Wafer ring flexible handling gripper

Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer ring flexible carrying clamping jaw, aims at providing a wafer ring flexible carrying clamping jaw which is simple in structure, compact in structure, can realize flexible buffering clamping and can be suitable for various specifications of products. The utility model discloses a lifting adjusting component, horizontal flexible monitoring component and clamping jaw component, the horizontal flexible monitoring component is including L type bottom plate and side push plate, the side push plate with the L type bottom plate deflection end floating joint, the clamping jaw component is connected with the L type bottom plate support end through a plurality of straight line slide rails, the lifting adjusting component main part is connected with external mechanical hand, the lifting adjusting component movable end drive the clamping jaw component and wafer ring product cooperation. The utility model discloses be applied to the technical field of product clamping jaw.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of product grippers, and in particular to a flexible handling gripper for wafer rings. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, wafer rings play a crucial role in carrying and transporting wafers. Their specifications are diverse, with mainstream diameters including 150mm, 200mm, and 300mm. Furthermore, wafer rings from different manufacturers vary in details such as edge structure and thickness. Wafer ring grippers need to achieve stable clamping, precise positioning, and safe handling of wafer rings of different specifications. However, traditional gripper technology has shortcomings in driving methods, status monitoring, protection effectiveness, and compatibility, making it difficult to meet the current semiconductor manufacturing demands for efficient, precise, and low-damage handling. Therefore, technological improvements are urgently needed to overcome existing bottlenecks and enhance the overall performance of the grippers. Currently, the gripper products on the market are mainly divided into motor-driven screw grippers and magnetic gripper solutions. Motor-driven screw grippers lack flexible protective structures, resulting in uneven clamping force distribution and a wafer ring deformation rate of 5%-8%. Furthermore, when changing wafer rings of different specifications, this solution requires complete disassembly and replacement of the gripper unit, leading to long changeover times. Magnetic grippers lack both flexible protection and a robust sensing and monitoring mechanism, resulting in a wafer ring surface contamination rate of 20%-30%. Additionally, this solution lacks a reed switch, making it impossible to accurately determine the adsorption status. If a simple, compact, flexible, and buffered wafer ring handling gripper suitable for various product specifications could be designed, these problems could be solved. Utility Model Content

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a wafer ring flexible handling gripper with a simple and compact structure that can realize flexible buffer gripping and is applicable to products of various specifications.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: This utility model includes a lifting adjustment component, a horizontal flexible monitoring component, and a gripper component. The horizontal flexible monitoring component includes an L-shaped base plate and a side push plate. The side push plate is floatingly connected to the deflection end of the L-shaped base plate. The gripper component is connected to the support end of the L-shaped base plate through several linear slide rails. The main body of the lifting adjustment component is connected to an external robotic arm. The movable end of the lifting adjustment component drives the gripper component to cooperate with the wafer ring product.

[0005] Furthermore, the lifting adjustment assembly includes a fixed plate, a lifting cylinder, and a lifting plate. The lifting cylinder is connected to the movable end of an external robotic arm through the fixed plate, and the lifting plate is connected to the movable end of the lifting cylinder and drives the gripper assembly to cooperate.

[0006] Furthermore, the gripper assembly includes a gripper base plate, an upper gripper plate, a lower gripper plate, and a gripper cylinder. The gripper base plate is connected to the movable ends of several linear slide rails. The upper gripper plate is connected to one end of the gripper base plate. The gripper cylinder is disposed on the upper surface of the gripper base plate and drives the lower gripper plate to cooperate with the upper gripper plate.

[0007] Furthermore, a buffer layer is provided on the corresponding side of both the upper clamping plate and the lower clamping plate.

[0008] Furthermore, a floating module is provided between the side push plate and the L-shaped base plate. The floating module includes several adjusting bolts, several floating springs of the adjusting plate, and several equal-height screws. The side push plate is connected to the adjusting plate through several adjusting bolts. The lower end of the adjusting plate is connected to the upper surface of the gripper base plate. The adjusting plate is floatingly connected to the deflected end of the L-shaped base plate through several floating springs and several equal-height screws.

[0009] Furthermore, a first sensor is provided on the upper surface of the gripper base plate, and a first sensing baffle is provided on the lower gripper plate, with the sensor and the sensing baffle engaging in sensing cooperation.

[0010] Furthermore, a second sensor is provided on the upper surface of the gripper base plate, and a second sensing baffle is provided on one side of the side push plate, the second sensing baffle engaging with the second sensor.

[0011] Furthermore, an isolation cover is provided at the upper end of the gripper base plate.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: This application uses a small cylinder as the driving component, which simplifies the overall structure, reduces the number of parts, lowers manufacturing costs and maintenance difficulty, and achieves a lightweight design for the equipment; it is compact and easy to install, and can be adapted to different specifications of wafer rings by adjusting the air pressure, which facilitates its promotion; it is equipped with a reed switch and a photoelectric sensor to build a collaborative monitoring mechanism, which can accurately identify the lifting position of the gripper, the presence or absence of the wafer ring, and whether the wafer ring has fallen in real time, eliminating monitoring blind spots and improving production safety; it is designed with an adjustable clamping structure, which can be adapted to mainstream wafer ring sizes of 150mm-300mm through simple operation, shortening the specification switching time and improving compatibility; it can quickly reset after a failure, shortening downtime and adapting to high-capacity production lines. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the gripper assembly; Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the lifting and adjusting assembly; Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional view of the horizontal flexible monitoring component. Detailed Implementation

[0014] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the present invention includes a lifting adjustment component 1, a horizontal flexible monitoring component 2, and a gripper component 3. The horizontal flexible monitoring component 2 includes an L-shaped base plate 21 and a side push plate 22. The side push plate 22 is floatingly connected to the deflection end of the L-shaped base plate 21. The gripper component 3 is connected to the support end of the L-shaped base plate 21 via several linear slide rails 4. The main body of the lifting adjustment component 1 is connected to an external robotic arm. The movable end of the lifting adjustment component 1 drives the gripper component 3 to cooperate with the wafer ring product. Therefore, this application uses a small cylinder as the driving component, simplifying the overall structure, reducing the number of parts, lowering manufacturing costs and maintenance difficulty, and achieving a lightweight design. It is compact and easy to install, and can be adapted to different specifications of wafer rings by adjusting the air pressure. The structure is simple and easy to promote.

[0015] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the lifting adjustment assembly 1 includes a fixed plate 11, a lifting cylinder 12, and a lifting plate 13. The lifting cylinder 12 is connected to the movable end of an external robotic arm through the fixed plate 11. The lifting plate 13 is connected to the movable end of the lifting cylinder 12 and drives the gripper assembly 3 to cooperate. Therefore, the lifting adjustment assembly 1, in conjunction with the external robotic arm, achieves the function of lifting adjustment.

[0016] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the gripper assembly 3 includes a gripper base plate 31, an upper gripper plate 32, a lower gripper plate 33, and a gripper cylinder 34. The gripper base plate 31 is connected to the movable ends of several linear slide rails 4. The upper gripper plate 32 is connected to one end of the gripper base plate 31. The gripper cylinder 34 is disposed on the upper surface of the gripper base plate 31 and drives the lower gripper plate 33 to cooperate with the upper gripper plate 32. Therefore, the interaction between the upper gripper plate 32 and the lower gripper plate 33 can accommodate various wafer rings of different thicknesses and sizes, demonstrating strong applicability.

[0017] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, buffer layers are provided on corresponding sides of the upper clamping plate 32 and the lower clamping plate 33. Therefore, the stable clamping function between the upper clamping plate 32 and the lower clamping plate 33 is achieved through the flexible adhesion of the silicone layers of the grippers.

[0018] like Figure 1and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, a floating module 5 is provided between the side push plate 22 and the L-shaped base plate 21. The floating module 5 includes several adjusting bolts 51, an adjusting plate 52, several floating springs 53, and several leveling screws 54. The side push plate 22 is connected to the adjusting plate 52 via several adjusting bolts 51. The lower end of the adjusting plate 52 is connected to the upper surface of the gripper base plate 31. The adjusting plate 52 is floatingly connected to the deflected end of the L-shaped base plate 21 via several floating springs 53 and several leveling screws 54. Therefore, the use of a linear slide rail in conjunction with a spring buffer structure in the horizontal direction can absorb lateral impact forces.

[0019] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, a first sensor 6 is provided on the upper surface of the gripper base plate 31, and a first sensing baffle 7 is provided on the lower gripper plate 33. The sensor 6 and the sensing baffle 7 are in responsive engagement. Therefore, the first sensor 6 can sense the gripping status of the upper gripper plate 32 and the lower gripper plate 33.

[0020] like Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, a second sensor 8 is provided on the upper surface of the gripper base plate 31, and a second sensing baffle 9 is provided on one side of the side push plate 22. The second sensing baffle 9 and the second sensor 8 are in sensing cooperation. Therefore, the second sensor 8 can sense the floating status of the gripper base plate 31, resulting in more accurate positioning.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, an isolation cover 10 is provided on the upper end of the gripper base plate 31. Therefore, the isolation cover 10 provides an independent gripping environment for the gripper assembly 3, preventing external environmental factors from affecting gripping accuracy.

[0022] The working principle of this utility model is as follows: Before the equipment is started, the fixed plate 11 is connected to the movable end of the external robot or external moving mechanism. The external robot or external moving mechanism drives the gripper assembly 3 to the upper end of the wafer ring fixture. When the upper clamping plate 32 and the lower clamping plate 33 separate from each other, they extend into the upper and lower ends of the wafer ring. After the external vision positioning system recognizes the successful docking, the gripper cylinder 34 drives the lower clamping plate 33 and the upper clamping plate 32 to move towards each other and clamp the wafer ring, and transfer it to the next worktable. All components are reset, and the above steps are repeated to achieve flexible gripping of the wafer ring.

[0023] Although the embodiments of this utility model are described with reference to actual solutions, they do not constitute a limitation on the meaning of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, modifications to the implementation schemes and combinations with other schemes based on this specification are obvious.

Claims

1. A flexible wafer ring transport gripper, comprising a lifting adjustment assembly (1), a horizontal flexible monitoring assembly (2), and a gripper assembly (3), characterized in that: The horizontal flexible monitoring component (2) includes an L-shaped base plate (21) and a side push plate (22). The side push plate (22) is floatingly connected to the deflection end of the L-shaped base plate (21). The gripper assembly (3) is connected to the support end of the L-shaped base plate (21) through several linear slide rails (4). The main body of the lifting adjustment component (1) is connected to an external robotic arm. The moving end of the lifting adjustment component (1) drives the gripper assembly (3) to cooperate with the wafer ring product.

2. The flexible wafer ring handling gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting adjustment assembly (1) includes a fixed plate (11), a lifting cylinder (12) and a lifting plate (13). The lifting cylinder (12) is connected to the movable end of an external robot arm through the fixed plate (11). The lifting plate (13) is connected to the movable end of the lifting cylinder (12) and drives the gripper assembly (3) to cooperate.

3. The flexible wafer ring handling gripper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gripper assembly (3) includes a gripper base plate (31), an upper gripper plate (32), a lower gripper plate (33), and a gripper cylinder (34). The gripper base plate (31) is connected to the movable ends of several linear slide rails (4). The upper gripper plate (32) is connected to one end of the gripper base plate (31). The gripper cylinder (34) is disposed on the upper end surface of the gripper base plate (31) and drives the lower gripper plate (33) to cooperate with the upper gripper plate (32).

4. The flexible wafer ring handling gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that: A buffer layer is provided on the corresponding side of the upper clamping plate (32) and the lower clamping plate (33).

5. A flexible wafer ring transport gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that: A floating module (5) is provided between the side push plate (22) and the L-shaped base plate (21). The floating module (5) includes several adjusting bolts (51), an adjusting plate (52), several floating springs (53), and several equal-height screws (54). The side push plate (22) is connected to the adjusting plate (52) through several adjusting bolts (51). The lower end of the adjusting plate (52) is connected to the upper end face of the gripper base plate (31). The adjusting plate (52) is floatingly connected to the deflected end of the L-shaped base plate (21) through several floating springs (53) and several equal-height screws (54).

6. The flexible wafer ring handling gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that: The upper surface of the gripper base plate (31) is provided with a first sensor (6), and the lower gripper plate (33) is provided with a first sensing baffle (7). The sensor (6) and the sensing baffle (7) are in sensing cooperation.

7. A flexible wafer ring transport gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that: The upper surface of the gripper base plate (31) is provided with a second sensor (8), and the side of the side push plate (22) is provided with a second sensing baffle (9), which is in sensing cooperation with the second sensor (8).

8. A flexible wafer ring transport gripper according to claim 3, characterized in that: An isolation cover (10) is provided on the upper end of the gripper base plate (31).

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