Wafer lifting module

Abstract

The utility model relates to wafer processing equipment technical field especially is a kind of wafer lifting module, including bracket, cooling assembly and be used to drive bracket to move up and down lifting assembly;The bracket is provided with the cooling window of adaptation with cooling assembly, and the bracket is installed at least two rows of support along the parallel direction of up and down, and the support is used to support wafer;When needing to carry out cooling treatment to wafer, lifting assembly drives wafer to move downward, cooling assembly is worn in cooling window, until the wafer of lowest place and cooling assembly correspond, and the wafer of waiting to take away or waiting to cool is placed in the support of non-lowest place by cooling assembly to wafer cooling treatment;The utility model can realize the parallel of wafer pick-and-place operation and cooling treatment, improve production rhythm, significantly shorten the total turnover time of wafer in cooling module, improve the throughput of overall equipment, and improve production line efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In the field of wafer fabrication, modular devices are generally used to process wafers. Existing technologies typically use wafer transport platforms to coordinate various process cavities and transport wafers between them, thereby achieving modular wafer processing.

[0003] After a wafer completes certain special processing, its temperature rises, making it impossible to proceed with the next process. Therefore, the wafer needs to be cooled. Existing wafer cooling methods use a single carrier to lift the wafer. When the wafer is lowered to a designated position, it is cooled by a cooling module. While the wafer is being cooled, both the carrier and the wafer are in the working position. After cooling is complete, the carrier must lift the wafer to a higher position to await removal by a robotic arm.

[0004] Therefore, throughout the entire process, when the robot moves to the cooling module, positions, picks up the wafer, and leaves, the tray and the wafer must remain in a high-position waiting position. This means that the robot cannot place the next wafer in this high-position waiting position before the cooling process. As a result, the robot can only pick up and place wafers sequentially after the wafer cooling is completely finished. It is not convenient to provide a dedicated wafer temporary storage position during wafer cooling, and it is impossible to achieve parallel wafer picking and placing operations with cooling, which affects the production cycle. Utility Model Content

[0005] This invention addresses the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a wafer lifting module that enables parallel wafer loading and unloading operations with cooling processes, thereby improving production cycle time, significantly shortening the total turnaround time of wafers in the cooling module, increasing the overall throughput of the equipment, and enhancing production line efficiency.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] This utility model provides a wafer lifting module, including a bracket, a cooling assembly, and a lifting assembly for driving the bracket to move up and down;

[0008] The bracket is provided with a cooling window adapted to the cooling assembly, and the bracket is provided with at least two rows of support members installed side by side in the vertical direction, the support members being used to support the wafer;

[0009] When cooling is required, the lifting assembly moves the wafer downwards, and the cooling assembly passes through the cooling window until the wafer at the lowest point corresponds to the cooling assembly. The wafer is then cooled by the cooling assembly. Wafers to be removed or cooled are placed on the support at a non-lowest point.

[0010] The cooling assembly has symmetrically arranged receiving ports on its outer side, and the support member has at least two support parts. The support parts are used to support the bottom of the wafer, and the support parts are vertically aligned with the receiving ports.

[0011] When the support portion supports the wafer and descends to the desired position, the support portion passes through the receiving opening, and the bottom surface of the wafer contacts the cooling assembly.

[0012] The support portion includes a support section and a limiting section connected to the support section. The limiting section is connected to the support member. The support section is used to support the bottom of the wafer, and the limiting section is used to circumferentially limit the wafer.

[0013] The connection between the limiting segment and the supporting segment and the supporting member is made of rounded transition.

[0014] It also includes a cooling chamber, in which the cooling assembly is installed, the bracket slides up and down within the cooling chamber, the cooling chamber is provided with at least one transmission port, and a corrugated pipe is installed at the connection between the bracket and the cooling chamber.

[0015] The lifting assembly includes a lifting frame connected to the cooling chamber and a lifting unit installed on the lifting frame. The lifting unit is driven to be connected to the bracket. The lifting frame is equipped with a first detection switch, a second detection switch and a third detection switch arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The bracket is connected to a detection plate. The first detection switch, the second detection switch and the third detection switch are all vertically corresponding to the detection plate.

[0016] When the detection piece corresponds to the first detection switch or the third detection switch, the bracket is in the extreme position;

[0017] When the detection chip corresponds to the second detection switch, the wafer to be cooled is placed in the cooling assembly.

[0018] The cooling assembly includes a cooling plate, a cooling tank disposed in the cooling plate, and a cooling pipe installed in the cooling tank. The cooling pipe is filled with a cooling medium, and an inlet connector and an outlet connector are respectively installed at both ends of the cooling pipe.

[0019] The cooling tray has at least three positioning edges on its top circumference, and the positioning edges correspond to the edges of the wafer.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0021] The wafer is positioned at its lowest point, corresponding to the cooling assembly, which cools the wafer. The wafer is in close contact with the cooling assembly for low-temperature cooling. Supports at non-lowest points allow the actions of "removing the cooled wafer" and "placing a new wafer to be cooled" to occur in parallel with the "ongoing cooling process." The robotic arm can remove and place wafers without waiting for the wafer to be fully cooled before performing these actions sequentially. This parallel operation of wafer handling and cooling processes improves production cycle time, significantly shortens the total turnaround time of wafers in the cooling module, increases the overall throughput of the equipment, and enhances production line efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the wafer lifting module.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure with brackets and cooling components.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the support component.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a front view of the connection structure between the cooling chamber and the lifting assembly.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the connection structure between the cooling chamber and the lifting assembly.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a 3D view showing the lifting frame, testing plates, and cooling components.

[0028] Figure 7 This is an exploded three-dimensional view of the cooling assembly.

[0029] 1. Bracket; 101. Cooling window; 11. Support component; 12. Detection plate;

[0030] 12. Support section; 121. Support segment; 122. Limiting segment;

[0031] 2. Cooling components; 201. Reception port;

[0032] 21. Cooling tray; 211. Positioning flange; 22. Cooling tank; 23. Cooling pipe; 231. Inlet connector; 232. Outlet connector;

[0033] 3. Lifting assembly;

[0034] 31. Lifting frame; 311. First detection switch; 312. Second detection switch; 313. Third detection switch; 32. Lifting unit;

[0035] 4. Cooling chamber; 401. Transfer port;

[0036] 5. Corrugated pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with embodiments and accompanying drawings. Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. It should be noted that, in order to provide a concise description of these embodiments, this specification cannot provide a detailed description of all features of the actual embodiments.

[0038] refer to Figures 1 to 7 As shown, this utility model provides a wafer lifting module, including a bracket 1, a cooling assembly 2, and a lifting assembly 3 for moving the bracket 1 up and down; the bracket 1 is provided with a cooling window 101 adapted to the cooling assembly 2, and at least two rows of support members 11 are installed side by side along the vertical direction on the bracket 1, the support members 11 being used to support the wafer; Reference Figure 1 , 2 As shown, in practical applications, the lifting assembly 3 uses a screw motor module, hydraulic cylinder, or electric cylinder to facilitate smooth up-and-down movement of the support 1. When cooling of the wafer is required, the lifting assembly 3 moves the wafer downwards, and the cooling assembly 2 passes through the cooling window 101 until the lowest wafer corresponds to the cooling assembly 2. The wafer is then cooled by the cooling assembly 2, which is in close contact with the cooling assembly 2 for low-temperature cooling. The support member 11 at the non-lowest point allows for the actions of "removing the cooled wafer" and "placing a new wafer to be cooled," while the "ongoing cooling process" is also possible. The process occurs in parallel, meaning that the robotic arm can pick up and place wafers without waiting for the wafers to cool completely before proceeding in sequence. This allows for the parallel execution of wafer pick-up and placement operations with the cooling process, improving production cycle time, significantly shortening the total turnaround time of wafers in the cooling module, increasing the overall throughput of the equipment, and enhancing production line efficiency. When the wafer is placed on the support 11 at a non-lowest position, the wafer is minimally or not affected by the cooling process. The wafer will not be "overcooled" or experience temperature fluctuations due to being too close to the still-operating cooling component 2, which facilitates complete isolation of the cooling source's influence and ensures stable and accurate wafer temperatures before and after cooling.

[0039] refer to Figure 2 , 3As shown in this embodiment, the cooling component 2 has symmetrically arranged receiving openings 201 on its outer side, and the support member 11 has at least two support parts 12. The support parts 12 are used to support the bottom of the wafer, and the support parts 12 correspond vertically to the receiving openings 201. In actual application, when the bracket 1 descends for cooling, the support parts 12 support the wafer and descend to the required position. The support parts 12 pass through the receiving openings 201, and the bottom surface of the wafer contacts the cooling component 2. The receiving openings 201 provide space for the support parts 12 to move downward, avoiding collision between the support parts 12 and the cooling component 2 when the bracket 1 descends, ensuring the reliability of the operation and the stability of the wafer positioning. The wafer is stably supported by at least three support parts 12, ensuring that the wafer is placed stably. The symmetrical receiving openings 201 and support parts 12 help to balance the load and reduce vibration and stress during the lifting and lowering of the bracket 1.

[0040] refer to Figure 1 , 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the support portion 12 includes a support section 121 and a limiting section 122 connected to the support section 121. The limiting section 122 is connected to the support member 11. The support section 121 is used to support the bottom of the wafer, and the limiting section 122 is used to circumferentially limit the wafer. The support section 121 directly contacts the bottom edge of the wafer to provide the main vertical support force, and the limiting section 122 prevents the wafer from moving or sliding in the horizontal direction, which is conducive to meeting precise shape control and avoiding wafer stress concentration.

[0041] refer to Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the connection between the limiting segment 122 and the supporting segment 121 and the supporting member 11 is all made of arc transition. In actual application, since the edge of the wafer is extremely fragile, the arc transition between the wafer and the limiting segment 122 smoothly eliminates the sharp edges, greatly reducing the risk of scratches, chipping, or microcracks. The arc surface provides a smooth guiding effect for the wafer, allowing the wafer to slide into the supporting segment 121 easily and smoothly, reducing wafer jamming.

[0042] refer to Figure 4 , 5As shown, this embodiment also includes a cooling chamber 4, in which the cooling component 2 is installed. The bracket 1 slides up and down within the cooling chamber 4. The cooling chamber 4 is provided with at least one transfer port 401, and a bellows 5 is installed at the connection between the bracket 1 and the cooling chamber 4. In practical applications, the transfer port 401 is equipped with a corresponding valve to facilitate the formation of a sealed space inside the cooling chamber 4. During wafer processing, the robotic arm places the wafer into the cooling chamber 4 through the transfer port 401. Wafers that need to be temporarily stored are placed on the support member 11 at the non-lowest position, while wafers that need to be cooled are placed on the support member 11 at the lowest position. This allows for the parallel operation of wafer picking and placing and cooling processing, improving production cycle time, significantly shortening the total turnaround time of the wafer in the cooling module, increasing the overall throughput of the equipment, and improving production line efficiency. The bellows 5 ensure that the vacuum level of the cooling chamber 4 is not affected by the lifting and lowering movement of the bracket 1, preventing air or impurity gases from seeping in and disrupting the vacuum environment.

[0043] refer to Figure 5 , 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the lifting assembly 3 includes a lifting frame 31 connected to the cooling chamber 4 and a lifting unit 32 installed on the lifting frame 31. The lifting unit 32 is drivenly connected to the bracket 1. The lifting frame 31 is equipped with a first detection switch 311, a second detection switch 312, and a third detection switch 313 arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The bracket 1 is connected to a detection plate 12. The first detection switch 311, the second detection switch 312, and the third detection switch 313 are all vertically corresponding to the detection plate 12. (Reference) Figure 6 As shown, in practical applications, the lifting unit 32 adopts a screw motor module, hydraulic cylinder, or electric cylinder to facilitate smooth up-and-down movement of the bracket 1. The first detection switch 311, the second detection switch 312, and the third detection switch 313 are all photoelectric switches, such as slotted photoelectric switches. When the detection piece 12 corresponds to the first detection switch 311 or the third detection switch 313, the bracket 1 is in the extreme position, which helps to ensure that the bracket 1 is in the extreme position, thereby determining the travel of the bracket 1. When the detection piece 12 corresponds to the second detection switch 312, the wafer to be cooled is placed in the cooling assembly 2, which helps to ensure that the wafer is in a determined cooling processing position.

[0044] refer to Figure 7As shown, in this embodiment, the cooling assembly 2 includes a cooling plate 21, a cooling tank 22 disposed within the cooling plate 21, and a cooling pipe 23 installed within the cooling tank 22. The cooling pipe 23 is filled with a cooling medium, and an inlet connector 231 and an outlet connector 232 are respectively installed at both ends of the cooling pipe 23. One end of both the inlet connector 231 and the outlet connector 232 is connected to a storage tank, which is used to store coolant. In actual application, an external pump is connected to the inlet connector 231 to drive the coolant, causing the coolant to flow at high speed through the interior of the cooling plate 21. The coolant is then discharged through the outlet connector 232 and circulated within the cooling plate 21 through the storage tank. Heat conduction occurs through the cooling tank 22, thereby reducing the temperature of the cooling plate 21 and facilitating wafer cooling. With the cooling pipe 23, the coolant is completely sealed in the pipeline, preventing coolant leakage and contamination of the wafer or equipment, and reducing particulate contamination.

[0045] refer to Figure 1 , 2 As shown in this embodiment, at least three positioning edges 211 are provided on the top circumference of the cooling tray 21. The positioning edges 211 correspond to the edge of the wafer, which facilitates the positioning of the wafer. Specifically, the inner side of the positioning edge 211 is an inclined surface. The wafer slides into the top of the cooling tray 21 along the inclined surface, which facilitates the smooth sliding of the wafer and reduces the risk of wafer scratches, edge chipping or microcracks.

[0046] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model in any way. Although the present utility model has been disclosed above with reference to a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any person skilled in the art can make some changes or modifications to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present utility model. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the present utility model without departing from the scope of the present utility model shall fall within the scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A wafer lifting module, characterized in that, It includes a bracket (1), a cooling assembly (2), and a lifting assembly (3) for moving the bracket (1) up and down; The bracket (1) is provided with a cooling window (101) adapted to the cooling assembly (2), and the bracket (1) is provided with at least two rows of support members (11) arranged in parallel along the vertical direction. The support members (11) are used to support the wafer. When the wafer needs to be cooled, the lifting component (3) moves the wafer downwards, and the cooling component (2) passes through the cooling window (101) until the wafer at the lowest point corresponds to the cooling component (2). The wafer is cooled by the cooling component (2), and the wafer to be taken away or cooled is placed on the support (11) at a non-lowest point.

2. The wafer lifting module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling assembly (2) has symmetrically arranged receiving ports (201) on its outer side, and the support member (11) has at least two support parts (12). The support parts (12) are used to support the bottom of the wafer, and the support parts (12) are vertically corresponding to the receiving ports (201). When the support (12) supports the wafer and descends to the desired position, the support (12) passes through the receiving port (201) and the bottom surface of the wafer contacts the cooling assembly (2).

3. The wafer lifting module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support portion (12) includes a support section (121) and a limiting section (122) connected to the support section (121). The limiting section (122) is connected to the support member (11). The support section (121) is used to support the bottom of the wafer, and the limiting section (122) is used to circumferentially limit the wafer.

4. The wafer lifting module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The connection between the limiting segment (122) and the supporting segment (121) and the supporting member (11) is made of arc transition.

5. The wafer lifting module according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a cooling chamber (4), the cooling assembly (2) is installed in the cooling chamber (4), the bracket (1) slides up and down in the cooling chamber (4), the cooling chamber (4) is provided with at least one transmission port (401), and a corrugated pipe (5) is installed at the connection between the bracket (1) and the cooling chamber (4).

6. The wafer lifting module according to claim 5, characterized in that, The lifting assembly (3) includes a lifting frame (31) connected to the cooling chamber (4) and a lifting unit (32) installed on the lifting frame (31). The lifting unit (32) is driven to connect to the bracket (1). The lifting frame (31) is equipped with a first detection switch (311), a second detection switch (312) and a third detection switch (313) arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The bracket (1) is connected to a detection plate (12). The first detection switch (311), the second detection switch (312) and the third detection switch (313) are all vertically corresponding to the detection plate (12). When the detection piece (12) corresponds to the first detection switch (311) or the third detection switch (313), the bracket (1) is in the extreme position; When the detection chip (12) corresponds to the second detection switch (312), the wafer to be cooled is placed in the cooling assembly (2).

7. The wafer lifting module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling assembly (2) includes a cooling plate (21), a cooling tank (22) disposed in the cooling plate (21), and a cooling pipe (23) installed in the cooling tank (22). The cooling pipe (23) is filled with a cooling medium, and an inlet connector (231) and an outlet connector (232) are respectively installed at both ends of the cooling pipe (23).

8. The wafer lifting module according to claim 7, characterized in that, The top circumferential of the cooling tray (21) is provided with at least three positioning edges (211), which correspond to the edge of the wafer.

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