Wafer processing apparatus

Abstract

This application discloses a wafer processing apparatus. The apparatus includes a front-end unit, a thinning unit, a polishing unit, a cleaning unit, and a transfer unit. The thinning unit comprises multiple thinning modules symmetrically arranged, used to thin the wafer to be processed. The polishing unit comprises multiple polishing modules symmetrically arranged, used to perform chemical mechanical polishing on the thinned wafer. The cleaning unit is used to clean the polished wafer and perform post-cleaning processing. The transfer unit is used to transfer the wafer between at least two of the multiple thinning modules, multiple polishing modules, and the cleaning unit. This wafer processing apparatus achieves ultra-high cleanliness wafer thinning and polishing, improves processing efficiency, and facilitates increased wafer processing capacity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wafer processing equipment technology, and in particular to a wafer processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] A wafer is a silicon wafer used to fabricate silicon semiconductor circuits. During wafer fabrication, various equipment is used to process the surface and thickness of the wafer, enabling ultra-thin wafers to be used in the fabrication of complex circuits.

[0003] In related technologies, wafer thinning can involve multiple processes such as thinning, chemical mechanical polishing, and cleaning. This means the wafer needs to undergo different processing steps within various pieces of equipment, including thinning equipment, polishing equipment, and cleaning equipment. These equipment are typically arranged linearly in the order of the processes.

[0004] However, the linear arrangement of equipment such as thinning equipment, polishing equipment, and cleaning equipment in the process sequence can easily lead to a situation where, while a wafer is not yet finished on a certain equipment, wafers transferred from the previous process equipment have to wait in line, resulting in poor wafer processing efficiency and hindering the improvement of wafer processing equipment capacity. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application discloses a wafer processing equipment that can effectively reduce queuing during wafer processing, effectively improve wafer processing efficiency, and facilitate the increase of wafer processing equipment capacity.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of this application disclose a wafer processing apparatus, comprising:

[0007] Front-end unit;

[0008] A thinning unit is disposed downstream of the front-end unit. The thinning unit includes multiple thinning modules, which are symmetrically arranged. The thinning modules are used to thin the wafer to be processed.

[0009] A polishing unit is provided downstream of the thinning module. The polishing unit includes multiple polishing modules arranged symmetrically. The polishing modules are used to perform chemical mechanical polishing on the thinned wafer.

[0010] A cleaning unit is provided downstream of the polishing module. The cleaning unit is used to clean the polished wafer and perform post-cleaning treatment.

[0011] The transmission unit includes multiple thinning modules, multiple polishing modules, and a cleaning unit, all located within the transmission area of ​​the transmission unit. The transmission unit is used to transmit the wafer between at least two of the multiple thinning modules, the multiple polishing modules, and the cleaning unit.

[0012] Optionally, along the first horizontal direction, the cleaning unit and the plurality of polishing modules are all located between the front end unit and the plurality of thinning modules;

[0013] The transmission unit includes a robotic arm, which includes a fixed base. The fixed base is disposed on one side of the thinning unit facing the polishing unit or in the area of ​​the polishing unit close to the thinning unit. The transmission radius of the robotic arm covers multiple thinning modules, multiple polishing modules, and the cleaning unit.

[0014] Optionally, the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment has a width along a second horizontal direction, which is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. The plurality of thinning modules are arranged along the second horizontal direction, and the plurality of thinning modules are symmetrically arranged about the centerline of the width direction of the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment.

[0015] Optionally, the plurality of polishing modules are arranged along the second horizontal direction, and the plurality of polishing modules are symmetrically arranged about the centerline in the width direction with respect to the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment.

[0016] Optionally, the wafer processing equipment further includes at least one temporary storage unit, and the cleaning unit includes at least one cleaning module. A cleaning module and a temporary storage unit are provided between each two adjacent polishing modules. The cleaning module and the temporary storage unit located between the same two adjacent polishing modules are arranged in a vertical direction or in a second horizontal direction.

[0017] Optionally, a plurality of thinning modules are configured in a one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of polishing modules, and each thinning module is configured adjacent to one of the polishing modules;

[0018] The cleaning unit includes multiple cleaning modules, which are arranged in a number corresponding to the number of polishing modules. Along the first horizontal direction, a cleaning module is arranged between each adjacent thinning module and polishing module.

[0019] Optionally, the wafer processing equipment further includes at least one temporary storage unit, with one temporary storage unit provided between every two adjacent polishing modules.

[0020] Optionally, the thinning module has a pick-and-place station for placing the wafer to be thinned or already thinned. The pick-and-place stations in two adjacent thinning modules are arranged adjacently or far apart, and the pick-and-place station is located on the side of the thinning module closer to the transmission unit.

[0021] Optionally, the thinning unit further includes at least one material handling module and at least one thinning transfer module, or, between two adjacent material handling stations, one thinning transfer module and one material handling module are provided;

[0022] The thinning transfer module is used to temporarily store the wafers that need to be loaded onto the pick-and-place station, and to temporarily store the wafers that are unloaded from the pick-and-place station. The pick-and-place module is used to transfer the wafers between the pick-and-place station and the thinning transfer module.

[0023] Optionally, along the first horizontal direction, the plurality of thinning modules, the plurality of polishing modules, the cleaning unit and the transmission unit are all located on the same side of the front end unit;

[0024] The wafer processing equipment further includes a trimming unit along a second horizontal direction. The trimming unit is located on either side of the front-end unit along the second horizontal direction. The trimming unit is used to trim the wafer to be processed transmitted from the front-end unit. The second horizontal direction is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.

[0025] Optionally, the front-end unit includes a front-end transfer device for removing the wafer to be processed from the front-end unit and transferring the processed wafer to the front-end unit;

[0026] The trimming unit is located within the transmission range of the front-end transfer device, so that the front-end transfer device can transfer the wafer to and / or remove it from the trimming unit.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0028] In this application, the wafer processing equipment can thin the wafer using a thinning module and perform chemical mechanical polishing on the thinned wafer using a polishing module. Furthermore, a transfer unit enables the transfer and flow of the wafer between the front-end unit, the thinning module, the polishing module, and the cleaning unit. This high level of integration not only reduces the space required for the wafer processing equipment and allows for a compact layout, but also improves processing efficiency and thus increases production capacity. When the wafer processing equipment also includes an edge trimming module, it can trim the edges of the wafer to be processed, preventing edge chipping, scrap, or curling during the thinning process.

[0029] The wafer processing equipment has multiple thinning and polishing modules, enabling it to simultaneously perform thinning and polishing processes on multiple wafers. This effectively prevents wafers from queuing during processing, further improving processing efficiency and thus increasing the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first type of wafer processing equipment provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of wafer processing equipment provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a front-end unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first thinning unit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second thinning unit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third thinning unit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0037] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first polishing module provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0038] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a combination of a first polishing head, a second polishing head, and a rotating support provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cleaning unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 10 This is a perspective view of a cleaning unit provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a gas-liquid module provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0043] 1-Front-end unit; 11-Front-end transmission device; 12-Wafer box; 13-Rack;

[0044] 2- Trimming unit;

[0045] 3-Thinning unit; 3a-Grinding station; 3b-Material handling station; 31-Thinning module; 311-First base; 312-Turntable; 313-Grinding device; 32-Material handling module; 33-Thinning transfer module;

[0046] 4-Polishing unit; 4a-Polishing module; 41-Second base; 42-First polishing head; 43-Second polishing head; 44-Polishing disc; 45-Polishing fluid supply device; 46-Polishing pad conditioner; 47-Polishing transfer device; 48-Rotating bracket;

[0047] 5-Transmission unit; 51-Robot arm;

[0048] 6-Cleaning unit; 61-Cleaning module; 611-First cleaning device; 612-Second cleaning device;

[0049] 7-Gas-Liquid Unit; 7a-Gas-Liquid Module; 71-Gas Supply Unit; 72-Cleaning Fluid Supply Unit; 721-Mixing Tank; 723-Dispensing Tank; 73-Frame; 74-Operation Panel;

[0050] 8 - Temporary storage unit;

[0051] 10-Wafer processing equipment. Detailed Implementation

[0052] 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 of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0053] In this invention, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "middle," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and "longitudinal" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing this invention and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated device, element, or component to having a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0054] Furthermore, in addition to indicating direction or positional relationship, some of the aforementioned terms may also have other meanings. For example, the term "above" may also be used in some cases to indicate a certain dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0055] Furthermore, the terms "installation," "setup," "equipped with," "connection," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; 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, or an internal connection between two devices, components, or parts. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0056] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are primarily used to distinguish different devices, elements, or components (which may be the same or different in specific type and construction), and are not intended to indicate or imply the relative importance or quantity of the indicated devices, elements, or components. Unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0057] A wafer is a silicon wafer used to fabricate silicon semiconductor circuits. During wafer fabrication, various equipment is used to process the surface and thickness of the wafer, enabling ultra-thin wafers to be used in the fabrication of complex circuits.

[0058] In wafer processing, wafers can be thinned using a wafer thinning machine, chemically and mechanically polished using a wafer polishing machine, and cleaned using cleaning equipment.

[0059] Among them, a wafer thinning machine, also known as a wafer polishing machine, is a device specifically used for fine processing of the surface of semiconductor wafers. Wafer thinning machines reduce the thickness of the wafer by thinning it.

[0060] A wafer polishing machine, also known as a chemical mechanical polishing machine, uses the synergistic effect of chemical etching and mechanical abrasion to achieve global planarization of the wafer surface.

[0061] However, wafer thinning equipment, polishing equipment, and cleaning equipment are usually arranged linearly in the process sequence. That is, wafer thinning machines, wafer polishing machines, and wafer cleaning equipment are arranged in a straight line. This can easily lead to a situation where wafers from the previous process equipment have to wait in line while a wafer is not yet finished on a certain equipment. This results in poor wafer processing efficiency and is not conducive to improving the capacity of wafer processing equipment.

[0062] Based on this, this application discloses a wafer processing equipment that can effectively reduce queuing during wafer processing, effectively improve wafer processing efficiency, and facilitate the increase of wafer processing equipment capacity.

[0063] The technical solution of this application will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0064] This application provides a wafer processing equipment, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the system includes a front-end unit 1, a thinning unit 3, a polishing unit, a cleaning unit 6, and a transfer unit 5. The thinning unit 3 is located downstream of the front-end unit 1 and includes multiple thinning modules 31 symmetrically arranged. These modules are used to thin the wafer to be processed. The polishing unit is located downstream of the thinning modules 31 and includes multiple polishing modules 4a symmetrically arranged. These modules are used to perform chemical mechanical polishing on the thinned wafer. The cleaning unit 6 is located downstream of the polishing modules 4a and is used to clean the polished wafer and perform post-cleaning processing. All the multiple thinning modules 31, polishing modules 4a, and cleaning unit 6 are within the transfer area of ​​the transfer unit 5, which is used to transfer the wafer between at least two of the multiple thinning modules 31, polishing modules 4a, and cleaning unit 6.

[0065] It needs to be clarified that "thinning unit 3 is located downstream of front-end unit 1" means that in the wafer processing flow, thinning unit 3 is located downstream of front-end unit 1. In other words, after the wafer is removed from front-end unit 1, it is then transported to thinning unit 3 for processing. It does not mean that the thinning module 31 is located downstream of front-end unit 1 in terms of orientation or layout. Similarly, "polishing unit is located downstream of thinning unit 3" means that in the wafer processing flow, polishing unit is located downstream of thinning unit 3. In other words, after the wafer is processed by thinning unit 3, it is then transported to polishing unit for further processing. "Cleaning unit 6 is located downstream of polishing module 4a" means that in the wafer processing flow, cleaning unit 6 is located downstream of polishing unit.

[0066] In this embodiment, the wafer processing equipment 10 can thin the wafer through the thinning module 31, perform chemical mechanical polishing on the thinned wafer through the polishing module 4a, and realize the transfer and flow of the wafer between the front-end unit 1, the thinning module 31, the polishing module 4a and the cleaning unit 6 through the transmission unit 5. That is, the wafer processing equipment 10 has a high degree of integration, which not only makes the wafer processing equipment 10 occupy less space and has a more compact layout, but also helps to improve the wafer processing efficiency, thereby improving the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0067] By including the thinning module 31, polishing module 4a, and cleaning unit 6 within the transmission area of ​​the transmission unit 5, the transmission unit 5 can facilitate convenient and efficient wafer transfer between at least the front-end unit 1 and multiple thinning modules 31, between multiple thinning modules 31 and multiple polishing modules 4a, and between multiple polishing modules 4a and cleaning unit 6. This further improves wafer processing efficiency and thus more effectively increases the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10. Furthermore, it can effectively shorten the space occupied by the transmission unit 5 along a certain horizontal straight line, allowing the spacing between any two of the front-end unit 1, thinning unit 3, polishing unit, cleaning unit 6, and transmission unit 5 to be closer, which is more conducive to the compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0068] Furthermore, since the thinning unit 3 includes multiple thinning modules 31, while one thinning module 31 is performing thinning processing on a wafer, the next wafer transferred from the front-end unit 1 can be thinned on another thinning module 31 without waiting, effectively improving the equipment's wafer processing efficiency. Similarly, the polishing unit includes multiple polishing modules 4a. When one polishing module 4a is performing chemical polishing processing on a wafer, the next wafer transferred from the thinning module 31 can be polished on another polishing module 4a without waiting, further improving the equipment's wafer processing efficiency. That is, the wafer processing equipment 10 can simultaneously perform thinning processing on multiple wafers and simultaneously perform polishing processing on multiple wafers, effectively improving processing efficiency and facilitating the increase in the wafer processing equipment 10's capacity.

[0069] In addition, the symmetrical arrangement of multiple thinning modules 31 facilitates the arrangement of the multiple thinning modules 31, and the symmetrical arrangement of multiple polishing modules 4a facilitates the arrangement of the multiple polishing modules 4a.

[0070] At least three of the aforementioned front-end unit 1, thinning unit 3, polishing unit, and cleaning unit 6 may be disposed on the circumferential outer side of the transfer unit 5 to facilitate wafer transfer between the front-end unit 1, thinning unit 3, polishing unit, and cleaning unit 6, thereby improving wafer transfer efficiency. Specifically, any three of the front-end unit 1, thinning unit 3, polishing unit, and cleaning unit 6 may be disposed on the circumferential outer side of the transfer unit 5, or all of them may be disposed on the circumferential outer side of the transfer unit 5; no limitation is imposed here.

[0071] The transfer unit 5 is used to transfer wafers between at least two of the multiple thinning modules 31, multiple polishing modules 4a, and cleaning unit 6. The transfer unit 5 may transfer wafers between the multiple thinning modules 31 and the multiple polishing modules 4a, or it may transfer wafers between the multiple polishing modules 4a and the cleaning unit 6. Alternatively, the transfer unit 5 may be able to transfer wafers between the multiple thinning modules 31 and the multiple polishing modules 4a, and also between the multiple polishing modules 4a and the cleaning unit 6. No limitation is made here.

[0072] In addition, the thinning module 31 can thin the wafer to be processed to reduce the thickness of the wafer.

[0073] The number of thinning modules 31 can be two, three or more, and there is no limitation here.

[0074] The polishing module 4a can perform chemical mechanical polishing on the wafer after it has been thinned by the thinning module 31, so as to perform fine removal and planarization on the thinned surface of the wafer.

[0075] The number of polishing modules 4a can be two, three, or more, and there is no limitation here. The following detailed explanation takes two thinning modules 31 and two polishing modules 4a as an example.

[0076] The cleaning unit 6 can clean and perform post-cleaning treatment on the polished wafers so that after the wafer processing equipment 10 processes the wafers, a thinner wafer with ultra-high cleanliness can be obtained.

[0077] In addition, the wafer processing equipment 10 can perform edge trimming, thinning, chemical mechanical polishing and cleaning on bonded wafers. Of course, it can also process other types of wafers, which is not limited here.

[0078] The front-end unit 1 can temporarily store wafers to be processed and wafers that have been processed, so as to realize the loading and unloading of wafers on the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0079] For example, the front-end unit 1 may include a rack 13, a front-end transfer device 11, and a wafer cassette 12. Both the front-end transfer device 11 and the wafer cassette 12 are disposed on the rack 13. The front-end transfer device 11 is used to remove the wafer to be processed from the wafer cassette 12 and to transfer the processed wafer to the wafer cassette 12. That is, the wafer processed by the wafer processing equipment 10 can be temporarily placed in the wafer cassette 12 to realize the loading and unloading of wafers on the wafer processing equipment 10, saving time and effort.

[0080] The front-end transmission device 11 can be a robotic arm or a combination of a transfer station and a robotic arm, and there is no limitation on it. The transfer station can be used for the transfer of wafers.

[0081] In addition, the transmission unit 5 can cooperate with the front-end transmission device 11 to remove the wafer from the wafer cassette 12 and transfer it to the thinning unit 3 for wafer thinning.

[0082] Optionally, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, along the first horizontal direction (e.g.) Figure 1 (in the direction shown by x), the cleaning unit 6 and multiple polishing modules 4a are located between the front-end unit 1 and multiple thinning modules 31.

[0083] This allows for a smaller distance between the polishing module 4a and the cleaning unit 6, and a smaller distance between the cleaning unit 6 and the front-end unit 1. Consequently, the movement path of the wafer between the polishing module 4a and the cleaning unit 6, and between the cleaning unit 6 and the front-end unit 1, can be shortened. This results in higher wafer transfer efficiency, which in turn is more conducive to improving wafer processing efficiency and increasing the capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0084] The polishing module 4a and the cleaning unit 6 located between the front-end unit 1 and the thinning unit 3 can be arranged adjacent to each other, so that the path for the wafer to move from the polishing module 4a to the cleaning unit 6 is shorter, which is more conducive to improving the wafer processing efficiency.

[0085] In addition, the cleaning unit 6 can be arranged adjacent to the front-end unit 1 along the first horizontal direction, or it can be arranged non-adjacently; this is not limited here. Similarly, the polishing module 4a can be arranged adjacent to the front-end unit 1 along the first horizontal direction, or it can be non-adjacently; it is also possible that some polishing modules 4a are arranged adjacent to the front-end unit 1, while other polishing modules 4a are not arranged adjacently to the front-end unit 1, and this is not limited here either.

[0086] The aforementioned transmission unit 5 may include a robotic arm 51, the transmission radius of which covers multiple thinning modules 31, multiple polishing modules 4a, and a cleaning unit 6.

[0087] This allows for a smaller spacing between the thinning module 31, the polishing module 4a, and the cleaning unit 6, facilitating a compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10. Furthermore, the robotic arm 51 has multiple degrees of freedom, meeting various spatial positioning and posture requirements, which greatly facilitates the transfer of wafers between the thinning module 31 and the polishing module 4a, as well as between the polishing module 4a and the cleaning unit 6, thereby improving wafer processing efficiency.

[0088] Among them, the robotic arm 51 can be a five-axis robotic arm, a six-axis robotic arm, or a four-axis robotic arm; there is no limitation here.

[0089] In addition, the robot arm 51 includes a fixed base, which is disposed on the side of the thinning unit 3 facing the polishing unit or in the area of ​​the polishing unit 4 near the thinning unit 3. The rotation range of the free end of the robot arm 51 is a fan-shaped area, which covers the thinning module 31, the polishing module 4a and the cleaning unit 6.

[0090] This allows the robotic arm 51 to transfer the wafer from the thinning module 31 to the polishing module 4a with a smaller rotation angle, improving the efficiency of wafer transfer, which in turn improves the wafer processing efficiency and thus increases the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0091] The fixed base can be set at the center line of the overall structure of the thinning unit 3 or the polishing unit 4 near the wafer processing equipment 10 in the width direction, so that the rotation radius of the robot arm 51 when rotating to the multiple thinning modules 31 that are symmetrically arranged can be approximately the same, and the rotation radius of the multiple polishing modules 4a that are symmetrically arranged can also be approximately the same, so as to facilitate the control of the distance of the robot arm 51 in transporting the wafer.

[0092] Optionally, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment 10 has a second horizontal direction (e.g., Figure 1 The width of the wafer processing equipment 10 is shown in the direction of y. The second horizontal direction is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. Multiple thinning modules 31 are arranged along the second horizontal direction, and the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment 10 is centered on the centerline of the width direction (e.g., the direction of y). Figure 1 The midpoint is drawn as shown by line a) and set symmetrically.

[0093] This simplifies the arrangement of the multiple thinning modules 31, reduces the space occupied by the multiple thinning modules 31 along the first horizontal direction, and facilitates a compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10. Furthermore, it improves the regularity of the layout of the wafer processing equipment 10, allowing the arrangement of the multiple thinning modules 31 to better fit the wafer's flow during processing, thus improving wafer processing efficiency.

[0094] For example, when the transmission unit 5 transfers the first wafer to one of the thinning modules 31 and continues to transfer wafers to the thinning unit 3, the free end of the transmission unit 5 can move a certain distance along the second horizontal direction, that is, it can transfer the subsequently transferred wafers to another thinning module 31. This allows multiple wafers to be thinned simultaneously through the thinning unit 3, and also makes it more convenient and efficient to transfer multiple wafers to multiple thinning modules 31, which is beneficial to improving wafer processing efficiency.

[0095] In addition, two adjacent thinning modules 31 are symmetrically arranged about the axis of symmetry, which is parallel to the second horizontal direction; the thinning module 31 has a pick-and-place station 3b, which is used to place the wafer to be thinned or the wafer that has been thinned. The pick-and-place stations 3b in two adjacent thinning modules 31 are arranged close to each other or far apart.

[0096] Therefore, the material handling stations 3b in two adjacent thinning modules 31 are set close to or far apart, which makes it less likely for interference to occur when transferring wafers on two adjacent thinning modules 31, thus improving the efficiency of wafer transfer.

[0097] It is understandable that when two adjacent thinning modules 31 are closely arranged along the second horizontal direction, the axis of symmetry can be located in the vertical plane where the two adjacent thinning modules 31 are in contact; when there is a gap between two adjacent thinning modules 31 along the second horizontal direction, the axis of symmetry bisects the gap.

[0098] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the thinning unit 3 also includes at least one pick-and-place module 32 and at least one thinning transfer module 33. Each pick-and-place station 3b has a thinning transfer module 33 and a pick-and-place module 32 on one side. The thinning transfer module 33 is used to temporarily store wafers that need to be loaded onto the corresponding pick-and-place station 3b and to temporarily store wafers that are unloaded from the corresponding pick-and-place station 3b. The pick-and-place module 32 is used to transfer wafers between the corresponding pick-and-place station 3b and the corresponding thinning transfer module 33.

[0099] Therefore, the wafers can be loaded from the thinning transfer module 33 to the pick-and-place station 3b in a timely and continuous manner, or unloaded from the pick-and-place station 3b to the thinning transfer module 33, through the thinning transfer module 33 and the pick-and-place module 32. This effectively reduces the probability of the thinning module 31 having to queue for wafer processing due to the lack of wafers on the thinning transfer module 33, which is beneficial to improving wafer processing efficiency. Moreover, the wafer thinning processing rhythm of each thinning module 31 is not easily affected by other thinning modules 31, which is even more conducive to improving wafer processing efficiency.

[0100] For example, when there are two thinning modules 31, the two thinning modules 31 are arranged adjacent to each other along the second horizontal direction, and the pick-and-place stations 3b in the two thinning modules 31 are arranged adjacent to each other along the second horizontal direction. Each thinning module 31 is provided with a thinning transfer module 33 and a pick-and-place module 32. That is, there are two thinning transfer modules 33 and two pick-and-place modules 32, so that when thinning the wafer, the transmission unit 5 can first place the first wafer to be thinned on one of the thinning transfer modules 33, and the corresponding pick-and-place module 32 transfers the wafer to be processed from the thinning transfer module 33 to the corresponding pick-and-place station 3b. Then, the thinning module 31 can perform thinning processing on the first wafer; at the same time, the transmission unit 5 The wafer can continue to be transferred to place the second wafer onto another thinning transfer module 33. The corresponding pick-and-place module 32 can transfer the second wafer from the other thinning transfer module 33 to another corresponding pick-and-place station 3b. Then, the other thinning module 31 can perform thinning processing on the second wafer. After one of the thinning modules 31 has completed the thinning processing of the wafer, the corresponding pick-and-place module 32 can promptly load and unload the thinned wafer from the pick-and-place station 3b onto the corresponding thinning transfer module 33. In this way, two wafers can be thinned simultaneously through two thinning modules 31, and there is no queuing situation for loading and unloading wafers on the two thinning modules 31, which effectively improves the processing efficiency of wafers.

[0101] In some other embodiments, the thinning unit 3 further includes at least one material handling module 32 and at least one thinning transfer module 33. When the material handling stations 3b in two adjacent thinning modules 31 are arranged close to each other, a material handling module 32 and a thinning transfer module 33 can be arranged between the two adjacent material handling stations 3b, that is, the two adjacent material handling stations 3b share the same material handling module 32 and the same thinning transfer module 33.

[0102] Therefore, only one pick-and-place module 32 and one thinning transfer module 33 can be set between two adjacent pick-and-place stations 3b, which saves one pick-and-place module 32 and one thinning transfer module 33 between two adjacent thinning modules 31, simplifies the structure of the thinning unit 3, facilitates the manufacturing of the thinning unit 3, and also makes the thinning unit 3 occupy less space, which is conducive to the compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0103] In other embodiments, two adjacent material handling stations 3b may share a single material handling module 32, while each may have a corresponding thinning transfer module 33. Alternatively, two adjacent material handling stations 3b may share a single thinning transfer module 33, while each may have a corresponding material handling module 32. This is not a limitation.

[0104] Optionally, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the material handling station 3b is located on the side of the thinning module 31 near the transmission unit 5, and the thinning transfer module 33 is located between the material handling station 3b and the transmission unit 5.

[0105] This allows for a smaller distance between the pick-and-place station 3b and the thinning transfer module 33, and a smaller distance between the thinning transfer module 33 and the transmission unit 5. This makes it easier and more efficient to transfer the wafer from the transmission unit 5 to the pick-and-place station 3b, which is more conducive to improving wafer processing efficiency.

[0106] Among them, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the thinning module 31 may include a first base 311, a turntable 312, and multiple grinding devices 313. The turntable 312 is rotatably mounted on the first base 311, and the turntable 312 is provided with multiple grinding stations 3a (e.g., ...). Figure 4 (As shown in the dashed box), take the material feeding station 3b (as shown in the dashed box). Figure 4The turntable 312 (shown in the dashed box) and multiple grinding stations 3a are arranged at intervals around the rotation center axis of the turntable 312. The pick-and-place station 3b is used to place wafers to be thinned or already thinned, so as to facilitate the control of the thinning rhythm by the thinning module 31. When the turntable 312 rotates, the wafers located at the pick-and-place station 3b can be rotated sequentially to the multiple grinding stations 3a. After the wafers have undergone thinning processing at the multiple grinding stations 3a, they can return to the pick-and-place station 3b as the turntable 312 rotates. Multiple grinding devices 313 are arranged around the turntable 312 and are arranged corresponding to the multiple grinding stations 3a to thin the wafers at the grinding stations 3a.

[0107] Therefore, the same wafer can be thinned multiple times, effectively improving the wafer thinning effect.

[0108] There may be two, three or more grinding stations 3a, and correspondingly, there may be two, three or more grinding devices 313, which are not limited here.

[0109] For example, when there are three grinding stations 3a, the number of grinding devices 313 can also be three, and the three grinding devices 313 can perform three thinning operations on the same wafer. Optionally, the grinding device 313 may include a grinding support, a grinding drive, and a grinding wheel. The grinding support is disposed on the first base 311, the grinding wheel is rotatably connected to the grinding support via a spindle, and the grinding drive is connected to the spindle to drive the spindle to rotate, thereby driving the grinding wheel to rotate, in order to thin the wafer placed on the grinding station 3a. The grinding wheels in different grinding devices 313 have different grit numbers, and can respectively perform rough grinding, fine grinding, and ultra-fine grinding on the wafer to obtain a thinner wafer with a higher surface flatness.

[0110] Additionally, the grinding device 313 may include a dry polishing wheel, replacing the third grinding wheel used for ultra-fine grinding. This allows for sequential rough grinding, fine grinding, and dry polishing of the wafer. The dry polishing wheel rotates to perform dry grinding / polishing on the wafer surface, achieving precise wafer thinning while also ensuring a smooth wafer surface. Therefore, in the above embodiments, the final thinning process performed by the thinning module 31 on the same wafer can be either grinding thinning or dry polishing thinning.

[0111] The pick-and-place module 32 and the thinning transfer module 33 can be set on the first base 311 and close to the pick-and-place station 3b to facilitate loading the wafers onto or removing them from the pick-and-place station 3b.

[0112] In addition, the thinning module 31 is also equipped with a material unloading and cleaning station. Before the thinned wafer is transferred to the thinning transfer module 33, the material unloading module 32 carries the wafer to the material unloading and cleaning station to clean the un-thinned surface of the wafer, which improves the cleanliness of the wafer and is conducive to improving the quality of wafer processing.

[0113] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment 10 has a width along a second horizontal direction, which is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. Multiple polishing modules 4a are arranged along the second horizontal direction, and the multiple polishing modules 4a are symmetrically arranged about the center line of the width direction of the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment.

[0114] This simplifies the arrangement of multiple polishing modules 4a, reduces the space occupied by the multiple polishing modules 4a along the first horizontal direction, and facilitates a compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10. Furthermore, it improves the regularity of the layout of the wafer processing equipment 10, allowing the arrangement of the multiple polishing modules 4a to better fit the wafer's flow sequence during processing, thus improving wafer processing efficiency.

[0115] For example, when the transmission unit 5 transfers the first wafer to one of the polishing modules 4a, and continues to transfer wafers to the polishing module 4a, the free end of the transmission unit 5 can move a certain distance along the second horizontal direction, that is, it can transfer the subsequently transferred wafers to another polishing module 4a. This allows multiple wafers to be polished simultaneously through the polishing module 4a, and also makes it more convenient and efficient to transfer multiple wafers to multiple polishing modules 4a, which is beneficial to improving wafer processing efficiency.

[0116] Optionally, such as Figure 1 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the polishing module 4a includes a polishing transfer device 47, which is located on the side of the polishing module 4a near the transmission unit 5. The polishing transfer device 47 is used to temporarily store wafers to be polished and / or wafers that have been polished.

[0117] Therefore, the polishing transfer device 47 can be closer to the transmission unit 5, so that the transmission unit 5 can transfer the wafer to the polishing transfer device 47 or remove the wafer from the polishing transfer device 47 more conveniently and efficiently, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the wafer and increasing the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0118] Among them, the polishing transfer device 47 can temporarily store wafers to be polished, or it can temporarily store wafers that have been polished, or it can temporarily store both wafers to be polished and wafers that have been polished. There is no limitation on this.

[0119] The aforementioned multiple polishing modules 4a are arranged along the second horizontal direction. The adjacent polishing modules 4a can be arranged close together, or they can be spaced apart. This is not limited here.

[0120] Optionally, when there is a gap between two adjacent polishing modules 4a along the second horizontal direction, the gap can be used as a maintenance channel. This greatly facilitates the maintenance and repair operations of the wafer processing equipment 10 by the staff. Of course, other modules, such as cleaning modules, temporary storage units, and trimming modules, can also be placed within the gap, and there is no limitation on this.

[0121] In addition, when there is a gap between two adjacent polishing modules 4a along the second horizontal direction, other structures can also be set in the gap, such as a measurement unit to detect and measure the parameters of the wafer, or an edge trimming unit 2 to trim the wafer to be processed, so as to prevent the wafer from chipping, being scrapped, or curling when it is thinned by the thinning unit 3.

[0122] like Figure 7 As shown, the polishing module 4a described above may include a second base 41, a first polishing head 42, a second polishing head 43, and a polishing disk 44. The polishing transfer device 47 is disposed on the second base 41 and located outside the polishing disk 44. The polishing transfer device 47 is used not only to transfer wafers between the transfer unit 5 and the polishing heads, but also to clean the polished wafers and polished heads. Both the first polishing head 42 and the second polishing head 43 are movably disposed relative to the second base 41. Both the first polishing head 42 and the second polishing head 43 can adsorb wafers from the polishing transfer device 47. The first polishing head 42 and the second polishing head 43 can move between the polishing transfer device 47 and the polishing disk 44 to allow the first polishing head 42 to... When the second polishing head 43 rotates to the polishing transfer device 47, it can pick up the wafer to be polished and then carry the wafer to the polishing disk 44. It can cooperate with the polishing disk 44 to polish the wafer. When one of the first polishing head 42 and the second polishing head 43 picks up the wafer for polishing, the other can be located at the polishing transfer device 47 to pick up the wafer to be polished, or the polished wafer can be placed in the polishing transfer device 47. The polishing disk 44 is rotatably disposed on the second base 41. The polishing disk 44 is used to cooperate with the first polishing head 42 or the second polishing head 43 to polish the wafer.

[0123] Therefore, while the first polishing head 42 and the polishing disk 44 are working together to polish the previous wafer, the second polishing head 43 can simultaneously pick up the next wafer. After the previous wafer is polished, the second polishing head 43 can carry the next wafer and work with the polishing disk 44 to polish the next wafer, which effectively improves the polishing efficiency of the polishing module 4a and further increases the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0124] Furthermore, the polishing transfer device 47 cleans the polished wafers and polishing heads, ensuring a cleaner wafer surface and reducing the likelihood of scratches during transport due to impurities on the wafer surface. Simultaneously, it also ensures a cleaner polishing head surface, reducing the likelihood of weak wafer adhesion due to impurities on the polishing head, thus lowering the chance of the wafer falling off due to weak adhesion.

[0125] The polishing transfer device 47 may include a stage and a cleaning nozzle disposed on the upper side of the stage. The stage is used to place the wafer, and the cleaning nozzle is disposed facing the stage. The cleaning nozzle is connected to a cleaning fluid tank through a pipeline to clean the polished wafer located on the stage, or to clean the polished polishing head located on the upper side of the stage.

[0126] like Figure 7 As shown, a polishing pad (not shown) is laid on the polishing disk 44. A polishing slurry supplier 45 can also be provided on one side of the polishing disk 44. The spray nozzle of the polishing slurry supplier 45 is set towards the polishing pad. The polishing disk 44 can rotate together with the polishing pad. When polishing the wafer, the wafer and the polishing pad come into contact and relative motion occurs between the wafer and the polishing pad. At the same time, the polishing slurry supplier 45 sprays polishing slurry onto the polishing pad so that the polishing slurry chemically etches the wafer surface and the particles in the polishing slurry mechanically grind the wafer, thereby achieving fine removal and planarization of the wafer.

[0127] Furthermore, such as Figure 7 As shown, the polishing module 4a also includes a polishing pad conditioner 46, which is disposed on one side of the polishing disk 44 and is used to condition the polishing pad. That is, during wafer polishing, the polishing pad conditioner 46 can smooth the surface morphology of the polishing pad and remove impurity particles remaining on the surface of the polishing pad, such as abrasive particles removed from the polishing fluid and waste materials falling off the wafer surface, so as to ensure the consistency of the surface morphology of the polishing pad during polishing and make the polishing effect of the wafer more stable.

[0128] Optionally, the polishing module 4a may further include a driving component, which can be connected to the first polishing head 42 and the second polishing head 43 respectively via a connector. The driving component is used to drive the first polishing head 42 and the second polishing head 43 to reciprocate radially along the polishing pad 44. That is, when the polishing head cooperates with the polishing pad 44 to polish the wafer, the polishing head can not only rotate relative to the polishing pad 44, but also reciprocate radially along the polishing pad 44, so that the surface of the wafer in contact with the polishing pad can be gradually polished and planarized.

[0129] The wafer moves radially back and forth along the polishing disk 44, which can be either a linear movement or a curved movement, and there is no limitation on this.

[0130] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, multiple thinning modules 31 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with multiple polishing modules 4a, and each thinning module 31 is arranged adjacent to a polishing module 4a.

[0131] Therefore, after each thinning module 31 completes the thinning process of the wafer, the thinned wafer can be transferred to the adjacent polishing module 4a through the transfer unit 5. There is no need for the thinned wafers to queue up and wait for the polishing module 4a to perform polishing. This allows each wafer transferred from the thinning module 31 to be transferred to the corresponding polishing module 4a in a timely manner for further processing, resulting in higher wafer processing efficiency of the wafer processing equipment 10 and thus higher production capacity.

[0132] In this configuration, multiple thinning modules 31 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with multiple polishing modules 4a. This correspondence extends not only in quantity but also in position. For example, when there are two thinning modules 31, there are also two polishing modules 4a, and along the first horizontal direction, one thinning module 31 and one polishing module 4a are arranged together.

[0133] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the cleaning unit 6 includes at least one cleaning module 61, with one cleaning module 61 disposed between every two adjacent polishing modules 4a. In other embodiments, such as Figure 2 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the cleaning unit 6 includes multiple cleaning modules 61, which are arranged in a corresponding number to the multiple polishing modules 4a. Along the first horizontal direction, a cleaning module 61 is arranged between each adjacent thinning module 31 and polishing module 4a.

[0134] This allows the cleaning module 61 and the polishing module 4a to be closer together, so that after the wafer is polished by the polishing module 4a, it can be transferred to the cleaning module 61 for processing more efficiently. This makes the wafer processing equipment 10 more efficient in processing wafers and more conducive to improving the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0135] Additionally, when a cleaning module 61 is provided between each adjacent thinning module 31 and polishing module 4a, such as Figure 1 The wafer processing equipment 10 shown can ensure that wafers polished by multiple polishing modules 4a can be promptly transferred to the adjacent cleaning module 61 for cleaning without queuing, thereby making the wafer processing equipment 10 more efficient in processing wafers.

[0136] When a cleaning module 61 is provided between every two adjacent polishing modules 4a, the cleaning module 61 can also be provided adjacent to the front end unit 1 along the first horizontal direction, such as... Figure 2 The wafer processing equipment 10 shown enables the wafers to be transferred to the wafer cassette 12 in the front-end unit 1 in a timely manner after being processed by the cleaning module 61. This effectively improves the transfer speed of the wafers between the cleaning unit 6 and the front-end unit 1, increases the efficiency of wafer transfer, and thus helps to improve the wafer processing efficiency.

[0137] Optionally, such as Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the cleaning module 61 may include a first cleaning device 611 and a second cleaning device 612. The first cleaning device 611 is used to perform a first cleaning on the polished wafer, and the second cleaning device 612 is used to perform a second cleaning and drying on the wafer after the first cleaning.

[0138] Therefore, the impurities remaining on the polished wafer surface can be cleaned by the first cleaning device 611, and the wafer surface can be cleaned again by the second cleaning device 612. The wafer surface can also be dried to facilitate the subsequent storage and processing of the wafer.

[0139] The first cleaning device 611 and the second cleaning device 612 can be arranged vertically or horizontally, without limitation. When the first cleaning device 611 and the second cleaning device 612 are arranged vertically, the wafer can undergo a first cleaning in the first cleaning device 611 and, after being removed from the first cleaning device 611, move a shorter vertical distance to be placed in the second cleaning device 612 for a second cleaning and drying. This shortens the movement path of the wafer between the first cleaning device 611 and the second cleaning device 612, which is beneficial to improving the processing efficiency of the wafer processing equipment 10 and thus further increasing the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10. At the same time, it can also effectively reduce the space occupied by the cleaning module 61 in the horizontal direction, thereby allowing the wafer processing equipment 10 to have a more compact layout.

[0140] The cleaning solution used by the first cleaning device 611 to clean the wafer can be the same as or different from the cleaning solution used by the second cleaning device 612 to clean the wafer; no limitation is made here.

[0141] In addition, after the first cleaning device 611 has finished cleaning the wafer, the cleaned wafer can be transferred to the second cleaning device 612 through the transfer unit 5. Thus, there is no need to set up an additional wafer transfer structure, which effectively simplifies the structure of the wafer processing equipment 10 and facilitates the compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0142] Optionally, the second cleaning chamber of the second cleaning device 612 has a receiving space and a third opening and a fourth opening disposed on the second cleaning chamber, both of which are in communication with the receiving space.

[0143] When the second cleaning device 612 in the cleaning module 61 is arranged adjacent to the front-end unit 1, the third opening is arranged towards the transmission unit 5, which is used by the transmission unit 5 to place the wafer that has completed the first cleaning into the accommodating space. The fourth opening can be arranged towards the front-end unit 1, which is used by the front-end transmission device 11 to take out the wafer that has completed drying from the storage space.

[0144] Therefore, wafers can be placed into and removed from the second cleaning chamber through two openings facing different directions, avoiding interference during the process of placing and removing wafers. This effectively improves the efficiency of placing and removing wafers from the second cleaning chamber, thereby increasing the processing efficiency of the wafer processing equipment 10 and further enhancing its production capacity. Furthermore, the fourth opening is oriented towards the front-end unit 1, which greatly facilitates the front-end transfer device 11 in removing the dried wafers from the second cleaning chamber, resulting in even higher processing efficiency for the wafer processing equipment 10 and further increasing its production capacity.

[0145] Furthermore, when the second cleaning device 612 in the cleaning module 61 is not adjacent to the front-end unit 1, that is, when the second cleaning device 612 in the cleaning module 61 is located between the thinning module 31 and the polishing module 4a, and the second cleaning device 612 is within the transmission range of the transmission unit 5, the third opening can be set towards the adjacent polishing module 4a, and the fourth opening can be set towards the transmission unit 5, so that the dried wafer can be taken out from the second cleaning device 612 through the transmission unit 5. At this time, the front-end transmission device 11 may include a transfer table and a robot arm. The transmission unit 5 can place the picked-up dried wafer onto the transfer table, and then the robot arm of the front-end transmission device 11 can transfer the wafer located on the transfer table to the wafer cassette 12. Thus, through the coordinated cooperation of the transmission unit 5 and the front-end transmission device 11, the wafer can be efficiently transferred from the second cleaning device 612 to the wafer cassette 12, which is beneficial to improving the wafer processing efficiency and thus enabling the wafer processing equipment 10 to have a higher capacity.

[0146] In addition, such as Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the wafer processing equipment 10 also includes at least one temporary storage unit 8, which is used to temporarily store the wafer to be thinned. A temporary storage unit 8 is provided between each of the two adjacent polishing modules 4a. The temporary storage unit 8 can be arranged adjacent to the front end unit 1 along the first horizontal direction. The temporary storage unit 8 is located within the transmission range of the transmission unit 5. The transmission unit 5 is also used to remove the wafer to be thinned from the temporary storage unit 8.

[0147] Therefore, after the wafer to be processed is taken out of the wafer box 12, it can be temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 8 to facilitate the transfer of the wafer to the trimming unit 2 by the transfer unit 5. At the same time, it can also facilitate the control of the wafer processing rhythm. Furthermore, since the temporary storage unit 8 is located within the transmission range of the transfer unit 5, the path of the wafer to be processed to the thinning module 31 is shorter, which improves the efficiency of wafer transfer and further improves the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0148] The temporary storage unit 8 can also be located within the transmission range of the front-end transmission device 11. After the wafer to be processed is taken out from the wafer box 12, it can be transferred to the temporary storage unit 8 through the front-end transmission device 11. This allows the wafer to be transferred from the trimming unit 2 to the temporary storage unit 8 without the need for other structures to transfer it, which effectively improves the efficiency of wafer transfer and thus helps to increase the production capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0149] Furthermore, when a cleaning module 61 is provided between each of two adjacent polishing modules 4a, and the cleaning module 61 includes a first cleaning device 611 and a second cleaning device 612, the temporary storage unit 8, the first cleaning device 611, and the second cleaning device 612 can be arranged vertically, reducing the space occupied by the temporary storage unit 8 and the cleaning module 61 in the horizontal direction, which is beneficial for the compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10. Alternatively, the temporary storage unit 8 and the cleaning unit 6 can be arranged in a second horizontal direction, wherein the first cleaning device 611 and the second cleaning device 612 can be arranged vertically; alternatively, the temporary storage unit 8, the first cleaning device 611, and the second cleaning device 612 can all be arranged in a second horizontal direction, which is not limited here.

[0150] Optionally, when the temporary storage unit 8, the first cleaning device 611 and the second cleaning device 612 can be arranged vertically, the first cleaning device 611 and the second cleaning device 612 are located on the same side of the temporary storage unit 8 in the vertical direction, or the first cleaning device 611 and the second cleaning device 612 are located on opposite sides of the temporary storage unit 8 in the vertical direction.

[0151] In this design, at least two of the first cleaning device 611, the second cleaning device 612, and the temporary storage unit 8 share some structural components, such as a housing, support frame / structure, or frame, thereby ensuring a secure connection between them. Alternatively, the first cleaning device 611, the second cleaning device 612, and the temporary storage unit 8 can be independently configured, allowing for height adjustments to facilitate wafer handling.

[0152] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 11 As shown, the wafer processing equipment 10 also includes a gas-liquid unit 7, which includes multiple gas-liquid modules 7a. Each adjacent thinning module 31 and polishing module 4a is provided with a gas-liquid module 7a. The gas-liquid module 7a is used to provide gas and cleaning fluid to at least the adjacent polishing module 4a.

[0153] Therefore, the polishing module 4a does not require a separate structure for providing gas and cleaning fluid, which effectively simplifies the structure of the polishing module 4a, makes the polishing module 4a smaller in size, reduces the space occupied by the polishing module 4a, and facilitates the compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0154] In addition, the gas-liquid module 7a can also be used to provide gas and cleaning fluid to the adjacent cleaning module 61. As a result, the cleaning module 61 does not need to have a separate structure to provide gas and cleaning fluid, which simplifies the structure of the cleaning module 61, reduces the space occupied by the cleaning module 61, and facilitates the compact layout of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0155] The gas-liquid module 7a may include a cleaning fluid supply unit 72 and a gas supply unit 71. The cleaning fluid supply unit 72 is used to supply cleaning fluid to at least the polishing mold and the cleaning module 61, and the gas supply unit 71 is used to supply gas to at least the polishing mold and the cleaning module 61.

[0156] The cleaning fluid supply unit 72 includes a mixing tank 721, multiple inlet pipes, and multiple dispensing tanks 723. The mixing tank 721 and the multiple dispensing tanks 723 are stacked vertically from bottom to top. The multiple inlet pipes correspond one-to-one with the multiple dispensing tanks 723. Each dispensing tank 723 is equipped with a control pipe. The mixing tank 721 is equipped with a mixing pipe. One end of each control pipe is connected to the corresponding inlet pipe, and the inlet pipe is used to introduce cleaning fluid into the corresponding control pipe. The other end of each control pipe is connected to the inlet of the mixing pipe. The outlet of the mixing pipe is connected to at least one of the polishing module 4a and the cleaning module 61. A control valve is provided on the control pipe, and the control valve is used to control the flow rate and on / off state of the control pipe.

[0157] Therefore, the mixing tank 721 and the multiple liquid dispensing tanks 723 are stacked vertically from bottom to top. That is, in the vertical direction, the mixing tank 721 is located below the multiple liquid dispensing tanks 723, which simplifies the structure of the cleaning fluid supply unit 72, makes it easier to implement, and also makes the cleaning fluid supply unit 72 occupy less space in the horizontal direction, reducing the space occupied by the gas-liquid module 7a in the horizontal direction, thereby enabling the wafer processing equipment 10 to have a more compact layout.

[0158] The liquid introduced into the inlet pipe can be any of pure water, cleaning fluid, etc., and there is no limitation here.

[0159] In addition, the gas-liquid module 7a may also include a frame 73 and an operation panel 74. The gas supply unit 71, the cleaning fluid supply unit 72 and the operation panel 74 are all mounted on the frame 73. The operation panel 74 is electrically connected to the gas supply unit 71 and the cleaning fluid supply unit 72 respectively, and is used to monitor and control the gas supply of the gas supply unit 71 and the liquid supply of the cleaning fluid supply unit, which facilitates the operation of the staff.

[0160] The mixing tank 721 and multiple liquid preparation tanks 723 are slidably mounted in the frame 73 via slide rails, so as to facilitate the mixing tank 721 and multiple liquid preparation tanks 723 being pulled out or pushed into the frame 73.

[0161] In other embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the wafer processing equipment 10 also includes an edge trimming unit 2, which is located downstream of the front end unit 1 and upstream of the thinning unit 3. The edge trimming unit 2 is located on either side of the front end unit 1 along the second horizontal direction. The edge trimming unit 2 is used to trim the wafer to be processed transmitted from the front end unit 1.

[0162] Therefore, after the wafer to be processed is removed from the front-end unit 1, it can first be trimmed by the trimming unit 2, and then transferred to the thinning module 31 by the transfer unit 5 for thinning. This effectively prevents edge chipping and curling during wafer thinning, thereby improving the processing quality of the wafer processing equipment 10 and increasing the yield. Furthermore, the trimming unit 2 is located on either side of the front-end unit 1 along the second horizontal direction, which effectively reduces the space occupied by the trimming unit 2 and the front-end unit 1 along the first horizontal direction, ensuring that the size of the wafer processing equipment along the first horizontal direction is not too large.

[0163] It needs to be clarified that "the trimming unit 2 is located downstream of the front-end unit 1" means that in the wafer processing flow, the trimming unit 2 is located downstream of the front-end unit 1. In other words, in the process flow, the wafer first passes through the front-end unit 1 and then is transported to the trimming unit 2 for further processing. It does not mean that the trimming unit 2 is located downstream of the front-end unit 1 in terms of orientation or layout. Similarly, "the trimming unit 2 is located upstream of the thinning unit 3" means that in the wafer processing flow, the trimming unit 2 is located upstream of the thinning unit 3. In other words, in the process flow, the wafer first passes through the trimming unit 2 and then is transported to the thinning unit 3 for further processing. It does not mean that the trimming unit 2 is located upstream of the thinning unit 3 in terms of orientation or layout.

[0164] The trimming unit 2 may include a focusing component to trim the wafer with a laser, or the trimming device may include a trimming wheel to trim the wafer with the trimming wheel, which is not limited here.

[0165] Additionally, the trimming unit 2 is located within the transmission range of the front-end transfer device 11, so that the front-end transfer device 11 can transfer the wafer to and / or remove it from the trimming unit 2.

[0166] Therefore, the front-end transfer device 11 can handle both the loading and unloading of wafers in the trimming unit 2 and the transfer between the front-end unit 1 and the trimming unit 2, effectively simplifying the structure and number of transfer devices for wafer transfer between modules. Specifically, firstly, it eliminates the need for a separate loading and unloading structure for the trimming unit 2, reducing the structure and number of components of the trimming unit 2, thus allowing the trimming unit 2 to have a smaller size and less space occupied, thereby enabling the wafer processing equipment 10 to have a more compact layout; secondly, through the reuse of the front-end transfer device 11, the transfer of wafers between the front-end unit 1 and the trimming unit 2 is more convenient and efficient within the transfer range of the front-end transfer device 11, effectively improving the wafer processing efficiency and contributing to the increase in the capacity of the wafer processing equipment 10.

[0167] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model.

Claims

1. A wafer processing apparatus characterized by comprising: include: Front-end unit; A thinning unit is disposed downstream of the front-end unit. The thinning unit includes multiple thinning modules, which are symmetrically arranged. The thinning modules are used to thin the wafer to be processed. A polishing unit is provided downstream of the thinning module. The polishing unit includes multiple polishing modules arranged symmetrically. The polishing modules are used to perform chemical mechanical polishing on the thinned wafer. A cleaning unit is provided downstream of the polishing module. The cleaning unit is used to clean the polished wafer and perform post-cleaning treatment. The transmission unit includes multiple thinning modules, multiple polishing modules, and a cleaning unit, all located within the transmission area of ​​the transmission unit. The transmission unit is used to transmit the wafer between at least two of the multiple thinning modules, the multiple polishing modules, and the cleaning unit.

2. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein Along the first horizontal direction, the cleaning unit and the plurality of polishing modules are all located between the front end unit and the plurality of thinning modules; The transmission unit includes a robotic arm, which includes a fixed base. The fixed base is disposed on one side of the thinning unit facing the polishing unit or in the area of ​​the polishing unit close to the thinning unit. The transmission radius of the robotic arm covers multiple thinning modules, multiple polishing modules, and the cleaning unit.

3. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The overall structure of the wafer processing equipment has a width along a second horizontal direction, which is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. A plurality of thinning modules are arranged along the second horizontal direction, and the plurality of thinning modules are symmetrically arranged about the center line of the width direction of the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment.

4. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The plurality of polishing modules are arranged along the second horizontal direction, and the plurality of polishing modules are symmetrically arranged about the centerline in the width direction with respect to the overall structure of the wafer processing equipment.

5. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The wafer processing equipment further includes at least one temporary storage unit, and the cleaning unit includes at least one cleaning module. Each pair of adjacent polishing modules is provided with one cleaning module and one temporary storage unit. The cleaning module and the temporary storage unit located between the same pair of adjacent polishing modules are arranged in a vertical direction or in a second horizontal direction.

6. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The multiple thinning modules are configured in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple polishing modules, and each thinning module is configured adjacent to one of the polishing modules; The cleaning unit includes multiple cleaning modules, which are arranged in a number corresponding to the number of polishing modules. Along the first horizontal direction, a cleaning module is arranged between each adjacent thinning module and polishing module.

7. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The wafer processing equipment also includes at least one temporary storage unit, with one temporary storage unit provided between each two adjacent polishing modules.

8. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thinning module has a material pick-and-place station, which is used to place the wafer to be thinned or which has been thinned. The thinning unit further includes at least one material handling module and at least one thinning transfer module. The material handling stations in two adjacent thinning modules are arranged adjacent to each other, and a thinning transfer module and a material handling module are arranged between two adjacent material handling stations. The thinning transfer module is used to temporarily store the wafers that need to be loaded onto the pick-and-place station, and to temporarily store the wafers that are unloaded from the pick-and-place station. The pick-and-place module is used to transfer the wafers between the pick-and-place station and the thinning transfer module.

9. The wafer processing equipment according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Along the first horizontal direction, the plurality of thinning modules, the plurality of polishing modules, the cleaning unit and the transmission unit are all located on the same side of the front end unit; The wafer processing equipment further includes an edge trimming unit, which is located on either side of the front-end unit along a second horizontal direction. The edge trimming unit is used to trim the wafer to be processed transmitted from the front-end unit. The second horizontal direction is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.

10. The wafer processing equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The front-end unit includes a front-end transfer device, which is used to remove the wafer to be processed from the front-end unit and to transfer the processed wafer to the front-end unit. The trimming unit is located within the transmission range of the front-end transfer device, so that the front-end transfer device can transfer the wafer to and / or remove it from the trimming unit.

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