Semiconductor wafer glue coating uniformity machine

Abstract

This utility model provides a coating spinner for semiconductor wafers, relating to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology. The spinner includes a worktable, a dispensing head, a drive assembly, a translation device, a spinner, and a detachable liquid shield. The drive assembly includes a column, a horizontal linear motor, a horizontal guide rail, a horizontal slide block, and a vertical slide cylinder, enabling precise multi-degree-of-freedom movement of the dispensing head in three-dimensional space. The spinner drives the wafer to rotate at high speed for coating via a rotating assembly. The rotating assembly employs a rotary motor, a drive pulley, a driven pulley, and a belt drive structure to avoid direct vibration transmission and improve operational stability. The translation device moves the entire spinner, facilitating workstation switching. The liquid shield is detachably mounted on the spinner and has an opening in the center for the dispensing head to pass through, effectively preventing glue splashing and facilitating maintenance and cleaning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of spin coater technology, and in particular to a spin coater for semiconductor wafer coating. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor wafers, as the core material in semiconductor manufacturing, involve numerous precise and critical steps in their production process. Among these, wafer coating plays a crucial role in determining the performance and quality of semiconductor devices. In the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, a layer of adhesive, such as photoresist, of a specific thickness needs to be uniformly coated onto the wafer surface to provide a good foundation for subsequent photolithography, etching, and other processes. However, traditional coating equipment typically uses direct-drive motors or belt drives to rotate the wafer, which suffers from problems such as vibration transmission, significant heat-affected zones, and adhesive splattering that contaminates the equipment. Furthermore, the coating process often relies on robotic arms or simple motion platforms, making it difficult to achieve high dynamic response and precise multi-degree-of-freedom positioning. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a coating machine for semiconductor wafers, which solves the problems of adhesive splashing and difficulty in achieving multi-degree-of-freedom positioning in the prior art.

[0004] To achieve the above and other related objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0005] A semiconductor wafer coating spin coater includes a worktable; a dispensing head; a drive assembly disposed on the worktable and driving the dispensing head to move with multiple degrees of freedom; a translation device disposed on the worktable; a spin coater disposed on the translation device for carrying the wafer and performing spin coating on the adhesive dripped onto the wafer; and a detachable baffle mounted on the spin coater. The spin coater includes a spin coater housing, a fixed plate disposed on the spin coater housing, a bearing disposed on the fixed plate and whose inner ring is fastened to the fixed plate, a support seat fastened to the outer ring of the bearing, a wafer stage disposed on the support seat, and a rotating assembly for driving the support seat to rotate.

[0006] To achieve the above technical solution, during semiconductor wafer coating operations, the wafer is placed on the wafer stage of the coating apparatus. The dispensing head, controlled by a drive assembly, moves with multiple degrees of freedom, precisely dispensing the adhesive onto the wafer surface. Subsequently, a rotation assembly activates, driving the support base and wafer stage, connected to the outer ring of the bearing, to rotate at high speed. Centrifugal force is used to evenly spread the adhesive on the wafer surface, completing the coating process. A translation device can move the entire coating apparatus on the worktable, facilitating alignment with the dispensing station or switching between multiple stations. During the coating process, a detachable liquid-blocking cover is installed on the coating apparatus to effectively contain the adhesive, preventing it from splashing onto other parts of the equipment or contaminating the working environment.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating assembly includes a rotary motor disposed in the uniform coating housing, a drive pulley disposed at the output end of the rotary motor, and a rotating shaft whose one end is fixedly connected to the bearing seat and whose other end extends into the uniform coating housing; a driven pulley is provided at one end of the rotating shaft located in the uniform coating housing, and a belt is sleeved between the drive pulley and the driven pulley.

[0008] To achieve the above technical solution, the rotating assembly is powered by a rotary motor housed within the spin coat housing. Upon startup, the motor's output drives the drive pulley to rotate. The drive pulley transmits power via a belt to the driven pulley coaxially mounted on the rotating shaft, thus driving the shaft to rotate. Since one end of the shaft is securely connected to the support, the shaft's rotation causes the support and the wafer stage above it to rotate synchronously. As the wafer rotates at high speed with the stage, the adhesive applied to its surface spreads uniformly under centrifugal force, achieving a high-quality spin coat process.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the driving assembly includes two columns arranged parallel to each other on the worktable, a horizontal driving assembly disposed on the columns, and a vertical driving assembly disposed on the horizontal driving assembly and used for mounting the dispensing head.

[0010] To achieve the above technical solution, the dispensing head is fixed on the vertical drive assembly. Through the coordinated control of the horizontal drive assembly and the vertical drive assembly, multi-degree-of-freedom movement in three-dimensional space is realized, thereby accurately dispensing the adhesive onto the designated position on the wafer to meet different process paths.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal drive assembly includes a vertical plate connected to the two columns, a horizontal linear motor disposed on the vertical plate in a horizontal direction, a horizontal guide rail disposed parallel to the horizontal linear motor, and a horizontal slide block slidably disposed on the horizontal guide rail and the horizontal linear motor.

[0012] To achieve the above technical solution, when the horizontal linear motor is powered on, the electromagnetic thrust it generates directly drives the horizontal slide to perform high-precision, high-speed linear motion along the guide rail.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the vertical drive assembly includes a slide cylinder arranged vertically on the horizontal slide block and a mounting plate arranged on the slide cylinder, wherein the dispensing head is provided on the mounting plate.

[0014] To achieve the above technical solution, when dispensing is required, the slide cylinder is activated, and its piston rod drives the mounting plate and dispensing head to move up and down quickly and smoothly in the vertical direction. This movement is used to precisely control the working distance between the dispensing head and the wafer surface: achieving accurate alignment when approaching the wafer, and quickly lifting it after dispensing to avoid interference with the rotating wafer or liquid shield.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the translation device includes a longitudinal linear motor arranged along the longitudinal direction, a longitudinal guide rail arranged parallel to the longitudinal linear motor, and a longitudinal slide block slidably arranged on the longitudinal linear motor and the longitudinal guide rail, wherein the adhesive shell is provided on the longitudinal slide block.

[0016] To achieve the above technical solution, when the control system issues a translation command, the longitudinal linear motor generates electromagnetic thrust, directly driving the longitudinal slide to perform high-precision, high-speed linear motion along the guide rail. Since the coating housing is fixed to the longitudinal slide, the entire coating device moves longitudinally accordingly. This motion function is mainly used to switch wafers between different workstations, such as moving the coating device from the dispensing station to a standby station, or coordinating with multi-station production lines to achieve automated loading / unloading and coating operations.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the liquid-blocking cover has an opening in the middle.

[0018] To achieve the above technical solution, the liquid-retaining shield is detachably mounted on the coating apparatus. Its main body is annular or shield-like, with an opening in the center. This opening design allows the dispensing head to pass through the center of the liquid-retaining shield from above to enter or exit the wafer surface area after dispensing the adhesive, achieving spatial coordination between dispensing and coating operations. After coating is completed, the liquid-retaining shield can be easily disassembled for cleaning or replacement, ensuring equipment cleanliness.

[0019] As described above, the semiconductor wafer coating spinner of this invention has the following beneficial effects: by integrating multi-degree-of-freedom drive components, a translational spinner device, and a detachable liquid shield, it achieves high precision, high efficiency, and high cleanliness in the coating process. The combination of a horizontal linear motor with dual-column support and a sliding cylinder ensures rapid and accurate positioning of the dispensing head in three-dimensional space, improving coating consistency. The spinner device indirectly drives the carrier seat to rotate via belt transmission, effectively isolating motor vibration and heat source effects, ensuring stability and film uniformity under high-speed rotation. The translational device uses a longitudinal linear motor drive, supporting multi-station switching and enhancing the equipment's automation integration capabilities. The specially designed detachable liquid shield has an opening in the middle, allowing the dispensing head to enter and exit smoothly while effectively preventing liquid splashing, balancing process synergy and equipment cleanliness, and facilitating disassembly and cleaning. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1The diagram shown is a structural schematic of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 2 The diagram shows the internal structure of the spin coater.

[0022] Figure 3 The image shown is a cross-sectional view of the spin coater.

[0023] Figure 4 The diagram shows a partial view of the driving component.

[0024] Component designation explanation

[0025] 1. Worktable; 2. Dispensing head; 3. Liquid baffle; 4. Spreading housing; 5. Fixing plate; 6. Bearing; 7. Support base; 8. Wafer stage; 9. Rotary motor; 10. Drive pulley; 11. Shaft; 12. Driven pulley; 13. Belt; 15. Column; 16. Horizontal linear motor; 17. Horizontal guide rail; 18. Horizontal slide; 19. Slide cylinder; 20. Mounting plate; 21. Longitudinal linear motor; 22. Longitudinal guide rail; 23. Longitudinal slide; 31. Opening. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0027] Please see Figures 1 to 4 This utility model provides a coating machine for semiconductor wafers, comprising: a worktable 1; a dispensing head 2; a drive assembly disposed on the worktable 1 and driving the dispensing head 2 to move with multiple degrees of freedom; a translation device disposed on the worktable; a coating device disposed on the translation device for carrying the wafer and coating the adhesive dripped onto the wafer; and a liquid baffle 3 detachably mounted on the coating device. The coating device includes a coating housing 4, a fixing plate 5 disposed on the coating housing 4, a bearing 6 disposed on the fixing plate 5 and whose inner ring is fastened to the fixing plate 5, a support seat 7 fastened to the outer ring of the bearing 6, a wafer stage 8 disposed on the support seat 7, and a rotating assembly for driving the support seat 7 to rotate.

[0028] During semiconductor wafer coating, the wafer is placed on the wafer stage 8 of the coating apparatus. The dispensing head 2, under the control of the drive assembly, moves with multiple degrees of freedom, precisely dispensing the adhesive onto the wafer surface. Subsequently, the rotation assembly starts, driving the support 7 and wafer stage 8, connected to the outer ring of the bearing 6, to rotate at high speed. Centrifugal force is used to evenly spread the adhesive on the wafer surface, completing the coating process. The translation device can move the entire coating apparatus on the worktable 1, facilitating alignment with the dispensing station or switching between multiple stations. During the coating process, a detachable liquid shield 3 is installed on the coating apparatus to effectively contain the adhesive, preventing it from splashing onto other parts of the equipment or contaminating the working environment.

[0029] The rotating assembly includes a rotary motor 9 disposed within the uniform coating housing 4, a drive pulley 10 disposed at the output end of the rotary motor 9, and a rotating shaft 11 whose one end is fastened to the bearing seat 7 and whose other end extends into the uniform coating housing 4; the rotating shaft 11 is provided with a driven pulley 12 at one end located within the uniform coating housing 4, and a belt 13 is sleeved between the drive pulley 10 and the driven pulley 12.

[0030] The rotating assembly is powered by a rotary motor 9 housed within the spin coat housing 4. Upon startup, the rotary motor 9 drives the drive pulley 10 to rotate. The drive pulley 10 transmits power via a belt 13 to the driven pulley 12, which is coaxially mounted on the rotating shaft 11, thus driving the shaft 11 to rotate. Since one end of the rotating shaft 11 is securely connected to the support base 7, the rotation of the shaft 11 causes the support base 7 and the wafer stage 8 above it to rotate synchronously. As the wafer rotates at high speed with the stage, the adhesive applied to its surface spreads evenly under centrifugal force, achieving a high-quality spin coat process.

[0031] The drive assembly includes two columns 15 arranged in parallel on the worktable 1, a horizontal drive assembly arranged on the columns 15, and a vertical drive assembly arranged on the horizontal drive assembly for mounting the dispensing head 2.

[0032] The dispensing head 2 is fixed on the vertical drive assembly. Through the coordinated control of the horizontal drive assembly and the vertical drive assembly, it can achieve multi-degree-of-freedom movement in three-dimensional space, thereby accurately dispensing the adhesive onto the designated position on the wafer to meet different process paths.

[0033] The horizontal drive assembly includes a vertical plate connected to the two columns 15, a horizontal linear motor 16 mounted on the vertical plate in a horizontal direction, a horizontal guide rail 17 parallel to the horizontal linear motor 16, and a horizontal slide block 18 slidably mounted on the horizontal guide rail 17 and the horizontal linear motor 16. When the horizontal linear motor 16 is energized, the electromagnetic thrust it generates directly drives the horizontal slide block 18 to perform high-precision, high-speed linear motion along the guide rail.

[0034] The vertical drive assembly includes a slide cylinder 19 vertically mounted on the horizontal slide block 18 and a mounting plate 20 mounted on the slide cylinder 19. The mounting plate 20 is equipped with the dispensing head 2. When dispensing is required, the slide cylinder 19 is activated, and its piston rod drives the mounting plate 20 and the dispensing head 2 to move up and down quickly and smoothly in the vertical direction. This movement is used to precisely control the working distance between the dispensing head 2 and the wafer surface: achieving precise alignment when approaching the wafer, and rapidly lifting it after dispensing to avoid interference with the rotating wafer or the liquid shield 3.

[0035] The translation device includes a longitudinal linear motor 21 arranged along the longitudinal direction, a longitudinal guide rail 22 arranged parallel to the longitudinal linear motor 21, and a longitudinal slide block 23 slidably arranged on the longitudinal linear motor 21 and the longitudinal guide rail 22. The adhesive shell 4 is provided on the longitudinal slide block 23.

[0036] When the control system issues a translation command, the longitudinal linear motor 21 generates electromagnetic thrust, directly driving the longitudinal slide 23 to perform high-precision, high-speed linear motion along the guide rail. Since the coating housing 4 is fixed to the longitudinal slide 23, the entire coating device moves longitudinally accordingly. This motion function is mainly used to switch wafers between different workstations, such as moving the coating device from the dispensing station to a standby station, or coordinating with multi-station production lines to achieve automated loading / unloading and coating operations.

[0037] The liquid-retaining cover 3 has an opening 31 in its center. The liquid-retaining cover 3 is detachably mounted on the coating apparatus. Its main body is annular or cover-shaped, with the opening 31 in the center. This opening 31 allows the dispensing head 2 to pass through the center of the liquid-retaining cover 3 from above to enter or exit the wafer surface area after dispensing the adhesive, achieving spatial coordination between dispensing and coating operations. After coating is completed, the liquid-retaining cover 3 can be easily disassembled for cleaning or replacement, ensuring equipment cleanliness.

[0038] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this utility model and are not intended to limit this utility model. All equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this utility model should still be covered by the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A spin coater for semiconductor wafer coating, characterized in that, include: Workbench (1); Dispensing head (2); A drive assembly mounted on the worktable (1) and driving the dispensing head (2) to move in multiple degrees of freedom; A translation device is installed on the workpiece; A spin coating device is installed on the translation device to carry the wafer and to spin coating the adhesive liquid dripped onto the wafer. The liquid baffle (3) installed on the gelling device can be removed; The spin coating device includes a spin coating housing (4), a fixing plate (5) disposed on the spin coating housing (4), a bearing (6) disposed on the fixing plate (5) and whose inner ring is fastened to the fixing plate (5), a carrier seat (7) fastened to the outer ring of the bearing (6), a wafer stage (8) disposed on the carrier seat (7), and a rotating component for driving the carrier seat (7) to rotate.

2. The coating machine for semiconductor wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating assembly includes a rotary motor (9) disposed in the uniform adhesive housing (4), a drive pulley (10) disposed at the output end of the rotary motor (9), and a rotating shaft (11) with one end fastened to the bearing seat (7) and the other end extending into the uniform adhesive housing (4); The rotating shaft (11) is located inside the glue-coating housing (4) and has a driven pulley (12) at one end. A belt (13) is fitted between the driving pulley (10) and the driven pulley (12).

3. The coating machine for semiconductor wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive assembly includes two columns (15) arranged in parallel on the worktable (1), a horizontal drive assembly arranged on the columns (15), and a vertical drive assembly arranged on the horizontal drive assembly for mounting the dispensing head (2).

4. The coating machine for semiconductor wafers according to claim 3, characterized in that: The horizontal drive assembly includes a vertical plate connected to the two columns (15), a horizontal linear motor (16) arranged horizontally on the vertical plate, a horizontal guide rail (17) arranged parallel to the horizontal linear motor (16), and a horizontal slide (18) slidably arranged on the horizontal guide rail (17) and the horizontal linear motor (16).

5. The coating machine for semiconductor wafers according to claim 4, characterized in that: The vertical drive assembly includes a slide cylinder (19) arranged vertically on the horizontal slide (18) and a mounting plate (20) arranged on the slide cylinder (19), wherein the mounting plate (20) is provided with the dispensing head (2).

6. The coating machine for semiconductor wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The translation device includes a longitudinal linear motor (21) arranged along the longitudinal direction, a longitudinal guide rail (22) arranged parallel to the longitudinal linear motor (21), and a longitudinal slide (23) slidably arranged on the longitudinal linear motor (21) and the longitudinal guide rail (22). The adhesive shell (4) is provided on the longitudinal slide (23).

7. The coating machine for semiconductor wafers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid-blocking cover (3) has an opening (31) in the middle.

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