Wafer processing automatic loading and unloading device and wafer processing equipment with same

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of wafer processing automatic feeding and discharging devices and wafer processing equipment with it, a pair of bearing rod is connected in transfer station with drive assembly, first motor output end is connected with first transmission assembly in material moving mechanism, clamping cylinder is set on slide, slide is connected with first transmission assembly, clamping cylinder is driven and moves wafer piece from wafer box to bearing rod, or wafer piece is moved from bearing rod to wafer box, when first carrying unit and second carrying unit in handling mechanism are configured one wafer piece on bearing rod is carried and separated from bearing rod, another wafer piece is carried to bearing rod.The utility model realizes the removal of wafer piece in wafer box by the cooperation of material moving mechanism and jacking mechanism, wafer piece is carried by transfer station, first carrying unit and second carrying unit alternately execute the carrying between wafer piece in transfer station and external processing equipment, and wafer piece can be efficiently automatically fed and discharged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wafer processing equipment technology, and in particular to an automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device and a wafer processing equipment having the same. Background Technology

[0002] In the wafer processing, wafers (wafer glass) need to be cut and cleaved to form smaller silicon wafers to meet application requirements. For example, the wafer glass cutting device in the applicant's earlier application with application number 202421830925.4 can cut individual wafers.

[0003] In the aforementioned wafer glass cutting apparatus, manual loading and unloading not only wastes manpower and resources but also affects processing efficiency. To improve processing efficiency, an automated loading and unloading mechanism can be used to load and unload wafers. In the prior art, such as the wafer loading and unloading mechanism with application number 202223321984.2, it is disclosed that a lifting mechanism is used to control the lifting and lowering of the wafer box to ensure that each wafer in the wafer box is at the same horizontal height when it is grabbed. The picking and placing mechanism moves smoothly and reliably, and the picking and placing mechanism can put the used wafers back into the wafer box. However, this prior art lacks a wafer transfer mechanism and cannot achieve synchronous loading and unloading of wafers, which affects the loading and unloading efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide an automatic wafer loading and unloading device and a wafer processing equipment having the same. The automatic wafer loading and unloading device uses the cooperation of a transfer mechanism and a lifting mechanism to move wafers in the wafer box. The wafers are carried by a transfer table. The first handling unit and the second handling unit take turns to perform the handling of wafers between the transfer table and the external processing equipment, which can realize efficient automatic loading and unloading of wafers.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: an automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device, comprising a machine base and a component disposed on the machine base:

[0006] The lifting mechanism has a top end for placing the wafer cassette and driving the wafer cassette to move up and down.

[0007] A transfer station includes a drive assembly and support rods. A pair of support rods are slidably mounted on a bracket on the machine platform and are respectively connected to the drive assembly. The pair of support rods are driven to move closer together to support wafers.

[0008] The material handling mechanism includes a first motor, a first transmission assembly, a sliding plate, and a clamping cylinder. The output end of the first motor is connected to the first transmission assembly. The clamping cylinder is mounted on the sliding plate, which is mounted on a first guide rail and connected to the first transmission assembly. The clamping cylinder is driven to move wafer components from the wafer cassette to a support rod, or to move wafer components from the support rod to the wafer cassette.

[0009] The transport mechanism includes a first transport unit and a second transport unit, which are configured such that when one transports a wafer located on the support rod away from the support rod, the other transports the wafer onto the support rod.

[0010] As a further optimization, the lifting mechanism includes a second motor, a second transmission assembly, and a lifting frame. The second motor is mounted on the mounting plate of the machine base, the second transmission assembly is connected to the second motor, and the lifting frame is connected to the second transmission assembly and its upper end is used to support the wafer cassette.

[0011] As a further optimization, the lifting frame includes an upper plate, connecting guide rods, and a lower plate. The upper plate is used to support the wafer cassette and is connected to the lower plate through multiple connecting guide rods. The connecting guide rods pass through the mounting plate. The second transmission component is a lead screw and nut pair. The nut in the lead screw and nut pair is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate, and the lead screw in the lead screw and nut pair passes through the nut and is rotatably mounted on the bearing seats of the upper and lower plates.

[0012] As a further optimization, the upper end of the lifting frame is equipped with multiple limiting blocks for positioning the wafer cassette, which can ensure the accuracy and stability of the wafer cassette position.

[0013] As a further optimization, the drive assembly includes a third motor and a third transmission assembly. The third motor is mounted on the bracket and connected to the third transmission assembly. The support rod is mounted on the bracket via a second guide rail pair and connected to the third transmission assembly.

[0014] As a further optimization, the pair of support rods have clearance notches on the side closest to each other, which can be used to support and position the wafer.

[0015] As a further optimization, the first conveying unit includes a first translation module, a first lifting cylinder, a first connecting plate, and a first vacuum adsorption component. The first lifting cylinder is disposed at the output end of the first translation module, and the first connecting plate is disposed at its output end. The first vacuum adsorption component is disposed on the first connecting plate.

[0016] As a further optimization, the second transport unit includes a second translation module, an extension plate, a second lifting cylinder, a second connecting plate, and a second vacuum adsorption component. The second lifting cylinder is disposed at the output end of the second translation module via the extension plate, and the output end of the second lifting cylinder is provided with the second connecting plate. The second vacuum adsorption component is disposed on the second connecting plate and is located at a different height from the first vacuum adsorption component.

[0017] As a further optimization, the vertical projections of the moving trajectories of the first and second vacuum adsorption components coincide.

[0018] This utility model also provides a wafer processing equipment, including the above-mentioned automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device, as well as a feeding mechanism and a processing mechanism.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the automatic loading and unloading device for wafer processing realizes the transfer of wafer components in the wafer box through the cooperation of the transfer mechanism and the lifting mechanism, and the wafer components are carried by the transfer platform. The first handling unit and the second handling unit take turns to perform the handling of wafer components between the transfer platform and the external processing equipment, which can realize the efficient automatic loading and unloading of wafer components. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device of this utility model after removing the machine base.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the lifting mechanism, transfer platform, and material transfer mechanism in the automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device of this utility model.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the transfer station in the automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device of this utility model.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the conveying mechanism in the automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the wafer processing equipment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The following are specific embodiments of the present invention, which are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0027] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, an automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device includes a machine base 10, and a lifting mechanism 20, a transfer mechanism 30, a transfer platform 40, and a conveying mechanism 50 disposed on the machine base 10. The upper end of the lifting mechanism 20 is used to place a wafer cassette 100 and drive the wafer cassette 100 to move up and down. The transfer platform 40 includes a drive assembly 41 and a support rod 42. A pair of support rods 42 are slidably disposed on a bracket 400 located on the machine base 10 and are respectively connected to the drive assembly 41. The pair of support rods 42 are driven to move closer to each other to carry the wafer cassette 101. The transfer mechanism 30 is disposed on the bracket 400 or on another support frame fixed to the machine base 10 or the bracket 400. The transfer mechanism 30 includes a first motor 31, a first transmission assembly 32, a slide plate 33, and a clamping cylinder 34. The output end of the first motor 31 is connected to the first transmission assembly 32. The first transmission assembly can... The structure is a combination of "belt + roller". A pair of rollers are rotatably mounted on the support frame, and a belt is fitted on the outer side of both rollers. The output end of the first motor 31 is connected to one of the rollers. The clamping cylinder 34 is mounted on the slide plate 33. The slide plate 33 is mounted on the first guide rail pair 331 located on the support frame. The slide plate 33 is fixedly connected to the first transmission component 32 (i.e., belt). The clamping cylinder 34 is driven to move the wafer 101 from the wafer box 100 to the pair of support rods 42, or to move the wafer 101 from the pair of support rods 42 to the wafer box 100. The handling mechanism 50 includes a first handling unit 51 and a second handling unit 52. The first handling unit 51 and the second handling unit 52 are configured such that when one of them moves the wafer 101 located on the pair of support rods 42 away from the support rods 42, the other moves the wafer 101 to the pair of support rods 42.

[0028] In this invention, the wafer component 101 is a component that positions the wafer using an iron ring and a film (i.e., the wafer is placed at the center of the film, and the periphery of the film is attached to the iron ring). In the wafer cassette 100, its inner wall has multiple positioning grooves 1001 spaced vertically apart, and multiple wafer components 101 are placed in these grooves via iron rings. When applying this invention, the lifting mechanism 20 raises the wafer cassette 100 to a corresponding height until one of the wafer components 101 (such as the uppermost wafer component 101) is flush with the working surface of the clamping cylinder 34 in the transfer mechanism 30. The first motor 31 drives the first transmission assembly 32 to move. During this movement, the belt in the first transmission assembly 32 drives the sliding plate 33 and the clamping cylinder 34 to move horizontally towards the lifting mechanism 20. At this time, the drive assembly 41 drives a pair of support rods 42 to move away from each other, forming the sliding plate 33 and the clamping cylinder 34. The movement path of the holding cylinder 34 is adjusted, and the end of the holding cylinder 34 extends into the wafer cassette 100 and clamps the iron ring of the wafer 101 at the corresponding position. After clamping the wafer 101, the holding cylinder 34 is driven to reset. When it moves below the conveying mechanism 50, the drive assembly 41 drives a pair of support rods 42 to move closer to each other at the position of the iron ring used to support the wafer 101. The holding cylinder 34 separates from the wafer 101. When the first conveying unit 51 is unloaded, it is moved by an action (such as by adsorption) to the position of the wafer 101. A pair of support rods 42 hold a wafer 101, which is then transferred to an external processing device. Simultaneously, a second transport unit 52 transfers another wafer 101, processed at the external processing device, to a pair of support rods 42 on a transfer table 40. The transfer mechanism 30 then uses its clamping cylinder 34 to pick up the other wafer 101. The pair of support plates 42 are driven to move away from each other, and the transfer mechanism 30 places the other wafer 101 into the wafer cassette 100 (corresponding to...). The wafer 101 that has been removed is located in the positioning slot 1001. The clamping cylinder 34 is driven to exit the wafer box 100. The wafer box 100 is then driven by the lifting mechanism 20 to move up to a corresponding position so that the wafer 101 located below can be flush with the working surface of the clamping cylinder 34. The transfer mechanism 30 then removes the wafer 101 again. By repeating the above actions, the loading and unloading of wafer 101 can be realized quickly, and the loading and unloading processes do not affect each other, which facilitates the automatic loading and unloading of wafers and can improve the feeding efficiency.

[0029] The automatic wafer loading and unloading device in this application uses the cooperation of the transfer mechanism 30 and the lifting mechanism 20 to move the wafer components 101 in the wafer box 100. The wafer components 101 are carried by the transfer table 40. The first transport unit 51 and the second transport unit 52 take turns to transport the wafer components 101 from the transfer table 40 to the external processing equipment. This can realize the efficient automatic loading and unloading of the wafer components 101, improve the loading and unloading efficiency of the wafer components 101, and further improve the wafer processing efficiency.

[0030] Preferably, the lifting mechanism 20 includes a second motor 21, a second transmission component 22, and a lifting frame 23. The second motor 21 is mounted on the mounting plate 202, which is fixedly connected to the machine base 10 via multiple connecting rods 201. The second transmission component 22 is connected to the second motor 21, and the lifting frame 23 is connected to the second transmission component 22, with its upper end used to support the wafer cassette 100. The second motor 21 can precisely control the movement of the second transmission component 22, thereby driving the lifting frame 23 to move precisely, so that the wafer cassette 101 located in the positioning slot 1001, or the positioning slot 1001, is precisely aligned with the working surface of the clamping cylinder 34.

[0031] Specifically, the lifting frame 23 includes an upper plate 231, connecting guide rods 232, and a lower plate 233. The upper plate 231 is used to support the wafer cassette 100 and is connected to the lower plate 233 via multiple connecting guide rods 232. The connecting guide rods 232 pass through guide cylinders 2020 on the mounting plate 202. The second transmission assembly 22 is a lead screw and nut pair. The nut in the lead screw and nut pair is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate 202 and keeps its position fixed, i.e., it can only rotate and not move up and down. The lead screw in the lead screw and nut pair passes through the nut and is rotatably mounted on the bearing seats of the upper plate 231 and the lower plate 233. The motor 21 is connected to the nut in the lead screw and nut pair via a combination of rollers and belts. The rollers are located at the output end of the second motor 21, and the belts are fitted onto the rollers and the nut in the lead screw and nut pair. The second motor 21 can drive the nut in the lead screw and nut pair to rotate. However, since the vertical position of the nut in the lead screw and nut pair remains unchanged, it drives the lead screw in the lead screw and nut pair to rotate and move up and down, thereby driving the lifting frame 23 to move up and down. The connecting guide rod 232 passes through the guide cylinder 2020 on the mounting plate 202 to ensure the stability and accuracy of the vertical movement of the lifting frame 23.

[0032] Furthermore, the upper end of the lifting frame 23 (i.e. the upper surface of the upper plate 231) is provided with multiple limiting blocks for positioning the wafer cassette 100, which can ensure the accuracy and stability of the wafer cassette 100's position on the lifting mechanism 20.

[0033] like Figure 4As shown, in the transfer station 40, preferably, the drive assembly 41 includes a third motor 411 and a third transmission assembly 412. The third motor 411 is mounted on the bracket 400. The third transmission assembly 412 can also be a combination of "roller + belt". For example, a pair of rollers are rotatably mounted on the bracket 400, and belts are fitted on their outer sides. One of the rollers is connected to the output end of the third motor 411. A pair of bearing rods 42 are mounted on the bracket 400 through the second guide rail pair 413 and are respectively connected to the opposite sides of the belt in the third transmission assembly 412. Therefore, it is possible to drive the pair of bearing rods 42 to move closer to each other or further away from each other.

[0034] Furthermore, a clearance notch 420 is provided on one side of each other on the pair of support rods 42. The pair of clearance notches 420 can both support the wafer 101 and position the wafer 101, avoiding the wafer 101 from shifting or misaligning in a lateral direction, and facilitating precise docking with the handling mechanism 50.

[0035] Combination Figure 5 As shown, in the conveying mechanism 50, the first conveying unit 51 is located below the second conveying unit 52. The first conveying unit 51 includes a first translation module 511, a first lifting cylinder 512, a first connecting plate 513, and a first vacuum adsorption component 514. The first translation module 511 can be a structure that can drive linear movement, such as an electric cylinder. The first lifting cylinder 512 is located at the output end of the first translation module 511, and its output end is provided with the first connecting plate 513. The first vacuum adsorption component 514 is located on the first connecting plate 513. The first vacuum adsorption component 514 can be driven to translate and lift, so that it can adsorb the iron ring of the wafer 101 through its vacuum nozzle. Correspondingly, the second conveying unit 52 includes a second translation module 521, an extension plate 522, a second lifting cylinder 523, a second connecting plate 524, and a second vacuum adsorption component 525. The second translation module 521 can also be a structure that can drive linear movement, such as an electric cylinder. The second lifting cylinder 523 is set at the output end of the second translation module 521 through the extension plate 522, and its output end is provided with the second connecting plate 524. The extension plate 522 can make way between the second lifting cylinder 523 and the second drive module 521 for the movement of the first lifting cylinder 512 located below. The second vacuum adsorption component 525 is set on the second connecting plate 524. The second vacuum adsorption component 525 is driven to translate and lift, and adsorbs the iron ring of the wafer 101 through its vacuum nozzle. The second vacuum adsorption component 525 and the first vacuum adsorption component 514 are located at different heights, and the two do not interfere with each other during operation, ensuring smooth loading and unloading.

[0036] Preferably, the vertical projections of the moving trajectories of the first vacuum adsorption member 514 and the second vacuum adsorption member 525 coincide, which facilitates alignment with the position of the wafer 101 on the transfer table 40.

[0037] like Figure 6 As shown, this utility model also provides a wafer processing equipment, including the above-mentioned automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device, as well as a feeding mechanism 60 and a processing mechanism 70. The processing mechanism 70 can be a cutting mechanism or a dicing mechanism. For example, when the processing mechanism 70 is a cutting mechanism, it together with the feeding mechanism 60 forms a cutting device that can be used for wafers. For details, please refer to a wafer glass cutting device with application number 202421830925.4. It works in conjunction with the automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device to realize automatic loading and unloading and automatic cutting of wafers, thereby improving the processing efficiency of wafers.

[0038] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative examples illustrating the spirit of this utility model. Those skilled in the art to which this utility model pertains may make various modifications or additions to the described specific embodiments or use similar methods to substitute them, without departing from the spirit of this utility model or exceeding the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic loading and unloading device for wafer processing, characterized in that, Includes the machine base, and the components mounted on the machine base: The lifting mechanism has a top end for placing the wafer cassette and driving the wafer cassette to move up and down. A transfer station includes a drive assembly and support rods. A pair of support rods are slidably mounted on a bracket on the machine platform and are respectively connected to the drive assembly. The pair of support rods are driven to move closer together to support wafers. The material handling mechanism includes a first motor, a first transmission assembly, a sliding plate, and a clamping cylinder. The output end of the first motor is connected to the first transmission assembly. The clamping cylinder is mounted on the sliding plate, which is mounted on a first guide rail and connected to the first transmission assembly. The clamping cylinder is driven to move wafer components from the wafer cassette to a support rod, or to move wafer components from the support rod to the wafer cassette. The transport mechanism includes a first transport unit and a second transport unit, which are configured such that when one transports a wafer located on the support rod away from the support rod, the other transports the wafer onto the support rod.

2. The automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism includes a second motor, a second transmission assembly, and a lifting frame. The second motor is mounted on the mounting plate of the machine base. The second transmission assembly is connected to the second motor. The lifting frame is connected to the second transmission assembly and its upper end is used to support the wafer cassette.

3. The automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting frame includes an upper plate, connecting guide rods, and a lower plate. The upper plate is used to support the wafer cassette and is connected to the lower plate through multiple connecting guide rods. The connecting guide rods pass through the mounting plate. The second transmission component is a lead screw and nut assembly. The nut in the lead screw and nut assembly is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate, and the lead screw in the lead screw and nut assembly passes through the nut and is rotatably mounted on the bearing seats of the upper and lower plates.

4. The automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The upper end of the lifting frame is equipped with multiple limiting blocks for positioning the wafer cassette.

5. The automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive assembly includes a third motor and a third transmission assembly. The third motor is mounted on the bracket and connected to the third transmission assembly. The support rod is mounted on the bracket via a second guide rail pair and connected to the third transmission assembly.

6. The automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The pair of bearing rods have clearance notches on the side closest to each other.

7. The automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first transport unit includes a first translation module, a first lifting cylinder, a first connecting plate, and a first vacuum adsorption component. The first lifting cylinder is disposed at the output end of the first translation module, and the first connecting plate is disposed at its output end. The first vacuum adsorption component is disposed on the first connecting plate.

8. The automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second transport unit includes a second translation module, an extension plate, a second lifting cylinder, a second connecting plate, and a second vacuum adsorption component. The second lifting cylinder is disposed at the output end of the second translation module via the extension plate, and the output end of the second lifting cylinder is provided with the second connecting plate. The second vacuum adsorption component is disposed on the second connecting plate and is located at a different height from the first vacuum adsorption component.

9. The automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The vertical projections of the moving trajectories of the first and second vacuum adsorption components coincide.

10. Wafer processing equipment, characterized in that, It includes the automatic wafer processing loading and unloading device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, as well as the feeding mechanism and processing mechanism.

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