A system for plugging a wafer box

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system for plugging a hole of a wafer box, comprising: a first mechanical arm, a second mechanical arm, a plug placement table, and a controller electrically connected with the first mechanical arm and the second mechanical arm; wherein the controller is configured to: control the first mechanical arm to grab a plug, and place the grabbed plug on the plug placement table; control the second mechanical arm to implant the plug on the plug placement table into a hole of a wafer box.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and more particularly to a system for sealing wafer cell vias. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, wafer cassettes are used to store and transport wafers. To differentiate wafers by batch, process stage, or customer, solutions typically include multiple holes on the bottom of the wafer cassette. These holes are then fitted with plugs, or not, to indicate the batch, process stage, or customer information. For example, a wafer cassette with four holes on the bottom can generate 16 different plugging combinations, each representing a different batch, process stage, or customer information.

[0003] In related solutions, the via plugging operation of wafer cells is mostly done manually. However, manual operation is inefficient, and it is prone to errors such as incorrect plugging, missed plugging, or incomplete plugging due to fatigue or negligence, resulting in information errors. In addition, manual contact can introduce dust or static electricity into the clean environment, causing contamination to the wafer. Utility Model Content

[0004] This disclosure provides a system for sealing vias in wafer cassettes; it can improve the efficiency of via sealing operations, avoid incorrect sealing, missed sealing, or inadequate sealing, and prevent wafer contamination.

[0005] The technical solution disclosed herein is implemented as follows: This disclosure provides a system for sealing vias in a wafer cassette. The system includes: a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a plug placement stage at the end of the second robotic arm, and a controller electrically connected to the first and second robotic arms. The controller is configured to control the first robotic arm to grasp the plug and place the grasped plug on the plug placement platform; The second robotic arm is controlled to insert the plug on the plug placement stage into the plug hole of the wafer cassette.

[0006] In some examples, the system also includes a plug feeding station for storing at least one plug for the first robotic arm to grasp.

[0007] In some examples, the system also includes: a first image acquisition device electrically connected to the controller for acquiring the location of the plug in the plug feeding station; The controller is configured to control the first robotic arm to grab the plug from the plug feeding station based on the position of the plug in the plug feeding station.

[0008] In some examples, the system also includes a second image acquisition device electrically connected to the controller for acquiring the location of the plug holes in the wafer cassette; The controller is configured to control the second robotic arm to insert the plug from the plug placement stage into the plug of the wafer cassette based on the position of the plug hole.

[0009] In some examples, the plug placement platform includes: A plug support for holding the plug grasped by the first robotic arm; and, An implanted push rod is positioned corresponding to the plug carrier and configured to drive the plug to detach from the plug carrier and enter the plug hole when the second robotic arm is positioned above the plug hole.

[0010] In some examples, there is more than one plug support, the number of implanted push rods is the same as the number of plug supports, and each implanted push rod corresponds to each plug support.

[0011] In some examples, the first robotic arm includes a vacuum adsorption device.

[0012] In some examples, the vacuum adsorption device includes at least one vacuum nozzle and a vacuum generating mechanism for generating negative pressure.

[0013] In some examples, the system also includes an information acquisition device electrically connected to the controller for acquiring tag information on the wafer cassette.

[0014] In some examples, the information collection device is a barcode reader or a near-field communication reader.

[0015] This disclosure provides a system for sealing vias in wafer cassettes. The system utilizes a dual-robotic arm collaboration to divide the via sealing operation into two steps: via gripping and via insertion. This allows the two steps to be processed in parallel, thereby improving the efficiency of the via sealing operation and avoiding the phenomena of incorrect sealing, missed sealing, or incomplete sealing that occur when performing via sealing manually. It also prevents wafer contamination. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system composition for sealing and plugging vias in a wafer cell, as provided in this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom of the wafer cassette provided in this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of the first robotic arm provided in this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of the second robotic arm provided in this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the end cap placement platform provided in this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a process for performing a plugging operation, as provided in this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions in this disclosure will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] It should be noted that in the description of this disclosure, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and do not indicate or imply importance. Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this disclosure according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system for sealing vias in a wafer cassette, as provided in this disclosure. The system 100 is used to insert a plug into a via in the wafer cassette. See also... Figure 1 The system 100 includes: a first robotic arm 110, a second robotic arm 120, a plug placement platform 130 located at the end of the second robotic arm 120, and a controller 140 electrically connected to the first robotic arm 110 and the second robotic arm 120.

[0025] In this disclosure, the first robotic arm 110, under the control of the controller 140, grasps the plug and places it on the plug placement platform 130.

[0026] In detail, such as Figure 1 As shown, system 100 also includes a plug feeding station 150, which may include one or more trays capable of holding plugs. Multiple plugs are placed on the trays for the first robotic arm 110 to grasp. In some examples, the plug feeding station 150 may also be implemented as a multi-layer drawer-type material rack, each layer holding a tray full of plugs, arranged in a matrix within the trays. The first robotic arm 110 grasps plugs from the top tray of the material rack. When the top tray is nearly full of plugs, the next tray can be moved to the top to continue grasping, or an audible and visual alarm can be used to prompt the operator to replace the tray with a new one full of plugs, thus enabling continuous production over extended periods.

[0027] In addition, the first robotic arm 110 can be implemented as a four-axis horizontal multi-joint robotic arm, whose working range covers the entire area of ​​the plug feeding station 150 and the plug placement table 130.

[0028] In this disclosure, the second robotic arm 120, under the control of the controller 140, inserts the plug on the plug placement stage into the plug hole of the wafer cassette.

[0029] In detail, the wafer cassette 200 can be fixed at the workstation ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the image) This workstation is equipped with a mechanical positioning mechanism, such as a lifting positioning pin or a pneumatic gripper. When the wafer cassette 200 is transported to this workstation, this mechanism can accurately position and securely lock it to ensure its positional stability during subsequent hole plugging operations. Figure 2 As shown, the bottom of the wafer cassette 200 has multiple plugs, and the closure status of these plugs can be used to characterize information such as wafer batch, process status, or customer. Figure 2 Taking the four plugging holes shown as an example, these four plugging holes are labeled 210-A, 210-B, 210-C, and 210-D respectively. Different combinations of these four plugging holes can produce 16 different plugging states. The positions of the plugs placed on the plug placement stage 130 correspond one-to-one with the positions of the plugging holes. For example, when plugs 210-A and 210-D need to be plugged, these two plugging holes 210-A and 210-D are defined as target plugging holes. The first robotic arm 110 picks up two plugs from the plug feeding station 150 and places these two plugs on the plug placement stage 130 at the positions corresponding to the target plugging holes 210-A and 210-D respectively. After the plugs are placed on the plug placement stage 130 at the positions corresponding to the target plug holes 210-A and 210-D, the second robotic arm 120 moves the plug placement stage 130 so that the plug placement stage 130 is close to the bottom of the wafer cassette 200 and aligns the plugs on the plug placement stage 130 with the target plug holes 210-A and 210-D (for example, the axis of the plug coincides with the axis of the plug hole). Then, the second robotic arm 120 pushes the plugs on the plug placement stage 130 into the target plug holes 210-A and 210-D along their axial direction, thereby completing the plugging operation of the target plug holes 210-A and 210-D.

[0030] The above Figure 1 The system shown uses a dual-robotic arm collaboration to divide the hole-plugging operation into two processes: plug gripping and plug insertion. This allows the two processes to be processed in parallel, thereby improving the efficiency of the hole-plugging operation, avoiding the problems of incorrect plugging, missed plugging, or incomplete plugging that occur when manually plugging holes, and also preventing wafer contamination.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the composition of the first robotic arm 110 provided in this disclosure. Figure 3In the first robotic arm 110, there are a first base 111, a first upper arm 113, a first telescopic shaft 115, a first lower arm 117, and a vacuum adsorption device 119 installed at the end of the first lower arm 117.

[0032] exist Figure 3 In the middle, the first upper arm 113 is mounted on the first base 111 and has multiple joints (e.g., Figure 3 The first robotic arm 113 has two joints, which enable it to lift, lower, and rotate. A first telescopic shaft 115 is provided between the first robotic arm 113 and the first forearm 117. Through the horizontal extension and retraction of the first telescopic shaft 115, the first forearm 117 moves away from or closer to the first robotic arm 113, thereby increasing the coverage area of ​​the first forearm 117. The vacuum adsorption device 119 is used to grab the plug from the plug feeding station 150 by means of negative pressure. After grabbing the plug, the first robotic arm 110 transports the plug to the plug placement platform 130 by lifting and rotating the first robotic arm 113.

[0033] exist Figure 3 In this device, the vacuum adsorption apparatus 119 includes at least one vacuum nozzle 1191 and a vacuum generating mechanism 1192 for generating negative pressure. Specifically, the vacuum nozzle 1191 can be made of antistatic polyurethane or silicone. This material provides good sealing to form a stable adsorption force, while also being flexible to accommodate minor unevenness on the surface of the plug. Its antistatic properties prevent damage or contamination of the wafer cassette due to electrostatic discharge during plug gripping and transfer. The vacuum generating mechanism 1192 is connected to the vacuum nozzle 1191 via a hose and generates negative pressure at the nozzle opening of the vacuum nozzle 1191 to enable the vacuum nozzle 1191 to grip the plug. When there is more than one vacuum nozzle 1191, the vacuum generating mechanism 1192 can generate negative pressure at the nozzle opening of each vacuum nozzle 1191, allowing the first robotic arm 110 to grip multiple plugs from the plug feeding station 150 at once.

[0034] exist Figure 3 In addition, system 100 also includes a first image acquisition device 160 electrically connected to controller 140, used to acquire the position of the plugs in plug feeding station 150. Specifically, the first image acquisition device 160 can be implemented as an industrial camera positioned above plug feeding station 150, the field of view (FOV) of which can completely cover the trays in plug feeding station 150. The industrial camera takes pictures of the trays containing plugs, and controller 140 can perform image processing on the pictures of the trays containing plugs to determine the position of the plugs on the trays, and control the first robotic arm 110 to grab the plugs from plug feeding station 150 based on the position of the plugs. Figure 3As shown, the first image acquisition device 160 can be set at the end of the first robotic arm 110.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the composition of the second robotic arm provided in this disclosure. Figure 4 In this design, the second robotic arm 120 includes a second base 121, a second large arm 123, a second telescopic shaft 125, and a second small arm 127. A plug placement platform 130 is installed at the end of the second small arm 127.

[0036] exist Figure 4 In the middle, the assembly relationship of the second base 121, the second main arm 123, the second telescopic shaft 125, and the second forearm 127 is as follows: Figure 3 The assembly relationship of the first base 111, the first upper arm 113, the first telescopic shaft 115 and the first lower arm 117 shown is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0037] exist Figure 4 In the middle, the plug placement platform 130 is installed at the end of the second forearm 127. Figure 5 The three-view diagram shows the structure of the end cap placement platform. Figure 5 In this design, the plug placement platform 130 includes a plug support 132 and an implantation push rod 134. The plug support 132 is used to hold the plug grasped by the first robotic arm 110. The implantation push rod 134 is correspondingly positioned to the plug support 132 and is configured to drive the plug to detach from the plug support 132 and enter the plug hole when the second robotic arm 120 is positioned at the plug hole.

[0038] Specifically, the number of plug carriers 132 is greater than one, and the number matches the number of plug holes at the bottom of the wafer cassette 200. Furthermore, the layout of the plug carriers 132 matches the layout of the plug holes at the bottom of the wafer cassette 200. Each plug carrier can hold one plug grasped by the first robotic arm 110. Specifically, the plug placement stage 130 includes a horizontal mechanical axis 136 and a vertical mechanical axis 137. Corresponding to... Figure 2 The diagram shows the distribution of plug holes. Each horizontal mechanical axis has two plug carriers, which can move laterally along their respective horizontal mechanical axes 136 to adjust their distance. Two horizontal mechanical axes can be positioned on a vertical mechanical axis 137, and these axes can also move longitudinally along their respective axes to adjust the distance between them. Based on these adjustments, the layout of the plug carriers can be aligned with the layout of the plug holes at the bottom of the wafer cassette. Thus, after the first robotic arm 110 places the plug in the plug carrier 132 corresponding to the target plug hole where the plug needs to be inserted, the second robotic arm 120 can then insert the plug placed on the plug carrier 132 into the corresponding target plug hole.

[0039] In addition, each plug support 132 is provided with an implantation push rod 134. During the process of implanting the plug into the target plug hole, the implantation push rod 134 can push the plug off the plug support 132 and press it into the target plug hole.

[0040] exist Figure 4 In addition, system 100 further includes a second image acquisition device 170 electrically connected to controller 140. This second image acquisition device 170 is implemented as a high-resolution industrial camera for acquiring the positions of the plugs in the wafer cassette. Specifically, after the wafer cassette is securely locked, the second image acquisition device 170 captures an image of the bottom of the wafer cassette. Controller 140 identifies the position of the wafer cassette based on the image of the bottom of the wafer cassette and locates the center coordinates of all plugs (e.g., 210-A, 210-B, 210-C, and 210-D). Subsequently, controller 140 guides a second robotic arm 120 to insert plugs from plug placement stage 130 into the plugs in the wafer cassette based on the coordinates of the plugs.

[0041] In this disclosure, system 100 also includes an information acquisition device electrically connected to controller 140 for acquiring tag information on the wafer cassette. Controller 140 determines the target plug hole to be implanted based on this tag information. Specifically, in Figure 2 In this wafer cassette, a tag 220 is located at the bottom. This tag 220 can be a QR code tag or a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, etc. These tags 220 carry information such as the batch number, process stage, product type, or customer information of the wafers contained in the wafer cassette. This tag information corresponds to the clogging status of the vias. When the tag 220 is a QR code tag, the information collection device is a barcode reader; when the tag 220 is an RFID tag, the information collection device is a near-field communication reader.

[0042] After reading the information carried in tag 220, the information acquisition device transmits the tag information to controller 140. Controller 140 can determine the target plug hole in the plug hole at the bottom of the wafer cassette based on the tag information and transmit this information to the first robotic arm 110, causing the first robotic arm to place the gripped plug into the plug carrier 132 corresponding to the target plug hole in the plug placement stage 130. Specifically, controller 140 can pre-store a mapping table of tag information and target plug holes. After receiving the tag information transmitted by the information acquisition device, controller 140 determines the target plug hole by looking up the mapping table. Furthermore, controller 140 can also connect to the factory's Manufacturing Execution System (MES). After receiving the tag information transmitted by the information acquisition device, controller 140 transmits the tag information to MES. After MES determines the target plug hole based on the tag information, controller 140 receives instructions from MES to identify the target plug hole.

[0043] Based on the system 100 for sealing wafer cell vias described in the foregoing technical solution, this disclosure also provides a process for the system 100 to perform via sealing operations. Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating the process of performing a plugging operation.

[0044] See Figure 6 In step S601, after the wafer cassette is fixed on the workstation, the information acquisition device acquires the tag information from the tag on the bottom of the wafer cassette.

[0045] In step S602, the controller 140 determines the target plug hole at the bottom of the wafer cassette based on the tag information and transmits control commands to the first robotic arm 110 and the second robotic arm 120 to indicate the target plug hole.

[0046] In step S603, the first robotic arm 110 grabs the same number of plugs as the target plugs from the plug feeding station 150 and places the plugs on the plug carrier 132 corresponding to the target plugs in the plug placement platform 130.

[0047] In step S604, the second robotic arm 120 moves the plug placement stage 130, which contains the plug, to the bottom of the wafer cassette according to the position of the target plug hole, and adjusts the position of the plug placement stage 130 so that the plug is aligned with the target plug hole.

[0048] In step S605, the second robotic arm 120 pushes the plug on the plug carrier 132 into the target plug hole by inserting the push rod 134, thereby completing the plugging operation.

[0049] Understandably, Figure 6For details on the specific implementation of each step, please refer to the description of the corresponding components in the aforementioned system 100 for sealing wafer cell vias, which will not be repeated here.

[0050] It should be noted that the technical solutions described in this disclosure can be combined arbitrarily as long as they do not conflict.

[0051] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A system for sealing vias in a wafer cassette, characterized in that, The system includes: a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a plug placement platform at the end of the second robotic arm, and a controller electrically connected to the first and second robotic arms; wherein... The controller is configured to control the first robotic arm to grasp the plug and place the grasped plug on the plug placement platform; The second robotic arm is controlled to insert the plug on the plug placement stage into the plug hole of the wafer cassette.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system also includes a plug feeding station for storing at least one plug for the first robotic arm to grasp.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The system further includes: a first image acquisition device electrically connected to the controller, used to acquire the position of the plug in the plug feeding station; The controller is configured to control the first robotic arm to pick up the plug from the plug feeding station based on the position of the plug in the plug feeding station.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system further includes: a second image acquisition device electrically connected to the controller, used to acquire the location of the plugging holes in the wafer cassette; The controller is configured to control the second robotic arm to insert the plug on the plug placement stage into the plug hole of the wafer cassette based on the position of the plug hole in the wafer cassette.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plug placement platform includes: A plug support for holding the plug grasped by the first robotic arm; and, An implant push rod is provided corresponding to the plug support seat and is configured to drive the plug to detach from the plug support seat and enter the plug hole when the second robotic arm is positioned above the plug hole.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The number of plug support seats is more than one, the number of implanted push rods is the same as the number of plug support seats, and each implanted push rod corresponds to each plug support seat.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first robotic arm includes a vacuum adsorption device.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The vacuum adsorption device includes at least one vacuum nozzle and a vacuum generating mechanism for generating negative pressure.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system also includes an information acquisition device electrically connected to the controller for acquiring tag information on the wafer cassette. The controller is configured to determine the target plug hole to be implanted based on the tag information.

10. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The information collection device is a barcode reader or a near-field communication reader.

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