wafer preprocessing device transports the wafer. It can be understood as the direction in which the placement stage 100 faces the corresponding preprocessing stage 300, which facilitates stable wafer handling. In actual use, the first direction can be set according to the wafer handling route.
[0054] In one possible implementation, the transport member 2022 is rotatably mounted on the connecting arm 2021, enabling wafer transport over a wider range.
[0055] Among them, the handling component 2022 can be a direct robotic arm for lifting and handling or a vacuum suction cup, which can handle the wafer by picking up or placing the wafer.
[0056] In one possible implementation, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The drive assembly 201 has a proximal end 2011 and a distal end 2012 along its length. The proximal end 2011 is located on the side of the placement stage 100 away from the preprocessing stage 300, and the distal end 2012 is located on the side of the preprocessing stage 300 closer to the placement stage 100. Specifically, the length of the drive assembly 201 from the proximal end 2011 to the distal end 2012 can be understood as extending from one side of the placement stage 100 to the same side of the preprocessing stage 300, which reduces the overall length of the drive assembly 201. The position on the preprocessing stage 300 can be reached by the length of the connecting arm 2021.
[0057] In one possible implementation, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The driving assembly 201 includes a translational driving component 2013 and a rotating component 2014. The rotating component 2014 is mounted on the driving end of the translational driving component 2013, and the translational driving component 2013 is configured to drive the rotating component 2014 to move along a straight line (X direction in the figure). The connecting arm 2021 is mounted on the rotating component 2014, and the rotating component 2014 is configured to drive the connecting arm 2021 to rotate. The translational driving component 2013 provides a driving force in a first direction to the entire adsorption assembly 202, and the rotating component 2014 provides a rotational driving force to the connecting arm 2021. With the cooperation of the translational driving component 2013 and the rotating component 2014, the conveying component 2022 can be moved to the placement platform 100 or the pretreatment platform 300.
[0058] In one embodiment, reference Figures 1-3 The preprocessing unit further includes at least one position acquisition device 400 and a controller. The position acquisition device 400 is configured to acquire the position information of the wafer in the preprocessing unit; the controller is configured to control the wafer to be transferred to the corresponding preprocessing stage 300 according to the wafer position information, and to make the center of the wafer coincide with the center of the preprocessing stage 300. The position acquisition device 400 and the controller are electrically connected to control the drive component 201 and the first transport component 202 to transport the wafer, and at the same time, to achieve automatic positioning of the wafer center coinciding with the center of the preprocessing stage 300.
[0059] In one possible implementation, each placement stage 100 and each preprocessing stage 300 is equipped with a position acquisition device 400. Multiple position acquisition devices 400 respectively acquire the position information of components or wafers on their corresponding placement stages, ensuring that the center of the wafer coincides with the center of the preprocessing stage 300. Furthermore, the position acquisition devices 400 are located on the side of the stage away from the drive assembly 201, ensuring that the connecting arm 2021 does not affect the operation of the position acquisition devices 400 during operation.
[0060] In one possible implementation, the location acquisition device 400 may be an optical camera, which is used for real-time image recognition.
[0061] Based on the above embodiments, referring to Figures 1-3 Another optional operating process of the wafer preprocessing apparatus of this application is as follows:
[0062] The position of the wafer to be preprocessed on the stage 100 is obtained by the position acquisition device 400;
[0063] The controller controls the translation drive 2013 to move along a straight line to a position close to the placement platform 100, and controls the rotation component 2014 to drive the connecting arm 2021 to rotate so that the transport component 2022 reaches above the wafer and picks up or lifts the wafer according to the position of the wafer obtained by the position acquisition device 400.
[0064] The controller controls the translation drive 2013 to move in a straight line to a position close to the preprocessing stage 300, and controls the rotating component 2014 to drive the connecting arm 2021 to rotate and cooperate with the lateral movement of the translation drive 2013 so that the center of the wafer picked up or lifted by the transport component 2022 coincides with the center of the preprocessing stage 300.
[0065] When the center of the wafer coincides with the center of the preprocessing stage 300, the transporter 2022 places the wafer on the preprocessing stage 300.
[0066] It should be understood that the working process of the wafer preprocessing apparatus of this application also includes transferring the processed wafer from the preprocessing stage 300 back to the placement stage 100. The transport direction and transport method of the transport mechanism 200 are the opposite of those of transporting the wafer from the placement stage 100 to the preprocessing stage 300. The repeated parts will not be described again.
[0067] Further, refer to Figure 4 This application provides a wafer processing apparatus, which includes a receiving mechanism 500, a processing device 600, and a wafer preprocessing device as described above, wherein:
[0068] The receiving mechanism 500 is located near the placement stage 100. The receiving mechanism 500 includes a second transport component 501 and a plurality of wafer stages 502. The second transport component 501 is configured to transfer wafers between the wafer stages 502 and the placement stage 100.
[0069] The processing apparatus 600 is located on the side close to the preprocessing stage 300. The processing apparatus 600 includes a third transport assembly 601 and a plurality of processing sub-chambers 602. The third transport assembly 601 is configured to transport wafers between the preprocessing stage 300 and the respective processing sub-chambers 602.
[0070] In one embodiment, the processing apparatus 600 further includes a main chamber 603, a third transport assembly 601 disposed within the main chamber 603, and a processing sub-chamber 602 communicating with the main chamber 603. Each processing sub-chamber 602 also includes a processing stage 6021, on which the wafer undergoes corresponding processing. The portion of the wafer preprocessing device that connects with the main chamber 603 has the same length, which can be understood as the overall width of the preprocessing device's chamber being the same as the overall width of the vacuum chamber of the processing apparatus 600. This ensures that the entire assembly is in place without excessive error, improving the wafer picking accuracy of the third transport assembly 601.
[0071] The second handling component 501 can be an atmospheric manipulator, and the third handling component 601 can be a dual-arm vacuum manipulator; both the second handling component 501 and the third handling component 601 can be one or more.
[0072] Based on the above embodiments, referring to Figure 4 An optional working process of a wafer processing device according to this application is as follows: the second transport component 501 picks up a wafer from the wafer stage 502 and places the wafer on the placement stage 100; the transport mechanism 200 takes out the wafer from the placement stage 100, completes the centering action to make the center of the wafer coincide with the center of the preprocessing stage 300, and then places it on the preprocessing stage 300; the third transport component 601 takes out the wafer from the preprocessing stage 300 and places it into each processing sub-chamber 602 for processing; after the wafer completes the corresponding process, it returns to the wafer stage 502 along the same path.
[0073] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.
[0074] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.
[0075] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.
Claims
1. A wafer preprocessing apparatus, characterized in that, It includes at least one placement platform (100), a conveying mechanism (200), and at least one pre-processing platform (300), wherein: The conveying mechanism (200) includes a drive assembly (201) and at least one set of first conveying assemblies (202). The at least one set of first handling components (202) is configured to move or place the wafer; The driving end of the driving component (201) is connected to at least one set of the first transport components (202). The driving component (201) is configured to drive at least one set of the first transport components (202) to move, so as to transfer the wafer on the first transport component (202) between the placement stage (100) and the corresponding preprocessing stage (300), and adjust the center of the wafer during the transfer to the preprocessing stage (300).
2. The wafer preprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first handling assembly (202) includes a connecting arm (2021) and a handling component (2022); One end of the connecting arm (2021) is mounted on the driving end of the driving assembly (201), and the other end is provided with the transport component (2022); the driving assembly (201) is configured to drive the connecting arm (2021) to rotate and / or move in a straight line, so as to move the transport component (2022) to the corresponding placement platform (100) or the pretreatment platform (300).
3. The wafer preprocessing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The driving assembly includes a translational drive (2013) and a rotating component (2014), the rotating component (2014) being mounted on the driving end of the translational drive (2013), and the translational drive (2013) being configured to drive the rotating component (2014) to move in a straight line. The connecting arm (2021) is mounted on the rotating member (2014), which is configured to drive the connecting arm (2021) to rotate.
4. The wafer preprocessing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transport component (2022) is rotatably disposed on the end of the connecting arm (2021) away from the rotating component (2014).
5. The wafer preprocessing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The linear movement direction of the connecting arm (2021) is a first direction, which is consistent with the direction in which the wafer preprocessing device transports the wafer.
6. The wafer preprocessing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The drive assembly (201) has a proximal end (2011) and a distal end (2012) in its length direction, the proximal end (2011) being disposed on the side of the placement stage (100) away from the pretreatment stage (300), and the distal end (2012) being disposed on the side of the pretreatment stage (300) close to the placement stage (100).
7. The wafer preprocessing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The preprocessing apparatus further includes at least one position acquisition device (400) and a controller, wherein the position acquisition device (400) is configured to acquire position information of the wafer in the preprocessing apparatus; The controller is configured to control the transfer of the wafer to the corresponding preprocessing stage (300) according to the wafer's position information, and to make the center of the wafer coincide with the center of the preprocessing stage (300).
8. The wafer preprocessing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, Each of the placement platforms (100) and each of the preprocessing platforms (300) is equipped with a position acquisition device (400).
9. A wafer processing apparatus, characterized in that, The wafer processing equipment includes a receiving mechanism (500), a processing device (600), and a wafer preprocessing device according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein: The receiving mechanism (500) is located on the side close to the placement stage (100). The receiving mechanism (500) includes a second transport component (501) and a plurality of wafer stages (502). The second transport component (501) is configured to transfer wafers between the wafer stages (502) and the placement stage (100). The processing apparatus (600) is located near the preprocessing stage (300) and includes a third transport assembly (601) and a plurality of processing sub-chambers (602). The third transport assembly (601) is configured to transport wafers between the preprocessing stage (300) and each of the processing sub-chambers (602).
10. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The processing device further includes a main chamber (603), the third transport assembly (601) is disposed in the main chamber (603), the processing sub-chamber (602) is connected to the main chamber (603); the wafer preprocessing device has the same length as the portion that is connected to the main chamber (603).