Wafer box automatic cover opening and closing mechanism

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of wafer production technology, and the technical problem that the utility model solves is low efficiency, missed detection and wrong detection. In order to solve the above technical problem, the utility model provides a wafer box automatic cover opening and closing mechanism. The utility model includes: the positioning assembly is arranged on the platform;The positioning assembly includes the substrate and multiple identification elements arranged on the substrate;Multiple identification elements are arranged at intervals;Locking assembly;The door opening subassembly is movably connected with the frame body;The rotary block of door opening subassembly is rotatably connected on the movable door, and the front side of rotary block is provided with a character type protrusion;The fixing part is arranged on the movable door and is used for fixing the cover of wafer box;The detection assembly includes at least one detection element;The driving assembly is connected with the frame body, door opening subassembly and detection assembly;The driving assembly drives the synchronous lifting of movable door and detection element, and the driving assembly drives movable door and detection element to swing back and forth respectively. The utility model improves the efficiency, avoids missed detection and wrong detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wafer manufacturing technology, and in particular to an automatic wafer box cover opening and closing mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, wafer transport is crucial. To minimize wafer contamination during transport between different processes, various standard transport containers, such as front-opening unified pods (FOUPs), are used in production.

[0003] A front-opening wafer cassette (WBC) is a container used in semiconductor manufacturing to protect, transport, and store wafers. It can hold multiple wafers, and its main components are a front-opening container that holds multiple wafers and a front-opening lid. During production, the lid needs to be opened to check if the wafers are correctly positioned. Current technology relies on manually opening and closing the lid, which is inefficient; and manually visually inspecting the wafers for correct placement is prone to omissions and errors. Utility Model Content

[0004] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides an automatic wafer cassette cover opening and closing mechanism, comprising:

[0006] The frame includes a platform;

[0007] A positioning component is set on a platform; the positioning component includes a substrate and multiple identification elements disposed on the substrate; the substrate is provided with vias and through holes; the multiple identification elements are spaced apart; the identification elements include a sensor and a touch rod; the sensor is disposed at the bottom of the substrate and at one end of the through hole; the touch rod is slidably connected to the through hole; the top end of the touch rod contacts the wafer cell and moves downward, and the bottom end of the touch rod is used to trigger the sensor.

[0008] A locking component, located on the platform, is used to secure the wafer cassette placed on the substrate;

[0009] The door opening assembly is movably connected to the frame; the door opening assembly includes a movable door, a rotating block, and a fixing component; the rotating block is rotatably connected to the movable door, and the front side of the rotating block has a straight protrusion; the fixing component is located on the movable door and is used to fix the cover of the wafer box.

[0010] The detection assembly includes at least one detection element;

[0011] The drive assembly is connected to the frame, the door opening assembly, and the detection assembly; the drive assembly drives the movable door and the detection element to move up and down synchronously, and the drive assembly also drives the movable door and the detection element to swing back and forth respectively.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the drive assembly includes a lifting part, a connecting plate, and a swinging part; the lifting part is connected to the frame; the output end of the lifting part is connected to the swinging part through the connecting plate.

[0013] In one embodiment of this utility model, the door opening assembly further includes a connecting rod connected to the movable door; the detection assembly further includes a connecting frame, the detection element is connected to the connecting frame, and the movable door is surrounded by the top of the connecting frame; the swing part includes a first swing power component and a second swing power component, the first swing power component and the second swing power component are respectively connected to the connecting plate; the output end of the first swing power component can extend and retract back and forth, the output end of the first swing power component is movably connected to the bottom end of the connecting frame, and the middle part of the connecting frame is hinged to the connecting plate; the output end of the second swing power component can extend and retract back and forth, the output end of the second swing power component is movably connected to the bottom end of the connecting rod, and the middle part of the connecting rod is hinged to the connecting plate.

[0014] In one embodiment of this utility model, the locking component includes a locking power unit and a movable block; the locking power unit is connected to the frame; the movable block is located in the through hole; the movable block is connected to the output end of the locking power unit, and the locking power unit is used to drive the movable block to move up and down and back and forth; the front end of the movable block is provided with a slot.

[0015] In one embodiment of this utility model, the locking power unit includes a first locking cylinder and a second locking cylinder; the first locking cylinder is connected to the frame, the output end of the first locking cylinder is connected to the second locking cylinder, and the output end of the second locking cylinder is connected to the movable block; the first locking cylinder is used to drive the movable block to move back and forth, and the second locking cylinder is used to drive the movable block to move up and down.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the positioning component further includes a plurality of positioning elements, and the wafer cassette is provided with positioning holes that match the positioning elements.

[0017] In one embodiment of this utility model, the identification element further includes a connector and a spring; the connector is connected to the through hole; the contact rod is connected to the connector via the spring.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the identification element further includes a buffer pad; the buffer pad is disposed on the substrate and is located at the top of the through hole.

[0019] In one embodiment of this utility model, the application further includes a control unit, which is connected to the sensor, locking assembly, door opening assembly, detection element and drive assembly.

[0020] In one embodiment of this utility model, the fixing member is a suction cup.

[0021] The above-mentioned technical solution of this utility model has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0022] The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism described in this utility model can automatically open and close the cover, improving efficiency and reducing costs; it avoids missed detections and incorrect detections, improves the accuracy of wafer inspection, and makes the operation more stable and reliable. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To make the content of this utility model easier to understand, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automatic wafer box cover opening and closing mechanism in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the internal structure of the wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism on the back.

[0026] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the interaction between the identification element and the substrate in the automatic wafer box cover opening and closing mechanism.

[0027] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the locking component in the automatic wafer box cover opening and closing mechanism.

[0028] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the movable block in the automatic wafer box cover opening and closing mechanism shown;

[0029] Instruction manual drawing reference numerals: 100, frame; 110, platform;

[0030] 200, Positioning component; 210, Substrate; 211, Via; 212, Through hole; 220, Identification element; 221, Sensor; 222, Contact rod; 223, Connector; 224, Spring; 225, Buffer pad; 230, Positioning component;

[0031] 300. Locking assembly; 310. Locking power unit; 311. First locking cylinder; 312. Second locking cylinder; 320. Movable block; 321. Slot;

[0032] 400. Door opening assembly; 410. Sliding door; 420. Rotating block; 421. Protrusion; 430. Fixture; 440. Connecting rod;

[0033] 500. Detection assembly; 510. Detection element; 520. Connecting frame;

[0034] 600, Drive assembly; 610, Lifting part; 620, Connecting plate; 630, Swinging part; 631, First swinging power component; 632, Second swinging power component. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can better understand and implement the present invention. However, the embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0036] Reference Figures 1-5 As shown, this utility model embodiment provides an automatic wafer cassette cover opening and closing mechanism, comprising:

[0037] The frame is 100, and a platform 110 is provided;

[0038] A positioning component 200 is disposed on a platform 110. The positioning component 200 includes a substrate 210 and a plurality of identification elements 220 disposed on the substrate 210. The substrate 210 is provided with vias 211 and through holes 212. The plurality of identification elements 220 are spaced apart. Each identification element 220 includes a sensor 221 and a contact rod 222. The sensor 221 is disposed at the bottom of the substrate 210 and at one end of the through hole 212. The contact rod 222 is slidably connected to the through hole 212. After the top end of the contact rod 222 contacts the wafer cassette, it moves downward, and the bottom end of the contact rod 222 is used to trigger the sensor 221.

[0039] Locking component 300, disposed on platform 110, is used to fix the wafer cassette placed on substrate 210;

[0040] The door opening assembly 400 is movably connected to the frame 100; the door opening assembly 400 includes a movable door 410, a rotating block 420 and a fixing member 430; the rotating block 420 is rotatably connected to the movable door 410, and the front side of the rotating block 420 is provided with a straight protrusion 421; the fixing member 430 is provided on the movable door 410 and is used to fix the cover of the wafer box.

[0041] The detection assembly 500 includes at least one detection element 510;

[0042] The drive assembly 600 is connected to the frame 100, the door opening assembly 400, and the detection assembly 500. The drive assembly 600 drives the movable door 410 and the detection element 510 to move up and down synchronously, and the drive assembly 600 also drives the movable door 410 and the detection element 510 to swing back and forth respectively.

[0043] The wafer cassette is placed on substrate 210 (with the cover of the wafer cassette facing the door opening assembly 400). During placement, the identification element 220 determines if a wafer cassette is on substrate 210. If so, the locking assembly 300 moves to fix the wafer cassette to substrate 210. The fixing member 430 secures the cover to the movable door 410. Then, rotating the rotating block 420 unlocks and opens the wafer cassette cover. The movable door 410 swings, causing the cover to tilt backward, thus separating the cover from the wafer cassette and exposing the wafer pick-up / placement port. The detection assembly 500 is then driven to swing, aligning the detection element 510 with the pick-up / placement port. As the detection assembly 500 moves up and down, it scans the wafer status to detect issues such as single wafers, wafer overlap, or abnormal wafers.

[0044] Specifically, when the wafer cassette is placed on the substrate 210, multiple contact rods 222 contact different positions on the bottom of the wafer cassette, thereby identifying whether the wafer cassette is flat. This avoids situations such as the temporary storage material 500 being tilted when placed on the base 410, which could lead to misjudgment by the detection element 510 when identifying multiple single wafers, cross-wafers, or abnormal wafers in the wafer cassette, thus improving the accuracy of wafer detection.

[0045] In addition, the drive component 600 of this application drives the door opening component 400 and the detection component 500 to move up and down synchronously, and the drive component 600 can drive the movable door 410 and the detection element 510 to swing back and forth respectively, so that when the detection element 510 detects the wafer, it will not interfere with the movable door 410.

[0046] Therefore, this application can automate the opening and closing of the wafer cover, improve efficiency, reduce costs, avoid missed or incorrect detections, improve the accuracy of wafer inspection, and make the operation more stable and reliable.

[0047] Furthermore, the drive assembly 600 includes a lifting part 610, a connecting plate 620, and a swing part 630; the lifting part 610 is connected to the frame 100; the output end of the lifting part 610 is connected to the swing part 630 through the connecting plate 620. The door opening assembly 400 also includes a connecting rod 440 connected to the movable door 410; the detection assembly 500 also includes a connecting frame 520, the detection element 510 is connected to the connecting frame 520, and the movable door 410 is surrounded by the top of the connecting frame 520; the swing part 630 includes a first swing power member 631 and a second swing power member 632, the first swing power member 631 and the second swing power member 632 are respectively connected to the connecting plate 620; the output end of the first swing power member 631 can extend and retract back and forth, the output end of the first swing power member 631 is movably connected to the bottom end of the connecting frame 520, and the middle part of the connecting frame 520 is hinged to the connecting plate 620; the output end of the second swing power member 632 can extend and retract back and forth, the output end of the second swing power member 632 is movably connected to the bottom end of the connecting rod 440, and the middle part of the connecting rod 440 is hinged to the connecting plate 620.

[0048] Specifically, the structure in this embodiment makes the swing of the movable door 410 and the detection element 510 more stable and reliable, and avoids interference between the swing of the movable door 410 and the detection element 510.

[0049] Furthermore, the locking assembly 300 includes a locking power unit 310 and a movable block 320; the locking power unit 310 is connected to the frame 100; the movable block 320 is located in the through hole 211; the movable block 320 is connected to the output end of the locking power unit 310, and the locking power unit 310 is used to drive the movable block 320 to move up and down and back and forth; the front end of the movable block 320 is provided with a slot 321.

[0050] Specifically, in this embodiment, the movable block 320 rises and then moves forward so that the slot 321 engages with the protrusion 421 at the bottom of the wafer cassette, thereby fixing the wafer cassette onto the substrate 210.

[0051] Furthermore, the locking power unit 310 includes a first locking cylinder 311 and a second locking cylinder 312; the first locking cylinder 311 is connected to the frame 100, the output end of the first locking cylinder 311 is connected to the second locking cylinder 312, and the output end of the second locking cylinder 312 is connected to the movable block 320; the first locking cylinder 311 is used to drive the movable block 320 to move back and forth, and the second locking cylinder 312 is used to drive the movable block 320 to move up and down.

[0052] Specifically, in this embodiment, the movable block 320 is raised and lowered and moved forward and backward by the cooperation of the first locking cylinder 311 and the second locking cylinder 312. The structure is simple and the operation is reliable.

[0053] Furthermore, the positioning assembly 200 also includes a plurality of positioning elements 230, and the wafer cassette is provided with positioning holes that match the positioning elements 230.

[0054] Specifically, when the wafer cassette is placed on the substrate 210, the positioning member 230 in this embodiment cooperates with the positioning hole on the wafer cassette to ensure the consistency of the wafer cassette's position on the substrate 210, thereby facilitating the robot arm in the next process to quickly and accurately pick up the product.

[0055] Furthermore, the identification element 220 also includes a connector 223 and a spring 224; the connector 223 is connected to the through hole 212; the contact rod 222 is connected to the connector 223 via the spring 224.

[0056] Specifically, when the wafer cassette is placed on the positioning component 200, the weight of the wafer cassette can press down the contact rod 222. When the wafer cassette is removed, the contact rod 222 is reset by the action of the spring 224, thereby realizing the undriven up and down movement of the contact rod 222, which makes the structure simpler.

[0057] Furthermore, the identification element 220 also includes a buffer pad 225; the buffer pad 225 is disposed on the substrate 210 and is located at the top of the through hole 212.

[0058] Specifically, when the wafer cassette is placed on the positioning component 200, the wafer cassette directly contacts the buffer pad 225 and does not contact the substrate 210, thereby avoiding the wafer cassette from being bumped or scratched.

[0059] Furthermore, this application also includes a control unit, which is connected to sensor 221, locking assembly 300, door opening assembly 400, detection element 510 and drive assembly 600.

[0060] Specifically, in this embodiment, the controller can connect the sensor 221, suction cup, lifting part 610, first swing power component 631, second swing power component 632, first locking cylinder 311, second locking cylinder 312, etc., so as to realize the connection between the above components, so as to achieve the purpose of automated control, improve production efficiency, and reduce costs.

[0061] Furthermore, the fastener 430 uses a suction cup.

[0062] Specifically, the suction cup can be used to attach the cover to the movable door 410 without damage, and it can also be easily separated from the movable door 410, making it more convenient to use.

[0063] This application relates to a key piece of equipment used in wafer manufacturing for loading and unloading wafer cassettes, which ensures efficient wafer transport in a clean environment.

[0064] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An automatic wafer cassette cover opening and closing mechanism, characterized in that: include: The frame includes a platform; A positioning component is installed on the platform; The positioning assembly includes a substrate and a plurality of identification elements disposed on the substrate; the substrate has vias and through holes; the plurality of identification elements are spaced apart; each identification element includes a sensor and a touch rod; the sensor is disposed at the bottom of the substrate and at one end of the through hole; the touch rod is slidably connected to the through hole; the top end of the touch rod contacts the wafer cassette and moves downward, and the bottom end of the touch rod is used to trigger the sensor; A locking component, disposed on the platform, is used to secure the wafer cassette placed on the substrate; A door opening assembly is movably connected to the frame; the door opening assembly includes a movable door, a rotating block, and a fixing component; the rotating block is rotatably connected to the movable door, and the front side of the rotating block is provided with a straight protrusion; the fixing component is provided on the movable door and is used to fix the cover of the wafer box; The detection assembly includes at least one detection element; A drive assembly is connected to the frame, the door opening assembly, and the detection assembly; The drive assembly drives the movable door and the detection element to move up and down synchronously, and the drive assembly also drives the movable door and the detection element to swing back and forth respectively.

2. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive assembly includes a lifting part, a connecting plate, and a swinging part; the lifting part is connected to the frame; the output end of the lifting part is connected to the swinging part through the connecting plate.

3. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The door opening assembly further includes a connecting rod connected to the movable door; the detection assembly further includes a connecting frame, the detection element is connected to the connecting frame, and the movable door is surrounded by the top of the connecting frame; the swinging part includes a first swinging power component and a second swinging power component, the first swinging power component and the second swinging power component are respectively connected to the connecting plate; the output end of the first swinging power component can extend and retract back and forth, the output end of the first swinging power component is movably connected to the bottom end of the connecting frame, and the middle part of the connecting frame is hinged to the connecting plate; the output end of the second swinging power component can extend and retract back and forth, the output end of the second swinging power component is movably connected to the bottom end of the connecting rod, and the middle part of the connecting rod is hinged to the connecting plate.

4. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking assembly includes a locking power unit and a movable block; the locking power unit is connected to the frame. The movable block is located in the through hole; the movable block is connected to the output end of the locking power unit, which is used to drive the movable block to move up and down and back and forth; the front end of the movable block is provided with a slot.

5. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The locking power unit includes a first locking cylinder and a second locking cylinder; the first locking cylinder is connected to the frame, the output end of the first locking cylinder is connected to the second locking cylinder, and the output end of the second locking cylinder is connected to the movable block; The first locking cylinder is used to drive the movable block to move back and forth, and the second locking cylinder is used to drive the movable block to move up and down.

6. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning assembly also includes a plurality of positioning elements, and the wafer cassette is provided with positioning holes that match the positioning elements.

7. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The identification element further includes a connector and a spring; the connector is connected to the through hole; the contact rod is connected to the connector via a spring.

8. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The identification element further includes a buffer pad; the buffer pad is disposed on the substrate and is located at the top of the through hole.

9. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a control unit, which is connected to the sensor, the locking assembly, the door opening assembly, the detection element, and the drive assembly.

10. The wafer cassette automatic cover opening and closing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fastener is a suction cup.

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