An apparatus for assisting in the unloading of slides from a slide rack

Abstract

The utility model provides an apparatus for assisting wafer ring to take off wafer, including stage, wafer ring and material taking device, the stage is cylindrical, and the top surface of stage is provided with a through groove in the radial direction, and the through groove penetrates through the lateral surface of stage, the inner side wall of wafer ring is radially protruded to form a step surface, and the wafer is placed on the step surface, and the diameter of wafer ring is larger than the diameter of stage, when wafer ring is placed on the bottom of stage from top to bottom along with wafer, the wafer on wafer ring leaves the step surface and is left on the top surface of stage, and material taking device takes off wafer from the top surface of stage or from the through groove of stage. The utility model has simple structure, and the wafer is supported on the top surface of stage and then taken off, so the operation is convenient, the taking-off efficiency and stability can be improved, the wafer edge is prevented from contacting and rubbing with the inner side wall of wafer ring caused by dumping, and the wafer quality is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a device for assisting in the unloading of a wafer carrier ring. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor chip manufacturing process, the wafer unloading stage currently relies mainly on manual operation or mechanical automation. Among these methods, effectively avoiding wafer damage and ensuring wafer quality during manual unloading has become a pressing problem. Currently, some technical solutions exist to assist manual unloading, such as the auxiliary tooling for loading and unloading wafers disclosed in Chinese patent CN202421006322.2. This design enhances operational stability, effectively preventing tilting during operation and thus reducing the risk of wafer slippage.

[0003] Although existing technologies have provided some auxiliary means to support manual wafer unloading operations, they are not suitable for wafer unloading operations with wafer carrier ring structures, thus limiting their application scope.

[0004] When unloading wafers from a wafer carrier ring, the following steps are typically followed: The operator holds the wafer carrier ring, first flipping their wrist to tilt the ring onto their other hand to catch it, and then using a pick-up pen or tweezers to transfer the wafer into the transfer cassette. However, during the tilting process, the edge of the wafer is very prone to contact and friction with the inner wall of the wafer carrier ring, which can easily lead to dark cracks or even breakage of the wafer, causing unnecessary economic losses to the production process. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an auxiliary device for wafer unloading using a wafer carrier ring. This device uses a simple structure to assist in the wafer unloading operation when using a wafer carrier ring structure, thereby improving the efficiency of manual wafer unloading.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the solution of this utility model is as follows: A device for assisting in the unloading of wafers from a wafer carrier ring includes a stage, a wafer carrier ring, and a wafer picker; The stage is cylindrical, and a through groove is radially opened on the top surface of the stage. The through groove runs through the side of the stage, and the inner wall of the wafer ring is radially protruded to form a stepped surface. The wafer is placed on the stepped surface, and the diameter of the wafer ring is larger than the diameter of the stage. When the wafer carrier ring, together with the wafer, is placed from top to bottom on the bottom of the stage, the wafer on the wafer carrier ring leaves the step surface and remains on the top surface of the stage. The wafer picker unloads the wafer from the top surface of the stage or from the through slot of the stage.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the axial distance from the top surface of the platform to the bottom surface of the through groove is half the axial height of the platform.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the through groove is cuboid in shape, and the cross-section of the platform along the width direction of the through groove is U-shaped.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the stage is made of aluminum alloy.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the surface of the stage is coated with a Teflon coating.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the edges of the stage surface are rounded.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the feeder is a vacuum pen or tweezers.

[0013] After adopting the above solution, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: This invention features a through-slot on the top surface of a cylindrical stage, penetrating the side of the stage. A stepped surface is formed by radially protruding inner wall of a wafer carrier ring. The wafer is placed on the stepped surface, and the diameter of the wafer carrier ring is larger than the diameter of the stage. When the wafer carrier ring, along with the wafer, is placed from top to bottom on the stage, the wafer on the wafer carrier ring leaves the stepped surface and remains on the top surface of the stage. This allows the wafer picker to unload the wafer from the top surface of the stage or the through-slot. The structure is simple, and the method of supporting the wafer on the top surface of the stage before unloading it is convenient to operate, improving unloading efficiency and stability. It also avoids contact friction between the wafer edge and the inner wall of the wafer carrier ring caused by tilting, thereby improving the unloading quality of the wafer. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the platform structure in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a top view of the platform in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Sectional view along the middle AA direction; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the carrier ring in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a wafer placed on the stepped surface of a wafer carrier ring in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the wafer unloading operation of the wafer carrier ring using a stage in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0015] Label Explanation: 1. Stage; 10. Through slot; 2. Carrier ring; 20. Stepped surface; 3. Wafer. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The present invention will now be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0017] This embodiment provides a device for assisting in the unloading of a wafer carrier ring, such as... Figures 1 to 6 As shown, it includes a stage 1, a sheet carrier ring 2, and a feeder; The stage 1 is cylindrical, and a through groove 10 is radially opened on the top surface of the stage 1. The through groove 10 penetrates the side of the stage 1. The inner sidewall of the wafer ring 2 is radially protruded to form a stepped surface 20. The wafer 3 is placed on the stepped surface 20. The diameter of the wafer ring 2 is larger than the diameter of the stage 1. When the wafer carrier ring 2, together with the wafer 3, is placed from top to bottom on the bottom of the stage 1, the wafer 3 on the wafer carrier ring 2 leaves the step surface 20 and remains on the top surface of the stage 1. The wafer picker removes the wafer 3 from the top surface of the stage 1 or from the through slot 10 of the stage 1.

[0018] In this embodiment, the stage 1 is cylindrical to fit the wafer carrier ring 2, ensuring smooth wafer loading. A stepped surface 20 is radially protruding from the inner sidewall of the bottom of the wafer carrier ring 2. The wafer 3 is inserted from the top of the wafer carrier ring 2, with its outer periphery resting against the stepped surface 20. In actual production, after the wafer 3 is placed on the wafer carrier ring 2, a cover needs to be placed on top of the wafer carrier ring 2. Therefore, the stepped surface 20 is located at the bottom of the wafer carrier ring 2 to ensure sufficient space inside the wafer carrier ring 2 to accommodate the wafer 3. The wafer carrier ring 2 containing the wafer 3 is then placed together on a back-mounted plating pan for vapor deposition. This is known to those skilled in the art and will not be elaborated further. Of course, the dimensions of the stage 1 can be set according to the actual dimensions of the wafer carrier ring 2 and the wafer 3.

[0019] Specifically, when the wafer carrier ring 2, together with the wafer 3, is placed from top to bottom onto the bottom of the stage 1, the wafer 3 on the wafer carrier ring 2 leaves the step surface 20 and remains on the top surface of the stage 1. At this time, the wafer picker can either unload the wafer 3 from the top surface of the stage 1 or from the through slot 10 of the stage 1, which is flexible and improves convenience and unloading efficiency. Moreover, the stage 1 has a simple structure, which can ensure the continuous stability of unloading and helps to reduce processing costs.

[0020] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the axial distance from the top surface of the platform 1 to the bottom surface of the through groove 10 is half the axial height of the platform 1. This provides operating space for the material handler to extend from the side of the platform 1 into the through groove 10 to unload the sheet. Whether using suction or clamping methods, flexible operation is possible, improving the efficiency of unloading. Of course, in other embodiments, the dimensions of the through groove 10 can be set according to actual needs.

[0021] like Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the through groove 10 in this embodiment is cuboid in shape, and the cross section of the platform 1 along the width direction of the through groove 10 is U-shaped, which is beneficial for production and processing and makes it convenient for the material picker to extend into the through groove 10 from the side of the platform 1 to perform the unloading operation.

[0022] Furthermore, the platform 1 in this embodiment is made of aluminum alloy, which has low raw material cost, is easy to process, and is lightweight, which is beneficial for handling at different operating stations during unloading.

[0023] Furthermore, the surface of the stage 1 in this embodiment is coated with a Teflon coating, which has low surface energy characteristics, reducing the adhesion between the wafer 3 and the top surface of the stage 1, ensuring the smooth progress of the wafer unloading process, and not causing damage to the surface of the wafer 3, thus ensuring the quality of the unloading.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the edges of the stage 1 surface are rounded to prevent the sharp edges of the stage 1 from causing damage or cracks to the wafer 3 due to collision or friction.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pick-up device is either a vacuum pen or tweezers. The vacuum pen uses negative pressure to pick up the wafer 3, while tweezers are more cost-effective, allowing users to choose according to their actual needs. Specifically, the vacuum pen can pick up the wafer 3 from its top surface or insert into the slot 10 of the stage 1 to pick up the wafer 3 from its bottom surface. If tweezers are used, both the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer 3 can be picked up simultaneously at its edge, simplifying the operation.

[0026] The usage process of this embodiment is as follows: Remove the plate carrier ring 2, which has completed vapor deposition, from the back-mounted plating pan, and remove the cap on top of the plate carrier ring 2.

[0027] Reference Figure 6 The operator holds the wafer carrier ring 2 with both hands, aligns the center of the wafer carrier ring 2 with the axis of the stage 1, and slowly places the wafer carrier ring 2 together with the wafer 3 from the top of the stage 1 to the bottom of the stage 1. At this time, the wafer 3 on the wafer carrier ring 2 leaves the step surface 20 and remains on the top surface of the stage 1. Then, the wafer unloading operation is performed using a pick-up device.

[0028] When the pick-up device is a vacuum pick-up pen, the vacuum pick-up pen can pick up the wafer 3 from the top surface or extend into the through groove 10 of the stage 1 to pick up the wafer 3 from the bottom surface.

[0029] When the picker is a tweezer, the tweezer can simultaneously pick up the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer 3 at any edge of the wafer 3.

[0030] The directional terms used in this specification are defined relative to the structures shown in the accompanying drawings. They are relative concepts and may therefore vary depending on their location and usage. Therefore, these or other directional terms should not be interpreted as restrictive.

[0031] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the design of this case. All equivalent changes made based on the key design of this case shall fall within the protection scope of this case.

Claims

1. A device for assisting in the unloading of a substrate carrier ring, characterized in that: Includes stage, wafer ring and feeder; The stage is cylindrical, and a through groove is radially opened on the top surface of the stage. The through groove runs through the side of the stage, and the inner wall of the wafer ring is radially protruded to form a stepped surface. The wafer is placed on the stepped surface, and the diameter of the wafer ring is larger than the diameter of the stage. When the wafer carrier ring, together with the wafer, is placed from top to bottom on the bottom of the stage, the wafer on the wafer carrier ring leaves the step surface and remains on the top surface of the stage. The wafer picker unloads the wafer from the top surface of the stage or from the through slot of the stage.

2. The device for assisting in the unloading of a wafer carrier ring as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The axial distance from the top surface of the platform to the bottom surface of the through groove is half the axial height of the platform.

3. The device for assisting in the unloading of a wafer carrier ring as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The through groove is cuboid in shape, and the cross-section of the platform along the width of the through groove is U-shaped.

4. The device for assisting in the unloading of a wafer carrier ring as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The platform is made of aluminum alloy.

5. The apparatus for assisting in the unloading of a wafer carrier ring as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the stage is coated with a Teflon coating.

6. The apparatus for assisting in the unloading of a wafer carrier ring as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The edges of the platform surface are rounded.

7. The apparatus for assisting in the unloading of a wafer carrier ring as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The feeder is a vacuum pen or tweezers.

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