Wafer pick-and-place finger, robot, and wafer thermal processing system

Abstract

The application relates to a wafer taking and placing finger, a mechanical hand and a wafer heat treatment system, the wafer taking and placing finger comprises a ceramic finger and a connecting pipe, the ceramic finger is provided with a first air hole, a second air hole and a groove, and the first air hole and the second air hole are respectively communicated with two ends of the groove; the connecting pipe is embedded in the interior of the groove, the first air hole and the second air hole are communicated through the connecting pipe to form a vacuum channel, and two ends of the connecting pipe are respectively sealedly connected with the first air hole and the second air hole. The wafer taking and placing finger provided by the application embeds the connecting pipe in the groove of the ceramic finger, and the connecting pipe is respectively communicated with the first air hole and the second air hole on the ceramic finger, so that a vacuum channel can be formed in the interior of the ceramic finger, the manufacturing difficulty of the vacuum channel is reduced, the two ends of the connecting pipe are respectively sealedly connected with the first air hole and the second air hole, so that gas leakage does not exist when the first air hole and the second air hole convey airflow through the connecting pipe, and stable negative pressure for adsorbing wafers can be formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of manufacturing equipment technology, and in particular to a wafer pick-and-place finger, a robotic arm, and a wafer heat treatment system. Background Technology

[0002] In the process of handling workpieces, robotic arms are needed to pick up, place, and transfer them. For example, in the production of semiconductor devices, ceramic fingers are often used to pick up, place, and move wafers due to the advantages of ceramic materials such as high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance. To achieve wafer adsorption, one end of the ceramic finger is equipped with a negative pressure hole for adsorbing the wafer, and the inside of the ceramic finger has a vacuum channel communicating with the negative pressure hole so as to connect to a vacuum pump, thereby generating negative pressure at the negative pressure hole.

[0003] In existing technologies, one method to create a vacuum channel inside a ceramic finger is to prepare the negative pressure hole and vacuum channel in one piece. However, when ceramic sintering and molding are carried out simultaneously, the adhesion between the ceramic material and the mold increases after solidification, especially in the narrow internal channel area (i.e., the vacuum channel). During demolding, stress concentration can easily lead to channel breakage or mold damage. Another method is to create a groove on the back of the molded ceramic finger and connect the groove to the negative pressure hole. Then, an additional ceramic plate is bonded to the back of the ceramic finger, so that the ceramic plate and the groove enclose the vacuum channel. However, during the bonding process of the ceramic plate, the adhesive is applied along both sides of the length of the ceramic plate, and the amount of adhesive applied is relatively large. Because the adhesive is fluid, it can easily cause blockage inside the groove after flowing into it, thus preventing airflow from passing through the vacuum channel. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides a wafer pick-and-place finger, a robotic arm, and a wafer heat treatment system to solve the technical problem of difficulty in creating a vacuum channel inside a ceramic finger in the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a wafer pick-and-place finger, comprising: The ceramic finger has a first vent, a second vent, and a groove. The first vent and the second vent are respectively connected to the two ends of the groove. The first vent is used to connect to the air pump assembly, and the second vent is used to adsorb the wafer. A connecting tube is embedded inside the groove. The first air hole and the second air hole are connected through the connecting tube to form a vacuum channel, and the two ends of the connecting tube are respectively sealed to the first air hole and the second air hole.

[0006] Optionally, the sidewalls at both ends of the groove are inclined in a V-shape, the first air hole and the second air hole are provided through the sidewalls on their corresponding sides, and the two ends of the connecting pipe have bevels that match the sidewalls of the groove.

[0007] Optionally, the circumferential edge of the bevel abuts against the sidewall on its corresponding side, and the bevel and the sidewall on its corresponding side are sealed together.

[0008] Optionally, the connecting pipe is a metal pipe, and a sealing component is provided between the connecting pipe and the groove.

[0009] Optionally, the ceramic finger includes a connecting end and an adsorption end, with a first pore disposed at the connecting end and a second pore disposed at the adsorption end; The adsorption end is provided with an annular step protruding from the surface of the ceramic finger. The annular step is located on the side of the second vent away from the connecting tube, and the annular step is coaxial with the second vent.

[0010] Optionally, the annular step is integrally formed with the ceramic finger, and the outer periphery of the annular step has a rounded corner surface.

[0011] Optionally, the thickness of the annular step and the ceramic finger at the adsorption end is matched with the spacing between two adjacent workpieces, and the ceramic finger is provided with workpiece size markings.

[0012] Optionally, the ceramic finger also includes a connecting segment between the connecting end and the adsorption end, the connecting segment being of the same width as the adsorption end and / or the connecting end.

[0013] Secondly, this application provides a robotic hand, including the wafer pick-and-place fingers provided in the first aspect of this application, and also including a robotic arm and an air pump assembly. The robotic arm is connected to the ceramic fingers to drive the ceramic fingers to move; the air pump assembly is connected to a first air hole to generate negative pressure in a second air hole.

[0014] Thirdly, this application provides a wafer thermal processing apparatus, including the robotic arm provided in the second aspect of this application.

[0015] The technical solutions provided in this application have the following advantages compared with the prior art: The wafer pick-and-place finger provided in this application embodiment has a connecting tube embedded in the groove of the ceramic finger, and the two ends of the connecting tube are respectively connected to the first pore and the second pore on the ceramic finger, forming a vacuum channel inside the ceramic finger, reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the vacuum channel. The two ends of the connecting tube are respectively sealed to the first pore and the second pore, ensuring that there is no gas leakage when the first pore and the second pore are transported through the connecting tube. The first pore is connected to the air pump assembly and is connected to the second pore through the connecting tube, thereby forming a stable negative pressure at the second pore for adsorbing the workpiece. This application forms a vacuum channel between the first pore and the second pore inside the connecting tube. When manufacturing the ceramic finger, since the first pore, the second pore and the groove are all open structures, the demolding difficulty of the ceramic finger can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, embedding the connecting tube in the groove and sealing the two ends of the connecting tube to the first pore and the second pore respectively simplifies the connection and avoids blockage in the middle of the connecting tube, which helps to ensure the reliability of the vacuum channel formed through the connecting tube.

[0016] The robotic arm and wafer thermal processing system provided in this application include the aforementioned wafer pick-and-place fingers, which have the advantages of being easy to manufacture and highly reliable. Therefore, they naturally possess the technical effects of the aforementioned wafer pick-and-place fingers. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the front structure of the wafer pick-and-place fingers provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the back structure of the wafer pick-and-place fingers provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 Explosion of wafer pick-and-place fingers provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 1 ; Figure 4Explosion of wafer pick-and-place fingers provided in the embodiments of this application Figure 2 ; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the back structure of the ceramic finger provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 5 Enlarged detail of section A; Figure 7 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 5 Enlarged detail view of section B; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connecting pipe provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the connection of the first seal, the second seal, and the third seal provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 This is a top view of the wafer pick-and-place fingers provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 11 The following are provided for the embodiments of this application: Figure 10 Sectional view of CC; Figure 12 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 11 Enlarged detail of section E in the middle; Figure 13 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 11 Enlarged detail of section F; Figure 14 The following are provided for the embodiments of this application: Figure 10 The view of the section view of DD after rotating it 90 degrees; Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the use of the wafer pick-and-place fingers provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ; Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the use of the wafer pick-and-place fingers provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 .

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Ceramic finger; 11. First pore; 12. Second pore; 13. Groove; 131. First sidewall; 132. Second sidewall; 14. Connecting end; 141. Connecting hole; 15. Adsorption end; 16. Connecting section; 17. Workpiece size marking; 2. Connecting pipe; 21. First bevel; 22. Second bevel; 3. First sealing element; 4. Circular steps; 41. Rounded corners; 5. Second sealing element; 6. Third sealing element; 7. Wafer. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] The following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments or examples for implementing various structures of this application. To simplify the disclosure, specific examples of components and arrangements are described below. These are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or letters may be repeated in different examples. Such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or arrangements discussed.

[0024] For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used in the text to describe the relative position or movement of one element or feature relative to another element or feature, as shown in the figure. These relative terms include, for example, "inside," "outside," "middle," "outer," "below," "below," "above," "front," "back," etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation, other than those depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure undergoes a positional flip, orientation change, or change of motion, these directional indications will change accordingly. For instance, an element described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" will subsequently be oriented "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features." Therefore, the example term "below" can include both upper and lower orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relative descriptors used in the text will be interpreted accordingly.

[0025] To address the technical problem of creating a vacuum channel inside a ceramic finger in the prior art, this application provides a wafer pick-and-place finger, a robotic arm, and a wafer heat treatment system. The wafer pick-and-place finger has a connecting tube 2 embedded in a groove 13 of a ceramic finger 1, and the two ends of the connecting tube 2 are respectively connected to a first vent 11 and a second vent 12 on the ceramic finger 1. This can form a vacuum channel inside the ceramic finger 1, and the connecting tube 2 is less prone to blockage. This reduces the difficulty of creating a vacuum channel in the ceramic finger 1 while improving the reliability of the vacuum channel.

[0026] Please see Figures 1 to 16 The first aspect of this application provides a wafer pick-and-place finger, including a ceramic finger 1 and a connecting tube 2, such as... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the ceramic finger 1 has a first air hole 11, a second air hole 12 and a groove 13. The first air hole 11 is used to connect to the vacuum pump in the air pump assembly through a pipeline. The second air hole 12 is used to adsorb the wafer 7 through negative pressure, thereby fixing the wafer 7 on the ceramic finger 1.

[0027] The first vent 11 and the second vent 12 are respectively connected to both ends of the groove 13, such as Figure 4 As shown, the connecting tube 2 is embedded inside the groove 13, which can fix the connecting tube 2 in the ceramic finger 1. The first vent 11 and the second vent 12 are connected through the connecting tube 2 to form a vacuum channel. The two ends of the connecting tube 2 are respectively sealed to the first vent 11 and the second vent 12, which can ensure that there is no gas leakage when the first vent 11 and the second vent 12 are transported through the connecting tube 2, thereby forming a stable negative pressure at the second vent 12 for adsorbing the wafer 7.

[0028] It should be noted that in this application, the vacuum channel between the first pore 11 and the second pore 12 is formed inside the connecting tube 2. During the manufacturing of the ceramic finger 1, since the first pore 11, the second pore 12, and the groove 13 are all open structures (i.e., they all have openings penetrating the surface of the ceramic finger 1), the demolding difficulty of the ceramic finger 1 can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, the connecting tube 2 is embedded in the groove 13, and both ends of the connecting tube 2 are sealed to the first pore 11 and the second pore 12 respectively. This connection is simple and avoids blockage in the middle of the connecting tube 2, which helps ensure the reliability of the vacuum channel formed through the connecting tube 2.

[0029] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The first vent 11 and the second vent 12 are formed on the front side of the ceramic finger 1 to facilitate the placement and removal of the wafer 7; the groove 13 is formed on the back side of the ceramic finger 1 to facilitate the connection between the groove 13 and the first vent 11 and the second vent 12.

[0030] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 4 to 8 The sidewalls at both ends of the groove 13 are inclined in a V-shape. The first air hole 11 and the second air hole 12 are set through the sidewalls on their corresponding sides. The two ends of the connecting pipe 2 have bevels that match the sidewalls of the groove 13. When the connecting pipe 2 is embedded in the groove 13, not only can the sidewalls at both ends of the groove 13 be used to guide and position the connecting pipe 2, but also to achieve accurate docking between the bevels at both ends of the connecting pipe 2 and the first air hole 11 and the second air hole 12.

[0031] Specifically, the sidewalls at both ends of the groove 13 are respectively an inclined first sidewall 131 and a second sidewall 132. A first vent 11 is disposed through the first sidewall 131, and a second vent 12 is disposed through the second sidewall 132, as shown below. Figures 5 to 7 As shown. The two ends of the connecting pipe 2 are respectively provided with a first bevel 21 and a second bevel 22, and the first bevel 21 is matched with the first sidewall 131, and the second bevel 22 is matched with the second sidewall 132, as shown. Figures 10 to 13 As shown.

[0032] The first sidewall 131 and the second sidewall 132 at both ends of the groove 13 are inclined in a V-shape to form a trapezoidal guide structure. When the connecting pipe 2 is embedded in the groove 13, the inclined surface of the sidewall cooperates with the inclined opening of the connecting pipe 2, which will naturally guide the connecting pipe 2 to move until the connecting pipe 2 abuts against the inner wall of the groove 13. At this time, the first inclined opening 21 is connected to the first air hole 11 and the second inclined opening 22 is connected to the second air hole 12.

[0033] It should be noted that when the first bevel 21 and the first sidewall 131 are installed in place, the connecting opening formed by the first vent 11 penetrating the first sidewall 131 is completely located inside the first bevel 21, so that the first bevel 21 surrounds the connecting opening of the first vent 11; correspondingly, when the second bevel 22 and the second sidewall 132 are installed in place, the connecting opening formed by the second vent 12 penetrating the second sidewall 132 is completely located inside the second bevel 22, so that the second bevel 22 surrounds the connecting opening of the second vent 12. This is conducive to achieving surface contact sealing between the edge of the bevel and the edge of the vent connecting opening. Even if there are slight dimensional deviations in the connecting opening or the bevel, the design of the bevel surrounding the connecting opening has reserved assembly allowance, which can still maintain the sealed connection between the bevel and the vent connecting opening.

[0034] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 10 to 13 The circumferential edge of the bevel abuts against the sidewall on its corresponding side, and the bevel and the sidewall on its corresponding side are sealed together. Specifically, the circumferential edge of the first bevel 21 abuts against the first sidewall 131, and the circumferential edge of the first bevel 21 is sealed together with the first sidewall 131; the circumferential edge of the second bevel 22 abuts against the second sidewall 132, and the circumferential edge of the second bevel 22 is sealed together with the second sidewall 132. This can achieve a circumferential seal between the first bevel 21 and the second bevel 22, thereby achieving a sealed connection between the first vent 11 and the first bevel 21, and between the second vent 12 and the second bevel 22.

[0035] It should be noted that the circumferential slope of the bevel and the sidewall of the groove 13 form a surface contact, which can increase the sealing area between the end of the connecting pipe 2 and the end of the groove 13. Even if there are minor manufacturing errors, a tight fit can be achieved through the adaptive adjustment of the slope, thereby improving the sealing performance and docking reliability between the connecting pipe 2 and the air hole.

[0036] In the above embodiments, the connecting pipe 2 can be a seamless pipe made of metal or non-metal materials, which can ensure the sealing performance of the connecting pipe 2 itself. By cutting the two ends of the connecting pipe 2 to form a first bevel 21 and a second bevel 22, it can be matched and docked with the side wall of the groove 13. In order to facilitate the assembly and positioning between the connecting pipe 2 and the inner wall of the groove 13, the cross section of the connecting pipe 2 is preferably triangular, rectangular, trapezoidal or other shapes.

[0037] As a specific embodiment of this application, please refer to Figure 10 and Figure 14 The cross-section of the connecting tube 2 is rectangular. When the connecting tube 2 is embedded in the groove 13, the inner walls on both sides and the inner wall on the top of the groove 13 are in contact with the outer wall of the connecting tube 2, which can fix and limit the connecting tube 2 and improve the connection stability between the connecting tube 2 and the ceramic finger 1. The bottom surface of the connecting tube 2 is flush with the back surface of the ceramic finger 1. The setting of the connecting tube 2 will not increase the thickness of the ceramic finger 1, which can make the overall structure of the wafer pick-and-place finger compact and facilitate the insertion of the wafer pick-and-place finger into narrow spaces for operation.

[0038] In some preferred embodiments of this application, the connecting tube 2 is a metal tube, which facilitates its manufacture. Furthermore, metal materials have high strength. When the metal tube is embedded inside the ceramic finger 1, the connecting tube 2 acts as a metal reinforcing rib, improving the overall structural strength of the wafer pick-and-place finger and enhancing its load-bearing capacity. In addition, the metal material has high-temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, which can extend the service life of the connecting tube 2 and the wafer pick-and-place finger.

[0039] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 9 , Figure 12 and Figure 13 A sealing component is provided between the connecting pipe 2 and the groove 13 to seal the gap between the connecting pipe 2 and the groove 13, preventing gas leakage from affecting the sealing performance between the first vent 11 and the second vent 12, thereby ensuring the reliability of gas transmission between the first vent 11 and the second vent 12.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4The sealing assembly includes a first seal 3, a groove 13 formed on the back of the ceramic finger 1, and a connecting tube 2 fully embedded in the groove 13, with the bottom surface of the connecting tube 2 flush with the back of the ceramic finger 1. Figure 2 and Figure 11 As shown. The first sealing element 3 is disposed at the edge of the opening on the back of the ceramic finger 1 in the groove 13, which can achieve circumferential sealing of the bottom of the connecting tube 2, and form a sealed space inside the groove 13 and the connecting tube 2 that communicates only with the first air hole 11 and the second air hole 12.

[0041] It should be noted that when the opening of the groove 13 on the back of the ceramic finger 1 and the connecting tube 2 are sealed together by the first sealing element 3, even if there are tiny gaps between the connecting tube 2 and the inner wall of the groove 13 inside the groove 13, it will not affect the reliability of gas transmission between the first vent 11 and the second vent 12. Only a small amount of airflow will flow between the first vent 11 and the second vent 12 through the gap between the inner wall of the groove 13 and the outer wall of the connecting tube 2.

[0042] In some embodiments of this application, to prevent airflow from flowing between the first air hole 11 and the second air hole 12 through the gap between the inner wall of the groove 13 and the outer wall of the connecting pipe 2, the sealing assembly further includes a second sealing element 5 and a third sealing element 6. Specifically, a second sealing element 5 is provided at the circumferential edge of the first inclined opening 21, and a third sealing element 6 is provided at the circumferential edge of the second inclined opening 22, so as to achieve a sealed connection between the first inclined opening 21 and the first side wall 131, and a sealed connection between the second inclined opening 22 and the second side wall 132. This can completely prevent airflow from entering the gap between the inner wall of the groove 13 and the outer wall of the connecting pipe 2, so that all airflow flows between the first air hole 11 and the second air hole 12 through the connecting pipe 2.

[0043] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 9 The first sealing element 3, the second sealing element 5 and the third sealing element 6 are matched with the connecting tube 2 and are integrally formed. After covering the outside of the connecting tube 2, they are embedded together with the connecting tube 2 into the groove 13 of the ceramic finger 1, thereby realizing the communication and sealing connection between the connecting tube 2 and the first air hole 11 and the second air hole 12.

[0044] It should be noted that the first seal 3, the second seal 5, and the third seal 6 can be formed by applying sealant to the bottom circumferential edge and the circumferential edge of the bevel of the connecting tube 2. After the connecting tube 2 is embedded in the groove 13, the sealant cures to form the first seal 3, the second seal 5, and the third seal 6, thereby improving the connection reliability between the connecting tube 2 and the ceramic finger 1. Since only a small amount of sealant needs to be applied to both ends of the connecting tube 2, there is no risk of clogging the connecting tube 2, which helps to ensure the reliability of the vacuum channel formed between the first vent 11 and the second vent 12.

[0045] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, the connecting pipe 2 can be a straight pipe or a pipe with a curved section. As long as the two ends of the connecting pipe 2 can be connected and sealed with the first air hole 11 and the second air hole 12, the purpose of this application can be achieved. This application preferably sets the connecting pipe 2 as a straight pipe, which can reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the connecting pipe 2 and the matching groove 13.

[0046] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 15 The ceramic finger 1 includes a connecting end 14 and an adsorption end 15. A first vent 11 is provided at the connecting end 14, which can be easily connected to the air pump assembly through an external pipeline. A second vent 12 is provided at the adsorption end 15, which can be easily adsorbed and fixed on the wafer 7.

[0047] The adsorption end 15 is provided with an annular step 4 protruding from the surface of the ceramic finger 1. The annular step 4 is located on the side of the second vent 12 away from the connecting pipe 2, and the annular step 4 is coaxially arranged with the second vent 12. When a negative pressure is generated at the second vent 12, a negative pressure area will be formed in the internal cavity enclosed by the inner circumferential sidewall of the annular step 4. This can extend the range of negative pressure action from the opening area of ​​the second vent 12 to the annular area enclosed by the inner circumferential sidewall of the annular step 4. Figure 13 As shown, this can increase the adsorption area on wafer 7.

[0048] A larger adsorption area can disperse the adsorption force on the wafer 7, avoid deformation or damage to the thin wafer 7 caused by local stress concentration, and also make the negative pressure act evenly on the surface of the wafer 7, reducing the risk of adsorption failure.

[0049] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 10 and Figure 13The annular step 4 and the ceramic finger 1 are integrally formed, which eliminates the possible connection gaps between the annular step 4 and the ceramic finger 1 at the connection interface. This allows the annular step 4 and the ceramic finger 1 to be tightly connected, preventing leakage of the negative pressure area formed by the inner circumferential sidewall of the annular step 4 due to the presence of connection gaps. This ensures the reliability of negative pressure adsorption of the wafer 7 through the annular step 4 and the second pore 12.

[0050] It should be noted that the integral molding of the ceramic finger 1 and the annular step 4 can be directly achieved by mold or 3D printing, which is beneficial to control the positional error between the second pore 12 and the annular step 4; it eliminates the assembly, bonding or welding steps between the annular step 4 and the ceramic finger 1, thus shortening the manufacturing cycle of wafer pick-and-place fingers.

[0051] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 13 The outer periphery of the annular step 4 is provided with a rounded corner surface 41, which can prevent the annular step 4 from causing damage to the wafer 7 due to the sharp edges on the outer periphery of the annular step 4 (such as scratches, abrasions, and fragments). When the ceramic fingers 1 adsorb thin workpieces such as wafers 7, the rounded corner surface 41 provided on the annular step 4 can prevent the workpiece yield from decreasing due to edge scratches.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 16 The thickness H of the annular step 4 and the ceramic finger 1 at the adsorption end 15 is matched with the distance L between two adjacent workpieces (i.e., wafers 7). Specifically, the thickness H of the annular step 4 and the ceramic finger 1 at the adsorption end 15 is less than the distance L between two adjacent workpieces, so that when the wafer pick-up and put-down finger adsorbs the previous workpiece, it will not interfere with the next workpiece adjacent to the previous workpiece.

[0053] Compared with the traditional ceramic finger 1, this application reduces the thickness of the annular step 4 to only two-thirds of the thickness of the conventional step. This can increase the safe distance when the wafer pick-and-place finger is inserted between two adjacent wafers 7, and greatly reduce the problem of friction and collision between the wafer pick-and-place finger and the upper and lower layers of wafers 7 in the wafer carrier box during the pick-and-place process.

[0054] As a specific embodiment of this application, when the distance L between the upper and lower wafers 7 in the wafer carrier box is 4.76mm, the thickness of the annular step 4 is reduced so that the thickness H of the annular step 4 and the ceramic finger 1 at the adsorption end 15 is less than 4.76mm. This makes it easier to adjust the wafer pick-and-place fingers at different transport points. There is sufficient space for the wafer pitch height between adjacent wafers 7. Even if the wafer 7 is warped, the thickness of the wafer pick-and-place fingers can greatly reduce the collision or scratches caused by the wafer pick-and-place fingers to the wafer 7.

[0055] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 10 and Figure 15 The ceramic finger 1 is provided with a workpiece size mark 17 to facilitate the reference of the workpiece adsorption position. When the workpiece adsorption position is accurate, the projection of the edge of the workpiece on the ceramic finger 1 coincides with or nearly coincides with the workpiece size mark 17. By comparing the matching degree between the workpiece edge and the workpiece size mark 17, the operator or machine vision system can quickly determine whether the adsorption position is accurate, which can improve the accuracy of the adsorption position and facilitate the subsequent processing of the adsorbed workpiece.

[0056] It should be noted that when the wafer pick-and-place fingers are used to pick up and place wafers 7 of various sizes, multiple workpiece size markings 17 can be set on the ceramic fingers 1 to correspond to different size standards. Specifically, the workpiece size markings 17 are arcs set concentrically with the second vent 12, which can be used to compare with the edge of the wafer 7 of the corresponding size for adsorption position reference. When the edge of the wafer 7 coincides with the workpiece size markings 17, it means that the wafer 7, the second vent 12 and the annular step 4 are in a concentric state or close to concentric, which can achieve the best adsorption and fixation effect.

[0057] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 10 The ceramic finger 1 also includes a connecting segment 16 connecting the connecting end 14 and the adsorption end 15, making the ceramic finger 1 a long strip structure, which makes it easy to insert the adsorption end 15 into any narrow space for operation; the connecting segment 16 is set to the same width as the adsorption end 15 and / or the connecting end 14, which can increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting segment 16, thereby improving the structural strength of the connecting segment 16 and preventing the connecting segment 16 from breaking, which would affect the reliability and service life of the wafer pick-and-place finger.

[0058] It should be noted that traditional ceramic fingers 1 typically have a slender body structure, with a width smaller than that of the connecting end 14 and the adsorption end 15. When external force is applied to the middle of the finger body, the finger body is very easy to break. This application increases the force-bearing area of ​​the connecting segment 16 to be equal to the width of the adsorption end 15 and / or the connecting end 14, such as three times the width of the traditional finger body, thereby reducing the breakage of the connecting segment 16 and improving the service life of the wafer pick-and-place finger.

[0059] As a specific embodiment of this application, please refer to Figure 10The width of the connecting section 16 is the same as the width of the adsorption end 15, which can achieve a natural connection between the connecting section 16 and the adsorption end 15. When the adsorption end 15 bears the weight of the workpiece, the connection area between the connecting section 16 and the adsorption end 15 will not experience stress concentration due to a sudden change in cross-section. This can prevent the connection area between the connecting section 16 and the adsorption end 15 from breaking, which is beneficial to ensuring the service life of the ceramic finger 1.

[0060] Please see Figures 1 to 16 The second aspect of this application provides a robotic arm, including the wafer pick-and-place fingers described in the above embodiments, and further including a robotic arm and an air pump assembly. The robotic arm is connected to the ceramic fingers 1 to drive the ceramic fingers 1 to move, giving the ceramic fingers 1 multiple degrees of freedom in multiple directions, thereby realizing the movement of the workpiece in space. Specifically, the connecting end 14 of the ceramic fingers 1 is provided with multiple connecting holes 141 for fixed connection with the robotic arm, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 10 As shown. The air pump assembly is connected to the first air port 11 to generate negative pressure in the second air port 12, so as to facilitate the adsorption and fixation of the workpiece.

[0061] In some embodiments of this application, the robotic arm, through the connection of components such as rotary joints and telescopic arms, enables the ceramic finger 1 to have six degrees of freedom, including multi-axis translation and rotation around an axis, which can cover any position and posture in three-dimensional space. It can realize complex trajectory movements (such as arcs and spirals) of the finger when picking up and placing wafers, and is suitable for operation in narrow spaces (such as inside a wafer carrier box).

[0062] In some embodiments of this application, the first vent 11 is connected to the vacuum pump in the air pump assembly via a pipeline, and the second vent 12 is connected to the first vent 11 via a connecting pipe 2. When the vacuum pump performs suction, a negative pressure is generated in the internal cavity formed by the first vent 11, the connecting pipe 2, the second vent 12, and the inner peripheral sidewall of the annular step 4, thereby adsorbing, fixing, and transferring the wafer 7.

[0063] Please see Figures 1 to 16 The third aspect of this application provides a wafer heat treatment system, including the robotic arm described in the above embodiments. Since both the ceramic finger 1 and the metal connecting tube 2 have good heat resistance, the robotic arm can move at high speed between the heat treatment chamber and the cooling zone. The surface of the ceramic finger 1 is smooth, which can avoid electrostatic adsorption of impurities when the wafer 7 is subjected to negative pressure adsorption. The system can adsorb, fix, transfer or move the wafer 7 in the rapid heat treatment process of the wafer 7, and reduce the surface defects caused to the wafer 7 during the picking and placing process.

[0064] In some embodiments of this application, the ceramic finger 1 is made of high-purity alumina ceramic with an alumina content of over 99%, giving the ceramic finger 1 excellent high-temperature resistance, chemical stability, and mechanical properties, enabling it to meet the extreme temperature requirements of rapid thermal processing (RTP). The following requirements must be met during the manufacturing of the ceramic finger 1: the area contacting the wafer 7 (such as the outer peripheral edge of the annular step 4) must be polished; the first pore 11 and the second pore 12 must be unblocked; the surface must be clean and free of dirt and contamination; the entire surface must be deburred and all sharp edges must be blunted.

[0065] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 1 to 16 The manufacturing process of the aforementioned wafer pick-and-place fingers is as follows: Step 1: The ceramic finger 1 and the annular step 4 are produced by integral molding, and the first pore 11, the second pore 12, the groove 13 and the connecting hole 141 are also generated by integral molding; then the formed ceramic finger 1 and the annular step 4 are subjected to fine processing (such as grinding and polishing). Step 2: Embed the connecting tube 2 and the sealing assembly (or apply sealant to the outside of the connecting tube 2) into the groove 13 on the back of the ceramic finger 1, so that the first vent 11 and the second vent 12 are connected and sealed through the connecting tube 2.

[0066] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 1 to 16 The debugging process of the above-mentioned robotic arm is as follows: Step 1: Connect the vacuum pump to the first air hole 11 of the ceramic finger 1 via a pipeline; after turning on the air pump assembly via software control, confirm whether there is suction force in the second air hole 12 within the annular step 4, and place a wafer 7 to test whether it can hold the wafer 7 without leakage. After meeting the above conditions, the wafer pick-and-place finger can be fixedly installed on the robotic arm. After installation, the wafer pick-and-place finger needs to be horizontally adjusted to avoid abnormal situations such as the wafer pick-and-place finger failing to pick up the wafer 7 due to horizontal issues.

[0067] Step 2: Confirm the T-axis, R-axis, and Z-axis positions of the wafer carrier cassette. First, adjust the T-axis by swinging the ceramic finger 1 left and right until it reaches the center of wafer 7, then save the data. The T-axis adjustment is now complete. For the R-axis, insert the ceramic finger 1 into the center of wafer 7 towards the cassette, then save the R-axis data. Next, adjust the Z-axis by inserting the ceramic finger 1 into the bottom of wafer 7 inside the cassette and moving it up and down until it just touches wafer 7. This is the optimal Z-axis position. Adjust the upper and lower limits of the Z-axis as needed. The Z-axis adjustment is now complete. Step 3: Adjust the position of ceramic finger 1 in the heat treatment cavity. This requires confirming the position on the T-axis, R-axis, and Z-axis. First, adjust the T-axis by swinging ceramic finger 1 left and right until it reaches the center of wafer 7, then save the data. The T-axis adjustment is now complete. Next, adjust the R-axis by inserting ceramic finger 1 into the cavity until it reaches the center of wafer 7, then save the R-axis data. Then, adjust the Z-axis by inserting ceramic finger 1 into the bottom of wafer 7 in the cavity and moving it up and down until it just touches the wafer 7. This is the optimal Z-axis position. Adjust the upper and lower limits of the Z-axis as needed to complete the Z-axis adjustment. Step 4: Adjust the position of ceramic finger 1 at the cooling station location. This requires confirming the T-axis, R-axis, and Z-axis positions of the cooling station. First, adjust the T-axis by swinging ceramic finger 1 left and right until it reaches the center of wafer 7. Save the data; the T-axis adjustment is now complete. Next, adjust the R-axis by inserting ceramic finger 1 towards the center of wafer 7 in the cooling station direction. Save the R-axis data. Then, adjust the Z-axis by inserting ceramic finger 1 into the bottom of wafer 7 in the cooling station and moving it up and down until it just touches wafer 7. This is the optimal Z-axis position. Adjust the upper and lower limits of the Z-axis as needed; the Z-axis adjustment is now complete. Step 5: Using ceramic finger 1, reposition wafer 7 at the previously adjusted cassette, cavity, and cooling station positions. Observe whether ceramic finger 1 is centered and at the correct low position at the cassette position, whether the spacing is appropriate, and whether there is any friction during wafer 7 placement. Observe whether wafer 7 is centered at the cavity position and whether there is any displacement during wafer 7 placement and removal. Observe whether wafer 7 is centered at the cooling station position and whether there is any displacement during wafer 7 placement and removal. Step Six: If none of the above abnormalities occur, the transfer points of ceramic finger 1 have been fully debugged.

[0068] Step 7: Verify the robotic arm by transferring wafer 7: continuously transfer more than 1000 wafers to test the stability of the robotic arm in transferring wafer 7; collect surface particle data of wafer 7 for one week to verify whether the particles meet the process requirements; collect the surface metal value of wafer 7 once to verify whether there is metal contamination; if all the above tests meet the requirements, the verification is successful.

[0069] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” as used herein may also include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not construed as requiring them to be performed in a particular order described or illustrated unless the order of performance is explicitly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0070] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or segment from another. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer, or segment discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or segment without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0071] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A wafer pick-and-place finger, characterized in that, include: A ceramic finger (1) is provided with a first air hole (11), a second air hole (12) and a groove (13). The first air hole (11) and the second air hole (12) are respectively connected to the two ends of the groove (13). The first air hole (11) is used to connect to the air pump assembly, and the second air hole (12) is used to adsorb the wafer (7). The connecting tube (2) is embedded inside the groove (13). The first air hole (11) and the second air hole (12) are connected through the connecting tube (2) to form a vacuum channel. The two ends of the connecting tube (2) are respectively sealed to the first air hole (11) and the second air hole (12).

2. The wafer pick-and-place finger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sidewalls at both ends of the groove (13) are inclined in the shape of an octagon. The first air hole (11) and the second air hole (12) are arranged through the sidewalls on their corresponding sides. The two ends of the connecting pipe (2) have bevels that match the sidewalls of the groove (13).

3. The wafer pick-and-place finger according to claim 2, characterized in that, The circumferential edge of the bevel abuts against the sidewall on its corresponding side, and the bevel and the sidewall on its corresponding side are sealed together.

4. The wafer pick-and-place finger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting pipe (2) is a metal pipe, and a sealing component is provided between the connecting pipe (2) and the groove (13).

5. The wafer pick-and-place finger according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The ceramic finger (1) includes a connecting end (14) and an adsorption end (15), with the first pore (11) disposed at the connecting end (14) and the second pore (12) disposed at the adsorption end (15). The adsorption end (15) is provided with an annular step (4) protruding from the surface of the ceramic finger (1). The annular step (4) is located on the side of the second air hole (12) away from the connecting pipe (2), and the annular step (4) is coaxially arranged with the second air hole (12).

6. The wafer pick-and-place finger according to claim 5, characterized in that, The annular step (4) is integrally formed with the ceramic finger (1), and the outer peripheral edge of the annular step (4) is provided with a rounded corner surface (41).

7. The wafer pick-and-place finger according to claim 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the annular step (4) and the ceramic finger (1) at the adsorption end (15) are matched with the spacing between two adjacent workpieces; the ceramic finger (1) is provided with workpiece size markings (17).

8. The wafer pick-and-place finger according to claim 5, characterized in that, The ceramic finger (1) further includes a connecting segment (16) connecting the connecting end (14) and the adsorption end (15), wherein the connecting segment (16) is configured to have the same width as the adsorption end (15) and / or the connecting end (14).

9. A robotic arm, characterized in that, The device includes the wafer pick-and-place finger as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, and further includes a robotic arm and an air pump assembly. The robotic arm is connected to the ceramic finger (1) and is used to drive the ceramic finger (1) to move. The air pump assembly is connected to the first air hole (11) and is used to generate negative pressure in the second air hole (12).

10. A wafer thermal processing system, characterized in that, Including the robotic arm as described in claim 9.

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