Automated system and method for wafer polishing

Abstract

This invention provides an automated wafer polishing system and method that achieves a high level of automation, fully satisfies the principle of loading and unloading in the original position, improves wafer positioning accuracy and processing efficiency, guarantees the quality of wafer processing, and simultaneously reduces the workload on operators. [Solution] An automated wafer polishing system comprising a frame and a loading unit 18, a first picking unit 17, a positioning unit 4, a reference piece carrier unit 12, a second picking unit 13, a processing unit 14, a cleaning unit 8, and an unloading unit 18 installed on the frame, further comprising an information acquisition unit for collecting material and position information of wafers and reference pieces, and a control system for controlling each of the above units to transport and process wafers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wafer production equipment and its peripheral attached facilities, and particularly to an automated system and method for wafer polishing.

Background Art

[0002] A wafer refers to a silicon chip used in the production of silicon semiconductor integrated circuits. Since its shape is circular, it is called a wafer. In the wafer production process, there is a process of polishing both sides of the wafer. There are many wafer polishing technologies, and the commonly adopted polishing method in the modern semiconductor industry is the chemical-mechanical polishing method (CMP). By using chemical and mechanical polishing methods, while flattening the etched surface of the wafer to a nano-level smoothness, various indicators such as the warping degree and flatness of the silicon wafer are also considered to avoid the silicon wafer facing problems in the lithography etching process for high-end applications. Therefore, wafer polishing is an important part of the semiconductor processing process.

[0003] For the double-sided processing unit, when polishing the wafer, it is necessary to place the wafer in the groove of the carrier member. In the prior art, this process is performed manually, resulting in low production efficiency, high labor intensity of the operator, and low accuracy, which is likely to have an adverse impact on the quality of the wafer.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an automated system and method for wafer polishing to solve the problems existing in the above prior art, improve the automated processing efficiency and accuracy of wafer polishing, guarantee the quality of wafer processing, and at the same time reduce the labor intensity of the operator.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions. An automated wafer polishing system comprising a frame and a loading unit, a first picking unit, a positioning unit, a reference piece carrier unit, a second picking unit, a processing unit, a cleaning unit, and an unloading unit installed on the frame, The automated wafer polishing system includes an information acquisition unit positioned to collect material and positional information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit, A control system is configured to receive the material and position information collected by the information collection unit, acquire wafer processing information based on the material and position information, and control the loading unit, first picking unit, positioning unit, reference piece carrier unit, second picking unit, processing unit, cleaning unit, and unloading unit based on the wafer processing information to transport the wafer and process the wafer. An automated wafer polishing system characterized by further comprising the following:

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment, the control system includes an information receiving subsystem, an information management subsystem, and a mechanism control subsystem. The information management subsystem stores the wafer processing information; the information receiving subsystem is configured to receive material and location information collected by the information acquisition unit; the information management subsystem is configured to match the material and location information with the corresponding wafer processing information; the mechanism control subsystem is configured to control the loading unit, first picking unit, positioning unit, reference piece carrier unit, second picking unit, processing unit, cleaning unit, and unloading unit to transport and process the wafer based on the matched wafer processing information; and the information management subsystem is configured to track the material and location information during the transport and processing process.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment, the loading unit includes a first loading mechanism, a first loading temporary storage unit, and a second loading mechanism, wherein the first loading mechanism is arranged to store wafers awaiting processing, the first loading temporary storage unit is arranged to temporarily store excess wafers after processing in the first loading mechanism to free up space in the first loading mechanism and fill the original position with new wafers, and the second loading mechanism is arranged to store dummy wafers.

[0008] In exemplary embodiments, a crack and potential crack inspection unit is further included.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the reference piece carrier unit includes a reference piece temporary storage mechanism, a reference piece positioning mechanism, and a reference piece retrieval mechanism.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the second picking unit is equipped with a visual identification mechanism and a pressure inspection mechanism, wherein the visual identification mechanism is configured to collect positional information of the processing station of the processing unit and to detect information on residual fragments in the processing station, and the pressure inspection mechanism is configured to confirm that the wafer and reference piece enter the processing station correctly.

[0011] The present invention further provides an automated wafer polishing method utilizing the automated wafer polishing system described above. The automatic wafer polishing method Step S1 involves the information acquisition unit collecting material and position information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit and transmitting it to the control system. The control system acquires wafer processing information based on the material and position information, and tracks the material and position information during the process of transporting and processing the wafer and reference piece, step S2. Step S3, based on the wafer processing information, the control system controls the first picking unit to transport the wafer from the loading unit to the processing unit via the positioning unit, and controls the second picking unit to transport the reference piece from the reference piece carrier unit to the processing unit. The control system performs step S4 of outputting acquired wafer processing information to the processing unit, The processing unit performs a process S5 in which it processes a wafer based on wafer processing information output by the control system, Step S6 involves the first picking unit transporting the processed wafer to the cleaning unit, and the second picking unit transporting the reference piece to the reference piece retrieval mechanism of the reference piece carrier unit. The cleaning unit performs the step S7 of cleaning the wafer, Step S8, in which the control system outputs corresponding transport information to the first picking unit based on the wafer material and position information collected by the information acquisition unit, The first picking unit transports the wafer to the unloading unit based on the transport information output by the control system in step S9, Process S10 repeats processes S1 to S9, Includes.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the control system includes an information receiving subsystem, an information management subsystem, and a mechanism control subsystem, wherein the information management subsystem stores the wafer processing information; the information receiving subsystem is configured to receive material and location information collected by the information acquisition unit; the information management subsystem is configured to match the material and location information with the corresponding wafer processing information; and the mechanism control subsystem is configured to control the transport and processing of the loading unit, first picking unit, positioning unit, reference piece carrier unit, second picking unit, processing unit, cleaning unit, and unloading unit based on the matched wafer processing information. In step S1, the information acquisition unit collects material and position information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit, and transmits it to the information receiving subsystem. In process S2, the information management subsystem acquires wafer processing information based on the material and position information, and tracks the material and position information during the process of transporting and processing the wafer and reference piece. In step S3, based on the wafer processing information, the mechanism control subsystem controls the first picking unit to transport the wafer from the loading unit to the processing unit via the positioning unit, and controls the second picking unit to transport the reference piece from the reference piece carrier unit to the processing unit. In step S4, the information management subsystem outputs the acquired wafer processing information to the processing unit. In step S5, the processing unit processes the wafer based on the wafer processing information output by the information management subsystem. In step S8, the mechanism control subsystem outputs corresponding transport information to the first picking unit based on the wafer material and position information collected by the information acquisition unit. In step S9, the first picking unit transports the cleaned wafer to the unloading unit based on the transport information output by the mechanism control subsystem.

[0013] In exemplary embodiments, the control system further includes a crack and potential crack inspection unit, the loading unit includes a first loading mechanism and a second loading mechanism, the first loading mechanism being arranged to store wafers awaiting processing, and the second loading mechanism being arranged to store dummy wafers. In process S3, before transporting the wafer from the loading unit to the positioning unit, the first picking unit first transports the wafer to the crack and potential crack inspection unit to perform a potential crack inspection, and based on the wafer processing information, transports good wafers to the positioning unit and returns defective wafers to their original receiving position in the first loading mechanism. If a defective product is detected, the first picking unit decides to execute one of the first and second instructions, depending on the production requirements. If the production order is not the final order, execute the first command to continue picking the next wafer awaiting processing in the first loading mechanism. If the production order is a final order or a process verification order, the second command is executed to pick a dummy wafer in the second loading mechanism and fill the dummy wafer in its original position. After only defective products remain in the first loading mechanism, they are transported to the re-inspection station for further processing. In an exemplary embodiment, the positioning unit includes a positioning station for mechanically positioning the wafer. The reference piece carrier unit includes a reference piece temporary storage mechanism, a reference piece positioning mechanism, and a reference piece retrieval mechanism. The control system further includes a visual identification mechanism and a pressure inspection mechanism, wherein the visual identification mechanism is arranged to collect positional information of the processing station of the processing unit and to detect information on remaining fragments at the processing station, and the pressure inspection mechanism is arranged to confirm that the wafer and reference piece have entered the processing station correctly. In step S3, the wafer is mechanically positioned using the positioning station of the positioning unit, the reference piece is mechanically positioned using the reference piece positioning mechanism of the reference piece carrier unit, the first picking unit transports the positioned wafer above the processing station of the processing unit, the second picking unit transports the positioned reference piece above the processing station of the processing unit, and based on the position information of the processing station collected by the visual identification mechanism, the wafer and the reference piece are accurately placed into the processing station. The pressing inspection mechanism performs a pressing inspection on the processing station into which the wafer or the reference piece is placed to confirm that the wafer or the reference piece has been placed in the station. In step S6, after the wafer and the reference piece are taken out from the processing station, the visual identification mechanism is used to identify the processing station of the processing unit, and it is detected whether there are fragments remaining in the processing station. If there are fragments remaining, the material position information of all wafers is recorded, the breakpoint of the automatic operation is saved, the automatic state of the system is terminated, and a notification is given to perform manual processing. After manual confirmation and processing, the breakpoint of the automatic operation is restored and the automatic operation is continued. If there are no fragments remaining, the process proceeds to the next step.

Effects of the Invention

[0014] The present invention has achieved the following technical effects compared with the prior art. Through the information collection unit, the material and position information of the wafer and the reference piece are collected. Next, the wafer processing information is obtained based on the material and position information collected by the control system. Based on the wafer processing information, the loading unit, the first picking unit, the positioning unit, the reference piece carrier unit, the second picking unit, the processing unit, the cleaning unit, and the unloading unit are controlled to transport and process the wafer, thereby realizing a high degree of automation, fully satisfying the principle of loading at the original position and unloading at the original position, improving the positioning accuracy and processing efficiency of the wafer, ensuring the quality of wafer processing, and at the same time reducing the labor intensity of the operator.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] To more clearly explain the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings necessary for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without paying creative work. [Figure 1] It is a schematic structural diagram of an automated wafer polishing system disclosed in the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a schematic structural diagram of the first picking unit in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a schematic structural diagram of the positioning unit in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a schematic structural diagram of the reference wafer carrier unit in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a schematic structural diagram of the second picking unit in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a schematic view of FIG. 5 seen from another angle. [Figure 7] It is a schematic diagram of the control system disclosed in the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a schematic flowchart of the automatic wafer polishing method disclosed in the present invention.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments that those skilled in the art can obtain without creative work are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0017] The present invention aims to solve the problems existing in the above prior art, provide an automated wafer polishing system and method for improving the automatic processing efficiency and accuracy of wafer polishing, ensuring the quality of wafer processing, and reducing the labor intensity of workers at the same time.

[0018] To further clarify and facilitate understanding the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0019] Example 1 Referring to Figures 1 to 5, this embodiment provides an automated wafer polishing system, which includes a frame and a loading unit, a first picking unit 17, a positioning unit 4, a reference piece carrier unit 12, a second picking unit 13, a processing unit 14, a cleaning unit 8, and an unloading unit 18 mounted on the frame.

[0020] The loading unit is positioned to accommodate multiple stacked wafers.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the first picking unit 17 includes a robot arm and a robot hand 1701, the robot arm is mounted on a frame, the robot hand 1701 is connected to the robot arm, the robot arm can move the robot hand 1701 in space, the robot hand 1701 comprises a first picking section 1703 and a second picking section 1704, the first picking section 1703 is a flat structure for picking wafers stored in a loading unit, the robot arm drives and moves the robot hand 1701 to place the wafers on a positioning unit 4, the positioning unit 4 is arranged to place the wafers and position each wafer, the second picking section 1704 includes a plurality of picking heads 1702 for picking a plurality of positioned wafers, and the robot arm drives and moves the robot hand 1701 to place the plurality of picked wafers into a processing unit 14.

[0022] The processing unit 14 is positioned to polish wafers, and multiple carrier members 15 are installed inside the processing unit 14. Each carrier member 15 is provided with multiple processing stations 16 arranged according to predetermined rules. The number and arrangement of multiple picking heads 1702 of the second picking unit 1704 correspond one-to-one with the multiple processing stations 16 on the carrier members 15. After the wafer processing is completed, the second picking unit 1704 can also remove the processed wafers.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the positioning unit 4 includes positioning stations 401, and accordingly, there are multiple positioning stations 401, arranged to suit the supply requirements of parts and materials to the processing stations 16 of each carrier member 15 of the processing unit 14. Each positioning station 401 includes positioning pins evenly distributed in a circular pattern, and detection sensors are installed on the positioning stations 401 to detect whether a wafer is placed on the positioning station 401, and whether the wafer is tilted or offset, thereby enabling wafer positioning. The second picking unit 1704 can pick wafers on the positioning stations 401, and the picking head 1702 picks up the wafer on the positioning station 401 and is driven by a robot arm to move the wafer to the processing station 16 of the processing unit 14.

[0024] As shown in Figure 4, the reference piece carrier unit 12 is arranged to store multiple reference pieces, the thickness of which is the standard thickness of the corresponding wafer before polishing, and is used as a polishing reference during the polishing process. The thickness of the reference piece is measured in real time during polishing, and once the thickness of the reference piece reaches the ordered thickness, the entire polishing machine stops processing. The reference piece carrier unit 12 includes a reference piece temporary storage mechanism 1201, a reference piece positioning mechanism 1202, and a reference piece retrieval mechanism 1203.

[0025] As shown in Figure 5, the second picking unit 13 includes a third picking section 1301 for transporting wafers and a fourth picking section 1304 for transporting reference pieces.

[0026] The structure of the third picking section 1301 is the same as that of the first picking section 1703.

[0027] The fourth picking unit 1304 includes a suction cup and employs a large-area suction method to enhance the stability of the suction fixing of the reference piece. The suction cup communicates with an external suction driver, which can perform exhaust and supply operations on the suction cup. When exhaust is performed on the suction cup, the suction cup adheres to the reference piece, and when it is necessary to place the reference piece in the next position, the suction driver supplies air to the suction cup to separate it from the reference piece. The fourth picking unit 1304 is arranged to transfer the reference piece sequentially from the reference piece temporary storage mechanism 1201 to the reference piece positioning mechanism 1202, the processing station 16, and the reference piece retrieval mechanism 1203.

[0028] The second picking unit 13 is further equipped with a visual identification mechanism 1302 and a pressure inspection mechanism 1303. The visual identification mechanism 1302 is positioned to collect positional information of the processing station 16 of the processing unit 14 and to inspect for remaining fragments at the processing station 16, while the pressure inspection mechanism 1303 is positioned to confirm that the wafer and reference piece have entered the processing station 16 correctly.

[0029] Once processing is complete, the wafers are sent to the cleaning unit 8 by the second picking section 1704 of the first picking unit 17. The wafer cleaning process in the cleaning unit 8 includes overflow turbulent ultrasonic cleaning, single wafer spray cleaning, roller brush cleaning, two-fluid cleaning, drying with an air knife, and an automatic single wafer receiving and loading basket.

[0030] A supply unit is installed after the cleaning unit 8. The cleaned wafers are transferred to the supply unit by the third picking section 1301 of the second picking unit 13, and are supplied sequentially through the supply unit's loading temporary storage section 11, loading section 10, transport section 9, unloading section 7, and unloading temporary storage section 6. Finally, they are sent to the unloading unit 18 by the first picking section 1703 of the first picking unit 17.

[0031] Referring to Figure 6, this embodiment further includes an information acquisition unit and a control system. The information acquisition unit is configured to collect material and position information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit 12. The control system receives the material and position information collected by the information acquisition unit, acquires wafer processing information based on the material and position information, and controls the loading unit, first picking unit 17, positioning unit 4, reference piece carrier unit 12, second picking unit 13, processing unit 14, cleaning unit 8, and unloading unit 18 based on the wafer processing information to transport and process the wafer.

[0032] The control system includes an information receiving subsystem, an information management subsystem, and a mechanism control subsystem. The information management subsystem stores wafer processing information; the information receiving subsystem is configured to receive material and location information collected by an information acquisition unit; the information management subsystem is configured to match the material and location information with the corresponding wafer processing information; and the mechanism control subsystem is configured to control the transport and processing of the loading unit, first picking unit 17, positioning unit 4, reference piece carrier unit 12, second picking unit 13, processing unit 14, cleaning unit 8, and unloading unit 18 based on the matched wafer processing information. The information management subsystem can also track the material and location information during the transport and processing processes.

[0033] Wafer polishing loading and unloading must adhere to the principle of loading and unloading in the original location. The loading unit has multiple placement slots for placing a single wafer, and each placement slot has corresponding identification information, such as a barcode, 2D code, or electronic tag. By reading this identification information, the placement slot number can be obtained. Each wafer in each placement slot also has its own identification information, and by reading this identification information, information such as the wafer's origin, batch, and standard model can be obtained.

[0034] The information gathering mechanism collects wafer material information in the loading unit, locks it with the information of the placement slot where it is located, and then, during the wafer transfer and processing process, performs position tracking to ensure that each wafer returns to the placement slot it was assigned to at the time of shipment after processing is complete. In actual production, an open cassette full of wafers, usually received using an AGV cart, is placed in the loading unit. In this case, the wafer placement slots in the open cassette become the placement slots in the loading unit. After all the wafers in the open cassette have been removed, the AGV cart transfers the open cassette from the loading unit to the unloading unit 18. The processed wafers are then placed in their corresponding placement slots according to the locked information, thereby enabling loading and unloading in their original locations.

[0035] During the information gathering process, if the material information of the loading wafer does not match the processing information in the production plan, the system will issue an alarm.

[0036] Similarly, the reference piece carrier unit 12 also has placement slots for arranging multiple reference pieces, and each placement slot has corresponding identification information, such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code. By reading this identification information, the number of the placement slot can be obtained. Each reference piece in each placement slot also has its own identification information, and by reading this identification information, information such as the standard model of the reference piece can be obtained.

[0037] Reference pieces are disposable consumables. The purpose of collecting their material and positional information is to select a reference piece of the corresponding standard specification corresponding to the wafer processing information of different production batches. After wafer processing is complete, the corresponding reference piece is collected and used for subsequent processing.

[0038] During the information gathering process, if the material information of the reference sample does not match the processing information in the production plan, the system will issue an alarm.

[0039] A preferred technical feature of this embodiment further includes a crack and potential crack inspection unit 2. Before the first picking unit 1703 transfers the wafer to the positioning unit 4, the wafer is first transported to the crack and potential crack inspection unit 2 for inspection, good wafers are transported to the positioning unit 4, and defective wafers are transported to the original receiving position of the first loading mechanism 1 to await re-evaluation.

[0040] The loading unit includes a first loading mechanism 1, a first loading temporary storage unit 3, and a second loading mechanism 5. The first loading mechanism 1 is used to store wafers awaiting processing, the first loading temporary storage unit 3 is used to temporarily store surplus wafers after processing in the first loading mechanism 1, thereby freeing up space in the first loading mechanism 1 and allowing new incoming wafers to be filled, and the second loading mechanism 5 is positioned to store dummy wafers. The placement slots in the first loading mechanism 1 and the second loading mechanism 5, as well as the wafers awaiting processing and dummy wafers, each have corresponding identification information, and the information acquisition unit locks the information of each wafer and the placement slot in which it is located. A dummy wafer is a wafer that has the same processing information as a wafer awaiting processing and belongs to the same batch with the same specifications, or to a different group of wafers belonging to a different batch.

[0041] In the polishing process, it is necessary to ensure that the processing station 16 in the processing unit 14 is full. If a defective product is detected in the potential crack inspection process, the system will determine, according to production requirements, whether to fill the wafer in the next placement slot in the first loading mechanism 1 with a wafer awaiting processing, or to fill the wafer in the second loading mechanism 5 with a dummy wafer. The system will then track the corresponding position information and similarly achieve in-situ loading and unloading.

[0042] As shown in Figure 5, in actual application, the information management subsystem is a local management system and can be configured as follows.

[0043] The mobile storage medium is positioned to retrieve necessary production information from the information management subsystem, such as material information for ordered wafers, location information for loading units, quality data, and information linking wafer material information to loading unit location information.

[0044] The visual positioning information storage medium is configured to store the visual positioning information extracted from the information management subsystem.

[0045] The visual fragment inspection information storage medium is configured to store the visual fragment inspection information extracted from the information management subsystem.

[0046] The video monitoring controller is used to monitor the status of the device, and the monitoring information is stored in the information management subsystem.

[0047] The MES higher-level management system can extract information generated in the production process from the information management subsystem and perform remote monitoring. This information includes, but is not limited to, material position information of wafers and reference pieces, linked records of material loading position information at the original location of incoming wafers, positioning images of processing station 16, records of loading and unloading of reference pieces, wafer positioning inspection images, fragment residue inspection images, equipment operating status images, linked records of unloading wafers after cleaning at their original location, and historical tracking of equipment operating status.

[0048] The information management subsystem can generate real-time statistics on production task reports, wafer quality data statistics reports, custom wafer appearance image statistics reports, and mechanical control subsystem failure alarm statistics reports. These statistics reports are archived within the tracking period and simultaneously reported to the MES higher-level management system.

[0049] The information management subsystem allows users to edit and save combinations of production order parameters locally, enabling the processing unit 14, i.e., the wafer polishing machine system, to switch production scheduling with a single click.

[0050] Example 2 This embodiment provides an automated wafer polishing method, which utilizes the automated wafer polishing system described in Example 1 and includes the following steps. Process S1: The information acquisition unit collects material and position information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit 12, and transmits it to the control system. Process S2: The control system acquires wafer processing information based on material and position information, and tracks the material and position information during the process of transporting and processing the wafer and reference piece. Process S3: Based on wafer processing information, the control system controls the first picking unit 17 to transport the wafer from the loading unit to the processing unit 14 via the positioning unit 4, and controls the second picking unit 13 to transport the reference piece from the reference piece carrier unit 12 to the processing unit 14. Process S4: The control system outputs the acquired wafer processing information to the processing unit 14. Process S5: The processing unit 14 processes the wafer based on the wafer processing information output by the control system. Process S6: The first picking unit 17 transports the processed wafer to the cleaning unit 8, and the second picking unit 13 transports the reference piece to the reference piece carrier unit 12. Step S7: The cleaning unit 8 cleans the wafer, Process S8: The control system outputs corresponding transport information to the first picking unit 17 based on the wafer material and location information collected by the information acquisition unit. Process S9: The first picking unit 17 transports the cleaned wafer to the unloading unit 18 based on the transport information output by the control system. Process S10: Repeat processes S1 to S9.

[0051] Example 3 This embodiment provides an automated wafer polishing method, which utilizes the automated wafer polishing system described in Example 1 and includes the following steps. Process S1: The information acquisition unit collects material and position information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit 12, and transmits it to the information receiving subsystem. Process S2: The information management subsystem acquires wafer processing information based on material and position information, and tracks the material and position information during the wafer and reference piece transport and processing process. Process S3: Based on wafer processing information, the mechanism control subsystem first transports the wafer to the crack and potential crack inspection unit 2 for potential crack inspection before the first picking section 1703 of the first picking unit 17 transports the wafer from the loading unit to the positioning unit 4, and based on the wafer processing information, transports good wafers to the positioning unit 4 and returns defective wafers to the original receiving position of the first loading mechanism 1. If a defective product is detected, the first picking unit 17 decides to execute one of the first and second instructions, depending on the production requirements. If the production order is not the final order, the first command is executed to continue picking the next wafer awaiting processing in the first loading mechanism 1. If the production order is a final order or a process verification order, the second command is executed to pick a dummy wafer in the second loading mechanism 5 and fill the dummy wafer in its original position. After only defective products remain in the first loading mechanism 1, they are transported to the re-inspection station for processing. The mechanism control subsystem controls the first picking section 1703 of the first picking unit 17 to transport the wafer that has passed the first picking section to the positioning unit 4 and to mechanically position the wafer. The mechanism control subsystem controls the fourth picking section 1304 of the second picking unit 13 to transport the reference piece from the reference piece temporary storage mechanism 1201 to the reference piece positioning mechanism 1202, and to mechanically position the reference piece using the reference piece positioning mechanism 1202 in the reference piece carrier unit 12. The first picking unit 1703 transports the positioned wafer to above the processing station 16 of the processing unit 14, and the fourth picking unit 1304 transports the positioned reference piece to above the processing station 16 of the processing unit 14. Since the mechanical positioning accuracy is less than ±2 mm and cannot meet the wafer insertion positioning accuracy of ±0.2 mm, in addition to mechanical positioning, position information of the processing station 16 collected by the visual identification mechanism 1302 is also required. The control structure calculates compensation data by combining the position information provided by the visual identification mechanism 1302, and then controls the first picking unit 1703 and the fourth picking unit 1304 to accurately place the wafer and reference piece into the processing station 16, respectively. Subsequently, the pressure inspection mechanism 1303 performs a pressure inspection on the processing station 16 where the wafer or reference piece is placed, confirms that the wafer or reference piece is in position, and issues an alarm if an abnormality is detected.

[0052] Process S4: The information management subsystem outputs the acquired wafer processing information to the processing unit 14. Process S5: The processing unit 14 processes the wafer based on the wafer processing information output by the information management subsystem. Process S6: The second picking unit 1704 transports the processed wafer to the cleaning unit 8, and the fourth picking unit 1304 transports the reference piece to the reference piece carrier unit 12. After moving the wafers and reference pieces from the processing station 16, the processing station 16 of the processing unit 14 is identified using the visual identification mechanism 1302, and it is detected whether or not fragments remain in the processing station 16. If fragments remain, the material position information of all wafers is recorded, the interruption point of the automatic operation is saved, the system's automatic state is terminated, and a notification is given to perform manual processing. After manual verification and processing, the interruption point of the automatic operation is restored and the automatic operation continues. If no fragments remain, the process proceeds to the next step. Step S7: The cleaning unit 8 cleans the wafer, Process S8: The mechanism control subsystem outputs corresponding transport information to the first picking unit 17 based on the wafer material and position information collected by the information acquisition unit. Step S9: The first picking unit 17 transports the cleaned wafer to the unloading unit 18 based on the transport information output by the mechanism control subsystem.

[0053] Process S10: Repeat processes S1 to S9.

[0054] Any modifications to adaptability made in response to actual demand fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0055] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above embodiments and can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined not by the above description but by the appended claims, and therefore all modifications included in the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are intended to be included in the invention. No reference numeral in the claims should be construed as limiting the relevant claims.

[0056] This invention illustrates the principles and embodiments of the invention using specific examples, and the above description of examples is used solely for the purpose of understanding the methods and core concepts of the invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, the specific methods of implementation and scope of application will vary depending on the spirit of the invention. In summary, the contents of this specification should not be understood as limiting the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. First Loading Mechanism 2. Crack and potential crack inspection unit 3. First Loading Temporary Storage Unit 4 Positioning Unit 401 Positioning Station 5. Second Loading Mechanism 6 Unloading Temporary Storage Section 7. Unloading section 8. Washing Unit 9. Conveying section 10 Loading section 11 Loading Temporary Storage Section 12 Reference piece carrier unit 1201 Reference piece temporary storage mechanism 1203 Reference piece recovery mechanism 13. Second Picking Unit 1301 3rd Picking Department 1302 Visual Recognition Mechanism 1303 Pressure Inspection Mechanism 1304 4th Picking Department 14 Processing Units 15 Carrier component 16 Processing Stations 17. First Picking Unit 1701 Robot Hand 1702 Picking Head 1703 1st Picking Department 1704 2nd Picking Department 18 Unloading Units

Claims

1. An automated wafer polishing system comprising a frame, a loading unit installed on the frame, a first picking unit, a positioning unit, a reference piece carrier unit, a second picking unit, a processing unit, a cleaning unit, and an unloading unit, An information acquisition unit is positioned to collect material and positional information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit. A control system is provided to receive the material and position information collected by the information collection unit, acquire wafer processing information based on the material and position information, and control the loading unit, first picking unit, positioning unit, reference piece carrier unit, second picking unit, processing unit, cleaning unit, and unloading unit based on the wafer processing information to transport the wafer and process the wafer. An automated wafer polishing system characterized by further comprising the following:

2. The control system includes an information receiving subsystem, an information management subsystem, and a mechanism control subsystem. The automated wafer polishing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the information management subsystem stores the wafer processing information, the information receiving subsystem is configured to receive material and location information collected by the information acquisition unit, the information management subsystem is configured to match the material and location information with the corresponding wafer processing information, the mechanism control subsystem is configured to control the loading unit, first picking unit, positioning unit, reference piece carrier unit, second picking unit, processing unit, cleaning unit and unloading unit to transport and process based on the matched wafer processing information, and the information management subsystem is configured to track the material and location information during the transport and processing process.

3. The automated wafer polishing system according to claim 1, wherein the loading unit includes a first loading mechanism, a first loading temporary storage unit, and a second loading mechanism, the first loading mechanism being arranged to store wafers awaiting processing, the first loading temporary storage unit being arranged to temporarily store excess wafers after processing in the first loading mechanism to free up space in the first loading mechanism and fill the original position with new wafers, and the second loading mechanism being arranged to store dummy wafers.

4. The automated wafer polishing system according to claim 1, further comprising a crack and potential crack inspection unit.

5. The automated wafer polishing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the reference piece carrier unit includes a reference piece temporary storage mechanism, a reference piece positioning mechanism, and a reference piece retrieval mechanism.

6. The automated wafer polishing system according to claim 1, wherein the second picking unit is equipped with a visual identification mechanism and a pressure inspection mechanism, the visual identification mechanism is arranged to collect positional information of the processing station of the processing unit and to detect information on residual fragments in the processing station, and the pressure inspection mechanism is arranged to confirm that the wafer and reference piece enter the processing station accurately.

7. An automated wafer polishing method utilizing the automated wafer polishing system described in claim 1, Step S1 involves the information acquisition unit collecting material and position information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit and transmitting this information to the control system. The control system acquires wafer processing information based on the material and position information, and tracks the material and position information during the process of transporting and processing the wafer and reference piece, step S2. Step S3, based on the wafer processing information, controls the control system to transport the first picking unit from the loading unit to the processing unit via the positioning unit, and controls the second picking unit to transport the reference piece from the reference piece carrier unit to the processing unit. The control system performs step S4 of outputting acquired wafer processing information to the processing unit, The processing unit performs a process S5 in which it processes a wafer based on wafer processing information output by the control system, Step S6 involves the first picking unit transporting the processed wafer to the cleaning unit, and the second picking unit transporting the reference piece to the reference piece retrieval mechanism of the reference piece carrier unit. The cleaning unit performs the step S7 of cleaning the wafer, The control system performs the following steps: S8, based on the wafer material and position information collected by the information collection unit, it outputs corresponding transport information to the first picking unit. The first picking unit transports the wafer to the unloading unit based on the transport information output by the control system in step S9, Process S10 repeats processes S1 to S9, An automated wafer polishing method characterized by including [a certain element].

8. The control system includes an information receiving subsystem, an information management subsystem, and a mechanism control subsystem, wherein the information management subsystem stores the wafer processing information; the information receiving subsystem is configured to receive material and location information collected by the information acquisition unit; the information management subsystem is configured to match the material and location information with the corresponding wafer processing information; and the mechanism control subsystem is configured to control the transport and processing of the loading unit, first picking unit, positioning unit, reference piece carrier unit, second picking unit, processing unit, cleaning unit, and unloading unit based on the matched wafer processing information. In step S1, the information acquisition unit collects material and position information of the wafer in the loading unit and the reference piece in the reference piece carrier unit, and transmits it to the information receiving subsystem. In step S2, the information management subsystem acquires wafer processing information based on the material and position information, and tracks the material and position information during the process of transporting and processing the wafer and reference piece. In step S3, based on the wafer processing information, the mechanism control subsystem controls the first picking unit to transport the wafer from the loading unit to the processing unit via the positioning unit, and controls the second picking unit to transport the reference piece from the reference piece carrier unit to the processing unit. In step S4, the information management subsystem outputs the acquired wafer processing information to the processing unit. In step S5, the processing unit processes the wafer based on the wafer processing information output by the information management subsystem. In step S8, the mechanism control subsystem outputs corresponding transport information to the first picking unit based on the wafer material and position information collected by the information acquisition unit. The automatic wafer polishing method according to claim 7, characterized in that in step S9, the first picking unit transports the cleaned wafer to the unloading unit based on transport information output by the mechanism control subsystem.

9. The control system further includes a crack and potential crack inspection unit, and the loading unit includes a first loading mechanism and a second loading mechanism, the first loading mechanism being arranged to store wafers awaiting processing, and the second loading mechanism being arranged to store dummy wafers. In step S3, before transporting the wafer from the loading unit to the positioning unit, the first picking unit first transports the wafer to the crack and potential crack inspection unit to perform a potential crack inspection, transports good wafers to the positioning unit based on the wafer processing information, and returns defective wafers to their original receiving position in the first loading mechanism. If a defective product is detected, the first picking unit decides to execute one of the first and second instructions, depending on the production requirements. If the production order is not the final order, the first command is executed to continue picking the next wafer awaiting processing in the first loading mechanism. If the production order is a final order or a process verification order, the second command is executed to pick a dummy wafer in the second loading mechanism and fill the dummy wafer in its original position. The automatic wafer polishing method according to claim 8, characterized in that, after only defective products remain in the first loading mechanism, the defective products are transported to a re-inspection station for processing.

10. The positioning unit includes a positioning station for mechanically positioning the wafer, The reference piece carrier unit includes a reference piece temporary storage mechanism, a reference piece positioning mechanism, and a reference piece retrieval mechanism. The control system further includes a visual identification mechanism and a pressure inspection mechanism, wherein the visual identification mechanism is arranged to collect positional information of the processing station of the processing unit and to detect information on remaining fragments at the processing station, and the pressure inspection mechanism is arranged to confirm that the wafer and reference piece have entered the processing station correctly. In step S3, the wafer is mechanically positioned using the positioning station of the positioning unit, the reference piece is mechanically positioned using the reference piece positioning mechanism of the reference piece carrier unit, the first picking unit transports the positioned wafer to above the processing station of the processing unit, the second picking unit transports the positioned reference piece to above the processing station of the processing unit, the visual identification mechanism accurately places the wafer and reference piece into the processing station based on the position information of the processing station, the pressing inspection mechanism performs a pressing inspection on the processing station into which the wafer or reference piece is placed to confirm that the wafer or reference piece has entered the station, In step S6, after removing the wafer and reference piece from the processing station, the processing station of the processing unit is identified using a visual identification mechanism, and it is detected whether or not fragments remain in the processing station. If fragments remain, the material position information of all wafers is recorded, the interruption point of the automatic operation is saved, the automatic state of the system is terminated, and a notification is given to perform manual processing. After manual confirmation and processing, the interruption point of the automatic operation is restored and the automated operation is continued. If no fragments remain, the process proceeds to the next step. This is the method for automatically polishing wafers according to claim 8.

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