Wafer ring positioning stage

Abstract

To provide a wafer ring positioning stage for preventing deformation of a wafer ring caused by an excessive clamping force for holding and fixing the wafer ring.SOLUTION: In a wafer ring positioning stage having a main body part 20 on which a wafer ring A is to be placed, the main body part includes: a first plane 21 set horizontally on the main body part; a first fixed abutment member 231 and a first movable abutment member 241, which are located at two opposing ends of the main body part and set in the first plane; a driving member for driving the first movable abutment member so that the first movable abutment member will become closer to or more distant from the first fixed abutment member in order to clamp the wafer ring; and an elastic member for urging the first movable abutment member to move away from the first fixed abutment member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wafer ring positioning stage. [Background technology]

[0002] In the semiconductor industry, when wafers are processed, such as by cutting or polishing, a thin film is attached to a wafer ring and the wafer is then placed on the film to prevent the wafer from sliding during the processing. After processing is complete, the wafer ring can be cleaned and reused. In other words, during processing, the wafer is fixed to the wafer ring and moves with the wafer ring.

[0003] For example, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2021 / 0301871 and 2019 / 0203373, each processing station in a wafer production line is equipped with a wafer ring positioning stage that engages and fixes a wafer ring and positions the wafer and wafer ring at a precise processing position to prevent displacement of the wafer during processing. Furthermore, when the wafer and wafer ring move between the wafer ring positioning stages of the processing stations, a robot arm lifts the wafer ring from one wafer ring positioning stage and engages the wafer ring with another wafer ring positioning stage.

[0004] However, in conventional wafer ring positioning stages, the members for clamping the wafer ring are fixed to a base and cannot be moved on the base. That is, with such wafer ring positioning stages, the clamping force or clamping range cannot be adjusted, and the wafer ring must be attached and detached by elastic deformation. Therefore, deformation of the wafer ring easily occurs, which interferes with wafer processing and makes it impossible to reuse the wafer ring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0301871 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0203373 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer ring positioning stage that prevents deformation of the wafer ring due to excessive force applied to clamp and fix the wafer ring. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The wafer ring positioning stage of the present invention is a wafer ring positioning stage on which a wafer ring is placed, a base; and a main body portion fixed to the base so as to place the wafer ring thereon; The main body portion includes: a first plane horizontally disposed on the main body; a first fixed abutment member located at one end of the main body and fixed to the first plane; a first movable contact member that is movably installed at the other end of the main body and faces the first fixed contact member; a second plane that is higher than the first plane and horizontally installed on the main body; a second fixed abutment member located at the one end of the main body portion together with the first fixed abutment member and fixed to the second plane; a second movable contact member that is movably installed at the other end of the main body portion and faces the second fixed contact member; a drive member connected to the first movable contact member and configured to drive the first movable contact member so as to selectively move toward or away from the first fixed contact member; and an elastic member connected to the first movable contact member and biasing the first movable contact member so that the first movable contact member moves away from the first fixed contact member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] Since the wafer ring positioning stage of the present invention has an elastic member and a driving member, when clamping and fixing the wafer ring, the elastic member biases the first movable abutment member to prevent the wafer ring from deforming, and the distance between the first fixed abutment member and the first movable abutment member and the clamping force generated therebetween can be adjusted to suit the condition of the wafer ring.

[0009] The wafer ring positioning stage has a plurality of support members fixed to the base and installed at intervals on both sides of the main body, and the height of the top of each of the support members is the same as the height of the first plane.

[0010] The wafer ring positioning stage has a plurality of support members fixed to the base and installed at intervals on both sides of the main body, and the top of each of the support members has a first step whose height is the same as the height of the first plane and a second step whose height is the same as the height of the second plane.

[0011] The wafer ring positioning stage has a sensor assembly that measures the position of the first moving contact member, and the driving member drives the first moving contact member based on the measurement result.

[0012] In the above wafer ring positioning stage, the sensor assembly is an optical sensor.

[0013] The wafer ring positioning stage further has a surface that contacts the wafer ring and is coated with an antistatic coating. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic view showing the present invention and a wafer ring. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective schematic view showing a wafer ring of another size different from that of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 4 of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partial schematic plan view of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] 1 to 3, the wafer ring positioning stage of the present invention can mount two types of wafer rings A with different dimensions. The wafer ring positioning stage includes a base 10, a main body 20, a plurality of support members 30, and a surface 40. The surface 40 is the part of the wafer ring positioning stage that comes into contact with the wafer ring A and is coated with an antistatic coating.

[0016] As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the base 10 is fixed to a processing station in a production line, and the main body 20 is fixed on the base 10 and has a first plane 21, a second plane 22, a fixed assembly 23, a moving assembly 24, a driving member 25, an elastic member 26, and a sensor assembly 27, and the first plane 21 and the second plane 22 are formed horizontally on the main body 20, and the height of the second plane 22 is higher than the height of the first plane 21, and a wafer ring A is placed on the first plane 21 or the second plane 22.

[0017] 2 to 4, the fixed assembly 23 has a first fixed abutment member 231 and a second fixed abutment member 232, and the movable assembly 24 has a first movable abutment member 241 and a second movable abutment member 242. The first fixed abutment member 231 and the first movable abutment member 241 are respectively installed on the first plane 21 so as to be located at two opposing ends of the main body 20. The first movable abutment member 241 is installed on the first plane 21 so as to be able to move towards or away from the first fixed abutment member 231. As a result, when the first fixed abutment member 231 and the first movable abutment member 241 approach each other, the first fixed abutment member 231 and the first movable abutment member 241 can clamp one of two types of wafer rings A having different sizes.

[0018] Meanwhile, the second fixed abutment member 232 and the second movable abutment member 242 are also installed on the second plane 22 so as to be located at two opposing ends of the main body 20. The second movable abutment member 242 is installed on the second plane 22 so as to be able to move towards or away from the second fixed abutment member 232. As a result, when the second fixed abutment member 232 and the second movable abutment member 242 approach each other, the second fixed abutment member 232 and the second movable abutment member 242 can clamp the other of the two types of wafer rings A having different sizes. In this embodiment, the distance between the first fixed abutment member 231 and the first movable abutment member 241 is set to be shorter than the distance between the second fixed abutment member 232 and the second movable abutment member 242.

[0019] In this embodiment, the first fixed abutment member 231 and the second fixed abutment member 232 are both located at one end of the main body portion 20, and the first movable abutment member 241 and the second movable abutment member 242 are both located at the other end of the main body portion 20, but in other embodiments, the first fixed abutment member 231 and the second movable abutment member 242 may both be located at one end of the main body portion 20, and the first movable abutment member 241 and the second fixed abutment member 232 may both be located at the other end of the main body portion 20, and the imaginary connection line between the first fixed abutment member 231 and the first movable abutment member 241 may intersect with the imaginary connection line between the second fixed abutment member 232 and the second movable abutment member 242, but this is not limited to these.

[0020] 4 to 6, the driving member 25 is connected to the moving assembly 24 so as to move the moving assembly 24 toward or away from the fixed assembly 23. In this embodiment, the driving member 25 is connected to the first moving abutment member 241 and the second moving abutment member 242 so as to move the first moving abutment member 241 and the second moving abutment member 242 together, but in other embodiments, two driving members 25 may be provided in each of the main body parts 20, one of which is connected to the first moving abutment member 241 and the other of which is connected to the second moving abutment member 242, and this configuration is not limiting.

[0021] The elastic member 26 is connected to the moving assembly 24 and biases the moving assembly 24 so that it moves away from the fixed assembly 23. That is, when the first fixed abutment member 231 and the first movable abutment member 241 sandwich the wafer ring A, the elastic member 26 enables the wafer ring A to resist the clamping force applied to the wafer ring A by the first fixed abutment member 231 and the first movable abutment member 241. Similarly, when the second fixed abutment member 232 and the second movable abutment member 242 sandwich the wafer ring A, the elastic member 26 enables the wafer ring A to resist the clamping force applied to the wafer ring A by the second fixed abutment member 232 and the second movable abutment member 242. This prevents the wafer ring A from being excessively pressed and deformed.

[0022] The sensor assembly 27 is signal-connected to the drive member 25 that drives the moving assembly 24 to measure the position of the moving assembly 24. In this embodiment, the main body 20 has two sensor assemblies 27, a first sensor assembly 27A and a second sensor assembly 27B, which are optical sensors and are installed on both sides of the moving assembly 24. Each sensor assembly 27 has a first portion 271 that can emit and receive optical signals, and a second portion 272 that is fixed to the moving assembly 24, and this second portion 272 can selectively block the optical signal emitted from the first portion 271 in response to the movement of the moving assembly 24.

[0023] When the moving assembly 24 moves away from the fixed assembly 23, the second portion 272A of the first sensor assembly 27A blocks the optical signal emitted from the first portion 271A, while the second portion 272B of the second sensor assembly 27B does not block the optical signal emitted from the first portion 271B. Also, as shown in FIG. 6 , when the moving assembly 24 moves closer to the fixed assembly 23, the second portion 272A of the first sensor assembly 27A does not block the optical signal emitted from the first portion 271A, while the second portion 272B of the second sensor assembly 27B blocks the optical signal emitted from the first portion 271B. The position of the moving assembly 24 is determined based on whether the optical signals from each sensor assembly 27 are blocked.

[0024] 2 to 4, the support members 30 are fixed to the base 10 and are installed on both sides of the main body 20 with a gap therebetween. The top of the support member 30 has a first step 31, which is a horizontal plane with the same height as the first plane 21, and a second step 32, which is a horizontal plane with the same height as the second plane 22. One of two types of wafer rings A with different dimensions is placed on the first plane 21 and the first step 31, and the other wafer ring A is placed on the second plane 22 and the second step 32. However, only one wafer ring A is placed on the main body 20 during use. Note that this embodiment has four support members 30, two of which are installed on one side of the main body 20 and the other two on the opposite side of the main body 20. However, in other embodiments, the number of support members 30 is not limited as long as the wafer ring A can be stably placed on them.

[0025] Furthermore, before wafer ring A is placed on the wafer ring positioning stage, drive member 25 moves moving assembly 24 away from fixed assembly 23 until second portion 272A of first sensor assembly 27A blocks the optical signal from first portion 271A and second portion 272B of second sensor assembly 27B does not block the optical signal from first portion 271B. On the other hand, once wafer ring A is placed on the wafer ring positioning stage, drive member 25 moves moving assembly 24 closer to fixed assembly 23 until second portion 272A of first sensor assembly 27A does not block the optical signal from first portion 271A and second portion 272B of second sensor assembly 27B blocks the optical signal from first portion 271B. As a result, when wafer ring A is clamped between moving assembly 24 and fixed assembly 23, and the dimensions of wafer ring A are slightly larger than the distance between moving assembly 24 and fixed assembly 23, elastic member 26 enables wafer ring A to resist the clamping force applied to wafer ring A by moving assembly 24 and fixed assembly 23.

[0026] In the present invention, since the wafer ring positioning stage has elastic member 26 and driving member 25, when wafer ring A is clamped and fixed, the distance between first fixed abutment member 231 and first movable abutment member 241 and the clamping force generated therebetween can be adjusted to better suit the condition of wafer ring A, so that wafer ring A does not deform. Also, since the wafer ring positioning stage has a clamping position between first fixed abutment member 231 and first movable abutment member 241 and a clamping position between second fixed abutment member 232 and second movable abutment member 242, two types of wafer rings A with different dimensions can be placed on the wafer ring positioning stage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] A wafer ring 10 base 20 Main body 21 1st plane 22 2nd plane 23 Fixing Assembly 231 first fixed abutment member 232 second fixed abutment member 24 Moving Assembly 241 first moving abutment member 242 second moving abutment member 25 Driving member 26 Elastic member 27 Sensor Assembly 271 Part 1 272 Part 2 27A First Sensor Assembly 271A Part 1 272A Part 2 27B Second Sensor Assembly 271B Part 1 272B 2nd part 30 Support member 31 1st Staircase 32 Second Staircase 40 surface

Claims

1. A wafer ring positioning stage on which a wafer ring is placed, a base; and a main body portion fixed to the base so as to place the wafer ring thereon; The main body portion includes: a first plane horizontally disposed on the main body; a first fixed abutment member located at one end of the main body and fixed to the first plane; a first movable contact member movably installed at the other end of the main body portion and facing the first fixed contact member; a second plane that is higher than the first plane and horizontally installed on the main body; a second fixed abutment member located at the one end of the main body portion together with the first fixed abutment member and fixed to the second plane; a second movable contact member movably installed at the other end of the main body portion and facing the second fixed contact member; a drive member connected to the first movable contact member and configured to drive the first movable contact member so as to selectively move toward or away from the first fixed contact member; a resilient member connected to the first movable contact member and biasing the first movable contact member so that the first movable contact member moves away from the first fixed contact member.

2. a plurality of support members fixed to the base and installed on both sides of the main body at intervals; 2. The wafer ring positioning stage according to claim 1, wherein the height of the top of each of said support members is the same as the height of said first plane.

3. a plurality of support members fixed to the base and installed on both sides of the main body at intervals; The top of each of the support members comprises: a first step having a height equal to the height of the first plane; 2. The wafer ring positioning stage according to claim 1, further comprising: a second step having a height equal to that of said second plane.

4. A wafer ring positioning stage as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it has a sensor assembly that measures the position of the first movable abutment member, and based on the measurement results, the driving member drives the first movable abutment member.

5. 5. The wafer ring positioning stage of claim 4, wherein the sensor assembly is an optical sensor.

6. 4. The wafer ring positioning stage according to claim 1, further comprising a surface that contacts the wafer ring and is coated with an antistatic coating.

7. 5. The wafer ring positioning stage of claim 4, further comprising a surface that contacts the wafer ring and is coated with an antistatic coating.

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