Wafer handling methods, wafer handling equipment, wafer cutters, readable storage media, and electronic devices.

Abstract

Invention details;

Description

Wafer unloading method, wafer unloading device, wafer dicing machine, readable storage medium and electronic equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on December 20, 2022, with application number 202211640936.1 and invention name “Wafer unloading method, wafer unloading device, wafer dicing machine, readable storage medium and electronic device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of dicing machines, and in particular to a wafer unloading method, a wafer unloading device, a dicing machine, a readable storage medium, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0003] A dicing machine is a device that uses a blade or laser to cut workpieces with high precision. Taking a wafer as an example, when processing a wafer, it needs to be transferred so that different processing operations can be performed on the wafer at different locations within the dicing machine.

[0004] When unloading the wafer, that is, removing the wafer from the dicing machine, since there are many modules in the dicing machine, the wafer may be located at different positions of the dicing machine. How to unload the wafer efficiently and safely becomes an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wafer unloading method, a wafer unloading device and a wafer dicing machine, which can efficiently and safely complete the unloading of workpieces by optimizing the wafer unloading process.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a readable storage medium and an electronic device that can execute or implement the aforementioned film unloading method.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer unloading method for a dicing machine, wherein the dicing machine includes a loading table, a first material moving mechanism, a second material moving mechanism, a cutting table, and a cleaning table. The wafer unloading method includes:

[0009] Step S1, detecting whether there is a workpiece on the first material moving mechanism; if so, unloading the workpiece on the first material moving mechanism to the loading platform and then proceeding to step S2; if not, directly proceeding to step S2;

[0010] Step S2, detecting whether there is a workpiece on the cleaning table; if so, unloading the workpiece on the cleaning table to the loading table and then proceeding to step S3; if not, directly proceeding to step S3;

[0011] Step S3, detecting whether there is a workpiece on the second material moving mechanism; if so, unloading the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism to the loading platform and then proceeding to step S4; if not, directly proceeding to step S4;

[0012] Step S4: Detect whether there is a workpiece on the cutting table. If so, unload the workpiece on the cutting table to the loading table.

[0013] In the above-mentioned unloading method, in step S2, unloading the workpiece on the cleaning table to the loading table includes:

[0014] The first material transfer mechanism is controlled to remove the workpiece on the cleaning table and unload it to the loading table.

[0015] In the above-mentioned unloading method, in step S3, unloading the workpiece on the second material transfer mechanism to the loading platform includes:

[0016] First, controlling the second material transfer mechanism to place the workpiece on the second material transfer mechanism on the cleaning table;

[0017] Then, the first material transfer mechanism is controlled to take out the workpiece placed on the cleaning table and unload it to the loading table.

[0018] In the above-mentioned unloading method, in step S4, unloading the workpiece on the cutting table to the loading table includes:

[0019] First, the cutting table is controlled to move from the cutting position to the handover position;

[0020] Then, the second material transfer mechanism is controlled to remove the workpiece on the cutting table at the handover position and transfer the workpiece to the cleaning table;

[0021] Finally, the first material transfer mechanism is controlled to take out the workpiece transferred to the cleaning table and unload it to the loading table.

[0022] In the above-mentioned unloading method, the dicing machine includes a guide rail; the first material transfer mechanism unloads the workpiece to the loading platform, including:

[0023] controlling the first material moving mechanism to place the workpiece on the guide rail;

[0024] Controlling the loading platform to rise and fall vertically so that the target placement layer in the workpiece box placed on the loading platform is at the same height as the support surface of the guide rail;

[0025] The first material moving mechanism is controlled to push the workpiece back to the target placement layer along the supporting surface of the guide rail.

[0026] The wafer unloading method as described above, wherein the dicing machine further includes a cleaning mechanism, and the wafer unloading method further includes:

[0027] Before the workpiece on the cleaning table is taken out, the workpiece on the cleaning table is first cleaned by the cleaning mechanism, and the cleaning table is controlled to drive the workpiece to rotate during cleaning.

[0028] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a wafer unloading device for a dicing machine, wherein the dicing machine includes a loading table, a first material moving mechanism, a second material moving mechanism, a cutting table, and a cleaning table. The wafer unloading device includes:

[0029] a first processing module configured to detect whether there is a workpiece on the first material moving mechanism after receiving an unloading instruction, and unload the workpiece on the first material moving mechanism to the loading platform if there is a workpiece on the first material moving mechanism, and send a detection instruction to the second processing module if there is no workpiece on the second material moving mechanism;

[0030] a second processing module, configured to detect whether there is a workpiece on the cleaning table after receiving a detection instruction from the first processing module, and unload the workpiece on the cleaning table to the loading table if there is a workpiece on the cleaning table, and send a detection instruction to a third processing module if there is no workpiece on the cleaning table;

[0031] a third processing module, configured to detect whether there is a workpiece on the second material moving mechanism after receiving a detection instruction from the second processing module, and unload the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism to the loading platform if there is a workpiece on the second material moving mechanism, and send a detection instruction to the fourth processing module if there is no workpiece on the second material moving mechanism;

[0032] The fourth processing module is configured to detect whether there is a workpiece on the cutting table after receiving the detection instruction from the third processing module, and unload the workpiece on the cutting table to the loading table if there is a workpiece on the cutting table.

[0033] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a dicing machine, comprising a loading table, a first material moving mechanism, a second material moving mechanism, a cutting table and a cleaning table, characterized in that the dicing machine also includes the above-mentioned unloading device.

[0034] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a readable storage medium, on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the film unloading method as described in any one of the above items are implemented.

[0035] An embodiment of the present invention also provides an electronic device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instruction, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the film unloading method as described in any one of the above items.

[0036] In the solution provided by the present invention, each position on the dicing machine where a workpiece may exist is divided into unloading priorities. Specifically, the unloading priority of the workpiece on the first material moving mechanism is greater than the unloading priority of the workpiece on the cleaning table, the unloading priority of the workpiece on the cleaning table is greater than the unloading priority of the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism, and the unloading priority of the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism is greater than the unloading priority of the workpiece on the cutting table. In this way, when performing the unloading operation, according to the above-mentioned unloading priorities, it is judged one by one whether there is a workpiece at each of the above-mentioned positions. If so, the unloading operation is performed first, and then the judgment of the next position is entered. In this way, the workpiece in the dicing machine can be unloaded efficiently and orderly, and the workpiece can be effectively prevented from falling or even being damaged due to interference caused by disorder or chaos during the unloading process.

[0037] The unloading device, dicing machine, readable storage medium and electronic device provided by the present invention correspond to the above-mentioned unloading method and have the same technical effects, so they will not be described in detail. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a dicing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] FIG2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of the film unloading method provided by the present invention.

[0040] Description of the reference numerals: loading table 10 , workpiece box 11 , first material moving mechanism 20 , second material moving mechanism 30 , cutting table 40 , cleaning table 50 , guide rail 60 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a dicing machine in an embodiment provided by the present invention; Figure 2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a wafer unloading method provided by the present invention.

[0043] An embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer unloading method, which is used for a dicing machine. The structure of the dicing machine can be understood with reference to Figure 1. The dicing machine includes a loading table 10, a first material moving mechanism 20, a second material moving mechanism 30, a cutting table 40 and a cleaning table 50; the loading table 10 is generally provided with a workpiece box 11, and a plurality of workpiece positions are arranged vertically at intervals in the workpiece box 11, and each workpiece position is used to place a workpiece; the first material moving mechanism 20 and the second material moving mechanism 30 are used to drive the workpiece to move to change the position of the workpiece in the dicing machine to facilitate different processing operations; the cutting table 40 is used to perform cutting operations on the workpiece, and the cleaning table 50 is used to clean the workpiece.

[0044] During actual operation, the workpiece is transferred from the workpiece box 11 of the loading platform 10 to the dicing machine for processing. After processing, the workpiece needs to be unloaded from the dicing machine and put back into the workpiece box 11 of the loading platform 10.

[0045] In this embodiment, after receiving the unloading instruction, the dicing machine performs the unloading operation. The unloading method includes:

[0046] Step S1, detecting whether there is a workpiece on the first material moving mechanism 20; if so, unloading the workpiece on the first material moving mechanism 20 to the loading platform 10, and then proceeding to step S2; if not, directly proceeding to step S2;

[0047] Step S2, detecting whether there is a workpiece on the cleaning table 50; if so, unloading the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 to the loading table 10, and then proceeding to step S3; if not, directly proceeding to step S3;

[0048] Step S3, detecting whether there is a workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30; if so, unloading the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30 to the loading platform 10, and then proceeding to step S4; if not, directly proceeding to step S4;

[0049] Step S4 , detecting whether there is a workpiece on the cutting table 40 , and if so, unloading the workpiece on the cutting table 40 to the loading table 10 .

[0050] As mentioned above, the unloading method divides the positions on the dicing machine where workpieces may exist into unloading priorities. Specifically, the unloading priority of the workpiece on the first material moving mechanism 20 is greater than the unloading priority of the workpiece on the cleaning table 50, the unloading priority of the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 is greater than the unloading priority of the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30, and the unloading priority of the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30 is greater than the unloading priority of the workpiece on the cutting table 40. In simple terms, the unloading priorities of each position on the dicing machine are: the first material moving mechanism 20, the cleaning table 50, the second material moving mechanism 30 and the cutting table 40; in this way, when performing the unloading operation, according to the above-mentioned unloading priority, it is judged one by one whether there is a workpiece at each of the above-mentioned positions. If so, the unloading operation is performed first, and then the judgment of the next position is entered. In this way, the workpieces in the dicing machine can be unloaded efficiently and orderly, and the workpieces can be effectively prevented from falling or even being damaged due to interference caused by disorder or chaos during the unloading process.

[0051] In specific applications, the first material transfer mechanism 20 of the dicing machine is used to transfer the workpiece from the loading table 10 to the cutting table, or to transfer the workpiece from the cleaning table 50 to the loading table 10, and the second material transfer mechanism 30 is used to transfer the workpiece from the cutting table 40 to the cleaning table 50.

[0052] In a possible implementation, in the unloading method, in the aforementioned step S2, if there is a workpiece on the cleaning table 50, unloading the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 to the loading table 10 can be specifically achieved in the following manner:

[0053] The first material moving mechanism 20 is controlled to take the workpiece out of the cleaning table 50 and unload it to the loading table 10 .

[0054] It can be understood that when the presence of workpieces on the cleaning table 50 is detected, it is ensured that there are no workpieces on the first material moving mechanism 20, so the first material moving mechanism 20 can be used to unload the workpieces on the cleaning table 50 without causing interference.

[0055] In a possible implementation, in the aforementioned step S3, the unloading method can be implemented by unloading the workpiece from the second material transfer mechanism 30 to the loading platform 10 in the following manner:

[0056] First, the second material moving mechanism 30 is controlled to prevent the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30 from being placed on the cleaning table 50;

[0057] Then, the first material moving mechanism 20 is controlled to take out the workpiece placed on the cleaning table 50 and unload it to the loading table 10 .

[0058] It is understood that when the presence of a workpiece on the second material transfer mechanism 30 is detected, it is ensured that there is no workpiece on either the first material transfer mechanism 20 or the cleaning table 50. Therefore, the cleaning table 50 can be used as a transfer location for handing over the workpiece on the second material transfer mechanism 30. Thereafter, the first material transfer mechanism 20 is used to transfer the workpiece from the second material transfer mechanism 30 to the cleaning table 50 and unload it onto the loading table 10. In this way, damage to the workpiece due to interference during the unloading process can be avoided.

[0059] In a possible implementation, in the aforementioned step S4, the unloading method can be implemented by unloading the workpiece from the cutting table 40 to the loading table 10 in the following manner:

[0060] First, the cutting table 40 is controlled to move from the cutting position to the handover position;

[0061] Then, the second material transfer mechanism 30 is controlled to remove the workpiece from the cutting table 40 at the handover position and transfer it to the cleaning table 50;

[0062] Finally, the first material transfer mechanism 20 is controlled to take out the workpiece transferred to the cleaning table 50 and unload it to the loading table 10 .

[0063] It can be understood that when detecting the presence of a workpiece on the cutting table 40, it has been ensured that there is no workpiece on the first material moving mechanism 20, the cleaning table 50 and the second material moving mechanism 30, so the above-mentioned related actions of the first material moving mechanism 20, the cleaning table 50 and the second material moving mechanism 30 can be used to unload the workpiece on the cutting table 40 to the loading table 10 without interference.

[0064] Among them, the cutting table 40 can move and switch between the cutting position and the handover position; specifically, when the cutting table 40 is in the handover position, it can perform loading operations or material removal operations, that is, transferring the workpiece to the cutting table 40, or removing the cut workpiece on the cutting table 40; when the cutting table 40 is in the cutting position, it can cut the workpiece.

[0065] It can be seen from the above that during specific operation, no matter where the workpiece is in the dicing machine, when unloading, the first material moving mechanism 20 is finally used to unload the workpiece to the loading table 10.

[0066] In specific applications, the dicing machine is also provided with a guide rail 60, which is usually located above the cutting table 40 to assist in the transfer of the workpiece. The guide rail 60 has a carrying position for carrying the workpiece. When the guide rail 60 is in the carrying position, its upper surface can support the workpiece.

[0067] In a possible implementation, the first material transfer mechanism 20 may unload the workpiece onto the loading platform 10 in the following manner:

[0068] Controlling the first material moving mechanism 20 to place the workpiece on the guide rail 60;

[0069] Controlling the loading platform 10 to rise and fall vertically so that the target placement layer of the workpiece box 11 placed on the loading platform 10 is at the same height as the support surface of the guide rail 60;

[0070] The first material moving mechanism 20 is controlled to push the workpiece back to the target placement layer of the workpiece box 11 along the supporting surface of the guide rail 60 .

[0071] In this way, by using the guide rail 60 and adjusting the height of the target placement layer of the workpiece box 11 to the same as the support surface of the guide rail 60, it can be ensured that the first material moving mechanism 20 has a good levelness when pushing the workpiece to the target placement layer, avoiding interference with the workpiece box 11 and causing damage, and further ensuring the safety of unloading.

[0072] It should be pointed out that the above-mentioned first material moving mechanism 20 places the workpiece on the guide rail 60. The workpiece here can be the workpiece that was originally on the first material moving mechanism 20 when the unloading operation was performed, or it can be the workpiece that the first material moving mechanism 20 took from the workpiece that was originally placed on the cleaning table 50, or it can be the workpiece that the first material moving mechanism 20 took from the second material moving mechanism 30 and placed on the cleaning table 50, or it can be the workpiece that the first material moving mechanism 20 took and transferred from the cutting table to the cleaning table 50.

[0073] In a specific application, the dicing machine also includes a cleaning mechanism. In a possible implementation, the unloading method further includes: before the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 is taken out, the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 is first cleaned by the cleaning mechanism to ensure the cleanliness of its surface.

[0074] Specifically, when cleaning the workpiece, the cleaning platform 50 can be controlled to rotate the workpiece to improve the cleaning effect of the workpiece.

[0075] Similarly, the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 may include the workpiece that was originally on the cleaning table 50 when the unloading operation was performed, and may also include the workpiece placed on the cleaning table 50 from the second material transfer mechanism 30 when the unloading operation was performed, and may also include the workpiece transferred from the cutting table 40 to the cleaning table 50 when the unloading operation was performed.

[0076] In the above-mentioned implementations, the workpiece may be a wafer or other workpiece to be processed.

[0077] In addition to the above-mentioned unloading method, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an unloading device, which is used for a dicing machine. The structure of the dicing machine is consistent with the above-mentioned description. The unloading device includes:

[0078] The first processing module is configured to detect whether there is a workpiece on the first material moving mechanism 20 after receiving the unloading instruction, and unload the workpiece on the first material moving mechanism 20 to the loading platform 10 if there is a workpiece on the first material moving mechanism 20, and send a detection instruction to the second processing module if there is no workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30;

[0079] The second processing module is configured to detect whether there is a workpiece on the cleaning table 50 after receiving a detection instruction from the first processing module, and unload the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 to the loading table 10 if there is a workpiece on the cleaning table 50, and send a detection instruction to the third processing module if there is no workpiece on the cleaning table 50;

[0080] The third processing module is configured to detect whether there is a workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30 after receiving a detection instruction from the second processing module, and unload the workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30 to the loading platform 10 if there is a workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30, and send a detection instruction to the fourth processing module if there is no workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30;

[0081] The fourth processing module is configured to detect whether there is a workpiece on the cutting table 40 after receiving the detection instruction from the third processing module, and unload the workpiece on the cutting table 40 to the loading table 10 if there is a workpiece on the cutting table 40 .

[0082] In one possible implementation, when the second processing module detects the presence of a workpiece on the cleaning table 50, it is also used to send a first unloading signal to the first processing module. The first processing module is also used to control the first material moving mechanism 20 to remove the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 and unload it to the loading table 10 according to the received first unloading signal.

[0083] In one possible implementation, when the third processing module detects the presence of a workpiece on the second material moving mechanism 30, it is used to control the second material moving mechanism 30 to place the workpiece on the cleaning table 50 and send a second unloading signal to the first processing module. The first processing module is also used to control the first material moving mechanism 20 to remove the workpiece placed on the cleaning table 50 by the second material moving mechanism 30 and unload it to the loading table 10 according to the received second unloading signal.

[0084] In one possible implementation, when the fourth processing module detects the presence of a workpiece on the cutting table 40, it is used to control the cutting table 40 to switch to the handover position and send a transfer signal to the third processing module. The third processing module is also used to control the second material moving mechanism 30 to move to the handover position and transfer the workpiece on the cutting table 40 to the cleaning table according to the received transfer signal. Afterwards, the third processing module is also used to send a third unloading signal to the first processing module. The first processing module is also used to control the first material moving mechanism 20 to remove the workpiece transferred from the cutting table 40 to the cleaning table 50 and unload it to the loading table 10 according to the received third unloading signal.

[0085] The working process of the unloading device corresponds to the aforementioned unloading method and will not be repeated here.

[0086] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a dicing machine, which includes a loading table 10, a first material moving mechanism 20, a second material moving mechanism 30, a cutting table 40 and a cleaning table 50, and may also include a cleaning mechanism. The structural settings and actions of these components are as described above and will not be repeated here; the dicing machine also includes the above-mentioned unloading device, which can use the above-mentioned unloading method to safely, efficiently and orderly unload the workpiece from the dicing machine to the workpiece box 11 of the loading table 10. The specific implementation method corresponds to the above-mentioned unloading method and will not be repeated here.

[0087] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a readable storage medium, which stores a program or instruction. When the program or instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the aforementioned unloading method can be implemented.

[0088] An embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program or instruction that can be run on the processor, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the aforementioned film unloading method can be implemented.

[0089] The above is a detailed introduction to a wafer unloading method, wafer unloading device, wafer dicing machine, readable storage medium and electronic device provided by the present invention. This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present invention, the present invention can also be improved and modified in several ways, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

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