Wafer End Effector With Dual-Height Mounts for Contamination Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing end effectors for wafer handling in semiconductor processing are limited to specific wafer types and require reconfiguration or replacement, leading to contamination risks and inefficiencies, particularly in vacuum transportation applications.
Innovation Solution
A dual-function end effector with a peripheral mount and base portion, supporting wafers and wafer assemblies on different horizontal planes, allowing versatile handling without reconfiguration, minimizing contamination, and reducing disturbance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If dedicated robotic arms with suitably configured end effectors are used for each wafer assembly type, then cross contamination between different wafer assemblies is avoided, but device complexity and reconfiguration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector is designed with a universal base portion and interchangeable peripheral mounts that can be quickly swapped to accommodate different wafer assembly types. This multi-functionality allows a single end effector body to handle multiple wafer types without reconfiguration, eliminating cross-contamination risks while reducing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The end effector is divided into a base portion and interchangeable peripheral mounts. This segmentation allows the peripheral mount to be replaced without affecting the base portion, enabling quick changeover between different wafer assembly types while maintaining contamination-free operation
2Manufacturing precision
If end effectors are replaced or reconfigured for different wafer types, then handling precision is maintained, but loss of time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple peripheral mounts for different wafer assembly types are pre-configured and stored ready for use. When a changeover is needed, the appropriate peripheral mount is already prepared and can be quickly installed without reconfiguration time, maintaining handling precision while eliminating downtime
Solution Approach 2:
The end effector system transitions from a static, dedicated design to a dynamic, interchangeable system. The peripheral mounts can be quickly swapped to match the current production requirements, allowing the system to adapt rapidly without sacrificing precision
3Ease of operation
If end effectors contact the tape under the wafer, then handling is simplified, but the dies are inadvertently displaced after dicing
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral mount is designed with contact points that locally engage only with the frame or tape edges, not the tape area under the wafer. This localized contact quality provides secure handling while preventing die displacement, balancing ease of operation with reliability
Data Source
AI summary
An end effector for carrying a wafer or a wafer assembly placed thereon. The end effector is integrated with, may attach to, a robotic arm. The end effector includes a peripheral mount radially outside of a base portion, the peripheral mount includes at least a first mount section and a second mount section. The base portion has a substantially flat horizontal upper surface. Each mount section of the peripheral mount has a substantially flat horizontal upper surface being elevated with respect to the upper surface of the base portion. The end effector may hold a wafer assembly bridging the upper surfaces of the mount sections at a first height above the base portion. There is a step region between the base portion and the peripheral mount at each mount section. The end effector may hold a wafer bridging the support surfaces at a second height above the base portion.