A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding.

Abstract

This utility model discloses a wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding in the field of wafer cleaning, used to transport wafers to cleaning equipment. The device includes a dry feeding system and a wet feeding system. The dry feeding system consists of a dry wafer buffer area and a first robotic arm, which is configured to transport wafers between the dry wafer buffer area and the cleaning equipment. The wet feeding system consists of a wet wafer buffer area and a second robotic arm, which is configured to transport wafers between the wet wafer buffer area and the cleaning equipment. By integrating independent dry and wet feeding loops within a single device, this utility model achieves compatible feeding processing of dry and wet wafers from different front-end processes. It effectively solves the problem in the prior art where the same process equipment needs to be repeatedly configured for different wafer states due to the single feeding method, significantly reducing production costs and improving the space utilization of semiconductor cleanrooms.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wafer cleaning, specifically to a wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding. Background Technology

[0002] In the wet process of semiconductor manufacturing, cleaning and impurity removal of the wafer surface are key steps to ensure the yield of semiconductor products. Tank cleaning machines are usually used to process batches of wafers.

[0003] In the current technology, wafers are usually in two states before entering the cleaning machine, depending on the previous process: dry state means that the wafer is placed in the wafer box and kept dry; wet state means that the wafer is placed in the wafer box and immersed in water or protective liquid, which are commonly referred to in the industry as "dry entry" and "wet entry".

[0004] In contrast, existing tank cleaning machines are usually equipped with only a single type of feeding mechanism, either supporting dry feeding or wet feeding only.

[0005] This single-function equipment layout has significant drawbacks in actual production: when the same production process involves cleaning requirements for both dry and wet wafers, the factory must configure two different machines with the same cleaning process to be responsible for dry-in cleaning and wet-in cleaning respectively.

[0006] This practice directly led to a significant increase in production costs and occupied a large amount of expensive cleanroom production space due to the repeated purchase of equipment, severely limiting the space utilization rate of the factory.

[0007] Furthermore, due to the incompatibility between the two systems, the material transfer and scheduling logic becomes more complex, making it impossible to achieve flexible capacity allocation on a single machine. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wafer feeding device that is compatible with both dry and wet feeding, in order to solve the problem that existing tank cleaning equipment only supports a single feeding method, which leads to the need to configure multiple devices under the same process, thereby increasing production costs and occupying a large area.

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model specifically provides the following technical solution: A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding is used to feed wafers to cleaning equipment. The device includes... The dry-in system includes a dry-wafer buffer and a first robotic arm configured to move wafers between the dry-wafer buffer and a cleaning device; The wet wafer buffer system includes a wet wafer buffer and a second robotic arm configured to move wafers between the wet wafer buffer and the cleaning equipment.

[0010] Furthermore, a first handover station and a second handover station are arranged side by side at the entrance of the cleaning equipment; The end points of the transport strokes of the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm correspond to the first transfer station and the second transfer station, respectively.

[0011] Furthermore, the wet film buffer area has multiple wet discharge tanks, which are distributed in a rectangular array, with one of the arrangement directions of the rectangular array being parallel to the translation direction of the second robotic arm.

[0012] Furthermore, the end effector of the second robotic arm has a Z-axis degree of freedom that allows it to vertically lift and lower, so as to vertically extract the wafer basket from the wet storage tank.

[0013] Furthermore, the second robotic arm has a horizontal extension degree of freedom perpendicular to its own translation direction, so that the end gripping mechanism of the second robotic arm can reach the wet discharge tank in the rectangular array located away from the translation track of the second robotic arm.

[0014] Furthermore, the dry-entry system also includes a transfer robot located at the front end of the dry-wafer buffer area. The transfer robot is used to perform pose transformation on externally input wafers and place them in the dry-wafer buffer area according to a preset orientation code.

[0015] Furthermore, the first robotic arm has a first translational degree of freedom and a second translational degree of freedom that are perpendicular to each other in the horizontal plane. The direction of the first translational degree of freedom is towards the direction of movement toward the cleaning equipment, and the direction of the second translational degree of freedom is along the wafer stacking arrangement direction in the dry wafer buffer area.

[0016] Furthermore, the end effector of the first robotic arm has at least one horizontal rotational degree of freedom to adjust the horizontal angle of the wafer before it is transferred, thereby matching the receiving position of the cleaning equipment and the discharge position of the dry wafer buffer area.

[0017] Furthermore, the wet film buffer is located between the cleaning equipment and the dry film buffer; A dry film picking area is provided between the dry film buffer area and the wet film buffer area, so that the first robot arm can move and pick up films in the direction of the second translational degree of freedom within the dry film buffer area.

[0018] Furthermore, the translation tracks of the first and second robotic arms are parallel and spaced apart in the horizontal plane, so that the first and second robotic arms do not interfere with each other mechanically in the same direction of movement.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: This invention integrates independently operating dry and wet feeding systems into the same feeding device, enabling a single cleaning unit to handle wafers in both dry and wet initial states. This avoids repeatedly configuring the same process equipment for different feeding states, reduces equipment procurement costs, and improves the space utilization rate of the production workshop. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can derive other embodiments based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic plan view of the system composition according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0022] The labels in the diagram represent the following: 1-Dry film buffer area; 1a-Transfer robot; 1b-Dry film picking area; 2-First robotic arm; 3-Cleaning equipment; 3a-First transfer station; 3b-Second transfer station; 4-Wet film buffer area; 4a-Wet discharge tank; 5-Second robotic arm. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0024] This embodiment provides a wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding, aiming to solve the problem that existing tank cleaning equipment only supports a single feeding method, resulting in the need for multiple devices under the same process, thus increasing production costs and occupying a large area. For details, see... Figure 1 This wafer feeding device includes a dry feeding system and a wet feeding system.

[0025] The dry-processing system includes a dry-cash buffer 1 and a first robotic arm 2, which is configured to move wafers between the dry-cash buffer 1 and the cleaning equipment 3. The wet wafer buffer system includes a wet wafer buffer 4 and a second robotic arm 5, which is configured to move wafers between the wet wafer buffer 4 and the cleaning equipment 3. By integrating two independent feeding circuits within the same device, a single cleaning unit 3 can receive dry or wet wafers from different upstream processes, reducing the cost of repeated purchases of equipment.

[0026] In the process of implementing dual-path material supply, if the inlet of the cleaning equipment 3 is only set with a single docking position, the first robotic arm 2 and the second robotic arm 5 will have to wait in line in the same space, which reduces the handling efficiency and is prone to path conflicts.

[0027] To improve the parallel efficiency of multi-source handling and physically isolate wafers in different states, the cleaning equipment 3 has a first transfer station 3a and a second transfer station 3b arranged side by side at the entrance. The first robot 2 and the second robot 5 have their handling strokes ending at the first transfer station 3a and the second transfer station 3b, respectively. This dual-station design allows the two material streams to complete the transfer action independently without waiting for each other.

[0028] Considering that wafers need to be immersed in the wet wafer process to maintain their surface condition, single-slot temporary storage is often insufficient to meet the pace of continuous mass production. In order to increase the temporary storage capacity of wet wafers within a limited space and achieve ordered scheduling, the wet wafer buffer area 4 has multiple wet discharge tanks 4a, which are distributed in a rectangular array. To ensure ease of transport path planning, one of the arrangement directions of the rectangular array is parallel to the translation direction of the second robot arm 5. In the multi-slot array layout, since the wafer basket is below the water surface, simple horizontal movement cannot complete the gripping. Therefore, the end gripping mechanism of the second robot arm 5 has a Z-axis degree of freedom that allows it to lift vertically to extract the wafer basket vertically from the wet storage tank 4a. Since the machine tool has depth in the width direction, the water tanks in the deep part of the array are often beyond the direct coverage of the translation track. In order to solve this access limitation, the second robot arm 5 has a horizontal extension and retraction degree of freedom perpendicular to its own translation direction, so that the end gripping mechanism of the second robot arm 5 can reach the wet water tank 4a in the rectangular array that is far away from the translation track of the second robot arm 5.

[0029] When the externally input dry wafer carrier enters the feeding device, its initial pose usually differs from the processing pose required by the cleaning equipment 3. To achieve automated pose conversion and orderly arrangement, the dry feeding system also includes a transfer robot 1a located at the front end of the dry wafer buffer area 1; The transfer robot 1a is used to perform pose transformation on the externally input wafers and stack them in the dry wafer buffer area 1 according to the preset direction. Since the stacked dry wafers are spatially discrete in the buffer area, in order to accurately locate and pick up the wafers at different coordinate positions, the first manipulator 2 has a first translational degree of freedom and a second translational degree of freedom that are perpendicular to each other in the horizontal plane. The direction of the first translational degree of freedom is the direction of movement toward the cleaning device 3, and the direction of the second translational degree of freedom is along the wafer stacking and arrangement direction in the dry wafer buffer area 1.

[0030] In addition, since the internal mechanism of the cleaning equipment 3 has specific physical restrictions on the wafer entry angle, the end gripping mechanism of the first robotic arm 2 has at least one horizontal rotational degree of freedom to adjust the wafer horizontal angle before transferring the wafer, thereby matching the receiving position of the cleaning equipment 3 and the discharge position of the dry wafer buffer area 1, realizing precise docking of multi-point gripping and single-point adaptation.

[0031] In order to optimize the flow of materials in the factory and make reasonable use of the long and narrow machine space, the wet film buffer area 4 is located between the cleaning equipment 3 and the dry film buffer area 1. A dry film picking area 1b is set between the dry film buffer area 1 and the wet film buffer area 4 so that the first robot arm 2 can pick up films in the direction of the second translational degree of freedom within the dry film buffer area 1.

[0032] In this long-distance layout, the transport path of the first robotic arm 2 will inevitably cross the area where the wet transport system is located. If the tracks of the two are on the same axis, the first robotic arm 2 and the second robotic arm 5 will frequently avoid each other and stop.

[0033] In order to achieve unobstructed passage in the same direction of movement, the translation tracks of the first robotic arm 2 and the second robotic arm 5 are arranged in parallel and spaced apart in the horizontal plane. This staggered arrangement ensures that the first robotic arm 2 and the second robotic arm 5 will not cause mechanical interference even if they move toward the cleaning equipment 3 at the same time, which significantly improves the system's collaborative operation capability.

[0034] The above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit this utility model. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications or equivalent substitutions to this utility model within its substance and scope of protection, and such modifications or equivalent substitutions should also be considered as falling within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding, for feeding wafers into a cleaning device (3), characterized in that, The device includes, The dry-processing system includes a dry-wafer buffer (1) and a first robotic arm (2) configured to transport wafers between the dry-wafer buffer (1) and the cleaning equipment (3); The wet wafer system includes a wet wafer buffer (4) and a second robotic arm (5) configured to transport wafers between the wet wafer buffer (4) and the cleaning equipment (3).

2. The wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning equipment (3) has a first handover station (3a) and a second handover station (3b) arranged side by side at the entrance. The end of the transport stroke of the first robotic arm (2) and the second robotic arm (5) correspond to the first transfer station (3a) and the second transfer station (3b), respectively.

3. The wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wet film buffer area (4) has multiple wet discharge tanks (4a), which are arranged in a rectangular array. One of the arrangement directions of the rectangular array is parallel to the translation direction of the second robotic arm (5).

4. A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 3, characterized in that, The end gripping mechanism of the second robotic arm (5) has a Z-axis degree of freedom that allows it to vertically lift and lower, so as to vertically extract the wafer basket from the wet storage tank (4a).

5. A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second robotic arm (5) has a horizontal extension degree of freedom perpendicular to its own translation direction, so that the end gripping mechanism of the second robotic arm (5) can reach the wet discharge tank (4a) in the rectangular array located away from the translation track of the second robotic arm (5).

6. A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The dry-mount system also includes a transfer robot (1a) disposed at the front end of the dry wafer buffer (1). The transfer robot (1a) is used to perform pose conversion on externally input wafers and place them in the dry wafer buffer (1) according to a preset direction.

7. A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first robotic arm (2) has a first translational degree of freedom and a second translational degree of freedom that are perpendicular to each other in the horizontal plane. The direction of the first translational degree of freedom is the direction of movement toward the cleaning device (3), and the direction of the second translational degree of freedom is along the wafer stacking arrangement direction in the dry wafer buffer area (1).

8. A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 7, characterized in that, The end gripping mechanism of the first robotic arm (2) has at least one horizontal rotational degree of freedom to adjust the horizontal angle of the wafer before it is transferred, thereby matching the receiving position of the cleaning device (3) and the discharge position of the dry wafer buffer area (1).

9. A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 7, characterized in that, The wet film buffer (4) is located between the cleaning device (3) and the dry film buffer (1); A dry sheet picking area (1b) is provided between the dry sheet buffer area (1) and the wet sheet buffer area (4) so ​​that the first robot (2) can pick up sheets by translating along the direction of the second translational degree of freedom in the dry sheet buffer area (1).

10. A wafer feeding device compatible with both dry and wet feeding according to claim 9, characterized in that, The translation tracks of the first robotic arm (2) and the second robotic arm (5) are parallel and spaced apart in the horizontal plane so that the first robotic arm (2) and the second robotic arm (5) do not have mechanical interference in the same direction of movement.

Images