Apparatus for performing multiple circuit board replacements and method for performing multiple circuit board replacements
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HIWIN TECH CORP
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-04
Smart Images
Figure 0007900564000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate, and more particularly to an apparatus for performing multiple substrate exchanges and a method for performing multiple substrate exchanges.
Background Art
[0002] By installing an exchange device between a general wafer processing station and a wafer storage section, it meets the demand for controlling to reduce the risk of manual work, cut labor costs, enhance manufacturing efficiency and continuity, improve yield, and prevent contamination.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Patent Document 2
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] However, conventional patent documents, for example, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, are used for coating treatment and heat treatment, mainly have a manufacturing function, and do not have a substrate exchange function. Further, the wafer cleaning and splitting equipment described in Patent Document 2 is used for cutting wafers and for the purpose of preventing wafer contamination, and similarly does not have a substrate exchange function.
[0005] Figure 1 shows a conventionally used multiple substrate exchange device 11. The multiple substrate exchange device 11 is mainly located between the wafer storage unit 12 and the wafer processing station 13, and is equipped with two sets of robot arms 14 for performing substrate (not shown) movement operations. Each of the robot arms 14 rotates and exchanges the carrier using an end rotation axis 15 (T-axis). However, such an exchange mechanism has a significant drawback: in addition to arranging two sets of robot arms 14, it is necessary to separately install an end rotation axis 15 to achieve rotational movement, which complicates the system mechanism and increases costs.
[0006] In view of the conventional situation, the present invention aims to provide an apparatus and method for performing multiple circuit board replacement, which achieves multiple circuit board replacement without installing an end rotation axis, by mainly combining a lifting frame with a single robot arm, thereby reducing costs and the space required for the entire mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] To achieve the above objective, an apparatus for performing multiple substrate replacement according to one aspect of the present invention is applied to replace a first substrate stored in a storage section and a second substrate located in a processing station. The apparatus comprises a fixed support frame adjacent to the storage section and having a mounting section for placing the first substrate or the second substrate; a lifting support frame installed on one side of the fixed support frame so as to be displaceable along the longitudinal direction and having an upper mounting section for placing the second substrate and a lower mounting section lower than the upper mounting section and for placing the first substrate; a lifting rod displaceable along the longitudinal direction; a plurality of joint sections displaceable along the transverse direction, the joint section having a pivot portion pivotally attached to the lifting rod and an end mounting section; and an end effector fixed to the end mounting section and used for transporting the first substrate or the second substrate.
[0008] This design of the fixed support frame, lifting support frame, moving mechanism, and end effector enables the replacement of multiple circuit boards. By using a robot arm as the moving mechanism, it is possible to complete the replacement of multiple circuit boards without attaching an end rotation axis. Furthermore, by simplifying the mechanism, the required space is reduced, resulting in a reduction in cost.
[0009] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above objective, another aspect of the present invention, a method for performing multiple substrate replacement, is applied to replace a first substrate stored in a storage unit and a second substrate located in a processing station. The method includes the steps of: (A) using a moving mechanism to remove the first substrate stored in the storage section and move it to the fixed support frame; (B) using a lateral clamping device to clamp the second substrate located in the processing station to the upper mounting portion of the lifting support frame; (C) using the moving mechanism to move the first substrate located in the fixed support frame to the lower mounting portion of the lifting support frame, so that the first substrate is lower than the second substrate; (D) controlling the lifting support frame to move up and down so that the height of the first substrate corresponds to the clamping height of the lateral clamping device; (E) using the lateral clamping device to clamp and release the first substrate located in the lower mounting portion of the lifting support frame and move it to the processing station; and (F) using the moving mechanism to finally move the second substrate located in the upper mounting portion of the lifting support frame to the storage section.
[0010] With the design of the fixed support frame, lifting support frame, moving mechanism, and lateral clamping device described above, multiple substrate replacements are performed based on the steps described above. Using a robot arm as the moving mechanism not only enables the completion of multiple substrate replacements without attaching an end rotation axis, but also reduces the required space and lowers costs by simplifying the mechanism.
[0011] The following information will become clear from the description in the specification and drawings described later. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a conventional multi-board replacement device. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows an apparatus and method for performing multiple substrate replacements according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] This is an inclined view showing an apparatus and a method for performing multiple substrate replacement according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] This is a partially enlarged view shown in Figure 3A. [Figure 4] A partially enlarged view showing an apparatus and method for performing multiple substrate replacement according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 in Figure 4. [Figure 6A] This is a diagram (1) showing the operation of replacing multiple circuit boards according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] This is a diagram (2) showing the operation of replacing multiple circuit boards according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6C] This is a diagram (3) showing the operation of replacing multiple circuit boards according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6D] This is a diagram (4) showing the operation of replacing multiple circuit boards according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6E] This is a diagram (5) showing the operation of replacing multiple circuit boards according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6F] This is a diagram (6) showing the operation of replacing multiple circuit boards according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6G] This is a diagram (7) showing the operation of replacing multiple circuit boards according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a top view showing an apparatus for performing multiple substrate replacements and a method for performing multiple substrate replacements according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a top view showing an apparatus and method for performing multiple substrate replacement according to one embodiment of the present invention, and also shows another fork configuration of the end effector. [Figure 9]It is a top view showing an apparatus for performing multiple substrate exchanges according to an embodiment of the present invention and a method for performing multiple substrate exchanges, and shows still another fork mode of the end effector.
Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[0013] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the invention.
[0014] An apparatus for performing multiple substrate exchanges according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to exchange a first substrate 100 stored in a storage unit A and a second substrate 200 at a processing station B, and is used in combination with a lateral clamp 300 (see FIGS. 6A and 7). In this embodiment, an example in which the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 are wafer carriers is given, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may be a panel, a wafer, or the like. The first substrate 100 has a first ring frame portion 101, the first ring frame portion 101 has a first inner ring surface 102 and two first position-limiting recesses 103, the second substrate 200 has a second ring frame portion 201, and the second ring frame portion 201 has a second inner ring surface 202 and two second position-limiting recesses 203. The lateral clamp 300 is installed on the processing station B side. The apparatus for performing multiple substrate exchanges mainly includes a fixed support frame 20, a lifting support frame 30, a moving mechanism 40, and an end effector 50 (see FIGS. 3 to 7), and will be described below for each.
[0015] The fixed support frame 20 is close to the storage unit A and is spaced apart from each other, and has two placement portions 21 for placing the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200.
[0016] The lifting support frame 30 is installed on one side of the fixed support frame 20 so as to be displaceable along the vertical direction Y, and is spaced apart from each other. It has two upper mounting sections 31 for mounting the second substrate 200, and two lower mounting sections 32 that are spaced apart from each other and lower than the upper mounting sections 31. Each of the lower mounting sections 32 is used for mounting the first substrate 100. In this embodiment, the linear module 60 drives the lifting support frame 30 to displace along the vertical direction Y. The linear module 60 is installed along the vertical direction Y and includes a screw 62 that is driven by a motor 61 and can rotate forward or backward at the origin, and a slider 63 that is screwed onto the screw 62. The lifting support frame 30 further includes a connecting portion 33 fixed to the slider 63.
[0017] While the present invention is not limited to the example of the moving mechanism 40 being a robot arm, the moving mechanism 40 is installed between two upper mounting parts 31 and two lower mounting parts 32 and is capable of displacement in the lateral direction X and the vertical direction Y. The moving mechanism 40 has a lifting rod 41 that is displaceable along the vertical direction Y, and a plurality of joint parts 42 that are displaceable along the lateral direction X. The joint part 42 is composed of a plurality of joints and has a pivot part 421 pivotally attached to the lifting rod 41 and an end mounting part 422.
[0018] Refer to Figures 3B and 7. The end effector 50 has a base portion 51 fixed to the end mounting portion 422 and two forks 52 located on both sides of the base portion 51. Each of the forks 52 has a first transport portion 521 for transporting the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200, and a second transport portion 522 which is further away from the storage portion A than the first transport portion 521 and also transports the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200, and the second transport portion 522 and the first transport portion 521 have different heights along the vertical direction Y. In this embodiment, each of the first transport units 521 has a first surface 5211 for placing the first ring frame unit 101 or the second ring frame unit 201, and a first avoidance surface 5212 that, in the vertical direction Y, has the same surface as the first inner ring surface 102 or the second inner ring surface 202. The first avoidance surface 5212 has an arc-shaped concave surface. Each of the second transport units 522 has a second surface 5221 for placing the first ring frame unit 101 or the second ring frame unit 201, and a second avoidance surface 5222 that, in the vertical direction Y, has the same surface as the first inner ring surface 102 or the second inner ring surface 202. The second avoidance surface 5222 has an arc-shaped concave surface. Furthermore, each of the forks 52 is equipped with two positioning elements 70 for positioning the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200, in both the first transport section 521 and the second transport section 522. In this embodiment, each positioning element 70 positions the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200 by a negative pressure suction method, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200 may be positioned using an anti-slip method or a magnetic suction method. In this embodiment, each positioning element 70 is a negative pressure nozzle and is designed to be combined with an air passage 523 inside each fork 52, thereby generating an adsorption force and positioning the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and each positioning element 70 may be an anti-slip plate or a magnet.
[0019] Furthermore, the device further comprises a position-limiting member 80, the position-limiting member 80 having a fixing portion 81 fixed to the end mounting portion 422, and two position-limiting protrusions 82 connected to the fixing portion 81 and for insertion into the two first position-limiting recesses 103 or the two second position-limiting recesses 203, respectively, thereby increasing the stability when the first transport portion 521 of the end effector 50 transports the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200.
[0020] In this way, the design of the fixed support frame 20, the lifting support frame 30, the moving mechanism 40, and the end effector 50 makes it possible to replace multiple circuit boards. The robot arm can be used as the moving mechanism 40, and multiple circuit board replacement can be completed without attaching an end rotation axis. In this way, the mechanism is simplified, the required space is reduced, and costs are reduced.
[0021] Specific embodiments of the method for performing multiple substrate replacement according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 6A to 6G. For ease of understanding, Figure 6A shows only the complete storage unit A and processing station B. The method includes the following steps.
[0022] As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, in step (A), the moving mechanism 40 is used to remove the first substrate 100 stored in the storage section A and move it to the fixed support frame 20. In this embodiment, the design of the first transport section 521 of the fork 52 of the end effector 50 is combined with the vertical movement and horizontal movement of the moving mechanism 40 to remove the first substrate 100 stored in the storage section A and move it to the mounting section 21 of the fixed support frame 20.
[0023] As shown in Figure 6B, in step (B), first, the lifting and lowering of the lifting support frame 30 is controlled so that the upper mounting portion 31 of the lifting support frame 30 corresponds to the displacement height in the lateral direction X of the lateral clamping device 300. Then, the second substrate 200 located at the processing station B is clamped onto the upper mounting portion 31 of the lifting support frame 30 using the lateral clamping device 300.
[0024] As shown in Figures 6B and 6C, in step (C), the moving mechanism 40 is used to move the first substrate 100 on the fixed support frame 20 to the lower mounting portion 32 of the lifting support frame 30, so that the first substrate 100 is lower than the second substrate 200. In this embodiment, the moving mechanism 40 first drives the end effector 50 to be displaced in the direction of the storage portion A, and then aligns the second transport portion 522 of the fork 52 of the end effector 50 with the first substrate 100, and then moves the first substrate 100 to the lower mounting portion 32 of the lifting support frame 30.
[0025] As shown in Figure 6C, in step (D), the lifting support frame 30 is controlled to rise, and the height of the first substrate 100 is made to correspond to the clamping height of the lateral clamping device 300.
[0026] As shown in Figures 6C and 6D, in step (E), the lateral clamping device 300 is used to clamp and release the first substrate 100 located on the lower mounting portion 32 of the lifting support frame 30, and move it to the processing station B.
[0027] As shown in Figures 6D and 6E, in step (F), the second transport unit 522 of the end effector 50 controls the vertical movement and lateral movement of the moving mechanism 40 so that it moves the second substrate 200 on the upper mounting unit 31 to the mounting unit 21 of the fixed support frame 20. As shown in Figure 6F, the moving mechanism 40 is controlled to drive the end effector 50 to move laterally, and the first transport unit 521 of the end effector 50 is made to correspond to the second substrate 200. As shown in Figure 6G, finally, the moving mechanism 40 is controlled to move vertically and laterally, and the first transport unit 521 of the end effector 50 moves the second substrate 200 on the fixed support frame 20 to the storage unit A, thereby completing the exchange of the first substrate 100 stored in the storage unit A and the second substrate 200 in the processing station B.
[0028] The design of the fixed support frame 20, the lifting support frame 30, the moving mechanism 40, and the lateral clamping device 300 makes it possible to replace multiple circuit boards based on the above steps.
[0029] Incidentally, as shown in Figure 7, the first substrate 100 has a first diameter line 104 passing through its center, and the second substrate 200 has a second diameter line 204 passing through its center. The minimum distance between the two positioning elements 70 is 30 mm, the maximum distance is 174 mm, and the two positioning elements 70 are positioned at equal distances on either side of the first diameter line 104 or the second diameter line 204. If the diameters of the first inner ring surface 102 of the first substrate 100 and the second inner ring surface 202 of the second substrate 200 are 350 mm (12 inches), the distance between the two positioning elements 70 is in the range of 30 mm to 174 mm. If the diameters of the first inner ring surface 102 of the first substrate 100 and the second inner ring surface 202 of the second substrate 200 are 250 mm (8 inches), the distance between the two positioning elements 70 is in the range of 30 mm to 160 mm. If the diameters of the first inner ring surface 102 of the first substrate 100 and the second inner ring surface 202 of the second substrate 200 are 194 mm (6 inches), the distance between the two positioning elements 70 is in the range of 30 mm to 115 mm. The distance between the two positioning elements 70 enhances the stability of the end effector 50 in transporting the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200.
[0030] On the other hand, the present invention particularly limits the structure of each fork 52 of the end effector 50, such that the first avoidance surface 5212 of the first transport section 521 and the second avoidance surface 5222 of the second transport section 522 of each fork 52 have the same surface as the first inner ring surface 102 of the first substrate 100 or the second inner ring surface 202 of the second substrate 200 in the vertical direction Y. In this way, the end effector 50 effectively prevents damage to the wafer protective film when transporting the first substrate 100 or the second substrate 200.
[0031] Figure 8 shows another configuration of the fork 52 of the end effector 50. The first transport section 521 of the fork 52 shown in Figure 8 differs from the fork 52 in Figure 7 in that it is shorter in length and wider in width. Figure 9 shows yet another configuration of the fork 52 of the end effector 50. The first transport section 521 of the fork 52 shown in Figure 9 differs from the fork 52 in that, except for its shorter length, the first avoidance surface 5212 of the first transport section 521 is planar, and the second avoidance surface 5222 of the second transport section 522 is also planar, however both are within the thickness range of the frame section of the first ring frame section 101 or the second ring frame section 201.
[0032] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]
[0033] 11. Multiple circuit board replacement device 12 Wafer storage section 13 Wafer Processing Station 14 Robot Arm A Storage compartment B Relocation Station 100 First board 101 First ring frame section 102 First inner surface 103 First Position-Limiting Recess 104 First Diameter Line 200 Second board 201 Second Ring Frame Section 202 Second inner surface 203 Second Position-Limited Recess 204 Second Diameter Line 300 Lateral clamp X horizontal direction Y (vertical direction) 20 Fixed support frame 21 Mounting section 30 Lifting support frame 31 Upper mounting section 32 Lower mounting section 33 Connecting part 40 Moving mechanism 41 Lifting rod 42 Joint section 421 Pivot joint 422 End mounting section 50 End Effects 51 Base section 52 Forks 521 First Conveyor Unit 5211 Page 1 5212 1st avoidance plane 522 Second Conveyor Unit 5221 2nd page 5222 2nd avoidance plane 523 Air passage 60 Linear Module 61 Motor 62 Screw 63 Slider 70 Positioning elements 80 Position-limiting member 81 Fixed part
Claims
1. A device for performing multiple circuit board replacement, which is applied to replace a first circuit board stored in a storage compartment and a second circuit board located in a processing station, A fixed support frame that is adjacent to the storage section and has a mounting section for mounting the first substrate or the second substrate, A lifting support frame is installed on one side of the fixed support frame so as to be displaceable along the vertical direction, and has an upper mounting portion for mounting the second substrate and a lower mounting portion lower than the upper mounting portion for mounting the first substrate. A moving mechanism comprising a lifting rod that is displaceable along the vertical direction and a plurality of joint parts that are displaceable along the horizontal direction, wherein each joint part has a pivot part pivotally attached to the lifting rod and an end mounting part, The system is characterized by comprising an end effector fixed to the end mounting section and used for transporting the first substrate or the second substrate, A device that performs the replacement of multiple circuit boards.
2. The end effector comprises a base portion fixed to the end mounting portion and two forks located on both sides of the base portion, wherein each fork comprises a first transport portion for transporting the first substrate or the second substrate and a second transport portion located further away from the storage portion than the first transport portion and for transporting the first substrate or the second substrate, and the second transport portion and the first transport portion differ in height along the vertical direction, characterized in that the apparatus for performing multiple substrate replacement according to claim 1.
3. The apparatus for performing multiple substrate replacement according to claim 2, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are wafer carriers, the first substrate has a first ring frame portion, the first ring frame portion has a first inner ring surface, the second substrate has a second ring frame portion, the second ring frame portion has a second inner ring surface, each first transport portion has a first surface for placing the first ring frame portion or the second ring frame portion and a first avoidance surface that in the vertical direction is the same surface as the first inner ring surface or the second inner ring surface, and each second transport portion has a second surface for placing the first ring frame portion or the second ring frame portion and a second avoidance surface that in the vertical direction is the same surface as the first inner ring surface or the second inner ring surface.
4. A method for performing multiple circuit board replacement, applicable to replacing a first circuit board stored in a storage unit and a second circuit board located in a processing station, Step (A) involves using a moving mechanism to remove the first circuit board stored in the storage compartment and move it to the fixed support frame, Step (B) involves using a lateral clamping device to clamp the second substrate located at the processing station onto the upper mounting portion of the lifting support frame, Using the aforementioned moving mechanism, the first substrate located on the fixed support frame is moved to the lower mounting portion of the lifting support frame, and the first substrate is located at a lower step (C) than the second substrate. Step (D) involves controlling the lifting support frame to move up and down, so that the height of the first substrate corresponds to the clamping height of the lateral clamping device, Step (E) involves using the lateral clamping device to clamp and release the first substrate located on the lower mounting portion of the lifting support frame, and moving it to the processing station. The invention is characterized by including the step (F) of using the moving mechanism to move the second substrate, which is located on the upper mounting portion of the lifting support frame, to the storage portion. How to perform multiple circuit board replacements.
5. A method for performing a multiple substrate replacement according to claim 4, characterized in that, in step (A), the moving mechanism uses a first transport unit to remove the first substrate stored in the storage unit and move it to the fixed support frame; in step (C), the moving mechanism uses a second transport unit to move the first substrate on the fixed support frame to the lower mounting portion of the lifting support frame; in step (F), the moving mechanism uses a second transport unit to move the second substrate on the upper mounting portion to the fixed support frame; and the moving mechanism uses a first transport unit to move the second substrate on the fixed support frame to the storage unit.