Simple clamping jaw cleaning mechanism and wafer transport device

Abstract

The application discloses a simple gripper cleaning mechanism and a wafer conveying device, and relates to the field of wafer production and processing equipment. The gripper cleaning mechanism comprises a cleaning base, a liquid spraying pipe and a gas spraying pipe. The liquid spraying pipe and the gas spraying pipe are connected with the cleaning base. The gas spraying pipe is provided with a gas spraying hole. The liquid spraying pipe is connected with a water source. The gas spraying pipe is connected with a gas source. The liquid spraying hole and the gas spraying hole are both directed towards a wafer gripper. The wafer gripper is subjected to liquid flushing and gas drying by the liquid spraying pipe and the gas spraying pipe in sequence, so that the wafer gripper is cleaned, the cleaning efficiency of the wafer gripper is improved, and the wafer gripper has high cleanliness during use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wafer manufacturing equipment technology, and more specifically, to a simple gripper cleaning mechanism and wafer transport device. Background Technology

[0002] Wafer grippers are an essential tool in semiconductor manufacturing. They are used to hold and position silicon wafers to ensure stability and precision during processing. The cleanliness of the grippers directly affects product yield and manufacturing efficiency.

[0003] The wafer processing involves chemical cleaning, so chemical residues can adhere to the grippers during use, requiring timely cleaning. Currently, grippers contaminated with residual chemicals are typically cleaned manually, which impacts production efficiency.

[0004] In conclusion, improving the cleaning efficiency of wafer clamps is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a simple gripper cleaning mechanism and wafer transport device, which effectively improves the cleaning efficiency of wafer grippers.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0007] A simple gripper cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning base, a liquid spray pipe, and an air spray pipe. The liquid spray pipe and the air spray pipe are both connected to the cleaning base. The liquid spray pipe has a liquid spray hole, and the air spray pipe has an air spray hole. The liquid spray pipe is connected to a water source, and the air spray pipe is connected to an air source. The liquid spray hole and the air spray hole both face the wafer gripper.

[0008] Preferably, the cleaning base has a cleaning tank with the opening of the cleaning tank facing upwards and allowing the wafer clamps to enter. The liquid spray pipe and the air spray pipe are both located inside the cleaning tank.

[0009] Preferably, the wafer gripper includes a support beam with its length direction horizontal. The support beam has several support grooves for placing the wafer, the length direction of which is perpendicular to the length direction of the support beam. The edge of the wafer contacts the bottom of the support groove. The multiple support grooves are arranged along the length direction of the support beam. There are multiple air jet holes and multiple liquid spray holes, both arranged parallel to the length direction of the support beam. When the wafer gripper moves to a position where both the liquid spray holes and air jet holes face the support grooves, the wafer gripper is in a clean position.

[0010] Preferably, the cleaning tank is provided with a lifting platform, and the lifting platform has multiple lifting slots. The opening of the lifting slots faces upward, and the bottom of the lifting slot contacts the edge of the wafer before the wafer jaws move down to the cleaning position.

[0011] Preferably, there are two support beams, and the lifting platform is located between the two support beams. When the wafer is placed on the wafer gripper, a single wafer is in contact with both support beams at the same time. The distance between the two support beams is less than the diameter of the wafer. The support groove on one of the support beams is inclined downward at the end near the other support beam.

[0012] Preferably, there are two support platforms with a gap between them. When the wafer is placed on the support platform, a single wafer is in contact with both support platforms at the same time. The support groove on one support platform is inclined downward at the end near the other support platform.

[0013] Preferably, each of the single supporting beams corresponds to two jet pipes, namely a first air pipe and a second air pipe. The jet hole of the first air pipe is parallel to the depth direction of the supporting groove and perpendicular to the length direction of the supporting groove. The jet hole of the second air pipe is parallel to the length direction of the supporting groove and is located above the supporting beam.

[0014] Preferably, the cleaning tank is fixedly provided with an installation pipe clamp, and the installation pipe clamp has a mating groove for embedding an air jet pipe or a liquid spray pipe.

[0015] Preferably, a diffusion nozzle is fixedly installed at the spray hole of the spray pipe.

[0016] A wafer transport device includes a transmission mechanism and wafer grippers, the transmission mechanism being used to control the movement of the wafer grippers, and also includes the aforementioned simplified gripper cleaning mechanism.

[0017] The simple gripper cleaning mechanism provided in this application moves the wafer grippers to a position where they are aligned with the air jet nozzle and the liquid spray nozzle of the spray pipe when it is necessary to clean the residual liquid on the wafer grippers. The liquid spray pipe sprays water onto the wafer grippers for cleaning, and then the air jet nozzle sprays air onto the wafer grippers for rapid drying, thereby efficiently completing the cleaning of the wafer grippers. Attached Figure Description

[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, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a simplified gripper cleaning mechanism used in an embodiment of this application to illustrate the process of wafer grippers entering a cleaning tank.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a simplified gripper cleaning mechanism used in an embodiment of this application to illustrate the removal of wafer grippers from the cleaning tank.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the cleaning tank during the cleaning process, as shown in the embodiments of this application.

[0022] Figures 1-3 In the accompanying drawings, the reference numerals include:

[0023] 1. Cleaning base; 11. Cleaning tank; 12. Installation pipe clamp; 121. Mating groove; 2. Lifting platform; 21. Lifting groove; 22. Mounting hole; 23. Spacing space; 3. Spray pipe; 31. Spray hole; 32. Diffuser nozzle; 4. Air jet pipe; 41. Air jet hole; 42. First air pipe; 43. Second air pipe; 5. Wafer clamp; 51. Support beam; 52. Support groove. Detailed Implementation

[0024] 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, and 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.

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar words used in this application do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly. An embodiment of this application discloses a simple gripper cleaning mechanism.

[0026] The core of this application is to provide a simple gripper cleaning mechanism and wafer transport device.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

[0028] The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism provided in this application includes a cleaning base 1, a spray pipe 3, and an air jet pipe 4. Both the spray pipe 3 and the air jet pipe 4 are mounted on the cleaning base 1. The spray pipe 3 has spray holes 31 in its wall, and the air jet pipe 4 has air jet holes 41 in its wall. The air jet pipe 4 is connected to a nitrogen gas source (not shown in the figure), and the spray pipe 3 is connected to a plasma water source (not shown in the figure). When cleaning the wafer gripper 5, both the spray holes 31 and the air jet holes 41 are directed towards the part of the wafer gripper 5 that contacts the wafer. The spray pipe 3 and the air jet pipe 4 spray plasma water and nitrogen gas streams onto the wafer gripper 5, respectively.

[0029] The aforementioned simple gripper cleaning mechanism effectively solves the problem of inefficiency when manually cleaning the wafer gripper 5. The plasma water flow rinses the wafer gripper 5 to remove residual chemicals, and the nitrogen gas flow is used to dry the plasma water on the wafer gripper 5, thereby completing the cleaning of the wafer gripper 5 quickly and efficiently.

[0030] The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism provided in this application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] In one specific implementation, reference is made to... Figure 1 and 2 .

[0032] Specifically, the cleaning base 1 is rectangular, and a cleaning tank 11 is provided on the cleaning base 1. The opening of the cleaning tank 11 faces upward and the depth direction of the tank is downward. The cleaning tank 11 allows the wafer clamps 5 to enter from top to bottom. The spray pipe 3 and the air jet pipe 4 are both installed in the cleaning tank 11. The plasma water sprayed from the spray pipe 3 and the washed-down chemical impurities flow into the cleaning tank 11 and are collected, and then discharged through a specific liquid pipe (not shown in the figure).

[0033] Based on the above embodiments, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

[0034] Specifically, the wafer gripper 5 includes a support beam 51, the length of which is horizontal. The support beam 51 has several support grooves 52 for placing wafers. The wafer gripper 5 can hold multiple wafers simultaneously, and these wafers are arranged along the length of the support beam 51. The edges of the wafers contact the bottom of the support grooves 52, and each support groove 52 corresponds to one wafer. The length of the support grooves 52 is aligned with the edge contour of the wafer, and thus perpendicular to the length of the support beam 51. That is, the two walls of the support groove 52 are located on opposite sides of the wafer, preventing the wafer from moving along the length of the support beam 51 when in its placed state.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the length directions of both the spray pipe 3 and the air spray pipe 4 are parallel to the length direction of the supporting beam 51. There are multiple air spray holes 41 and multiple spray holes 31, located on the side walls of the air spray pipe 4 and the spray pipe 3, respectively. The arrangement directions of the multiple air spray holes 41 and the multiple spray holes 31 are parallel to the length direction of either the spray pipe 3 or the air spray pipe 4. After the wafer gripper 5 enters the cleaning tank 11, it moves downwards until both the spray holes 31 and the air spray holes 41 face the supporting tank 52. At this position, the wafer gripper 5 is in a clean position, meaning that the nitrogen gas and plasma water sprayed from the air spray pipe 4 and the spray pipe 3 can directly impact the tank wall or bottom of the supporting tank 52, performing efficient cleaning.

[0036] Based on the above embodiments, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 .

[0037] Specifically, the cleaning tank 11 is equipped with a lifting platform 2, which is used to temporarily lift the wafers on the wafer grippers 5. The lifting platform 2 has multiple lifting slots 21, arranged parallel to the length direction of the support beam 51; and the number of lifting slots 21 in a row is the same as the number of support slots 52 in a row. The openings of the lifting slots 21 face upwards. Before the wafer grippers 5 move down to the cleaning position, the bottom of the lifting slot 21 contacts the edge of the wafer. Therefore, when the wafer grippers 5 continue to move down, the wafers originally located on the support beam 51 are left on the lifting platform 2, the wafers detach from the support beam 51, and the support beam 51 is "emptied," thus preventing obstruction by the wafers during the cleaning process of the support beam 51.

[0038] Based on the above embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown.

[0039] Specifically, there are two support beams 51, with the lifting platform 2 located between them. The distance between the two support beams 51 is less than the diameter of the wafer, so that when the wafer is placed on the wafer gripper 5, a single wafer simultaneously contacts both support beams 51. The arrangement of two support beams 51 ensures that the wafer gripper 5 has two support points for each wafer, thereby improving the stability of its gripping state and reducing the required contact area at a single support point, thus reducing cleaning difficulty. One of the support beams 51 has a support groove 52 that slopes downwards at the end closest to the other support beam 51, designed to improve the fit of the support groove 52 to the wafer edge shape.

[0040] Correspondingly, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, for the same purpose, two support platforms 2 are also provided, with a gap space 23 formed between the two support platforms 2. When the wafer is placed on the support platform 2, a single wafer is simultaneously in contact with the support slots 21 on both support platforms 2. The support slot 21 on one of the support platforms 2 is inclined downward at the end near the other support platform 2.

[0041] Based on the above embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown.

[0042] Specifically, each supporting beam 51 corresponds to two jet pipes 4 and one liquid spray pipe 3, meaning there are four jet pipes 4 and two liquid spray pipes 3 within the cleaning tank 11. The two jet pipes 4 are a first air pipe 42 and a second air pipe 43. The jet nozzle 41 of the first air pipe 42 is parallel to the depth direction of the supporting tank 52 and perpendicular to its length direction. The jet nozzle 41 of the second air pipe 43 is parallel to the length direction of the supporting tank 52 and located above the supporting beam 51. After liquid spraying, the airflow from the second air pipe 43 allows the liquid accumulated in the supporting tank 52 to flow down along its extension direction, while the airflow from the first air pipe 42 replenishes the drying of areas not reached by the gas from the seventh air pipe, improving drying efficiency and effectiveness.

[0043] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, according to the positional requirements of the first air pipe 42, the support platform 2 is provided with an installation hole 22 for the first air pipe 42 to pass through coaxially. That is, the first air pipe 42 passes through the support platform 2, which serves as the mounting base for the first air pipe 42 in the cleaning tank 11. Installation clamps 12 are also fixedly installed on the bottom and walls of the cleaning tank 11. The installation clamps 12 have mating grooves 121 for the second air pipe 43 or the spray pipe 3 to be embedded in. The mating groove 121 has a C-shaped cross-section. When the spray pipe 3 and the second air pipe 43 are embedded in the mating groove 121, their pipe walls abut against the groove wall of the mating groove 121 and have static friction, allowing the second air pipe 43 or the spray pipe 3 to be stably installed in the cleaning tank 11.

[0044] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, since the support tank 52 is narrow and densely arranged, and the number of spray holes 31 is limited, a diffusion nozzle 32 is fixedly installed at the spray hole 31 of the spray pipe 3. The plasma water is sprayed out of the spray pipe 3 through the diffusion nozzle 32 and has a diffusion trend, which improves the flow direction of the plasma water, improves the contact coverage of the support tank 52 and the high-speed water flow, and thus improves the cleaning effect of the wafer gripper 5.

[0045] This application also discloses a wafer transport device, including a transmission mechanism (not shown in the figure), wafer grippers 5, and the aforementioned simplified gripper cleaning mechanism. The transmission mechanism controls the movement of the wafer grippers 5, which can carry wafers to various processing stations. A cleaning base 1 is selectively disposed at a point in the movement path of the wafer grippers 5. When chemical solution adheres to the wafer grippers 5, the transmission mechanism can drive the wafer grippers 5 to move into the cleaning tank 11 of the cleaning base 1 for the aforementioned cleaning process.

[0046] Once the cleaning process is complete, the wafer gripper 5 moves upward, and after the support beam 51 contacts the wafer, the wafer separates from the lifting platform 2. The cleaning process ends when both the wafer gripper 5 and the wafer are removed from the cleaning tank 11.

[0047] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0048] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of a simple gripper cleaning mechanism provided in this application. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are merely for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to this application without departing from its principles, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A simple gripper cleaning mechanism, characterized in that, It includes a cleaning base (1), a spray pipe (3) and an air jet pipe (4). The spray pipe (3) and the air jet pipe (4) are both connected to the cleaning base (1). The spray pipe (3) has a spray hole (31) and the air jet pipe (4) has an air jet hole (41). The spray pipe (3) is connected to a water source and the air jet pipe (4) is connected to an air source. The spray hole (31) and the air jet hole (41) are both facing the wafer clamp (5).

2. The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning base (1) has a cleaning tank (11) with the opening of the cleaning tank (11) facing upwards and allowing the wafer clamp (5) to enter. The spray pipe (3) and the jet pipe (4) are both located inside the cleaning tank (11).

3. The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wafer gripper (5) includes a support beam (51), the length direction of the support beam (51) is horizontal, and a plurality of support grooves (52) for placing the wafer are formed on the support beam (51). The length direction of the support grooves (52) is perpendicular to the length direction of the support beam (51). The edge of the wafer is in contact with the bottom of the support groove (52). The plurality of support grooves (52) are arranged along the length direction of the support beam (51). There are multiple jet holes (41) and liquid spray holes (31). The arrangement direction of the multiple jet holes (41) and the arrangement direction of the multiple liquid spray holes (31) are parallel to the length direction of the support beam (51). When the wafer gripper (5) moves to the point where the liquid spray holes (31) and jet holes (41) are facing the support groove (52), the wafer gripper (5) is in the clean position.

4. The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cleaning tank (11) is provided with a lifting platform (2), and the lifting platform (2) is provided with multiple lifting slots (21). The opening of the lifting slot (21) faces upward. Before the wafer clamp (5) moves down to the cleaning position, the bottom of the lifting slot (21) contacts the edge of the wafer.

5. The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, There are two support beams (51), and the lifting platform (2) is located between the two support beams (51). When the wafer is placed on the wafer gripper (5), a single wafer is in contact with both support beams (51) at the same time. The distance between the two support beams (51) is smaller than the diameter of the wafer. The support groove (52) on one of the support beams (51) is inclined downward at one end near the other support beam (51).

6. The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that, There are two support platforms (2), and a gap space (23) is formed between the two support platforms (2). When the wafer is placed on the support platform (2), a single wafer is in contact with both support platforms (2) at the same time. The support groove (21) on one of the support platforms (2) is inclined downward at one end near the other support platform (2).

7. The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The single supporting beam (51) corresponds to two jet pipes (4), namely a first air pipe (42) and a second air pipe (43). The jet hole (41) of the first air pipe (42) is parallel to the depth direction of the supporting groove (52) and perpendicular to the length direction of the supporting groove (52). The jet hole (41) of the second air pipe (43) is parallel to the length direction of the supporting groove (52) and located above the supporting beam (51).

8. The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The cleaning tank (11) is fixedly provided with an installation pipe clamp (12), and the installation pipe clamp (12) is provided with a matching groove (121) for the jet pipe (4) or the liquid spray pipe (3) to be embedded.

9. The simplified gripper cleaning mechanism according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, A diffuser nozzle (32) is fixedly installed at the spray hole (31) of the spray pipe (3).

10. A wafer transport device, characterized in that, It includes a transmission mechanism and a wafer gripper (5), the transmission mechanism being used to control the movement of the wafer gripper (5), and also includes a simple gripper cleaning mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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