Wafer gripping device and centering apparatus

Abstract

This application relates to the field of wafer fabrication, and more particularly to a wafer gripping device, comprising: a base; at least three clamping members slidably connected to the base, the clamping members being circumferentially distributed on the base, and each clamping member having a degree of freedom of movement near and away from the inner side of the base; the clamping members are used to grip a wafer; and at least three supporting members slidably connected to the base, the supporting members being circumferentially distributed on the base, and each supporting member having a degree of freedom of movement near and away from the inner side of the base; the supporting members are used to support the wafer; wherein the clamping members and the supporting members are located on the same side of the base. The cooperation of the clamping members and the supporting members achieves the technical effect of improving wafer gripping accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wafer processing, and in particular to a wafer gripping device and a centering device. Background Technology

[0002] During thinning or polishing processes, wafers need to be transferred between different devices for corresponding processes. Since the devices are relatively independent, a robotic arm is needed to grasp and transfer the wafers.

[0003] In existing technologies, the positioning references of the robotic arm and the wafer stage are difficult to be completely unified, and there is a tendency for positional deviation between the two. This deviation will cause the positional accuracy of the wafer after it is picked up and transferred by the robotic arm, which will lead to the accumulation of errors in subsequent processing steps and affect the processing quality of the wafer.

[0004] Therefore, the technical problem with the existing technology is that the wafer gripping accuracy is low. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application provides a wafer gripping device and a centering device, which achieves the technical effect of improving wafer gripping accuracy through the cooperation of clamping and supporting components.

[0006] On the one hand, the wafer gripping device provided in this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A wafer gripping device, comprising:

[0008] Base;

[0009] The clamping member has at least three clamping members, which are slidably connected to the base and are circumferentially distributed on the base. The clamping members have degrees of freedom of movement on the inner side near the base and on the inner side away from the base. The clamping members are used to clamp the wafer.

[0010] The support member, having at least three members, is slidably connected to the base and circumferentially distributed on the base. Each support member has degrees of freedom of movement, both near and away from the inner side of the base. The support member is used to support a wafer.

[0011] The clamping member and the supporting member are located on the same side of the base.

[0012] Preferably, the clamping member is slidably connected to the base and has a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is closer to the inner side of the base than the second position; when the clamping member is in the first position, the clamping member abuts against the edge of the wafer to clamp the wafer.

[0013] Preferably, the clamping member is columnar, and when the clamping member is in the first position, the clamping member is tangent to the edge of the wafer.

[0014] Preferably, the support member is slidably connected to the base and has a third position and a fourth position, the third position being closer to the inner side of the base than the fourth position; when the support member is in the third position, the support member is located below the wafer to support the wafer.

[0015] Preferably, the support member includes:

[0016] The connecting part is slidably connected to the base;

[0017] A support portion is fixedly connected to the end of the connecting portion away from the base. The support portion is used to support the wafer and extends toward the inside of the base.

[0018] Preferably, the support portion has a support surface for supporting the wafer, and the support surface is inclined so that the support surface is in line contact with the edge of the wafer.

[0019] As a preferred option, it also includes:

[0020] A first driving member is fixedly connected to the base and acts on the clamping member to make the clamping member slide. The number of the first driving members is the same as the number of the clamping members, and the first driving members and the clamping members are matched one-to-one.

[0021] As a preferred option, it also includes:

[0022] The second driving member is fixedly connected to the base and acts on the support member to make the support member slide. The number of the second driving members is the same as the number of the support members, and the second driving members and the support members are matched one-to-one.

[0023] As a preferred option, it also includes:

[0024] A second driving member is fixedly connected to the base and acts on the support to cause the support to slide. There is one second driving member, which is movably connected to each support to synchronously drive the support to slide.

[0025] On the other hand, the centering device provided in this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0026] A wafer centering device, comprising:

[0027] Dingzhongtai;

[0028] A wafer gripping device, wherein the wafer gripping device is the wafer gripping device described above, the clamping member is used to clamp the wafer after it has been centered on the centering platform; the supporting member is used to support the wafer clamped by the clamping member.

[0029] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0030] The wafer gripping device of this application, through the cooperation of a clamping component and a supporting component, first initially fixes the wafer by retracting the clamping component inward, and then supports the wafer by retracting the supporting component inward, thereby avoiding the wafer position shift during the wafer gripping process, achieving stable transfer after centering, and ensuring the precise position of the wafer in subsequent processes. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the wafer gripping device described in this application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the support component (clamping component not shown) of the wafer gripping device described in this application;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping and supporting components of the wafer gripping device described in this application;

[0034] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Enlarged view of A in the middle;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the centering device described in this application.

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: W, wafer; 100, base; 200, clamping element; 300, first driving element; 400, support element; 410, connecting part; 420, support part; 430, support surface; 500, second driving element; 600, centering platform. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first" and "second," are used solely to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. The terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (linkages). It should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are used solely for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description. They do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0038] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0039] This application provides a wafer gripping device and a centering device, which, through the cooperation of the clamping member 200 and the supporting member 400, achieve the technical effect of improving the gripping accuracy of wafer W.

[0040] To better understand the above technical solutions, a detailed description of the technical solutions will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0041] This application provides a wafer gripping device, particularly for use in a centering equipment, for gripping and transferring a wafer W that has been centered by the centering equipment, preventing the wafer W from shifting position during gripping, achieving stable transfer after centering, and ensuring accurate positioning of the wafer W in subsequent processes. Figure 1 As shown, the wafer W gripping device includes a base 100, a clamping member 200, a supporting member 400, a first driving member 300, and a second driving member 500. The base 100 serves as the mounting and support foundation for the components in the gripping device; the clamping member 200 is used to clamp the wafer W; the supporting member 400 is used to support the wafer W; the first driving member 300 is used to drive the clamping member 200 to move; and the second driving member 500 is used to drive the supporting member 400 to move.

[0042] like Figure 1As shown, the base 100 serves as the mounting and support foundation for components in the gripping device. The base 100 forms the overall frame of the wafer W gripping device, and the clamping component 200, support component 400, first drive component 300, and second drive component 500 are all mounted or connected to the base 100. The base 100 can be used to transfer the entire wafer W gripping device via an external drive mechanism, such as a cantilever or robot. The base 100 is planar, with the clamping member 200 and the supporting member 400 located on the same side of the base 100, and the first driving member 300 and the second driving member 500 located on the other side of the base 100, thus improving the utilization of space. More specifically, the base 100 has an inner side and an outer side, which are relative positions rather than specific locations of the base 100. For example, the clamping member 200 is slidably connected to the base 100, and the sliding direction is from the outer side of the base 100 to the inner side of the base 100, or from the inner side of the base 100 to the outer side of the base 100.

[0043] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the clamping member 200 is used to clamp the wafer W. There are at least three clamping members 200, which are slidably connected to the base 100. Each clamping member 200 has a degree of freedom of movement near and away from the inner side of the base 100. In one embodiment, 3 to 8 clamping members 200 are provided. The clamping members 200 are slidably connected to the base 100, and the sliding direction is either from the outer side of the base 100 to the inner side of the base 100, or from the inner side of the base 100 to the outer side of the base 100. In other words, the multiple clamping members 200 can retract inwards or expand outwards.

[0044] More specifically, such as Figures 1-4As shown, the clamping member 200 is slidably connected to the base 100 and has a first position and a second position. The first position is closer to the inner side of the base 100 than the second position. When the clamping member 200 is in the first position, the clamping member 200 abuts against the edge of the wafer W to clamp the wafer W. The clamping member 200 is slidably connected to the base 100. In other words, the clamping member 200 can slide relative to the base 100. The clamping member 200 can be directly slidably connected to the base 100, or it can be driven to slide onto the base 100. The sliding trajectory extends radially "closer to the inner side of the base 100" or "away from the inner side of the base 100". In the first position: the clamping member 200 moves along the sliding trajectory towards the inner side of the base 100 to the first position. At this time, the clamping member 200 is closest to the inner side of the base 100 and is in the working state. In the second position: the clamping member 200 moves along the sliding trajectory away from the inner side of the base 100 to the second position. At this time, the clamping member 200 is farthest from the inner side of the base 100 and is in the non-working state. In this way, the sliding design of the clamping member 200 achieves the switching between the first and second positions through position adjustment, meeting the requirement of stable contact clamping during wafer W gripping.

[0045] When the clamping member 200 is in the first position, the contact between the clamping member 200 and the edge of the wafer W is not a simple rigid compression, but a stable positioning constraint formed by the cooperation of multiple members: since there are at least three clamping members 200, and the clamping members 200 are evenly distributed around the circumference of the base 100, the contact point between each clamping member 200 and the edge of the wafer W forms a symmetrical constraint around the center of the wafer W; for example, the contact points of the three clamping members 200 form the three vertices of an equilateral triangle, and the wafer W is clamped by the balance of radial forces, avoiding radial displacement or circumferential rotation of the wafer W during the gripping process.

[0046] More specifically, the clamping member 200 has a columnar structure, and the contact between the clamping member 200 and the edge of the wafer W is actually a "tangential contact". Compared with surface contact, tangential contact minimizes the contact area, reducing physical damage or contamination to the edge of the wafer W. Moreover, the positional accuracy of the tangential point is higher, and the sliding distance of the clamping member 200 can be controlled to accurately match wafers W of different diameters (such as 8-inch and 12-inch wafers W), improving the versatility of the device. At the same time, the contact force of the clamping member 200 can be precisely controlled, which can meet the clamping force (preventing the wafer W from falling off) while avoiding excessive pressure that could cause cracks or deformation in the wafer W.

[0047] like Figures 1-4As shown, the first driving member 300 is used to drive the clamping member 200 to move. The first driving member 300 is fixedly connected to the base 100 and acts on the clamping member 200 to make the clamping member 200 slide. The number of first driving members 300 is the same as the number of clamping members 200, and the first driving member 300 and the clamping member 200 are matched one-to-one. The first driving member 300 is fixedly connected to the base 100 to ensure that it has no displacement or vibration during the driving process; in this way, it provides stable support for the driving action and avoids the decrease in the sliding accuracy of the clamping member 200 due to the shaking of the driving member. Especially when switching positions at high speed (such as rapid clamping from the second position to the first position), the fixed connection can eliminate the impact of the driving reaction force on the base 100.

[0048] Each first driving component 300 acts directly on the corresponding clamping component 200 through a transmission mechanism (such as a lead screw nut, push rod, gear rack, etc.); for example, a servo motor is connected to a ball screw through a coupling, and the lead screw nut is fixed to the sliding seat of the clamping component 200. The forward and reverse rotation of the motor can drive the clamping component 200 to move closer to or away from the inner side of the base 100 along the guide rail; or a cylinder is directly connected to the clamping component 200 through a piston rod, and changes in air pressure push the clamping component 200 to complete the position switching; this reduces force transmission loss and ensures accurate execution of drive commands.

[0049] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the support member 400 is used to support the wafer W. The support member 400 is slidably connected to the base 100 and has a third position and a fourth position. The third position is closer to the inner side of the base 100 than the fourth position. When the support member 400 is in the third position, it is positioned below the wafer W to support it. The support member 400 includes a connecting portion 410 and a supporting portion 420. The connecting portion 410 is slidably connected to the base 100. The supporting portion 420 is fixedly connected to the end of the connecting portion 410 away from the base 100. The supporting portion 420 supports the wafer W and extends towards the inner side of the base 100. The supporting portion 420 has a supporting surface 430 for supporting the wafer W. The supporting surface 430 is inclined so that it makes line contact with the edge of the wafer W.

[0050] The support 400 is connected to the base 100 via a sliding mechanism (such as a slide rail or slider assembly). The support 400 slides to form a third position and a fourth position. Specifically, in the third position: the support 400 slides inward to the base 100 to the third position. At this time, the support portion 420 extends to the area below the wafer W, and physical support is achieved by entering the area below the wafer W. The contact point between the support portion 420 and the wafer W forms a stable support plane (at least three points of support), and the support points are evenly distributed on the edge of the wafer W (e.g., symmetrically distributed at 120°) to prevent tilting or falling. In the fourth position: the support 400 slides away from the inward direction of the base 100. At this time, the support portion 420 is completely removed from the area below the wafer W, providing unobstructed space for the entry or release of the wafer W, and avoiding pre-contact or withdrawal interference with the wafer W.

[0051] The third and fourth positions of the support member 400 work in conjunction with the first and second positions of the clamping member 200. When the clamping member 200 slides from the second position to the first position to clamp the wafer W, the support member 400 simultaneously or immediately slides from the fourth position to the third position to complete the support and ensure that the wafer W is stably transferred under the dual constraints of clamping and support.

[0052] More specifically, such as Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the support member 400 includes a connecting part 410 and a supporting part 420. The connecting part 410 serves as the connection point between the support member 400 and the base 100. It adopts a rigid structure and slides with the base 100 via a slider to transmit the power of the driving mechanism (such as the thrust of the second driving member 500) to the supporting part 420, ensuring the smoothness and positional accuracy of the sliding process. The supporting part 420 extends towards the inside of the base 100. As a component that directly contacts the wafer W, the supporting part 420 is fixed at the end of the connecting part 410. The extension direction ensures that the supporting part 420 can penetrate deep under the wafer W. For example, for a 12-inch wafer W with a diameter of 300mm, the supporting part 420 needs to extend inward to form effective support. The extension length needs to be precisely controlled: if it is too short, it cannot support the wafer W; if it is too long, it may come into contact with the central area of ​​the wafer W (such as the photolithography pattern area) and cause contamination. Therefore, it usually only extends to the non-functional area 5-10mm inside the edge of the wafer W.

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, the support portion 420 has an inclined support surface 430 for achieving support stability and wafer W protection. When the inclined support surface 430 contacts the edge (arc-shaped surface) of the wafer W, theoretically a straight contact band perpendicular to the radial direction of the wafer W is formed (rather than surface contact). For example, when the support surface 430 is inclined at an angle of 30° to 45° to the horizontal plane, only a very narrow area of ​​the edge of the wafer W contacts the support surface 430.

[0054] The second driving component 500 is used to drive the support component 400 to move. In one embodiment, the second driving component 500 and the support component 400 are matched one-to-one (not shown); the second driving component 500 is fixedly connected to the base 100 and acts on the support component 400 to make the support component 400 slide. The number of second driving components 500 is the same as the number of support components 400, and the second driving component 500 and the support component 400 are matched one-to-one; each support component 400 is equipped with a corresponding second driving component 500. The second driving component 500 is directly connected to the connection part 410 of the support component 400 through a rigid or flexible transmission mechanism (such as a lead screw, push rod, or synchronous belt) to form a one-to-one power transmission path; for example, a combination of servo motor and ball screw or a micro cylinder is used to realize the switching between the third position and the fourth position; the drive signal is output independently through the control system, and each second driving component 500 can receive displacement commands (such as sliding distance and speed parameters) individually to realize precise control of a single support component 400.

[0055] In another embodiment, a single second drive member 500 synchronously drives all support members 400; the second drive member 500 is fixedly connected to the base 100 and acts on the support members 400 to make the support members 400 slide; the second drive member 500 is configured as one, and the second drive member 500 is movably connected to each support member 400 to synchronously drive the support members 400 to slide.

[0056] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, a single second driving component 500 is connected to all supporting components 400 through a transmission structure, forming a one-to-many synchronous transmission path, such as linkage, gear-rack linkage, etc. Taking linkage as an example: the output end of the second driving component 500 is connected to the main connecting rod, and the main connecting rod is hinged to the connection part 410 of each supporting component 400 through several branch connecting rods. When the driving component extends or retracts, the main connecting rod drives the branch connecting rods to swing synchronously, so that all supporting components 400 slide in the same direction along the guide rail. The driving signal only needs to be output to a single second driving component 500, and the rigid constraint of the mechanical structure ensures that the sliding distance and speed of all supporting components 400 are completely consistent.

[0057] This application also provides a wafer centering device, such as Figure 4 As shown (only the clamping member 200 is shown), it includes a centering platform 600 and a wafer W gripping device. The centering platform 600 is used to carry the wafer W. Multiple centering members retract inward to act on the wafer W to achieve wafer W positioning. After being positioned, the wafer W waits on the centering platform 600 for the wafer W gripping device to pick it up. The wafer W gripping device is the aforementioned wafer W gripping device. The clamping member 200 is used to clamp the wafer W located on the centering platform 600 after centering. The support member 400 is used to support the wafer W clamped by the clamping member 200.

[0058] The coordinated action of the clamping member 200 and the supporting member 400 of the wafer W gripping device enables interference-free gripping of the centered wafer W while ensuring the accuracy of the centered position. The clamping member 200 precisely aligns with the positioning reference of the centering platform 600 and is tangent to the edge of the wafer W through its columnar structure. After centering, it clamps the wafer W, ensuring that the gripping center coincides with the center of the centered wafer W. The supporting member 400 extends under the wafer W and supports the wafer W through the line contact of the inclined supporting surface 430. It forms a dual fixation of radial constraint and axial support with the clamping member 200, preventing the wafer W from shaking or falling during the transfer process.

[0059] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application.

[0060] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A wafer gripping device, characterized in that, include: Base (100); A clamping member (200), having at least three clamping members (200), is slidably connected to the base (100). The clamping members (200) are circumferentially distributed on the base (100), and each clamping member (200) has a degree of freedom of movement on its inner side near the base (100) and its inner side away from the base (100). The clamping member (200) is used to clamp a wafer (W). A support member (400), having at least three members, is slidably connected to the base (100). The support members (400) are circumferentially distributed on the base (100), and each support member (400) has a degree of freedom of movement on its inner side near and away from the base (100). The support member (400) is used to support a wafer (W). The clamping member (200) and the supporting member (400) are located on the same side of the base (100).

2. The wafer gripping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping member (200) is slidably connected to the base (100) and has a first position and a second position. The first position is closer to the inside of the base (100) than the second position. When the clamping member (200) is in the first position, the clamping member (200) abuts against the edge of the wafer (W) to clamp the wafer (W).

3. The wafer gripping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping member (200) is columnar, and when the clamping member (200) is in the first position, the clamping member (200) is tangent to the edge of the wafer (W).

4. A wafer gripping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support (400) is slidably connected to the base (100) and has a third position and a fourth position. The third position is closer to the inside of the base (100) than the fourth position. When the support (400) is in the third position, the support (400) is located below the wafer (W) to support the wafer (W).

5. A wafer gripping device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The support (400) includes: A connecting part (410) is slidably connected to the base (100); The support portion (420) is fixedly connected to the end of the connecting portion (410) away from the base (100), the support portion (420) is used to support the wafer (W), and the support portion (420) extends toward the inside of the base (100).

6. A wafer gripping device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The support portion (420) has a support surface (430) for supporting the wafer (W). The support surface (430) is inclined so that the support surface (430) is in line contact with the edge of the wafer (W).

7. A wafer gripping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A first driving member (300) is fixedly connected to the base (100) and acts on the clamping member (200) to make the clamping member (200) slide. The number of the first driving members (300) is the same as the number of the clamping members (200). The first driving members (300) and the clamping members (200) are in one-to-one correspondence.

8. A wafer gripping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The second driving member (500) is fixedly connected to the base (100) and acts on the support member (400) to make the support member (400) slide. The number of the second driving members (500) is the same as the number of the support members (400), and the second driving members (500) and the support members (400) are matched one-to-one.

9. A wafer gripping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A second driving member (500) is fixedly connected to the base (100) and acts on the support member (400) to make the support member (400) slide. The second driving member (500) is configured as one and is movably connected to each of the support members (400) to synchronously drive the support members (400) to slide.

10. A wafer centering device, characterized in that, include: Dingzhongtai(600); A wafer gripping device, wherein the wafer gripping device is the wafer gripping device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the clamping member (200) is used to clamp the wafer (W) after centering on the centering platform (600); and the supporting member (400) is used to support the wafer (W) clamped by the clamping member (200).

Images