Wafer carrier transport system for a lithography tool and a lithography system

Abstract

The utility model relates to technical field of semiconductor equipment, concretely is wafer carrier transmission system and photoetching system for photoetching machine platform, include: set up on the positioning sensing device of carrier plate, first strip groove and second strip groove, carrier accommodating device and mechanical arm, and the length direction of first strip groove and second strip groove is along longitudinal setting, carrier accommodating device includes carrier accommodating main part, and the first limiting part of setting on carrier accommodating main part, second limiting part and with the matching of positioning sensing device response part, mechanical arm and photoetching machine platform swing joint and with carrier accommodating main part transmission connection, mechanical arm can drive carrier accommodating main part to move towards carrier plate main body, to first limiting part and first strip groove cooperation, second limiting part and second strip groove cooperation and response part and positioning sensing device coupling, and can adjust the one -sided longitudinal position of carrier accommodating main part, to horizontal setting, the present application can realize the automatic accurate coupling of carrier accommodating device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and in particular to a wafer carrier transport system and a lithography system for a lithography machine. Background Technology

[0002] Photolithography systems typically use wafer carriers to store wafers, facilitating wafer loading and unloading operations during the photolithography process. In existing photolithography systems, troubleshooting requires manual operation of semi-automatic lifting devices such as joysticks and lead screws to move the wafer carrier out of the photolithography machine and manually push the carrier away from the maintenance area. After maintenance, the wafer carrier must be manually moved to a suitable position, and the lifting device must be operated to bring the wafer carrier to the designated position on the photolithography machine. This process is cumbersome and has a high positioning failure rate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides a wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine, specifically including the following contents.

[0004] This utility model provides a wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine, comprising:

[0005] A positioning sensing device disposed on the main body of the carrier plate;

[0006] The first and second strip grooves are disposed opposite to each other on the carrier plate body, and the length direction of the first and second strip grooves is arranged longitudinally.

[0007] A vehicle receiving device includes a vehicle receiving body, and a sensing part matched with the positioning sensing device, a first limiting part matched with the first strip groove, and a second limiting part matched with the second strip groove, all disposed on the vehicle receiving body.

[0008] A robotic arm is movably connected to the lithography machine and drivenly connected to the carrier receiving body; the robotic arm can drive the carrier receiving body to move towards the carrier plate body, until the first limiting part engages with the first strip groove, the second limiting part engages with the second strip groove, and the sensing part is coupled to the positioning sensing device; and, when the detection positions of the first limiting part and the second limiting part are not horizontally set, the robotic arm can adjust the longitudinal position of one side of the carrier receiving body so that the first limiting part moves longitudinally relative to the first strip groove and / or the second limiting part moves longitudinally relative to the second strip groove, until the detection positions of the first limiting part and the second limiting part are horizontally set.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the wafer carrier transport system further includes an electrically connected controller and a control panel, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the control panel, the robotic arm, and the positioning sensing device, respectively, and the control panel includes a first control key and a second control key;

[0010] The controller can control the robotic arm to move the carrier receiving body to couple with the carrier plate body or to detach from the carrier plate body based on the triggering of the first control key, and can also control the robotic arm to move the carrier receiving body to the triggering of the second control key until the coupling position between the carrier receiving body and the carrier plate body reaches the calibration position.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the wafer carrier transport system further includes a first grating ruler fixedly disposed in the first strip groove, a second grating ruler fixedly disposed in the second strip groove, a first grating reader fixedly disposed on the first limiting portion, and a second grating reader fixedly disposed on the second limiting portion;

[0012] The robotic arm can drive the carrier to move toward the carrier plate body, until the first grating reader is coupled with the first grating ruler to detect the longitudinal position of the first limiting part, and the second grating reader is coupled with the second grating ruler to detect the longitudinal position of the second limiting part.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the wafer carrier transport system further includes a contact sensing device disposed at the end of at least one of the first or second slots, the contact sensing device being capable of coupling with the first or second limiting portion.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the contact sensing device includes at least two contact sensors, with the contact sensors respectively disposed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the first strip groove, and / or, with the contact sensors respectively disposed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the second strip groove.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the positioning sensing device includes at least two positioning sensors, and at least two sensing elements are provided on the vehicle housing body. The at least two positioning sensors are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the at least two sensing elements, and the at least two sensing elements are distributed on the structural edge of the vehicle housing body.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the robotic arm includes a rotary joint, a lateral adjustment arm, and a longitudinal adjustment arm that are sequentially connected in a transmission manner. The longitudinal adjustment arm is connected in a transmission manner to the carrier receiving body. The rotary joint and the lateral adjustment arm can adjust the position angle of the carrier receiving body, and the longitudinal adjustment arm can adjust the longitudinal height of the carrier receiving body.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the robotic arm further includes a rotary scale motor connected to the rotary joint, which drives the rotary joint to rotate, thereby causing the lateral adjustment arm and the longitudinal adjustment arm to swing relative to the carrier body, thereby causing the carrier receiving body to move closer to or away from the carrier body.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the robotic arm further includes a longitudinal axis scale motor that is driven to connect with the longitudinal adjustment arm. The longitudinal axis scale motor can drive the longitudinal adjustment arm to extend and retract to move the carrier housing body longitudinally.

[0019] On the other hand, this application also provides a lithography system, which includes a lithography machine and a wafer carrier transport system as described above.

[0020] Implementing the embodiments of this utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The technical solution of this application includes a robotic arm, a positioning sensing device located on the carrier body, a first strip groove and a second strip groove, and a sensing part, a first limiting part and a second limiting part on the carrier receiving body of the carrier receiving device. The robotic arm drives the carrier receiving body to move towards the carrier body, and the coupling positioning of the carrier receiving body and the carrier body is achieved through the cooperation of the first limiting part with the first strip groove, the cooperation of the second limiting part with the second strip groove, and the coupling of the sensing part with the positioning sensing device. This eliminates the need for manual operation of the mechanical device or carrier handling, enabling one-time automatic assembly and precise positioning of the wafer carrier. The longitudinally arranged first and second strip grooves also restrict the lateral movement of the first and second limiting parts, thereby limiting the lateral position of the carrier receiving body, further improving positioning accuracy and ensuring the stability of its longitudinal movement adjustment. Furthermore, the robotic arm can adjust the posture of the carrier receiving body based on the detected positions of the first and second limiting parts, thereby achieving horizontal adjustment, preventing the carrier receiving device from tilting, and realizing multi-axis precise positioning and calibration of the device, which is beneficial for achieving one-click automatic coupling of the carrier receiving device.

[0022] 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

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a lithography machine using existing technology.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle device in the prior art;

[0026] Figure 3 A structural framework diagram of a wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to an embodiment of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 4 A panel diagram of a control panel conforming to an embodiment of this utility model;

[0028] The corresponding reference numerals in the figure are:

[0029] 1-Carrier device, 2-Hanging back plate, 3-Locking block, 4-Overlapping plate, 5-Cavity groove, 6-Rock arm, 7-Door body, 8-Machine platform cover plate, 9-Positioning ball, 10-Carrier plate body, 11-Positioning sensing device, 12-First strip groove, 13-Second strip groove, 14-Control panel, 141-First control key, 142-Second control key, 143-Third control key, 144-Fourth control key, 15-Mechanical arm, 151-First rotary joint, 152-Second rotary joint, 153-Horizontal adjustment arm, 154-Longitudinal adjustment arm, 161-Carrier housing body, 162-Sensing part, 163-First limiting part, 164-Second limiting part, 17-First grating ruler, 18-Second grating ruler, 19-First grating reader, 20-Second grating reader, 21-Contact sensing device. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this utility model are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this utility model described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0032] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "setting," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0033] In related technologies, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The lithography machine's cover plate 8 is equipped with a mounting backplate 2. During maintenance and repair, the carrier device 1 needs to be manually removed, causing the locking block 3 to disengage from the mounting backplate 2's overlapping plate 4 and the positioning ball 9 to disengage from the slot 5, thus detaching it from the machine. Then, the rocker arm 6 is inserted and rocked to lower the carrier device 1, pushing it away from the maintenance area. The carrier device 1 has a door 7 to facilitate the insertion and removal of the wafer carrier. After maintenance and repair, the carrier device 1 must be pushed back to its appropriate position, and the rocker arm 6 must be inserted to raise the carrier device 1 until the interlock sensor is triggered, confirming that it has reached the stop position. If the interlock sensor fails to trigger, the rocker arm 6 operation must be repeated to repeatedly pull down the carrier device 1, align its position, raise it, and check if the interlock sensor has been triggered. This process is complex, may require repetition, has poor positioning accuracy, and is prone to safety accidents.

[0034] The following describes a wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 3-4 The lithography machine includes a substrate body 10, a wafer carrier transfer system including a positioning sensing device 11 disposed on the substrate body 10, a first strip groove 12 and a second strip groove 13 disposed opposite to each other on the substrate body 10, a carrier receiving device and a robotic arm 15.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 3The carrier plate body 10 is fixedly mounted on the lithography machine base, and the positioning sensing device 11 is fixedly mounted on the carrier plate body 10 for positioning sensing after the carrier plate body 10 is engaged with the carrier receiving device. In one embodiment, the positioning sensing device 11 can be a positioning sensor, such as a laser positioning sensor. The first strip groove 12 and the second strip groove 13 are arranged longitudinally along their length direction to guide the longitudinal movement of the carrier receiving device and limit its lateral movement. Preferably, the first strip groove 12 and the second strip groove 13 are arranged in parallel. Specifically, the carrier plate body 10 can be the machine base cover plate 8 of the lithography machine base itself, thus eliminating the need for an additional mounting back plate 2.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 3 The carrier receiving device includes a carrier receiving body 161, and a sensing part 162 matched with a positioning sensing device 11, a first limiting part 163 matched with a first slot 12, and a second limiting part 164 matched with a second slot 13, all disposed on the carrier receiving body 161. The carrier receiving body 161 includes a receiving cavity for placing a wafer carrier and can move in coordination with the wafer carrier to achieve batch transport of wafers. The sensing part 162 can be coupled with the positioning sensing device 11 to generate a positioning signal indicating that the carrier receiving device is assembled in place, and feeds it back to the controller. The first limiting part 163 is aligned with the first slot 12, and the second limiting part 164 is aligned with the second slot 13, and the first limiting part 163 and the second limiting part 164 are distributed in a horizontal direction.

[0037] The robotic arm 15 is movably connected to the lithography machine and drively connected to the carrier receiving body 161, meaning the robotic arm 15 can move relative to the lithography machine and can drive the carrier receiving body 161 to move. Specifically, the robotic arm 15 can drive the carrier receiving body 161 to move towards the carrier plate body 10, until the first limiting part 163 engages with the first strip groove 12, the second limiting part 164 engages with the second strip groove 13, and the sensing part 162 is coupled to the positioning sensing device 11; and, when the detection positions of the first limiting part 163 and the second limiting part 164 are not horizontally set, the robotic arm 15 can adjust the longitudinal position of one side of the carrier receiving body 161 so that the first limiting part 163 moves longitudinally relative to the first strip groove 12 and / or the second limiting part 164 moves longitudinally relative to the second strip groove 13, until the detection positions of the first limiting part 163 and the second limiting part 164 are horizontally set.

[0038] Thus, by setting up a robotic arm 15, a positioning sensor 11 located on the carrier plate body 10, a first strip groove 12 and a second strip groove 13, and a sensor 162, a first limiting part 163 and a second limiting part 164 on the carrier receiving body 161 of the carrier receiving device, the robotic arm 15 drives the carrier receiving body 161 to move towards the carrier plate body 10. The coupling and positioning of the carrier receiving body 161 and the carrier plate body 10 is achieved through the cooperation of the first limiting part 163 with the first strip groove 12, the cooperation of the second limiting part 164 with the second strip groove 13, and the coupling of the sensor 162 with the positioning sensor 11. This eliminates the need for manual operation of the mechanical device or... The carrier handling enables one-time automatic assembly and precise positioning of the wafer carrier. The longitudinally arranged first strip groove 12 and second strip groove 13 can also restrict the lateral movement of the first limiting part 163 and the second limiting part 164, thereby limiting the lateral position of the carrier receiving body 161, further improving the positioning accuracy and ensuring the stability of its longitudinal movement adjustment. In addition, the robotic arm 15 can also adjust the posture of the carrier receiving body 161 based on the detection position of the first limiting part 163 and the second limiting part 164, thereby achieving horizontal adjustment, avoiding tilting of the carrier receiving device, realizing multi-axis precise positioning and calibration of the device, and facilitating one-click automatic coupling of the carrier receiving device.

[0039] In some embodiments, the wafer carrier transport system further includes an electrically connected controller and a control panel 14. The controller is electrically connected to the control panel 14, the robotic arm 15, and the positioning sensor 11, respectively, and is used to acquire the positioning signal generated by the positioning sensor 11, control the movement of the robotic arm 15 based on the electrical signal, and receive operation data generated based on the trigger operation fed back by the control panel 14 to generate control signals.

[0040] Specifically, refer to Figure 4The control panel 14 includes a first control key 141 and a second control key 142. The controller can, based on the trigger of the first control key 141, control the robotic arm 15 to move the carrier receiving body 161 to couple with or detach from the carrier plate body 10. It can also, based on the trigger of the second control key 142, control the robotic arm 15 to move the carrier receiving body 161 until the coupling position between the carrier receiving body 161 and the carrier plate body 10 reaches the calibration position. The first control key 141 or the second control key 142 can be a virtual button on a touchscreen or a physical mechanical button, triggered by clicking, pressing, or other methods. When the first control key 141 is triggered, the control panel 14 feeds back the corresponding operation data to the controller to generate a vehicle coupling control signal, so that the robotic arm 15 responds to the motion trajectory data carried by the vehicle coupling control signal and moves, thereby driving the vehicle housing body 161 to move to couple with the carrier plate body 10, realizing one-key automatic coupling; when the second control key 142 is triggered, the control panel 14 feeds back the corresponding operation data to the controller to generate a vehicle separation control signal, so that the robotic arm 15 responds to the motion trajectory data carried by the vehicle separation control signal and moves, thereby driving the vehicle housing body 161 to separate from the carrier plate body 10 and move to the designated position, realizing one-key automatic separation.

[0041] Understandably, the first control key 141 and the second control key 142 can be the same control key or two different control keys, depending on actual needs.

[0042] Understandably, by combining the positioning sensor 11 and the sensing unit 162, the standard position of the carrier plate body 10 and the carrier receiving device during automatic coupling can be calibrated. The position information of this standard position is pre-stored by the controller to achieve precise positional coordination for one-click automatic coupling. In addition, the hovering position of the carrier receiving device after separation from the carrier plate body 10 can also be calibrated and pre-stored by the movement stop position of the robotic arm 15 to achieve hovering position control after one-click automatic separation.

[0043] In some embodiments, the positioning sensing device 11 includes at least two positioning sensors, and at least two sensing elements 162 are disposed on the vehicle housing body 161. The at least two positioning sensors and the at least two sensing elements 162 are disposed in a one-to-one correspondence, and the at least two sensing elements 162 are distributed along the structural edge of the vehicle housing body 161. By providing more than one positioning sensing device, the positioning accuracy of the vehicle housing device can be improved, and by disposing the sensing elements 162 along the structural edge of the coupling surface of the vehicle housing body 161, edge-following positioning can be achieved, which helps to reduce the tilt error of the vehicle housing device.

[0044] In one embodiment, reference Figure 3At least three non-collinear positioning sensors can be set, with at least two positioning sensors set on the two sides of the horizontal direction of the carrier receiving body 161, and at least one positioning sensor set on the upper and / or lower side edge of the carrier receiving body 161, so as to facilitate accurate positioning.

[0045] In some embodiments, the robotic arm 15 includes a rotary joint, a lateral adjusting arm 153, and a longitudinal adjusting arm 154 connected in sequence. The longitudinal adjusting arm 154 is connected to the carrier receiving body 161. The rotary joint and the lateral adjusting arm 153 can adjust the position angle of the carrier receiving body 161, and the longitudinal adjusting arm 154 can adjust the longitudinal height of the carrier receiving body 161. By setting up multiple arm segments, flexible control of multi-directional movement of the carrier receiving device can be achieved, avoiding the repetitive positioning problem of manual screw lifting structures, etc., and improving the accuracy of movement control, carrier carrying efficiency, and coupling success rate.

[0046] In some embodiments, the robotic arm 15 also includes a rotary scale motor connected to a rotary joint drive. The rotary scale motor drives the rotary joint to rotate, causing the lateral adjusting arm 153 and the longitudinal adjusting arm 154 to swing relative to the carrier body 10, thereby causing the carrier receiving body 161 to move closer to or away from the carrier body 10. The rotary scale motor allows for the calibration of the zero and end positions of rotational control, enabling precise position control with one-key coupling and one-key disengagement. Understandably, the rotary scale motor is electrically connected to the controller, responding to control signals from the controller and feeding back operational data to the controller.

[0047] In one embodiment, reference Figure 3 A first rotary joint 151 and a second rotary joint 152 are provided. The lateral adjusting arm 153 is rotatably connected to the carrier plate body 10 via the first rotary joint 151, and the lateral adjusting arm 153 is rotatably connected to the longitudinal adjusting arm 154 via the second rotary joint 152. Both the first rotary joint 151 and the second rotary joint 152 are equipped with the aforementioned rotary scale motor, thereby enabling lateral position control and angle pose control of the carrier housing device during one-key coupling and one-key disengagement processes by calibrating their respective zero and end positions.

[0048] In some embodiments, the robotic arm 15 also includes a longitudinal axis scale motor driven by the longitudinal adjusting arm 154. The longitudinal axis scale motor can drive the longitudinal adjusting arm 154 to extend and retract, thereby moving the carrier housing 161 longitudinally. The longitudinal axis scale motor enables longitudinal movement control, including return position calibration, height calibration, and disengagement position calibration, achieving precise position control with one-key coupling and disengagement. It is also adaptable to various machine tool requirements with different heights, improving assembly and application flexibility. Understandably, the longitudinal axis scale motor is electrically connected to the controller, responding to control signals from the controller and feeding back operational data to the controller.

[0049] In one embodiment, the control panel 14 can be equipped with at least one third control key 143 to set the moving speed and moving distance of the rotary scale motor or the longitudinal scale motor, and can also set the ending position of the rotary scale motor and the disengagement position of the longitudinal scale motor, so as to limit the final position of the carrier receiving device after one-key disengagement. Further, when the carrier receiving body 161 is coupled to the carrier plate body 10, the mounting position of the carrier receiving body 161 in the coupled state can be calibrated as the starting position, and the position of the rotary scale motor can be defined as the zero point position, and the position of the longitudinal scale motor as the return position, to achieve one-key coupling and return. In addition, the control panel 14 can trigger the controller to automatically calibrate the robotic arm 15 based on the coupling position of the positioning sensor and the sensing unit 162, thereby achieving precise motion control for one-key coupling and one-key disengagement.

[0050] In one embodiment, the control panel 14 may be equipped with a fourth control key 144 for triggering one-click calibration of the coupling position of the carrier receiving device; alternatively, a fifth control key may be provided for triggering a restore to default settings, thereby restoring the robotic arm 15 to its initial setting position. This achieves intuitive panel-style operation and improves the efficiency of automatic control.

[0051] In some embodiments, the wafer carrier transport system further includes a first grating ruler 17 fixedly disposed in the first slot 12, a second grating ruler 18 fixedly disposed in the second slot 13, a first grating reader 19 fixedly disposed on the first limiting part 163, and a second grating reader 20 fixedly disposed on the second limiting part 164. The robotic arm 15 can drive the carrier receiving body 161 to move towards the carrier plate body 10, until the first grating reader 19 couples with the first grating ruler 17 to detect the longitudinal position of the first limiting part 163, and the second grating reader 20 couples with the second grating ruler 18 to detect the longitudinal position of the second limiting part 164. The first grating reader 19 and the second grating reader 20 are electrically connected to the controller. Thus, the movement stroke of the carrier receiving body 161 is detected by the grating ruler disposed in the slot to provide feedback on the longitudinal position of the carrier receiving body 161, facilitating position calibration, adjustment, and detection. Furthermore, by providing grating rulers in both the first and second strip grooves 12 and 13, and correspondingly providing grating readers on the first and second limiting portions 163 and 164, the longitudinal position of the first limiting portion 163 in the first strip groove 12 and the longitudinal position of the second limiting portion 164 in the second strip groove 13 can be read simultaneously. This allows the controller to determine whether the detection position corresponding to the carrier receiving body 161 is horizontally set based on the two longitudinal positions. If it is not horizontally set, the rotation angle of the rotary joint is controlled to adjust the longitudinal position of one side of the carrier receiving body 161. For example, if the position of the first limiting portion 163 is too high, one side of the second limiting portion 164 is raised or one side of the first limiting portion 163 is lowered until the detection position is horizontally set. This horizontal adjustment process can be performed during the pre-calibration process of one-key coupling, or the horizontal position can be finely adjusted after one-key coupling. Preferably, the first limiting portion 163 and the second limiting portion 164 are horizontally set to facilitate horizontal detection.

[0052] In some embodiments, the wafer carrier transport system further includes a contact sensing device 21, which is disposed at the end of at least one of the first slot 12 or the second slot 13. The contact sensing device 21 can be coupled to the first limiting part 163 or the second limiting part 164, that is, the first limiting part 163 or the second limiting part 164 can contact the contact sensing device 21 to trigger it to generate a contact sensing signal, which is then fed back to the controller. By providing the contact sensing device 21, when the first limiting part 163 or the second limiting part 164 is coupled to it, it is possible to determine whether the limiting part has reached its vertical limit position, thereby achieving vertical limiting and preventing the limiting part from colliding with the slot.

[0053] In some embodiments, the contact sensing device 21 includes at least two contact sensors, with contact sensors respectively disposed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the first strip groove 12, and / or, contact sensors respectively disposed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the second strip groove 13. This achieves vertical limiting of the first limiting part 163 or the second limiting part 164, thereby limiting the vertical movement of the carrier receiving body 161. Simultaneously, combined with the lateral limiting capabilities of the first strip groove 12 and the second strip groove 13, it enables stable and safe longitudinal movement of the carrier receiving body 161.

[0054] In one embodiment, at least four contact sensors are provided, wherein at least two contact sensors are distributed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the first strip groove 12, and at least two contact sensors are distributed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the second strip groove 13, so as to simultaneously limit the upper and lower limit positions of the longitudinal movement of the first limiting part 163 and the second limiting part 164.

[0055] In some embodiments, reference is made to Figure 3 and Figure 4 Operators can trigger position calibration and adjustment via control panel 14. This allows the controller to calibrate key position parameters of the robotic arm 15 based on the coupling position of the positioning sensor 11 and the positioning unit, the position information read by the first grating reader 19, and the position information read by the second reader. These parameters include the zero and end positions of the rotary ruler motor, and the return and disengagement positions of the longitudinal ruler motor. This allows for the positioning and marking of the position data of the robotic arm 15 in both the coupling and disengagement states of the carrier receiving body 161. When equipment maintenance or repair is required, operators can trigger the second control key 142 on control panel 14 to move the robotic arm 15 based on the pre-calibrated position data. This causes the carrier receiving body 161 to detach from the carrier plate body 10 and move to the calibrated hovering position. After repair, triggering the first control key 141 on control panel 14 causes the controller to move the robotic arm 15 based on the pre-calibrated position data until the carrier receiving body 161 moves to the coupling position, thus enabling the carrier receiving device to be mounted on the machine.

[0056] This application also provides a lithography system, which includes a lithography machine and a wafer carrier transport system as described above, through which the wafer carrier is mounted and detached from the machine.

[0057] Although the present invention has been described through preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and includes various changes and variations without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0058] In this document, the directional terms such as front, back, top, and bottom are defined based on the location of the components in the accompanying drawings and their relative positions to each other, solely for the purpose of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of directional terms should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0059] Where there is no conflict, the above embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other.

[0060] The above-disclosed embodiment is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present utility model. Therefore, any equivalent variations made in accordance with the claims of the present utility model shall still fall within the scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine, the lithography machine comprising a carrier body (10), characterized in that, The wafer carrier transport system includes: Positioning sensing device (11) is disposed on the carrier plate body (10). The first strip groove (12) and the second strip groove (13) disposed on the carrier plate body (10) are arranged longitudinally along the length direction of the first strip groove (12) and the second strip groove (13); The vehicle accommodating device includes a vehicle accommodating body (161), and a sensing part (162) matched with the positioning sensing device (11), a first limiting part (163) matched with the first strip groove (12), and a second limiting part (164) matched with the second strip groove (13) disposed on the vehicle accommodating body (161). A robotic arm (15) is movably connected to the lithography machine and drivenly connected to the carrier receiving body (161); the robotic arm (15) can drive the carrier receiving body (161) to move toward the carrier body (10) until the first limiting part (163) engages with the first strip groove (12), the second limiting part (164) engages with the second strip groove (13), and the sensing part (162) is coupled to the positioning sensing device (11); and, when the detection positions of the first limiting part (163) and the second limiting part (164) are not horizontally set, the robotic arm (15) can adjust the longitudinal position of one side of the carrier receiving body (161) so that the first limiting part (163) moves longitudinally relative to the first strip groove (12) and / or the second limiting part (164) moves longitudinally relative to the second strip groove (13) until the detection positions of the first limiting part (163) and the second limiting part (164) are horizontally set.

2. The wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an electrically connected controller and control panel (14), the controller being electrically connected to the control panel (14), the robotic arm (15) and the positioning sensing device (11) respectively, and the control panel (14) including a first control key (141) and a second control key (142). The controller can control the robotic arm (15) to move the carrier receiving body (161) to couple with the carrier plate body (10) or to move away from the carrier plate body (10) based on the triggering of the first control key (141), and can also control the robotic arm (15) to move the carrier receiving body (161) to the calibrated position based on the triggering of the second control key (142) until the coupling position between the carrier receiving body (161) and the carrier plate body (10) reaches the calibration position.

3. The wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a first grating ruler (17) fixedly disposed in the first strip groove (12), a second grating ruler (18) fixedly disposed in the second strip groove (13), a first grating reader (19) fixedly disposed on the first limiting part (163), and a second grating reader (20) fixedly disposed on the second limiting part (164). The robotic arm (15) can drive the carrier receiving body (161) to move toward the carrier plate body (10) until the first grating reader (19) is coupled with the first grating ruler (17) to detect the longitudinal position of the first limiting part (163), and the second grating reader (20) is coupled with the second grating ruler (18) to detect the longitudinal position of the second limiting part (164).

4. The wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a contact sensing device (21) disposed at the end of at least one of the first strip groove (12) or the second strip groove (13), and the contact sensing device (21) is capable of coupling with the first limiting part (163) or the second limiting part (164).

5. The wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The contact sensing device (21) includes at least two contact sensors, with the contact sensors respectively disposed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the first strip groove (12), and / or, the contact sensors respectively disposed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the second strip groove (13).

6. The wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The positioning sensing device (11) includes at least two positioning sensors. At least two sensing parts (162) are provided on the vehicle housing body (161). The at least two positioning sensors and the at least two sensing parts (162) are provided in a one-to-one correspondence. The at least two sensing parts (162) are distributed on the structural edge of the vehicle housing body (161).

7. The wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The robotic arm (15) includes a rotary joint, a lateral adjustment arm (153), and a longitudinal adjustment arm (154) connected in sequence. The longitudinal adjustment arm (154) is connected in transmission to the carrier receiving body (161). The rotary joint and the lateral adjustment arm (153) can adjust the position angle of the carrier receiving body (161), and the longitudinal adjustment arm (154) can adjust the longitudinal height of the carrier receiving body (161).

8. The wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The robotic arm (15) also includes a rotary scale motor connected to the rotary joint drive. The rotary scale motor can drive the rotary joint to rotate, thereby causing the lateral adjustment arm (153) and the longitudinal adjustment arm (154) to swing relative to the carrier body (10), thereby causing the carrier receiving body (161) to move closer to or away from the carrier body (10).

9. The wafer carrier transport system for a lithography machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The robotic arm (15) also includes a longitudinal axis scale motor that is driven to connect with the longitudinal adjustment arm (154). The longitudinal axis scale motor can drive the longitudinal adjustment arm (154) to extend and retract to drive the carrier housing body (161) to move longitudinally.

10. A photolithography system, characterized in that, The lithography system includes a lithography machine and a wafer carrier transport system as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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