Wafer box pick-up device with lift adjustment structure

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of wafer box wafer taking device with lifting adjustment structure, it includes support assembly, lifting drive component, lifting support component, box body bearing assembly, box body positioning assembly and wafer detection component, the wafer taking device adopts servo motor cooperation high-precision ball screw and the transmission system of guide rail, ensure that wafer taking manipulator can accurately aim at every wafer, avoid the positioning deviation or idling phenomenon in wafer taking process, optical reflection type detection end head completes wafer position scanning and data transmission synchronously in lifting process, compared with the step operation of traditional scanning first positioning, wafer taking tact time is significantly shortened, so that the device has the comprehensive advantage of high precision, high efficiency, high stability and high compatibility in the field of semiconductor wafer automation processing, can significantly improve the overall efficiency of production line and product yield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to integrated circuit manufacturing equipment, and more particularly to a wafer cassette picking device with a lifting and adjusting structure. Background Technology

[0002] Patent document CN216902859U discloses a wafer cassette transfer device, including a base with a lifting mechanism, a lifting platform installed inside a load locking device in a semiconductor device production line, a primary rotary disk, and a secondary rotary disk. The base is installed at the bottom of the load locking device. The lifting mechanism is installed inside the base, with its lifting rod extending from the top of the base into the load locking device. The lifting platform is mounted on the lifting rod and is vertically lifted and lowered via the lifting mechanism. The primary rotary disk is mounted on the lifting platform and rotates eccentrically horizontally under the drive of the lifting platform. The secondary rotary disk is mounted on the primary rotary disk and can rotate eccentrically horizontally from the load locking device and back under the drive of the primary rotary disk. This device can be used in conjunction with existing automated wafer cassette handling devices to achieve automatic handling of wafer cassettes within the load locking device of a semiconductor device production line, improving work efficiency, product yield, and the degree of automation in production, while reducing the risk of wafer breakage. However, this wafer cassette transport device relies on two-stage eccentric rotary disks to achieve horizontal transfer of the wafer cassette. Its transmission chain is long and suffers from cumulative errors. It only performs the function of transporting the wafer cassette and cannot obtain real-time coordinate and quantity information of the wafers inside the cassette. This results in low efficiency in wafer pick-and-place operations and difficulty in improving accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize its structure to overcome these shortcomings. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wafer cassette retrieving device with a lifting and adjusting structure.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve its technical problem is:

[0005] A wafer cassette unloading device with a lifting and adjusting structure, comprising:

[0006] A support assembly component having an assembly space;

[0007] A lifting drive assembly, which is installed in the support assembly assembly and can operate within the support assembly assembly;

[0008] A lifting support assembly is installed in the support assembly assembly via a guide structure and cooperates with a lifting drive assembly via a transmission structure. The lifting drive assembly drives the lifting transmission assembly to move up and down within the support assembly assembly.

[0009] The box-carrying component is installed in the lifting transmission component and can be lifted and lowered together with the lifting support component. It has a wafer box carrying space inside and the wafer box is lifted and lowered together by the box-carrying component.

[0010] A wafer cassette positioning assembly is installed in the wafer cassette support assembly and can be raised and lowered together with the wafer cassette support assembly. It is adapted to the shape of the wafer cassette and can position the wafer cassette.

[0011] A wafer probing assembly is installed in the support assembly and corresponds to the position of the housing carrier assembly. The wafer probing assembly detects the position of the wafers in the wafer box within the housing carrier assembly.

[0012] Specifically, the supporting assembly components include:

[0013] A support base plate is provided, which is arranged laterally, and the lifting drive assembly is installed in the support base plate;

[0014] The support column is provided in at least one pair, with each support column installed on the top of the support base plate and extending upwards from the support base plate;

[0015] A support frame is located above the support base plate and installed on the top of the support column, forming an assembly space for the lifting support assembly between the support frame and the support base plate. The wafer probe assembly is installed on the top of the support frame.

[0016] In one embodiment of this utility model, the bottom of the support frame is provided with adjustable feet, which have an elastic structure inside. The height of the support frame can be finely adjusted by adjusting the feet, and the vibration of the support frame can be buffered.

[0017] The lifting drive component includes:

[0018] A drive motor is mounted in the support base plate and can operate within the support base plate.

[0019] In one embodiment of this utility model, the drive motor is a servo motor, and its structure and operating principle are based on existing technology, so they are not described in detail.

[0020] The lifting support assembly includes:

[0021] The support column is arranged vertically, and the support frame has a clearance opening. The top of the support column passes through the clearance opening and can be raised and lowered within the clearance opening.

[0022] The guide rail is installed on the side of the support column through a connector and is parallel to the support cylinder. The side of the support cylinder cooperates with the guide rail through a slider, and the guide rail guides the lifting and lowering process of the support cylinder.

[0023] The lifting screw is parallel to the support cylinder. Its bottom is installed in the support base plate through a bearing and is connected to the power output shaft of the drive motor through a gear and belt transmission structure. Its top extends into the support cylinder and is connected to the support cylinder through a transmission nut. The drive motor drives the lifting screw to rotate and drives the support cylinder to rise and fall along the guide rail.

[0024] In one embodiment of this utility model, the side of the support column is also provided with an upper limit sensor and a lower limit sensor, and the side of the support cylinder is provided with a sensing plate that cooperates with it. The upper limit sensor and the lower limit sensor limit the lifting range of the support cylinder. The upper limit sensor and the lower limit sensor can be optical reflective sensors. Their structure and operating principle are based on existing technology, so they are not described in detail.

[0025] The housing support components include:

[0026] The carrier frame is located above the support frame and is connected to the top of the support cylinder. It can be raised and lowered together with the support cylinder to form a wafer box carrying space on the carrier frame.

[0027] The box positioning components include:

[0028] The positioning blocks are provided in a set. Each positioning block is installed on the carrier frame through a detachable connector and is adapted to the shape of the bottom of the wafer box. The positioning blocks position the wafer box on the carrier frame.

[0029] The wafer probing assembly includes:

[0030] A detection support frame is installed on the side of the support frame and extends upwards towards the load-bearing frame;

[0031] The probe tip is mounted on the top of the probe support and points to the wafer cassette on the support frame. It can detect the position of the wafers in the wafer cassette and provide wafer position information to the wafer pick-up arm.

[0032] In one embodiment of this utility model, a protective cover is also provided on the detection support. The protective cover is located outside the detection end and has a clearance through hole on its side that is adapted to the shape of the detection end. The protective cover protects the detection end. The detection end can be an optical reflective sensor. Its structure and operating principle are based on existing technology, so they are not described in detail.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, a guide side post is also provided on the side of the support frame. The guide side post extends laterally to the outside of the support frame and is located at both ends of the support frame along with the detection support. The guide side post guides the movement of the sample taking arm.

[0034] The advantages of this utility model are:

[0035] This wafer picking device employs a servo motor coupled with a high-precision ball screw and guide rail transmission system to ensure that the picking robot can accurately align each wafer, avoiding positioning deviations or idle spinning during the picking process. The optical reflective detection head simultaneously completes wafer position scanning and data transmission during the lifting and lowering process. Compared with the traditional step-by-step operation of scanning first and then positioning, it significantly shortens the wafer picking cycle time. This gives the device a comprehensive advantage of high precision, high efficiency, high stability and high compatibility in the field of semiconductor wafer automation processing, which can significantly improve the overall efficiency of the production line and product yield. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a front structural schematic diagram of the wafer cassette picking device with lifting and adjusting structure proposed in this utility model;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the back structure of the wafer cassette picking device;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a side view of the wafer cassette unloading device;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the wafer cassette unloading device. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. The components of the embodiments of this utility model described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this utility model provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed utility model, but merely represents selected embodiments of the utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this utility model without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0041] like Figures 1-4As shown, the wafer cassette pick-up device with a lifting and adjusting structure proposed in this utility model includes a support assembly assembly, a lifting drive assembly, a lifting support assembly, a cassette carrying assembly, a cassette positioning assembly, and a wafer detection assembly. The support assembly assembly has an assembly space. The lifting drive assembly is installed in the support assembly assembly and can operate within it. The lifting support assembly is installed in the support assembly assembly via a guide structure and cooperates with the lifting drive assembly via a transmission structure. The lifting drive assembly drives the lifting transmission assembly to move up and down within the support assembly assembly. The cassette carrying assembly is installed in the lifting transmission assembly and can move up and down together with the lifting support assembly. It has a wafer cassette carrying space inside and moves up and down together with the wafer cassette. The cassette positioning assembly is installed in the cassette carrying assembly and can move up and down together with it. It is adapted to the shape of the wafer cassette and can position the wafer cassette. The wafer detection assembly is installed in the support assembly assembly and corresponds to the position of the cassette carrying assembly. The wafer detection assembly detects the position of the wafers inside the wafer cassette within the cassette carrying assembly.

[0042] In this embodiment, the support assembly includes a support base plate 110, support columns 120, and a support frame 130. The support base plate is arranged laterally, and the lifting drive assembly is installed in the support base plate. There is at least one pair of support columns, each of which is installed on the top of the support base plate and extends upward from the support base plate. The support frame is located above the support base plate and is installed on the top of the support columns. A lifting support assembly assembly space is formed between the support frame and the support base plate. The wafer probing assembly is installed on the top of the support frame.

[0043] In this embodiment, the bottom of the support frame is provided with an adjustable foot 131, which has an elastic structure inside. The height of the support frame can be finely adjusted by adjusting the foot, and the vibration of the support frame can be buffered.

[0044] The lifting drive assembly includes a drive motor 200, which is mounted in a supporting base plate and can operate within the base plate. In this embodiment, a servo motor is used as the drive motor, and its structure and operating principle are based on existing technology, therefore, they are not described in detail.

[0045] The lifting support assembly includes a support cylinder 310, a guide rail 320, and a lifting screw 330. The support cylinder is arranged vertically, and a clearance opening is provided in the support frame. The top of the support cylinder passes through the clearance opening and can be raised and lowered within the clearance opening. The guide rail is installed on the side of the support column through a connector and is parallel to the support cylinder. The side of the support cylinder cooperates with the guide rail through a slider, and the guide rail guides the raising and lowering process of the support cylinder. The lifting screw is parallel to the support cylinder, and its bottom is installed in the support base plate through a bearing 331. It cooperates with the power output shaft of the drive motor through a gear and belt transmission structure 332. Its top extends into the support cylinder and cooperates with the support cylinder through a transmission nut 333. The drive motor drives the lifting screw to rotate, which in turn drives the support cylinder to rise and fall along the guide rail.

[0046] In this embodiment, the side of the support column is also provided with an upper limit sensor 121 and a lower limit sensor 122, and the side of the support cylinder is provided with a sensing plate that cooperates with it. The upper limit sensor and the lower limit sensor limit the lifting range of the support cylinder. That is, when the sensing plate reaches the upper limit sensor and the lower limit sensor, the drive motor stops running. The upper limit sensor and the lower limit sensor can be optical reflective sensors. Their structure and operating principle adopt existing technology, so they are not described in detail.

[0047] The wafer cassette support assembly includes a support frame 400, which is located above a support frame and engages with the top of a support column. The support frame can rise and fall together with the support column, forming a wafer cassette support space on the support frame. In this embodiment, the support frame also includes a wafer cassette sensor 410, which points to the wafer cassette placed on the support frame and confirms the presence or absence of the wafer cassette.

[0048] The wafer box positioning assembly includes positioning blocks 500. A set of positioning blocks is provided. Each positioning block is installed on the carrier frame via a detachable connector and is adapted to the shape of the bottom of the wafer box. The positioning blocks position the wafer box on the carrier frame. Different positioning blocks can be replaced according to the specific specifications of the wafer box.

[0049] The wafer probing assembly includes a probing support 610 and a probing tip 620. The probing support is mounted on the side of the support frame and extends upwards towards the carrier frame. The probing tip is mounted on the top of the probing support and points towards the wafer cassette on the carrier frame. It can detect the position of the wafers in the wafer cassette and provide the wafer pick-up arm with the position coordinates and quantity information of the wafers.

[0050] In this embodiment, the detection support is also provided with a protective cover 630. The protective cover is located outside the detection end and has a clearance through hole on its side that is adapted to the shape of the detection end. The protective cover protects the detection end. The detection end can be an optical reflective sensor. Its structure and operating principle are based on existing technology, so they are not described in detail.

[0051] In this embodiment, the side of the support frame is also provided with a guide side column 132. The guide side column extends laterally to the outside of the support frame and is located at both ends of the support frame along with the detection support. The guide side column guides the movement of the sample taking arm.

[0052] When in use, the wafer cassette is first placed on the support frame. The cassette sensor immediately detects its presence and sends a positioning signal. At this time, replaceable positioning blocks automatically or manually engage according to the wafer cassette specifications, ensuring that the wafer cassette does not shift during subsequent movement. The adjustable feet of the support frame automatically fine-tune the level and absorb external vibrations through a built-in elastic structure, providing a stable foundation for high-precision operation. After the servo motor starts, it drives the lifting screw to rotate through a gear and belt transmission structure. The transmission nut converts the rotational motion into linear motion, pushing the support cylinder to rise smoothly along the guide rail. During the lifting and lowering of the support cylinder, the upper and lower limit sensors installed on the side of the support column monitor the position in real time through induction plates to prevent overtravel. At the same time, the optical reflective detection head installed on the top of the detection support begins to scan the wafer cassette from top to bottom. By capturing the reflected signals from the wafer edges, it accurately records the Z-axis coordinates and total number of each wafer. This data is transmitted in real time to the control system of the wafer picking robot. After scanning is complete, the support cylinder descends to the wafer pick-up position under the control of a servo motor. The wafer pick-up robot moves to the accurate position under the guidance of the guide pillars to pick up the wafer. After each wafer is picked up, the support cylinder rises to the position of the next wafer, and this process is repeated until all wafers have been picked up. The signal and control systems used in this process are existing technologies and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0053] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that when terms such as "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "left," and "right" appear to indicate orientation or positional relationships, they should be understood as being based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationships commonly used when the product of this utility model is in use, or the orientation or positional relationships commonly understood by those skilled in the art. These terms are used only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Furthermore, when terms such as "first" and "second" appear, they are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. In the description of this utility model, it should also be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, terms such as "installation," "setting," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

Claims

1. A wafer cassette pick-up device with a lifting and adjusting structure, characterized in that, include: A support assembly component having an assembly space; A lifting drive assembly, which is installed in the support assembly assembly and can operate within the support assembly assembly; A lifting support assembly is installed in the support assembly assembly via a guide structure and cooperates with a lifting drive assembly via a transmission structure. The lifting drive assembly drives the lifting transmission assembly to move up and down within the support assembly assembly. The box-carrying component is installed in the lifting transmission component and can be lifted and lowered together with the lifting support component. It has a wafer box carrying space inside and the wafer box is lifted and lowered together by the box-carrying component. A wafer cassette positioning assembly is installed in the wafer cassette support assembly and can be raised and lowered together with the wafer cassette support assembly. It is adapted to the shape of the wafer cassette and can position the wafer cassette. A wafer probing assembly is installed in the support assembly and corresponds to the position of the housing carrier assembly. The wafer probing assembly detects the position of the wafers in the wafer box within the housing carrier assembly.

2. The wafer cassette pick-up device with a lifting and adjusting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Support assembly components include: A support base plate is provided, which is arranged laterally, and the lifting drive assembly is installed in the support base plate; The support column is provided in at least one pair, with each support column installed on the top of the support base plate and extending upwards from the support base plate; A support frame is located above the support base plate and installed on the top of the support column, forming an assembly space for the lifting support assembly between the support frame and the support base plate. The wafer probe assembly is installed on the top of the support frame.

3. A wafer cassette unloading device with a lifting and adjusting structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting drive component includes: A drive motor is mounted in the support base plate and can operate within the support base plate.

4. A wafer cassette unloading device with a lifting and adjusting structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lifting support assembly includes: The support column is arranged vertically, and the support frame has a clearance opening. The top of the support column passes through the clearance opening and can be raised and lowered within the clearance opening. The guide rail is installed on the side of the support column through a connector and is parallel to the support cylinder. The side of the support cylinder cooperates with the guide rail through a slider, and the guide rail guides the lifting and lowering process of the support cylinder. The lifting screw is parallel to the support cylinder. Its bottom is installed in the support base plate through a bearing and is connected to the power output shaft of the drive motor through a gear and belt transmission structure. Its top extends into the support cylinder and is connected to the support cylinder through a transmission nut. The drive motor drives the lifting screw to rotate and drives the support cylinder to rise and fall along the guide rail.

5. A wafer cassette pick-up device with a lifting and adjusting structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The housing support components include: The carrier frame is located above the support frame and is connected to the top of the support cylinder. It can be raised and lowered together with the support cylinder to form a wafer box carrying space on the carrier frame.

6. A wafer cassette pick-up device with a lifting and adjusting structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The box positioning components include: The positioning blocks are provided in a set. Each positioning block is installed on the carrier frame through a detachable connector and is adapted to the shape of the bottom of the wafer box. The positioning blocks position the wafer box on the carrier frame.

7. A wafer cassette unloading device with a lifting and adjusting structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The wafer probing assembly includes: A detection support frame is installed on the side of the support frame and extends upwards towards the load-bearing frame; The probe tip is mounted on the top of the probe support and points to the wafer cassette on the support frame. It can detect the position of the wafers in the wafer cassette and provide wafer position information to the wafer pick-up arm.

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