Auxiliary positioning device

Abstract

The present application discloses an auxiliary positioning device, used for guiding a leveling foot of a wafer transfer system to a preset position. The auxiliary positioning device comprises a base and a reflection sensor; the base is provided with a positioning slot passing through the base in the thickness direction, and a scale extending in the thickness direction is arranged on the side wall of the base facing the positioning slot; the reflection sensor is installed on the base; and the orthographic projection of light emitted by the reflection sensor in the thickness direction overlaps the orthographic projection of the positioning slot in the thickness direction. According to the present application, the positioning slot passing through the base is provided on the base, and the leveling foot can be placed at the preset position by means of the guiding of the positioning slot, helping the wafer transmission system to reset.

Description

Auxiliary positioning device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202420369155.1, filed on February 28, 2024, entitled “Auxiliary Positioning Device,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application belongs to the field of wafer preparation technology, and in particular relates to an auxiliary positioning device. Background Art

[0004] The wafer transfer system needs to be moved during inspection and maintenance, and after the inspection is completed, it needs to be accurately returned to the initial preset position.

[0005] In related technologies, a marker pen is typically used to mark a preset position. During repositioning, the wafer transfer system's foot cup is aligned with the marked position and continuously adjusted to maintain positioning. However, the marker pen's position is not precise, and the return operation is time-consuming. Furthermore, the heavy weight of the wafer transfer system makes it prone to positional deviation during the positioning process.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide an auxiliary positioning device, aiming to improve the resetting accuracy of a wafer transfer system.

[0008] An embodiment of the present application provides an auxiliary positioning device for guiding the foot cup of a wafer transfer system to a preset position. The auxiliary positioning device includes a base and a reflection sensor. The base is provided with a positioning groove running through the base in the thickness direction, and a scale extending in the thickness direction is provided on the side wall of the base facing the positioning groove; the reflection sensor is installed on the base, and the orthographic projection of the light emitted by the reflection sensor in the thickness direction overlaps with the orthographic projection of the positioning groove in the thickness direction.

[0009] According to the implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the base includes a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite to each other, the reflection sensor is installed on the first surface, and the distance between the light emitted by the reflection sensor and the second surface is 6 mm.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, a chamfer is provided between the first surface and the side wall of the base facing the positioning groove.

[0011] According to the implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the orthographic projection shape of the positioning groove in the thickness direction is equal to the orthographic projection shape of the foot cup in the thickness direction, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the positioning groove in the thickness direction is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the foot cup in the thickness direction.

[0012] According to the implementation of the first aspect of the present application, when the foot cup is located at the preset position, the distance between the foot cup and the side wall of the base facing the positioning groove is 0.2 mm.

[0013] According to the implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the base is further provided with a visual groove that penetrates the base along the thickness direction, and the visual groove is connected to the positioning groove.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, the orthographic projection area of ​​the positioning groove in the thickness direction is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the visual groove in the thickness direction.

[0015] According to the implementation of the first aspect of the present application, it also includes a human-computer interaction module electrically connected to the reflection sensor, and the human-computer interaction module is at least one of a buzzer, a flash light, a microprocessor and a wireless transmitter.

[0016] According to the implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the maximum thickness of the foot cup is 2 mm, and the maximum thickness of the base is 8 mm.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, the reflection sensor is an infrared reflection sensor or a laser reflection sensor.

[0018] The auxiliary positioning device of the embodiment of the present application is used to guide the foot cup of the wafer transfer system to a preset position. The auxiliary positioning device includes a base and a reflection sensor. The base is provided with a positioning groove that passes through the base in the thickness direction, and a scale extending in the thickness direction is provided on the side wall of the base facing the positioning groove; the reflection sensor is installed on the base, and the orthographic projection of the light emitted by the reflection sensor in the thickness direction overlaps with the orthographic projection of the positioning groove in the thickness direction. By providing a positioning groove that passes through the base on the present application, the foot cup can be placed in the preset position through the guidance of the positioning groove, thereby helping to reset the wafer transfer system. By providing a scale extending in the thickness direction on the side wall of the base facing the positioning groove, the operator can use the scale to determine whether the foot cup has fallen into place and whether it is flat, thereby improving the reset accuracy of the wafer transfer system. By providing a reflection sensor to confirm whether the wafer transfer system has shifted, the probability of the operator missing the homing and fixing process is reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0020] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an auxiliary positioning device and a foot cup according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0021] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram showing an example of an auxiliary positioning device;

[0022] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary base;

[0023] FIG4 shows a schematic top view of the structure of an exemplary auxiliary positioning device.

[0024] Reference numerals:

[0025] 10. Auxiliary positioning device; 20. Foot cup;

[0026] 100, base; 110, positioning groove; 120, scale; 130, bolt hole; 140, first surface; 141, mounting groove; 142, chamfer; 150, second surface; 160, sight slot;

[0027] 200, reflective sensor;

[0028] z. Thickness direction of the auxiliary positioning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present application will be described in detail below. In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain the present application, rather than to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can be implemented without the need for some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely to provide a better understanding of the present application by illustrating the examples of the present application.

[0030] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, the elements defined by the phrase "comprising..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the elements.

[0031] The applicant discovered that in related art, a marker pen is typically used to mark a preset position. During repositioning, the wafer transfer system's foot cup is aligned with the marked position and continuously adjusted for positioning. However, the marker pen's position is not precise, and the return operation is time-consuming. Furthermore, the heavy weight of the wafer transfer system makes it prone to positional deviation during the positioning process.

[0032] In view of the above problems, the applicant proposed an auxiliary positioning device for guiding the foot cup of the wafer transfer system to a preset position. The auxiliary positioning device includes a base and a reflection sensor. The base is provided with a positioning groove running through the base in the thickness direction, and a scale extending in the thickness direction is provided on the side wall of the base facing the positioning groove; the reflection sensor is installed on the base, and the orthographic projection of the light emitted by the reflection sensor in the thickness direction overlaps with the orthographic projection of the positioning groove in the thickness direction.

[0033] In the auxiliary positioning device provided by the present application, by providing a positioning groove that runs through the base, the foot cup can be placed in a preset position under the guidance of the positioning groove, thereby helping to reset the wafer transfer system. By providing a ruler extending along the thickness direction on the side wall of the base facing the positioning groove, the operator can use the ruler to determine whether the foot cup has fallen into place and whether it is flat, thereby improving the reset accuracy of the wafer transfer system. By providing a reflection sensor to confirm whether the wafer transfer system has shifted, the probability of the operator missing the reset and fixation process is reduced.

[0034] In order to better understand the present application, the auxiliary positioning device of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, for the convenience of drawing, the dimensions in the drawings are not necessarily proportional to the actual dimensions.

[0035] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a structural diagram of an auxiliary positioning device and a foot cup in some embodiments of the present application; Figure 2 is a structural diagram of an example auxiliary positioning device.

[0036] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, an embodiment of the present application provides an auxiliary positioning device 10 for guiding a foot cup 20 of a wafer transfer system to a preset position. The auxiliary positioning device 10 includes a base 100 and a reflection sensor 200. The base 100 is provided with a positioning groove 110 extending through the base 100 along the thickness direction (z direction in the figure). A scale 120 extending along the thickness direction z is provided on the side wall of the base 100 facing the positioning groove 110. The reflection sensor 200 is mounted on the base 100, and the orthographic projection of the light emitted by the reflection sensor 200 in the thickness direction z overlaps with the orthographic projection of the positioning groove 110 in the thickness direction z.

[0037] Optionally, the base 100 is further provided with a bolt hole 130 , and the auxiliary positioning device 10 can be fixed to the ground or other reference surface through the bolt hole 130 . At this time, the position where the positioning groove 110 is exposed is the preset return position of the foot cup 20 .

[0038] Optionally, when the foot cup 20 is located in the positioning groove 110, the light emitted by the reflective sensor 200 is directed toward the foot cup 20. After the foot cup 20 is returned to its original position, it needs to be fixed in the preset position by a connector. If the foot cup 20 is not fixed, it may shift later. The reflective sensor 200 can monitor whether the foot cup 20 has shifted.

[0039] Optionally, a plurality of scales 120 are circumferentially spaced apart on the side wall of the base 100 facing the positioning groove 110. The operator can confirm whether the foot cup 20 has fallen into place by the alignment position of the upper surface of the foot cup 20 and the scales 120, and can also confirm whether the foot cup 20 is flat by the inconsistency of the alignment position of the upper surface of the foot cup 20 and the plurality of scales 120.

[0040] The auxiliary positioning device 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a base 100 and a reflection sensor 200. The base 100 is provided with a positioning groove 110 that passes through the base 100 along the thickness direction z, and a scale 120 that extends along the thickness direction z is provided on the side wall of the base 100 facing the positioning groove 110. The reflection sensor 200 is mounted on the base 100, and the orthographic projection of the light emitted by the reflection sensor 200 in the thickness direction z overlaps with the orthographic projection of the positioning groove 110 in the thickness direction z. In the present application, by providing the positioning groove 110 that passes through the base 100 on the base 100, the foot cup 20 can be placed in a preset position under the guidance of the positioning groove 110, thereby helping to reset the wafer transfer system. By providing the scale 120 that extends along the thickness direction z on the side wall of the base 100 facing the positioning groove 110, the operator can use the scale 120 to determine whether the foot cup 20 has fallen into place and whether it has been laid flat, thereby improving the reset accuracy of the wafer transfer system. By setting up the reflective sensor 200 to confirm whether the wafer transfer system has shifted, the probability of the operator missing the homing and fixing process is reduced.

[0041] Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , FIG. 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary base.

[0042] As shown in FIG2 and FIG3, in some optional embodiments, the base 100 includes a first surface 140 and a second surface 150 arranged opposite to each other, the reflection sensor 200 is mounted on the first surface 140, and the distance between the light emitted by the reflection sensor 200 and the second surface 150 is 6 mm.

[0043] Optionally, the first surface 140 can be understood as the upper surface of the base 100, and the second surface 150 can be understood as the lower surface facing the ground, that is, when the base 100 is fixed on the ground, the distance between the light emitted by the reflection sensor 200 and the ground is 6 mm.

[0044] Optionally, a mounting groove 141 is provided on the first surface 140 and is recessed toward the second surface 150, such that the distance between the first surface 140 and the second surface 150 at the location of the mounting groove 141 is smaller than the distance between the first surface 140 and the second surface 150 at other locations. At least a portion of the reflective sensor 200 is located within the mounting groove 141.

[0045] Optionally, the maximum thickness of the foot cup 20 is 2 mm, and the maximum thickness of the base 100 is 8 mm, that is, the maximum distance between the first surface 140 and the second surface 150 in the thickness direction z is 8 mm.

[0046] In the auxiliary positioning device 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, a sunken mounting groove 141 is provided on the first surface 140 to accommodate the reflective sensor 200 , thereby reducing the height of the reflective sensor 200 protruding from the first surface 140 and thereby reducing the volume of the auxiliary positioning device 10 .

[0047] In some optional embodiments, a chamfer 142 is defined between the first surface 140 and the sidewall of the base 100 facing the positioning groove 110 .

[0048] Optionally, the scale 120 extends onto the chamfer 142 .

[0049] Optionally, the chamfer 142 may be a rounded corner or a 45° right angle.

[0050] In the auxiliary positioning device 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, a chamfer 142 is set between the first surface 140 and the side wall of the base 100 facing the positioning groove 110. The chamfer 142 can assist the foot cup 20 to accurately fall into the positioning groove 110 during the falling process, thereby reducing the difficulty of the reset operation of the wafer transfer system.

[0051] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 , FIG. 4 shows a schematic top view of an exemplary auxiliary positioning device.

[0052] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, in some optional embodiments, the orthographic projection of the positioning groove 110 in the thickness direction z is equal to the orthographic projection of the foot cup 20 in the thickness direction z, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the positioning groove 110 in the thickness direction z is greater than the orthographic projection area of ​​the foot cup 20 in the thickness direction z.

[0053] Optionally, when the foot cup 20 is located at the preset position, the distance between the foot cup 20 and the side wall of the base 100 facing the positioning groove 110 is 0.2 mm.

[0054] Optionally, the orthographic projection of the positioning groove 110 in the thickness direction z and the orthographic projection of the foot cup 20 in the thickness direction z are both circular.

[0055] In the auxiliary positioning device 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the orthographic projection of the positioning groove 110 in the thickness direction z is equal to the orthographic projection of the foot cup 20 in the thickness direction z, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the positioning groove 110 in the thickness direction z is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the foot cup 20 in the thickness direction z, so that the foot cup 20 can fall into the positioning groove 110. By setting the distance between the foot cup 20 and the side wall of the base 100 facing the positioning groove 110 to 0.2 mm, the foot cup 20 can fall into the positioning groove 110 while ensuring the reset accuracy of the wafer transfer system.

[0056] In some optional embodiments, the base 100 is further provided with a visual slot 160 that penetrates the base 100 along the thickness direction z, and the visual slot 160 is connected to the positioning slot 110 .

[0057] Optionally, the orthographic projection area of ​​the positioning groove 110 in the thickness direction z is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the visual groove 160 in the thickness direction z.

[0058] In the auxiliary positioning device 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, a visual groove 160 is provided on the base 100 and penetrates the base 100 along the thickness direction z, and the visual groove 160 is connected to the positioning groove 110. The operator can observe the visual groove 160 with the naked eye to determine whether the foot cup 20 has fallen into place. The operator can also use a depth caliper to reach into the visual groove 160 to assist in the judgment.

[0059] In some optional embodiments, the auxiliary positioning device 10 further includes a human-computer interaction module (not shown) electrically connected to the reflection sensor 200 , and the human-computer interaction module is at least one of a buzzer, a flash light, a microprocessor, and a wireless transmitter.

[0060] Optionally, reflective sensor 200 is an infrared reflective sensor or a laser reflective sensor. Reflective sensor 200 both emits light and receives reflected light. When foot cup 20 is in a preset position, it is within the optical path of reflective sensor 200 and reflects the light emitted by reflective sensor 200 back to reflective sensor 200. If foot cup 20 leaves the preset position and reflective sensor 200 fails to receive reflected light or if the parameters of the received reflected light change, it can be determined that foot cup 200 has shifted.

[0061] Optionally, when the reflective sensor 200 determines that the foot cup 20 has shifted, it transmits a signal to the human-computer interaction module, and then the human-computer interaction module sends a signal to the operator to remind the operator that the foot cup 20 is not fixed.

[0062] Optionally, when the human-machine interaction module is a buzzer, the module emits a buzzer to alert the operator upon receiving a signal from the reflective sensor 200. When the human-machine interaction module is a flashlight, the module emits a flashlight to alert the operator upon receiving a signal from the reflective sensor 200. When the human-machine interaction module is a wireless transmitter or a microprocessor, the module transmits a communication signal to another processor terminal upon receiving a signal from the reflective sensor 200 to alert the operator.

[0063] In the auxiliary positioning device 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, a human-computer interaction module electrically connected to the reflection sensor 200 is provided to promptly remind the operator when the reflection sensor 200 detects that the foot cup 20 has shifted, thereby reducing the probability of the operator missing the return and fixation process.

[0064] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present application. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, modules and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An auxiliary positioning device for guiding a foot cup of a wafer transfer system to a preset position, the auxiliary positioning device comprising: A base having a positioning groove extending through the base in a thickness direction, and a scale extending in the thickness direction on a side wall of the base facing the positioning groove; A reflection sensor is installed on the base, and the orthographic projection of the light emitted by the reflection sensor in the thickness direction overlaps with the orthographic projection of the positioning groove in the thickness direction.

2. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 1, wherein: The base includes a first surface and a second surface that are opposite to each other. The reflection sensor is installed on the first surface. The distance between the light emitted by the reflection sensor and the second surface is 6 mm.

3. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 2, wherein: A chamfer is provided between the first surface and a side wall of the base facing the positioning groove.

4. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 1, wherein: The orthographic projection shape of the positioning groove in the thickness direction is equal to the orthographic projection shape of the foot cup in the thickness direction, and the orthographic projection area of ​​the positioning groove in the thickness direction is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the foot cup in the thickness direction.

5. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 4, wherein: When the foot cup is located at the preset position, the distance between the foot cup and the side wall of the base facing the positioning groove is 0.2 mm.

6. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 1, wherein: The base is further provided with a visual groove which penetrates the base along the thickness direction, and the visual groove is communicated with the positioning groove.

7. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 6, wherein: The orthographic projection area of ​​the positioning groove in the thickness direction is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the visual groove in the thickness direction.

8. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a human-computer interaction module electrically connected to the reflection sensor, and the human-computer interaction module is at least one of a buzzer, a flash light, a microprocessor and a wireless transmitter.

9. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 1, wherein: The maximum thickness of the foot cup is 2 mm, and the maximum thickness of the base is 8 mm.

10. The auxiliary positioning device according to claim 1, wherein: The reflection sensor is an infrared reflection sensor or a laser reflection sensor.

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