Wafer distributing method and wafer transfer method

Abstract

A wafer distributing method and a wafer transfer method. The wafer distributing method is executed by a wafer distributing device, wherein the wafer distributing device is used for transferring of wafers from a pickup device to a first wafer carrier, the accommodating quantity of the first wafer carrier is X, and the pickup quantity of the pickup device is Y, wherein 2Y>X>Y, (2Y-X) / (X-Y)=M, and M is a positive integer. The wafer distributing method comprises: step S110, placing Y wafers picked up by the pickup device into an empty first wafer carrier; step S120, temporarily storing (2Y-X) wafers among Y wafers picked up again by the pickup device, placing the remaining (X-Y) wafers into the first wafer carrier, and replacing the first wafer carrier with a new empty first wafer carrier; step S130, placing (X-Y) wafers among the temporarily stored wafers together with the Y wafers picked up again by the pickup device into the empty first wafer carrier, and replacing the first wafer carrier with a new empty first wafer carrier; and step S140, determining whether the number of executions of step S130 is less than M, and if yes, repeatedly executing step S130.

Description

Material distribution method and sheet transfer method

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411080554.7, filed on August 7, 2024, and entitled "Material distribution method and sheet transfer method", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of photovoltaic devices, in particular to a material distribution method and a sheet transfer method. BACKGROUND

[0003] In the production of solar cell sheets, the carriers for carrying the silicon sheets include sheet carriers and sheet baskets. The sheet carriers are mainly used for film coating and other process treatments of the silicon sheets, while the sheet baskets are used for transferring, cleaning or etching the silicon sheets. The silicon sheets need to be transferred between the sheet baskets and the sheet carriers by means of a pick-up device.

[0004] The sheet basket has a plurality of first clamping slots for placing silicon sheets, and each first clamping slot places one silicon sheet. The sheet carrier has at least one accommodating position, and each accommodating position has a plurality of second clamping slots for placing silicon sheets, and each second clamping slot places two silicon sheets. When the silicon sheets are transferred from the sheet basket to the sheet carrier, the pick-up device simultaneously picks up materials in two sheet baskets, and then sends them into the sheet carrier after combining. When the silicon sheets are transferred from the sheet carrier to the sheet basket, the pick-up device picks up materials from the sheet carrier, and then sends them into two sheet baskets for storage after splitting.

[0005] When the number of silicon sheets that can be accommodated in two sheet baskets is not an integer multiple of the number of materials picked up by the pick-up device at a time, the remaining silicon sheets in the sheet basket will not be enough for the pick-up device to pick up at a time, or the pick-up device will pick up too many silicon sheets, and the remaining first clamping slots in the sheet basket will not be enough to load. This cannot maximize the function of the pick-up device, and the potential production capacity of the equipment cannot be released.

[0006] Therefore, how to provide a solution to overcome or alleviate the above-mentioned defects is still a technical problem that needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. SUMMARY

[0007] The purpose of the present application is to provide a material distribution method and a sheet transfer method, which can improve the transfer efficiency of materials between the pick-up device and the first material carrying device, and is beneficial to speed up the production rhythm and improve the production efficiency.

[0008] In a first aspect, the application provides a material distributing method, which is performed by a material distributing device, and is used for transferring material from a picking device to a first material carrying device, the first material carrying device has a carrying capacity of X, the picking device has a picking capacity of Y, wherein 2Y>X>Y, (2Y-X) / (X-Y)=M, M is a positive integer, the material distributing method comprises the following steps: S110, Y pieces of material picked by the picking device are put into the first material carrying device which is empty; S120, (2Y-X) pieces of material picked by the picking device again are cached, and the remaining (X-Y) pieces of material are put into the first material carrying device, and a new empty first material carrying device is replaced; S130, the (X-Y) pieces of cached material and Y pieces of material picked by the picking device again are put into the empty first material carrying device, and a new empty first material carrying device is replaced; S140, it is judged whether the number of times of execution of the step S130 is less than M, if yes, the step S130 is repeatedly executed.

[0009] Optionally, the material distributing unit comprises a first material distributing assembly and a second material distributing assembly, the first material distributing assembly comprises a first material supporting part capable of moving in a first direction, the second material distributing assembly comprises a second material supporting part capable of moving in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction are arranged at an angle, the first material supporting part is used for putting material into the first material carrying device; the step S110 specifically comprises: Y pieces of material picked by the picking device are put into the first material carrying device which is empty through the first material supporting part; the step S120 specifically comprises: (2Y-X) pieces of material picked by the picking device again are cached through the second material supporting part, and the remaining (X-Y) pieces of material picked by the picking device again are put into the first material carrying device through the first material supporting part; the step S130 specifically comprises: (X-Y) pieces of cached material and Y pieces of material picked by the picking device again are put into the first material carrying device which is empty through the first material supporting part.

[0010] Optionally, the carrying capacity and the picking capacity also satisfy the following relationship: 2Y / X=1.5.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present application also provides a sheet transferring method for transferring sheets from a second carrier device to a first carrier device, the first carrier device being a slide rack, and the second carrier device being a slide boat, the sheet transferring method comprising: step S210, obtaining Y groups of sheets from the second carrier device by a picking device, each group of sheets comprising two sheets in abutment; step S220, splitting the groups of sheets by the picking device to form two rows of sheets, each row of sheets having Y sheets; and step S230, dispensing the two rows of sheets by a dispensing device to simultaneously feed two first carrier devices; the dispensing device specifically performs the dispensing method according to the first aspect.

[0012] Optionally, the second carrier device carries 2Y groups of sheets.

[0013] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a dispensing method performed by a dispensing device, the dispensing device being used for transferring materials from a first carrier device to a picking device, the first carrier device having a containing number of X, and the picking device having a picking number of Y, wherein 2Y>X>Y, Y / (X-Y)=N, N is a positive integer, the dispensing method comprising: step S310, taking out X materials contained in the full first carrier device, buffering (X-Y) materials therefrom, feeding Y materials therefrom to the picking device, and replacing a new full first carrier device; step S320, determining whether the number of times of performing the step S310 is less than N, if yes, repeating the step S310, and if no, performing the following step S330; and step S330, feeding the Y buffered materials to the picking device.

[0014] Optionally, the dispensing device comprises a dispensing unit, the dispensing unit comprising a first dispensing assembly and a second dispensing assembly, the first dispensing assembly comprising a first material supporting part capable of moving in a first direction, the second dispensing assembly comprising a second material supporting part capable of moving in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction being arranged at an angle, and the first material supporting part being further used for taking out materials from the first carrier device; the step S310 specifically comprises: taking out X materials contained in the first carrier device by the first material supporting part, buffering (X-Y) materials therefrom by the second material supporting part, and feeding the remaining Y materials to the picking device by the first material supporting part; and the step S330 specifically comprises: feeding the Y buffered materials to the picking device by the first material supporting part.

[0015] Optionally, the containing number and the picking number further satisfy the following relationship: 2Y / X=1.5.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a sheet transferring method for transferring sheets from a first carrier device to a second carrier device, the first carrier device being a sheet basket, and the second carrier device being a sheet boat, the sheet transferring method comprising: S410, distributing the sheets in the two first carrier devices by the distributing device, and supplying two rows of sheets to the picking device, the number of sheets in each row being Y; the distributing device specifically distributes the sheets according to the distributing method of the third aspect; S420, combining the two rows of sheets by the picking device to form Y sheet groups; and S430, placing the Y sheet groups into the second carrier device by the picking device.

[0017] Optionally, the number of sheet groups carried by the second carrier device is 2Y.

[0018] In the distributing method, the difference between the picking number of the picking device and the containing number of the first carrier device can be matched by buffering the picked materials of the picking device or the carried materials of the first carrier device, the picking device is full-load worked in each picking and placing process, the potential productivity of the picking device can be maximized, and the efficiency of transferring the materials between the picking device and the first carrier device can be improved, so that the production rhythm can be accelerated and the production efficiency can be improved.

[0019] Correspondingly, in the sheet transferring method, the efficiency of transferring the sheets between the first carrier device and the second carrier device can be greatly improved by using the distributing method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the distributing device provided by the present application;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a partial structural diagram of FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the front view of FIG. 2;

[0023] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the first material supporting part and the shaping assembly in FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of one implementation manner of the sheet transferring equipment provided by the present application;

[0025] FIG. 6 is a flow schematic diagram of one distributing method provided by the present application;

[0026] FIG. 7 is a flow schematic diagram of one sheet transferring method provided by the present application;

[0027] FIG. 8 is a flow schematic diagram of another distributing method provided by the present application;

[0028] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another sheet transfer method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] The reference signs are explained as follows: 100 first carrying device, 200 second carrying device, 300 picking device, 400 distributing device; 1 distributing unit, 11 first distributing assembly, 111 first supporting part, 111a first supporting piece, 112 first driving part, 12 second distributing assembly, 121 second supporting part, 121a second supporting piece, 122 second driving part, 123 linkage part, 13 main frame, 131 main platform, 14 auxiliary frame, 141 auxiliary platform, 15 shifting assembly, 151 carrying part, 152 third driving part, 16 shaping assembly, 161 shaping part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only used for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second", "third" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, "connecting" can be detachable connection, or can be non-detachable connection; can be direct connection, or can be indirect connection through intermediate medium.

[0033] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "a plurality of" means two or more. And when "a plurality of" is used to describe the number of different components, it does not mean the mutual relationship of the number of these components.

[0034] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "including", "containing" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without more limitations, the element defined by the sentence "including a…" does not exclude the presence of another identical element in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0035] In the embodiments of the present application, "and / or" is only used to describe the relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects.

[0036] Embodiment one

[0037] As described in the background section, when the sheet is transferred between the slide basket and the slide boat, if the number of sheets that can be accommodated in the two slide baskets is not an integer multiple of the number of sheets that can be picked up by the picking device in a single picking operation (hereinafter referred to as the picking number), the remaining sheets in the slide basket will not be enough for the picking device to pick up in one picking operation, or the picking device will pick up too many sheets and there will not be enough space in the slide basket to load the sheets.

[0038] Specifically, assuming that the sheet is a silicon wafer, the slide basket can accommodate 100 silicon wafers, and the picking device can pick up 75+75 silicon wafers in a single picking operation. When placing the silicon wafers in the slide basket, the first time, both slide baskets can accommodate, but the second time, both slide baskets can only accommodate 25 silicon wafers, resulting in the silicon wafers picked up by the picking device cannot be completely released. Similarly, when picking up the silicon wafers from the slide basket, the first time, both slide baskets can provide the required silicon wafers, but the second time, both slide baskets only have 25 silicon wafers left, resulting in the picking device cannot pick up enough silicon wafers. In this way, the picking device cannot be maximally utilized, the potential capacity of the equipment cannot be released, the transfer efficiency of the silicon wafers between the slide boat and the slide basket is low, and it is not conducive to rapid and continuous production.

[0039] To this end, the present application provides a sheet distribution device, which can be arranged between the picking device and the slide basket. By buffering and using the silicon wafers, the sheet distribution device can effectively make up for the difference in the number of sheets between the picking device and the slide basket, thereby maximizing the function of the picking device and releasing the capacity of the sheet transfer equipment to improve the transfer efficiency of the silicon wafers between the slide boat and the slide basket, thereby speeding up the production rhythm and improving the production efficiency to ensure the continuity of production.

[0040] Specifically, please refer to FIGS. 1-4, FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the sheet distribution device provided by the present application, FIG. 2 is a partial structural diagram of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the first material supporting part and the shaping assembly in FIG. 1.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the present application provides a material distributing device 400, which comprises a material distributing unit 1, the material distributing unit 1 comprising a first material distributing assembly 11 and a second material distributing assembly 12. The first material distributing assembly 11 comprises a first material supporting part 111 capable of moving in a first direction. The second material distributing assembly 12 comprises a second material supporting part 121 capable of moving in a second direction. The first direction and the second direction are arranged at an angle, for example, 90 degrees; in the orientation and position relationship of FIG. 3, the first direction is the up-down direction, and the second direction is the left-right direction.

[0042] The first material supporting part 111 is used for material feeding to the first material loading device, and the first material supporting part 111 is also used for material taking out from the first material loading device. Taking the material distributing device 400 provided by the present application for the transfer of silicon wafers as an example, the first material loading device can be a wafer basket.

[0043] The material distributing unit 1 described above has a first working mode and a second working mode. In the first working mode, the first material supporting part 111 works alone, which is used for ejecting the material (for example, silicon wafers) in the first material loading device, and can also be used for putting the material into the first material loading device. In the second working mode, the first material supporting part 111 and the second material supporting part 121 both work, and the second material supporting part 121 can take away part of the material of the first material supporting part 111 for buffering, or the material buffered by the second material supporting part 121 can be at least partially provided to the first material supporting part 111.

[0044] When the material distributing device 400 feeds the first material loading device, if the picking quantity of the picking device is less than or equal to the accommodable quantity of the first material loading device, the material distributing unit 1 can work in the first working mode, the first material supporting part 111 supports the material picked by the picking device, and then the first material supporting part 111 moves in the first direction to put the material supported thereby into the first material loading device. If the picking quantity of the picking device is greater than the accommodable quantity of the first material loading device, the material distributing unit 1 can work in the second working mode, the second material supporting part 121 can move in the second direction to approach the first material supporting part 111, and can take away part of the material of the first material supporting part 111 for buffering, so that the material left in the first material supporting part 111 can be put into the first material loading device, thereby realizing the matching between the picking device and the first material loading device; and the material buffered by the second material supporting part 121 can be used in the subsequent feeding process to put the buffered material into the first material loading device at one time or in multiple times.

[0045] Still set the initial number of the first carrier device as 100, and the pickup number of the pickup device as 75. In the first time of feeding, the distribution unit 1 can be in the first working mode, and the 75 pieces of material picked up by the pickup device can be directly put into the empty first carrier device through the first material supporting part 111; in the second time of feeding, the distribution unit 1 can be in the second working mode, the second material supporting part 121 can buffer 50 pieces, and the first material supporting part 111 can put the remaining 25 pieces into the remaining empty position of the first carrier device, at this time, the first carrier device is full, a new empty first carrier device can be replaced, and the third time of feeding can be carried out; in the third time of feeding, the distribution unit 1 can be in the second working mode, the second material supporting part 121 can put 25 pieces of the buffered material into the first material supporting part 111 together with the 75 pieces of material picked up by the pickup device, and put them into the empty first carrier device by the first material supporting part 111, at this time, the first carrier device is full, a new empty first carrier device can be replaced again, and the fourth time of feeding can be carried out; the fourth time of feeding is the same as the third time of feeding, so that the material buffered by the second material supporting part 121 can be used up; through the four times of feeding, three empty first carrier devices can be filled, the matching of the pickup number and the number of the first carrier device can be realized, the pickup device is full load working in the four times of feeding, and no stop is made, the function of the pickup device can be maximized, and the potential capacity of the sheet transfer equipment can be released. Then, the process of the first time of feeding to the fourth time of feeding can be recycled.

[0046] It should be understood that according to the difference of the initial number of the first carrier device and the difference of the pickup number of the pickup device, the number of the material buffered by the second material supporting part 121 in the feeding stage can also be different, and accordingly, the number of the material released at a time and the number of times of release when the second material supporting part 121 releases the buffered material, for example, supplies the buffered material to the first material supporting part 111, can also be different, which is not specifically limited here.

[0047] When the first carrier device is being picked, if the number of materials in the first carrier device and the number of picking of the picking device are consistent, the material distribution unit 1 can work in the first working mode, the first material supporting part 111 supports the materials in the first carrier device, and then the first material supporting part 111 moves in the first direction to supply the supported materials to the picking device for picking. If the number of materials in the first carrier device is more than the number of picking, the material distribution unit 1 can work in the second working mode, the second material supporting part 121 moves in the second direction to approach the first material supporting part 111, and can take away part of the materials in the first carrier device supported by the first material supporting part 111 for buffering, so that the number of materials left in the first material supporting part 111 is equal to the number of picking, thereby realizing the matching between the picking device and the first carrier device; and the materials buffered by the second material supporting part 121 can be used in the subsequent picking process to supply the buffered materials to the picking device for picking at one time or in multiple times.

[0048] Still assuming that the first carrier device is full of 100 materials, and the number of picking of the picking device is 75. In the first picking, the material distribution unit 1 can be in the second working mode, the first material supporting part 111 can push out all the 100 materials in the full first carrier device, and then the second material supporting part 121 buffers 25 of them, and then the picking device takes away the remaining 75 materials of the first material supporting part 111, at this time, the full first carrier device is emptied, a new full first carrier device can be replaced, and the second picking can be started; the second picking is the same as the first picking, 25 materials are still buffered by the second material supporting part 121, at this time, the full first carrier device is emptied again, a new full first carrier device can be replaced, and the third picking can be started; the third picking is the same as the first picking, 25 materials are still buffered by the second material supporting part 121, at this time, the full first carrier device is emptied again, and the fourth picking can be started; after three times of buffering, the second material supporting part 121 has stored 75 materials, therefore, in the fourth picking, the material distribution unit 1 can be in the second working mode, the first material supporting part 111 provides all the 75 materials on the second material supporting part 121 to the picking device for picking; through the four pickings, the materials in three full first carrier devices can be picked, the matching between the number of picking and the number of materials in the first carrier device can be realized, the picking device is full load working in the four pickings without stopping, the function of the picking device can be maximized, and the potential productivity of the sheet transfer equipment can be released. Then, the process of the first picking to the fourth picking can be repeated.

[0049] It should be understood that the number of materials that can be cached by the second material supporting part 121 at one time during the material taking stage can also vary according to the difference in the number of materials contained by the first material carrying device and the difference in the number of materials picked up by the picking device, and accordingly, the timing at which the second material supporting part 121 releases the cached materials can also vary, which is not limited herein.

[0050] The first material supporting part 111 can include a plurality of first material supporting pieces 111a arranged at intervals in the third direction, each of which can be used to simultaneously support materials, thereby improving the reliability of the support and ensuring the stability of the materials when the first material supporting part 111 moves in the first direction. In the implementation shown in FIG. 4, the number of first material supporting pieces 111a can be two. Each first material supporting piece 111a can be provided with a plurality of first tooth grooves (not labeled in the figure), which are arranged at equal intervals in the second direction, and each first tooth groove is used to carry a piece of material.

[0051] The first material supporting part 111 can include a plurality of first material supporting pieces 111a arranged at intervals in the third direction, each of which can be used to simultaneously support materials, thereby improving the reliability of the support and ensuring the stability of the materials when the first material supporting part 111 moves in the first direction. In the implementation shown in FIG. 4, the number of first material supporting pieces 111a can be two. Each first material supporting piece 111a can be provided with a plurality of first tooth grooves (not labeled in the figure), which are arranged at equal intervals in the second direction, and each first tooth groove is used to carry a piece of material.

[0052] Here, the specific structure of the first driving part 112 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can set it according to specific needs in actual applications, as long as it can meet the requirements of use. For example, the first driving part 112 can adopt a linear oil cylinder, a linear air cylinder or other linear driving elements that can directly output linear displacement, so that the structure of the first driving part 112 can be relatively simple. Alternatively, the first driving part 112 can also adopt a rotary air cylinder, a motor or other rotary driving elements that can directly output rotary displacement, and at this time, the first driving part 112 can further include a gear and rack mechanism, a screw mechanism or other displacement conversion mechanisms in the form of a displacement conversion mechanism, so as to convert the rotary displacement directly output by the above rotary driving elements into the required linear displacement.

[0053] The second material supporting part 121 can include a plurality of second material supporting pieces 121a arranged at intervals in the third direction, each of the second material supporting pieces 121a can be used to support the material at the same time, so as to improve the reliability of the support and ensure the stability of the material when the second material supporting part 121 moves in the second direction; in the implementation manner shown in FIG. 2, the number of the first material supporting pieces 111a can be two. Each of the second material supporting pieces 121a can be provided with a plurality of second tooth grooves (not labeled in the figure), and the second tooth grooves are arranged at equal intervals in the second direction, and each of the second tooth grooves is used to carry a piece of material.

[0054] The second material supporting part 121 can include a plurality of second material supporting pieces 121a arranged at intervals in the third direction, each of the second material supporting pieces 121a can be used to support the material at the same time, so as to improve the reliability of the support and ensure the stability of the material when the second material supporting part 121 moves in the second direction; in the implementation manner shown in FIG. 2, the number of the first material supporting pieces 111a can be two. Each of the second material supporting pieces 121a can be provided with a plurality of second tooth grooves (not labeled in the figure), and the second tooth grooves are arranged at equal intervals in the second direction, and each of the second tooth grooves is used to carry a piece of material.

[0055] It should be understood that when the second material supporting part 121 needs to buffer the material, or the material buffered by the second material supporting part 121 needs to be used (i.e. in the second working mode), the second material supporting part 121 can move close to the first material supporting part 111 in the second direction to be put into use; and when the second material supporting part 121 does not need to be used (i.e. in the first working mode), the second material supporting part 121 can move away from the first material supporting part 111 in the second direction. Therefore, according to the change of the working mode of the material distribution device 400, the second material supporting part 121 can move back and forth in the second direction to meet the requirements of use.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the material distributing unit 1 can comprise a main frame 13 and a sub-frame 14, and the sub-frame 14 can be connected with the main frame 13. The main frame 13 and the sub-frame 14 are the structural basis of the material distributing unit 1, and are used to provide installation positions for the first material distributing assembly 11 and the second material distributing assembly 12. In detail, the first driving part 112 of the first material distributing assembly 11 can be installed on the main frame 13, and the second driving part 122 of the second material distributing assembly 12 can be installed on the sub-frame 14. The specific installation manner is not limited here, as long as the reliability of the installation can be ensured.

[0057] The main frame 13 can be a frame structure. The sub-frame 14 can be a plate frame structure. As shown in FIG. 1, the sub-frame 14 can comprise a plate-shaped sub-platform 141, the sub-platform 141 can be installed on the main frame 13, and the second driving part 122 can be installed on the sub-platform 141. The second material supporting part 121 can be in sliding connection with the sub-platform 141. In detail, the second material supporting part 121 can be in sliding connection with the sub-platform 141 through the linkage part 123. The specific sliding connection manner is not limited here.

[0058] In some optional implementations, the main frame 13 can further comprise a main platform 131, and the main platform 131 can also be plate-shaped. The main platform 131 can be provided with a displacement assembly 15, the displacement assembly 15 is used to carry the first material carrying device, and is used to drive the first material carrying device to move in position in the second direction, so as to adjust the position of the first material carrying device.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 1, the displacement assembly 15 can comprise a carrying part 151 and a third driving part 152. The carrying part 151 is used to carry the first material carrying device. The third driving part 152 can be installed on the main platform 131, and the third driving part 152 can be connected with the carrying part 151, and is used to drive the carrying part 151 to move in position, so as to adjust the working position of the carrying part 151.

[0060] The carrying part 151 can have a first working position and a second working position; in the first working position, the carrying part 151 can be located at a position corresponding to the first material supporting part 111 in the first direction; in the second working position, the carrying part 151 can be away from the first material supporting part 111 in the second direction. When the material distribution device 400 is used for material feeding, the carrying part 151 can be first located at the second working position to receive the empty first material carrying device, then the carrying part 151 can be driven by the third driving part 152 to move to the first working position to send the empty first material carrying device to the position corresponding to the first material supporting part 111, after the first material carrying device is filled, the carrying part 151 can be driven by the third driving part 152 to move to the second working position, and the full first material carrying device can be taken away; such a cycle can be implemented continuously to implement the material feeding operation. When the material distribution device 400 is used for material taking, the carrying part 151 can be first located at the second working position to receive the full first material carrying device, then the carrying part 151 can be driven by the third driving part 152 to move to the first working position to send the full first material carrying device to the position corresponding to the first material supporting part 111, after the first material carrying device is emptied, the carrying part 151 can be driven by the third driving part 152 to move to the second working position, and the empty first material carrying device can be taken away; such a cycle can be implemented continuously to implement the material taking operation.

[0061] In some optional implementations, the material distribution unit 1 can further include a shaping assembly 16, which is used for shaping the material located at the first material supporting part 111, so as to facilitate the posture of the material, thereby facilitating the material feeding to the first material carrying device or the material being picked up by the picking device, and reducing the possibility of damage to the material.

[0062] In combination with FIG. 4, the shaping assembly 16 can include two shaping parts 161 spaced apart in the third direction, and the two shaping parts 161 can be located at two sides of the material in the third direction respectively to shape the material from two ends of the material in the third direction, and the shaping effect can be better. The shaping part 161 can be provided with a plurality of shaping grooves (not labeled in the figure), and the shaping grooves of the same shaping part 161 can be equidistantly arranged in the second direction; a piece of material can be inserted into one shaping groove, and the shaping groove can position the material through the two groove side walls oppositely arranged in the second direction, thereby completing the shaping of the material.

[0063] In some optional implementations, as shown in FIG. 1, the number of the above-mentioned material distribution unit 1 can be two, that is, two groups of the first material distribution assembly 11 and the second material distribution assembly 12 can be simultaneously included, thereby simultaneously implementing the material taking and feeding of two first material carrying devices, and this implementation is especially suitable for the material distribution when the sheet material is transferred under the double insertion working condition.

[0064] In the transferring of the substrates, the first substrate carrier is a substrate basket, and the second substrate carrier is a substrate boat, each slot of the substrate boat can be inserted with two substrates, and each slot of the substrate basket can be inserted with one substrate. In this way, when the substrates are transferred from the substrate boat to the substrate basket, the substrates picked up by the picking device are in groups, for example, the picking device can pick up 75 groups, and then form 75+75 picking quantity after the splitting operation, and then 75 substrates can be placed in two substrate baskets at the same time; similarly, when the substrates are transferred from the substrate basket to the substrate boat, the picking device can pick up the same number (for example, 75) of substrates from two substrate baskets respectively, and then form groups of substrates after the combining operation, and then the groups of substrates (for example, 75 groups) can be inserted into the substrate boat.

[0065] The two substrate distribution units 1 can be integrated, as shown in FIG. 1, and the two substrate distribution units 1 can share one main frame 13, at this time, the substrate distribution device 400 provided by the present application can have higher compactness, and the integration degree can be higher. Of course, the two substrate distribution units 1 can also be independently provided, which does not affect the function implementation of each substrate distribution unit 1.

[0066] It needs to be emphasized that although the design of the substrate distribution device 400 provided by the present application is initially intended to cope with the transfer of substrates, such as silicon wafers, between the substrate boat and the substrate basket, this does not mean that the substrate distribution device 400 provided by the present application can only be applied to the transfer of silicon wafers; in other words, the actual application field of the substrate distribution device 400 is not limited by the embodiments of the present application, and the substrate distribution device 400 provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied in any scenario where the picking device and the first substrate carrier do not match.

[0067] Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a structural schematic diagram of an implementation of the substrate transfer device provided by the present application.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 5, the present application provides a substrate transfer device, which comprises a first substrate carrier 100, a second substrate carrier 200, a picking device 300 and a substrate distribution device 400. The first substrate carrier 100 can be a substrate basket, and the second substrate carrier 200 can be a substrate boat.

[0069] When the substrates are transferred from the first substrate carrier 100 to the second substrate carrier 200, the substrates in the first substrate carrier 100 can be distributed by the substrate distribution device 400, and then picked up by the picking device 300 and placed into the second substrate carrier 200. Similarly, when the substrates are transferred from the second substrate carrier 200 to the first substrate carrier 100, the substrates picked up by the picking device 300 from the second substrate carrier 200 are placed in the substrate distribution device, and then placed into the first substrate carrier 100 after being distributed by the substrate distribution device 400.

[0070] The material distribution device 400 can realize the buffering and use of the sheet material, effectively compensate for the difference in the number of sheets between the pickup device 300 and the first material loading device 100, thereby maximizing the function of the pickup device 300, releasing the production capacity of the sheet material transfer equipment, improving the transfer efficiency of the sheet material between the first material loading device 100 and the second material loading device 200, and preventing the first material loading device 100 and / or the second material loading device 200 from being occupied and / or idle, thereby accelerating the production rhythm, effectively improving the production efficiency, and ensuring the continuity of production.

[0071] In specific practice, one material distribution device 400 can include two material distribution units 1 to simultaneously realize the transfer of sheet material between two first material loading devices 100 and one second material loading device 200. Moreover, two material distribution devices 400 can be provided, one of which can receive the empty first material loading device 100 for the transfer of sheet material from the second material loading device 200 to the first material loading device 100, and the other can receive the full first material loading device 100 for the transfer of sheet material from the first material loading device 100 to the second material loading device 200.

[0072] Embodiment Two

[0073] Please refer to FIG. 6, which is a flowchart of a material distribution method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 6, the present application also provides a material distribution method, which can be specifically executed by a material distribution device for transferring material from a pickup device to a first material loading device.

[0075] The holding capacity of the first material loading device is set as X, and the pickup capacity of the pickup device is set as Y, wherein 2Y>X>Y, (2Y-X) / (X-Y)=M, and M is a positive integer. The above-mentioned material distribution method includes the following steps S110 to S140.

[0076] In step S110, Y pieces of material are picked up by the pickup device, and the Y pieces of material picked up by the pickup device are placed into the empty first material loading device. Since X>Y, the Y pieces of material picked up by the pickup device can be accommodated by the empty first material loading device and can be directly placed into the empty first material loading device. After step S110, the first material loading device still has (X-Y) empty positions.

[0077] Step S120, the Y sheet material is picked up again by the picking device, the (2Y-X) sheet in the Y sheet material picked up again by the picking device is cached, and the remaining (X-Y) sheet in the Y sheet material picked up again by the picking device is put into the first loading device. In this way, after step S110 and step S120, one first loading device can be filled, and a new empty first loading device can be replaced; in addition, the (2Y-X) sheet material is in a cached state, which can be used subsequently.

[0078] Step S130, the Y sheet material is picked up again by the picking device, the (2Y-X) sheet in the Y sheet material picked up again by the picking device is cached, and the remaining (X-Y) sheet in the Y sheet material picked up again by the picking device is put into the first loading device. In this way, after step S110 and step S120, one first loading device can be filled, and a new empty first loading device can be replaced; in addition, the (2Y-X) sheet material is in a cached state, which can be used subsequently.

[0079] Step S140, it is judged whether the execution times of step S130 are less than M.

[0080] If the result of step S140 is yes, step S130 can be repeatedly executed. If the result of step S140 is no, that is, the (2Y-X) sheet material cached in step S120 is completely used, one feeding cycle ends, and (M+1) first loading devices are filled in the feeding cycle. If the feeding is not performed, the feeding method ends. If the feeding is still performed, steps S110 to S140 can be cyclically executed to start the next feeding cycle.

[0081] In the above feeding method, by caching the material picked up by the picking device, the difference between the picking quantity of the picking device and the containing quantity of the first loading device can be matched, the picking device is full-load worked in each feeding process, the function of the picking device can be maximized, the potential capacity of the sheet transfer equipment can be released, and the efficiency of transferring the material from the picking device to the first loading device can be improved, so that the production rhythm can be accelerated and the production efficiency can be improved.

[0082] The above-mentioned material distributing device can be the material distributing device in Embodiment One. Thus, the above-mentioned step S110 can be that the Y pieces of material picked up by the picking device are put into the first material carrying device 100 through the first material supporting part 111; the above-mentioned step S120 can be that (2Y-X) pieces of the Y pieces of material picked up again by the picking device 300 are put into the second material supporting part 121 for buffering, and (X-Y) pieces of the Y pieces of material picked up again by the picking device 300 are put into the first material carrying device 100 through the first material supporting part 111; and the step S130 can be that the (X-Y) pieces of the buffered material and the Y pieces of material picked up again by the picking device 300 are put into the first material carrying device 100 together.

[0083] The relationship between the accommodating quantity and the picking quantity can also satisfy 2Y / X = 1.5, and in this case, M = 2. In addition to this, the relationship between the accommodating quantity and the picking quantity can also satisfy other relationships, for example, 2Y / X = 1.8, and in this case, M = 8.

[0084] Embodiment Three

[0085] Please refer to FIG. 7, which is a flowchart of a sheet material transferring method provided by the embodiments of the present application. It is assumed that the sheet material is a silicon wafer.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 7, the present application also provides a silicon wafer transferring method for transferring the silicon wafer from a second material carrying device to a first material carrying device. The first material carrying device can be a wafer basket, and the second material carrying device can be a wafer boat.

[0087] The above-mentioned silicon wafer transferring method includes: a step S210 of obtaining Y groups of silicon wafers from the second material carrying device by using the picking device, each group of silicon wafers including two silicon wafers that are attached to each other; a step S220 of splitting the groups of silicon wafers by using the picking device to form two rows of silicon wafers, each row including Y pieces of silicon wafers; and a step S230 of distributing the two rows of silicon wafers by using the material distributing device to simultaneously put the silicon wafers into two first material carrying devices.

[0088] In the above-mentioned step S230, the material distributing device can distribute the silicon wafers according to the material distributing method described in Embodiment Two. Thus, the function of the picking device can be maximized, the potential productivity of the sheet material transferring equipment can be released, the efficiency of transferring the silicon wafer from the second material carrying device to the first material carrying device can be improved, and the first material carrying device and / or the second material carrying device can be prevented from being occupied and / or idle, which is beneficial to speeding up the production rhythm, effectively improving the production efficiency, and ensuring the continuity of production.

[0089] The number of the silicon wafer groups carried by the second carrier device can be 2Y, so that the picking device can pick the silicon wafer groups from the second carrier device twice. The picking manner of the picking device from the second carrier device is not limited here.

[0090] Embodiment Four

[0091] Please refer to FIG. 8, which is a flowchart of another material distribution method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 8, the present application also provides a material distribution method, which can be performed by the material distribution device, for transferring the material from the first carrier device to the picking device.

[0093] The containing number of the first carrier device is set as X, and the picking number of the picking device is set as Y, wherein 2Y>X>Y, Y / (X-Y)=N, and N is a positive integer. The material distribution method includes the following steps S310 to S330.

[0094] In step S310, the X pieces of material contained in the full first carrier device are taken out, (X-Y) pieces of which are buffered, Y pieces of which are supplied to the picking device, and a new full first carrier device is replaced. Since X>Y, the full first carrier device can meet the picking requirement of the picking device, and the remaining (X-Y) pieces of material can be buffered first.

[0095] In step S320, it is judged whether the execution times of step S310 are less than N. If yes, step S310 is repeatedly executed. Based on the relationship between X and Y, Y / (X-Y)=N, after step S310 is executed for N times, Y pieces of material can be buffered.

[0096] In step S330, the buffered Y pieces of material are supplied to the picking device.

[0097] In this way, N full first carrier devices can be emptied in total, and a material taking period ends. If the material taking is not performed again, the material distribution method ends. If the material taking is still performed, the steps S310 to S330 can be cyclically executed to start the next material taking period.

[0098] In the material distribution method, the difference between the picking number of the picking device and the containing number of the first carrier device can be matched by buffering the material provided by the first carrier device. The picking device works at full capacity in each material taking process, which can maximize the function of the picking device, release the potential capacity of the material transfer equipment, and improve the efficiency of the material transfer from the first carrier device to the picking device, so that the production rhythm can be accelerated and the production efficiency can be improved.

[0099] The above-mentioned material distribution device can be the material distribution device in Embodiment One. Thus, the above-mentioned step S310 can be: taking out the X pieces of material accommodated by the first material carrying device 100 through the first material supporting part 111, buffering the (X-Y) pieces of material therein through the second material supporting part 121, and supplying the remaining Y pieces to the picking device 300 through the first material supporting part 121; and the step S330 can be: supplying the Y pieces of material buffered by the second material supporting part 121 to the picking device 300 through the first material supporting part 111.

[0100] The relationship between the accommodated quantity and the picked quantity can satisfy 2Y / X = 1.5, and in this case, N = 3. In addition to this, the relationship between the accommodated quantity and the picked quantity can also satisfy other relationships, such as 2Y / X = 1.8, and in this case, N = 9.

[0101] Embodiment Five

[0102] Please refer to FIG. 9, which is a flowchart of another sheet transfer method provided by the embodiments of the present application. It is assumed that the sheet is a silicon wafer.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 9, the present application also provides a silicon wafer transfer method for transferring the silicon wafer from the first material carrying device to the second material carrying device. The first material carrying device can be a wafer basket, and the second material carrying device can be a wafer boat.

[0104] The above-mentioned silicon wafer transfer method includes: step S410, distributing the material in the two first material carrying devices through the material distribution device, and supplying two rows of material to the picking device, and the quantity of each row of material is Y pieces; step S420, combining the two rows of material through the picking device to form Y material groups; and step S430, placing the Y material groups into the second material carrying device through the picking device.

[0105] In the above-mentioned step S410, the material distribution device can distribute the material according to the distribution method involved in the aforementioned Embodiment Four, so as to maximize the function of the picking device, release the potential capacity of the sheet transfer equipment, improve the transfer efficiency of the silicon wafer from the first material carrying device to the second material carrying device, prevent the first material carrying device 100 and / or the second material carrying device 200 from being occupied and / or idle, speed up the production rhythm, effectively improve the production efficiency, and ensure the continuity of production.

[0106] The quantity of the silicon wafer groups carried by the above-mentioned second material carrying device can be 2Y. In this way, the picking device can place the silicon wafer groups into the second material carrying device twice, and the way in which the picking device places the silicon wafer groups into the second material carrying device is not limited herein.

[0107] It should be understood that the wafer transfer method in Embodiment Three and Embodiment Five can be performed in succession in one cycle, for example, after the wafer is transferred from the second carrier device to the first carrier device, the space left can be used to carry another part of the wafer, that is, after the wafer is transferred from the second carrier device to the first carrier device, another part of the wafer can be transferred from another first carrier device to the same second carrier device, so that the wafer transfer efficiency can be improved to a greater extent, and the situation that the first carrier device and / or the second carrier device is occupied and / or idle can be prevented, thereby improving the production efficiency and effectively ensuring the continuity of production.

[0108] In some implementations, the wafer transferred from the first carrier device to the second carrier device is referred to as a green wafer, that is, a wafer to be processed, and in the second carrier device, the green wafer can be processed in the form of coating and the like to form a mature wafer, that is, a processed wafer. Therefore, the first carrier device carrying the wafer can be correspondingly distinguished into a dry wafer carrier basket and a wet wafer carrier basket, the dry wafer carrier basket is used to carry the mature wafer, and the wet wafer carrier basket is used to carry the green wafer. Therefore, after the mature wafer is taken out from the second carrier device and transferred to the dry wafer carrier basket, the space left can be used to load the green wafer taken out from the wet wafer carrier basket and transferred to the second carrier device, and the first carrier device full of or empty of the wafer can timely connect the upper and lower processes, so that the space in the first carrier device and the second carrier device is fully utilized, the situation that the first carrier device and / or the second carrier device is occupied and / or idle can be prevented, thereby improving the production efficiency and effectively ensuring the continuity of production.

[0109] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, and it should be pointed out that for ordinary skilled persons in the technical field, several improvements and refinements can be made without departing from the principles of the present application, and these improvements and refinements should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of dispensing material, characterized by, The method is performed by a material distributing device for transferring materials from a picking device to a first material carrying device, the first material carrying device has a carrying capacity of X, the picking device has a picking capacity of Y, wherein 2Y>X>Y, (2Y-X) / (X-Y)=M, M is a positive integer, the material distributing method comprises the following steps: S110, Y pieces of materials picked by the picking device are put into the first material carrying device; S120, (2Y-X) pieces of materials picked by the picking device are cached, and the remaining (X-Y) pieces of materials are put into the first material carrying device, and a new first material carrying device is replaced; S130, (X-Y) pieces of cached materials and Y pieces of materials picked by the picking device are put into the first material carrying device, and a new first material carrying device is replaced; S140, it is judged whether the number of times of execution of the step S130 is less than M, if yes, the step S130 is repeatedly executed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The material distributing device comprises a material distributing unit, the material distributing unit comprises a first material distributing assembly and a second material distributing assembly, the first material distributing assembly comprises a first material supporting part capable of moving in a first direction, the second material distributing assembly comprises a second material supporting part capable of moving in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction are arranged at an angle, and the first material supporting part is used for putting materials into the first material carrying device; The step S110 specifically comprises: putting Y pieces of materials picked by the picking device into the first material carrying device through the first material supporting part; The step S120 specifically comprises: putting (2Y-X) pieces of materials picked by the picking device into the second material supporting part for caching through the first material supporting part, and putting the remaining (X-Y) pieces of materials picked by the picking device into the first material carrying device through the first material supporting part; The step S130 specifically comprises: putting (X-Y) pieces of cached materials and Y pieces of materials picked by the picking device into the first material carrying device through the first material supporting part.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein The carrying capacity and the picking capacity also satisfy the following relationship: 2Y / X=1.

5.

4. A sheet transfer method characterized by, The method is used for transferring materials from a second material carrying device to a first material carrying device, the first material carrying device is a slide basket, and the second material carrying device is a slide boat, the material transferring method comprises the following steps: S210, Y groups of materials are obtained from the second material carrying device by a picking device, and one group of materials comprises two pieces of materials which are attached to each other; S220, the group of materials is split into two rows of materials by the picking device, and the number of materials in each row is Y pieces; S230, the two rows of materials are distributed by a material distributing device to be put into two first material carrying devices at the same time; The material distributing device specifically distributes materials according to the material distributing method in any one of claims 1-3.

5. The sheet transfer method according to claim 4, wherein The number of groups of materials carried by the second material carrying device is 2Y.

6. A method of dispensing material, characterized by, The method is performed by a material distributing device for transferring materials from a first material carrying device to a picking device, the first material carrying device carrying X pieces of materials, the picking device picking Y pieces of materials, wherein 2Y>X>Y, Y / (X-Y)=N, N is a positive integer, and the method comprises the following steps: S310, taking out X pieces of materials carried by the full first material carrying device, buffering (X-Y) pieces of the materials, and supplying Y pieces of the materials to the picking device, and replacing a new full first material carrying device; S320, determining whether the number of times of executing the step S310 is less than N, if yes, repeating the step S310, and if no, executing the following step S330; S330, supplying the buffered Y pieces of materials to the picking device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The material distributing device comprises a material distributing unit, the material distributing unit comprises a first material distributing assembly and a second material distributing assembly, the first material distributing assembly comprises a first material supporting part capable of moving in a first direction, the second material distributing assembly comprises a second material supporting part capable of moving in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction are arranged at an angle, and the first material supporting part is further used for taking out materials from the first material carrying device; The step S310 specifically comprises: taking out X pieces of materials carried by the first material carrying device through the first material supporting part, buffering (X-Y) pieces of the materials through the second material supporting part, and supplying the remaining Y pieces of the materials to the picking device through the first material supporting part; The step S330 specifically comprises: supplying the Y pieces of materials buffered by the second material supporting part to the picking device through the first material supporting part.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein, The number of pieces of materials carried by the first material carrying device and the number of pieces of materials picked by the picking device further satisfy the following relationship: 2Y / X=1.

5.

9. A sheet transfer method characterized by, The method is used for transferring materials from a first material carrying device to a second material carrying device, the first material carrying device is a slide basket, and the second material carrying device is a slide boat, and the method comprises the following steps: S410, distributing materials in two first material carrying devices through the material distributing device, and supplying two rows of materials to a picking device, and the number of pieces of materials in each row is Y; the material distributing device specifically distributes materials according to the material distributing method in any one of claims 6-8; S420, combining two rows of materials through the picking device to form Y material groups; S430, placing Y material groups into the second material carrying device through the picking device.

10. The sheet transfer method according to claim 9, wherein The number of material groups carried by the second material carrying device is 2Y.

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