A sapphire wafer pick-and-place device

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of sapphire wafer taking and placing device, it is related to sapphire production and processing device field, including robot machine body, multifunctional paw, gas supply system and control system, the multifunctional paw is installed on robot machine body, it includes the adsorption head for vacuum adsorption wafer and the fork for supporting wafer.Advertisement head is connected with the gas supply system, it includes the negative pressure source for adsorption and the ion fan for cleaning, the utility model integrates adsorption head and fork on same paw, solve the problem that existing device function is single, cannot flexibly take and place wafer in any position in cell;At the same time, through gas supply system, realize the double function of adsorption taking and placing and ion wind cleaning, effectively reduce the risk of wafer surface pollution, improve the integration and efficiency of taking and placing operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of sapphire production and processing equipment, specifically to a sapphire wafer handling device. Background Technology

[0002] Due to their high hardness and brittleness, sapphire wafers are extremely susceptible to damage during handling and processing in the production flow, such as scratches, chipping, or microcracks, which can affect the yield of the final product. Furthermore, the wafer surface is extremely sensitive to particulate contamination; even the smallest speck of dust can cause subsequent processes to fail.

[0003] Existing wafer handling devices typically employ single-function end effectors, such as pure vacuum chucks or mechanical grippers. Vacuum chucks are convenient for moving horizontally laid wafers between devices, but they cannot handle wafers placed vertically in the middle of a wafer rack, requiring them to be picked up sequentially from top to bottom, resulting in poor flexibility. Mechanical grippers, on the other hand, clamp the wafer by contacting its edge, which can easily create stress concentration and pose a risk of damage to the highly brittle sapphire wafers. Furthermore, existing devices lack active cleaning capabilities, making it difficult to address the problem of microparticle contamination on the wafers or worktable surface. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to overcome the problems in the background art, this utility model provides a sapphire wafer picking and placing device, which solves the problems of existing picking and placing devices having limited functions, being unable to flexibly pick and place wafers in the wafer rack, and easily causing wafer surface contamination.

[0005] A sapphire wafer handling device, characterized in that it comprises a robot body, a multi-functional gripper, an air supply system, and a control system. The multi-functional gripper is mounted on the robot body, the air supply system is connected to the multi-functional gripper, and the control system is electrically connected to the robot body, the multi-functional gripper, and the air supply system. The multi-functional gripper includes an attachment head and a support fork. The air supply system includes a negative pressure source and an ion fan connected to the adsorption head.

[0006] Furthermore, the robot body includes a vertically moving lifting mechanism and a horizontally moving multi-joint robotic arm. The multi-functional gripper is mounted on the power output end of a rotary motor at the end of the horizontal multi-joint robotic arm. The multi-functional gripper is mounted on the rotary motor and selectively switches the suction head or the fork to the working position by rotating the rotary motor.

[0007] Furthermore, the gas supply system also includes a gas path switching valve, which selectively connects the air vents of the adsorption head to a negative pressure source or an ion fan.

[0008] Furthermore, the control system includes a built-in processor and a wafer identification sensor mounted on the multi-functional gripper.

[0009] Furthermore, the adsorption surface of the adsorption head is provided with multiple air holes arranged in an array or ring.

[0010] Furthermore, the support fork has a flat, thin sheet structure, the thickness of which is less than the distance between two adjacent wafers within the wafer frame.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: 1. The suction head and the fork are integrated into a multi-functional gripper, which can be flexibly switched according to different working conditions without the need to change equipment or grippers, thus improving work efficiency.

[0012] 2. The fork structure allows for easy insertion of the wafer rack from the side, supporting and removing wafers from any position, overcoming the limitation of traditional chucks that can only remove wafers from the top, and greatly enhancing operational flexibility.

[0013] 3. The adsorption head can not only adsorb wafers through negative pressure, but also connect to an ion blower to ionize the wafer surface or target area, effectively removing static electricity and dust particles, reducing the risk of contamination and improving product yield. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments are explained.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a front view structural diagram of the present utility model; Figure 3 This is a bottom view of the structure of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a top view of the structure of this utility model; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the multifunctional gripper structure of this utility model; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the multifunctional claw of this utility model.

[0016] Reference numerals: 1-Robot body, 2-Multifunctional gripper, 3-Air supply system, 4-Control system, 11-Lifting mechanism, 12-Horizontal multi-joint robotic arm, 13-Balance spring, 21-Adsorption head, 211-Air hole, 22-Support fork, 23-Rotary motor, 31-Negative pressure source, 32-Ion fan, 33-Air path switching valve. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of this utility model clearer, the preferred embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0018] See Figure 1 This utility model proposes a sapphire wafer picking and placing device, including a robot body 1, a multi-functional gripper 2, an air supply system 3 and a control system 4. The robot body 1 is the motion platform of the entire device, which includes a lifting mechanism 11 for vertical movement and a horizontal multi-joint robotic arm 12 for horizontal extension and rotation. Through the coordinated movement of the lifting mechanism 11 and the horizontal multi-joint robotic arm 12, the multi-functional gripper 2 can be driven to reach a predetermined position and posture in three-dimensional space. See Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 The multi-functional gripper 2 is the core execution component of this device. It is installed at the end of the horizontal multi-joint robotic arm 12. In a preferred embodiment, the gripper is connected to the end of the robotic arm via a rotary motor 23. The multi-functional gripper 2 integrates two pick-and-place structures: an adsorption head 21 and a support fork 22. The adsorption head 21 is used for vacuum adsorption and pick-and-place of flat wafers. Its adsorption surface is provided with multiple air holes 211 arranged in an array or ring. This structure can disperse the adsorption force, avoid stress concentration, and make the wafer safer. The support fork 22 is a flat and thin sheet structure. Its thickness is designed to be less than the spacing between wafers in the standard wafer rack, so that it can be easily inserted from the side between any two wafers and support and remove the target wafer from below. By controlling the rotation of the rotary motor 23, the adsorption head 21 or the support fork 22 can be easily switched to the working position directly below to adapt to different pick-and-place tasks.

[0019] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 The gas supply system 3 provides the necessary gas source for the adsorption head 21. The system includes a negative pressure source 31, such as a vacuum pump or vacuum generator, and an ion fan 32. The negative pressure source 31 is used to generate negative pressure and is connected to the adsorption head 21 through an air pipe to realize the adsorption function of the wafer. The ion fan 32 is used to generate a clean airflow carrying positive and negative ions and is also connected to the adsorption head 21 through an air pipe. It is used to blow the wafer surface or equipment workbench before and after the pick-up and drop operation to neutralize static electricity and remove dust particles. In order to achieve the switching between these two functions, the gas supply system 3 is also equipped with an air path switching valve 33. Under the command of the control system 4, the valve can selectively connect the air path of the adsorption head 21 to the negative pressure source 31 or the ion fan 32.

[0020] The control system has a built-in processor and is connected to the joint motors, rotary motors 23, and electronic control components in the air supply system 3, such as the air circuit switching valve 33, through electrical circuits. The control system 4 also includes a wafer identification sensor and a pressure sensor installed on the multi-functional gripper 2. The identification sensor can be a vision sensor or a laser sensor, used to accurately identify the specific position, center coordinates, and deflection angle of the wafer on the wafer rack or equipment table before picking up and placing. The pressure sensor can detect the adsorption pressure.

[0021] Work process: When a wafer needs to be removed from a specific location in the wafer rack, the processor 41 of the control system 4 first instructs the wafer identification sensor 42 to scan the target area and obtain the precise location information of the wafer. Subsequently, the processor 41 instructs the rotary motor 23 to rotate the fork 22 to the working position and controls the robot body 1 to drive the fork 22 to accurately insert it under the target wafer. The wafer is lifted and moved out by the slight lifting action of the lifting mechanism 11. When it is necessary to place the wafer on the worktable of another device, the processor 41 can instruct the gripper to switch to the suction head 21 and control the air path switching valve 33 to first turn on the ion fan 32 to blow and clean the target placement area, and then turn on the negative pressure source 31 to pick up the wafer from the fork 22 or directly from the source position and place it smoothly in the target position.

[0022] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, but the protection scope of the present utility model is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or changes made by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present utility model, based on the technical solution and the inventive concept of the present utility model, should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A sapphire wafer loading and unloading device, characterized in that, The system includes a robot body (1), a multi-functional gripper (2), an air supply system (3), and a control system (4). The multi-functional gripper (2) is mounted on the robot body (1). The air supply system (3) is connected to the multi-functional gripper (2). The control system (4) is electrically connected to the robot body (1), the multi-functional gripper (2), and the air supply system (3). The multi-functional gripper (2) includes an adsorption head (21) and a support fork (22). The air supply system (3) includes a negative pressure source (31) and an ion fan (32) connected to the adsorption head (21).

2. The sapphire wafer loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot body (1) includes a vertically moving lifting mechanism (11) and a horizontally moving multi-joint robotic arm (12). The multi-functional gripper (2) is installed at the power output end of the rotary motor (23) at the end of the horizontal multi-joint robotic arm (12). The multi-functional gripper (2) is installed on the rotary motor (23). The multi-functional gripper (2) selectively switches the suction head (21) or the fork (22) to the working position by rotating the rotary motor (23).

3. The sapphire wafer loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas supply system (3) also includes a gas path switching valve (33), which selectively connects the air hole of the adsorption head (21) to a negative pressure source (31) or an ion fan (32).

4. The sapphire wafer loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system (4) includes a built-in processor and a wafer identification sensor mounted on the multi-functional gripper (2).

5. A sapphire wafer loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adsorption surface of the adsorption head (21) is provided with a plurality of air holes (211) arranged in an array or ring.

6. The sapphire wafer loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support fork (22) is a flat, thin sheet structure, and its thickness is less than the distance between two adjacent wafers in the wafer frame.

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