CN223260568U - Chip conveyor and semiconductor equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides a sheet conveying device and semiconductor equipment. The sheet conveying device comprises a shell, two bearing tables and a sheet conveying mechanism, wherein the shell comprises a first cavity and a second cavity. The two bearing tables are arranged in the shell and used for bearing wafers, one bearing table is located in the first chamber, and the other bearing table is located in the second chamber. The wafer conveying mechanism comprises a driving part and at least one bearing arm, two fork pieces are arranged at intervals at the end part of each bearing arm in an extending mode, the fork pieces are used for bearing wafers, and the driving part is connected with the at least one bearing arm and used for driving each bearing arm to lift and rotate around a vertical axis. According to the application, the sheet conveying efficiency and stability of the sheet conveying device can be effectively improved.

Description

Sheet conveying device and semiconductor equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of semiconductor technologies, and in particular, to a sheet conveying device and a semiconductor device.

Background

With the rapid development of the integrated circuit market, the demand for expanding the chip productivity brings about new market opportunities on one hand, and on the other hand, higher demands are also put on the productivity of the current semiconductor devices. The productivity of semiconductor equipment refers to the yield of good products in the unit working time of the semiconductor equipment, and is an important technical parameter reflecting the processing capacity of the semiconductor equipment.

The wafer transfer device is used as an important component in the semiconductor equipment and is mainly used for transferring the semiconductor wafer from the previous process to the next process so as to realize wafer processing, and the wafer transfer efficiency of the wafer transfer device can directly influence the productivity of the semiconductor equipment. Therefore, how to effectively improve the transfer efficiency of the transfer device is a problem to be solved in the semiconductor technology.

Disclosure of utility model

In view of the above problems, the present application provides a sheet conveying device and a semiconductor device, which can effectively improve the sheet conveying efficiency and stability of the sheet conveying device.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a sheet conveying device, where the sheet conveying device includes a housing, two carrying platforms, and a sheet conveying mechanism, and the housing includes a first chamber and a second chamber. The two bearing tables are arranged in the shell and used for bearing wafers, one bearing table is located in the first chamber, and the other bearing table is located in the second chamber. The wafer conveying mechanism comprises a driving part and at least one bearing arm, two fork pieces are arranged at intervals at the end part of each bearing arm in an extending mode, the fork pieces are used for bearing wafers, the driving part is connected to the at least one bearing arm and used for driving each bearing arm to lift and rotate around a vertical axis, so that the bearing arm can reach any bearing table and be located below the wafers, at least part of the bearing table is located between the two fork pieces of the bearing arm, the bearing arm can be lowered to enable the wafers located on the fork pieces to fall on the bearing table, or the bearing arm can be lifted to enable the fork pieces to lift the wafers located on the bearing table, and the bearing arm is rotated to drive the wafers to be far away from the bearing table.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the sheet transfer mechanism includes a mounting portion and two carrier arms, the driving member is connected to the mounting portion, and the two carrier arms are symmetrically disposed along a center of the mounting portion. The two carrying arms are configured such that, under the drive of the drive member, when one carrying arm reaches one of the two carrying tables, the other carrying arm can reach the other of the two carrying tables in synchronization.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the two carrier arms extend in opposite directions from the mounting portion, respectively, the fork piece extends in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the carrier arms, and both the extending direction of the fork piece and the extending direction of the carrier arms are parallel to the horizontal plane. And in the two bearing arms, the extending direction of the fork piece arranged on one bearing arm is opposite to the extending direction of the fork piece arranged on the other bearing arm.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the housing includes a first wall and a second wall, where the first wall and the second wall are disposed opposite to each other along a vertical direction, and the first wall is provided with a through hole. The sheet conveying mechanism further comprises a connecting part, the connecting part penetrates through the through hole and is connected between the driving part and the bearing arm, the driving part is arranged outside the shell, and the bearing table is connected with the second wall body.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the driving member includes a first driving member and a second driving member, the first driving member being connected to the carrying arm and configured to drive the carrying arm to rotate. The second driving piece is connected to the first driving piece and is used for driving the first driving piece to lift.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the sheet transfer device further comprises a first sealing member disposed within the housing and between the first chamber and the second chamber, the first sealing member being configured to communicate or isolate the first chamber from the second chamber.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, an opening is provided in the housing, the opening being in communication with the first chamber. The sheet conveying device further comprises a second sealing component, wherein the second sealing component is arranged on the opening and used for communicating or isolating the first chamber with the atmospheric environment.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the load arm is located in the second chamber in a state where the first chamber and the second chamber are blocked.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the load table includes a plurality of supports, the plurality of supports being spaced apart and forming a relief gap therebetween. When the bearing arm reaches any bearing table and is positioned below the wafer, two fork pieces of the bearing arm are positioned in the avoidance gap.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the surface of the fork blade for carrying the wafer is provided with a buffer member having a hardness less than the hardness of the fork blade.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a semiconductor device, which includes the sheet conveying apparatus provided in any one of the embodiments of the first aspect.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the present application, and is intended to be implemented in accordance with the teachings of the present application in order that the same may be more clearly understood and to make the same and other objects, features and advantages of the present application more readily apparent.

Drawings

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the application. Also, like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the figures. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of a sheet conveying device in a first position according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a portion of the sheet transfer mechanism of the illustration of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of a sheet conveying device in a second position according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a portion of the sheet transfer mechanism of the illustration of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another embodiment of a sheet conveying apparatus according to the present application in a first position;

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another sheet conveying apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application in a first position;

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another sheet conveying apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application in a first position;

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another sheet conveying apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application in a second position;

FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of a portion of the engagement of the slide mechanism and the carrier in the illustration of FIG. 8;

fig. 10 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another sheet conveying device according to some embodiments of the present application in a second position.

Reference numerals in the specific embodiments are as follows:

100. 200, vertical axis;

10. a housing; 11, a first chamber, 12, a second chamber, 13, a first wall, 14, a second wall;

20. the bearing table, 21, support piece, 22, avoiding gap;

30. 31, a driving part, 311, a first driving part, 312, a second driving part, 32, a bearing arm, 321, a fork piece, 33, an installation part, 34 and a connecting part;

40. A first sealing member;

50. a second sealing member;

60. And a buffer member.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more apparent, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the application without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the application.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs, the terms used in this description of the application are used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting of the application, and the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof in the description of the application and the claims and the above description of the drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. The terms first, second and the like in the description and in the claims or in the above-described figures, are used for distinguishing between different objects and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order.

Reference in the specification to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "attached" are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, directly connected, indirectly connected through an intermediary, or may be in communication with the interior of two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances.

The term "and/or" in the present application is merely an association relation describing the association object, and indicates that three kinds of relations may exist, for example, a and/or B may indicate that a exists alone, while a and B exist together, and B exists alone. In the present application, the character "/" generally indicates that the front and rear related objects are an or relationship.

In the embodiments of the present application, the same reference numerals denote the same components, and detailed descriptions of the same components are omitted in different embodiments for the sake of brevity. It should be understood that the thickness, length, width, etc. dimensions of the various components in the embodiments of the application shown in the drawings, as well as the overall thickness, length, width, etc. dimensions of the integrated device, are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way.

The term "plurality" as used herein refers to two or more (including two).

The term "parallel" in the present application includes not only the case of absolute parallelism but also the case of general parallelism of conventional engineering knowledge, and at the same time, "perpendicular" also includes not only the case of absolute perpendicularity but also the case of general perpendicularity of conventional engineering knowledge.

With the rapid development of the integrated circuit market, the demand for expanding the chip productivity brings about new market opportunities on one hand, and on the other hand, higher demands are also put on the productivity of the current semiconductor devices. The productivity of semiconductor equipment refers to the yield of good products in the unit working time of the semiconductor equipment, and is an important technical parameter reflecting the processing capacity of the semiconductor equipment.

The wafer transfer device is used as an important component in the semiconductor equipment and is mainly used for transferring the semiconductor wafer from the previous process to the next process so as to realize wafer processing, and the wafer transfer efficiency of the wafer transfer device can directly influence the productivity of the semiconductor equipment.

The sheet transfer device is typically comprised of an atmospheric side, a transition side chamber, and a vacuum side chamber. The transfer of the wafer at the atmosphere side is completed by an atmosphere manipulator of the equipment front end module, namely, the wafer is transferred from the atmosphere environment into the transition side chamber, or the wafer in the transition side chamber is transferred to the atmosphere environment. The transition side chamber can be inflated or vacuumized to realize the switching between the atmospheric state and the vacuum state, and the transfer between the transition side chamber and the vacuum side chamber is usually completed through a transfer mechanism.

However, in the sheet conveying process of the transition chamber and the vacuum chamber of the present sheet conveying device, a sheet conveying mechanism is generally adopted to rotate and lift a bearing table in the transition side chamber and/or the vacuum side chamber to complete sheet conveying, the sheet conveying mechanism rotates and lifts the bearing table to independently move, the linkage is poor, the whole sheet conveying time is long, the sheet conveying efficiency is low, and the productivity of semiconductor equipment is seriously affected.

Based on the above consideration, the application designs a sheet conveying device, which comprises a shell, two bearing tables and a sheet conveying mechanism, wherein the shell comprises a first cavity and a second cavity. The two bearing tables are arranged in the shell and used for bearing wafers, one bearing table is located in the first chamber, and the other bearing table is located in the second chamber. The wafer conveying mechanism comprises a driving part and at least one bearing arm, two fork pieces are arranged at intervals at the end part of each bearing arm in an extending mode, the fork pieces are used for bearing wafers, the driving part is connected to the at least one bearing arm and used for driving each bearing arm to lift and rotate around a vertical axis, so that the bearing arm can reach any bearing table and be located below the wafers, at least part of the bearing table is located between the two fork pieces of the bearing arm, the bearing arm can be lowered to enable the wafers located on the fork pieces to fall on the bearing table, or the bearing arm can be lifted to enable the fork pieces to lift the wafers located on the bearing table, and the bearing arm is rotated to drive the wafers to be far away from the bearing table.

The bearing arm has the capability of simultaneously rotating and lifting under the drive of the driving component, the linkage and coordination of the sheet conveying movement are obviously improved by the double movement mechanism, the residence time of the wafer in the sheet conveying process can be reduced, the sheet conveying time is greatly shortened, and the sheet conveying efficiency and stability of the sheet conveying device can be effectively improved. In addition, two fork piece interval settings can form the dismiss to the plummer in the biography piece in-process to can reduce the risk that fork piece and plummer produced the interference.

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of a sheet conveying device in a first position according to some embodiments of the present application, fig. 2 is a schematic partial top view of a sheet conveying mechanism in the illustration shown in fig. 1, fig. 3 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of a sheet conveying device in a second position according to some embodiments of the present application, and fig. 4 is a schematic partial top view of a sheet conveying mechanism in the illustration shown in fig. 3.

It should be noted that, the first position refers to an original position where the carrying arm is located when the sheet conveying mechanism does not convey sheets. The second position refers to the position of the bearing arm when the bearing arm reaches the bearing platform when the sheet conveying mechanism conveys sheets.

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, the embodiment of the present application provides a sheet conveying device, which includes a housing 10, two carrying platforms 20, and a sheet conveying mechanism 30, wherein the housing 10 includes a first chamber 11 and a second chamber 12. Two carriers 20 are disposed in the housing 10 and are used to carry the wafers 100, one carrier 20 being located in the first chamber 11 and the other carrier 20 being located in the second chamber 12. The wafer transfer mechanism 30 includes a driving member 31 and at least one carrying arm 32, and two spaced fork pieces 321 extend from an end of each carrying arm 32, where the fork pieces 321 are used to carry the wafer 100. The driving part 31 is connected to the aforementioned at least one carrier arm 32 and is used for driving each carrier arm 32 to lift and rotate around the vertical axis 200, so that the carrier arm 32 can reach any carrier table 20 and be located below the wafer 100, and at least part of the carrier table 20 is located between two fork pieces 321 of the carrier arm 32, so that the wafer 100 located on the fork pieces 321 can fall on the carrier table 20 by dropping the carrier arm 32, or the fork pieces 321 can lift the wafer 100 located on the carrier table 20 by lifting the carrier arm 32, and the wafer 100 can be driven away from the carrier table 20 by rotating the carrier arm 32.

The housing 10 is mainly used for providing an operation environment required for processing the wafer 100, and the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 can provide corresponding operation environments for processing the wafer 100. For example, the first chamber 11 may be used to communicate with the atmosphere, and transfer the wafer 100 with the atmospheric robot of the front end module, i.e., transfer the wafer 100 from the atmosphere into the first chamber 11, or transfer the wafer 100 within the first chamber 11 to the atmosphere. The first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 may be in communication in some cases to enable transfer of the wafer 100 between the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 by the transfer mechanism 30, and the second chamber 12 may be used to provide an environment required for processing of the wafer 100.

The carrying floor 20 may be connected to the inner wall of the housing 10. Illustratively, the carrying platform 20 may be detachably connected to the inner wall of the housing 10, or may be integrally disposed on the inner wall of the housing 10, and the carrying platform 20 may be directly connected to the inner wall of the housing 10, or may be limited to the inner wall of the housing 10 by other components. As an example, the connection manner of the bearing table 20 and the inner wall of the housing 10 may be, but not limited to, bolting, welding, riveting, bonding, or the like.

The two carrying tables 20 are respectively disposed in the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12, and the wafer 100 is transferred between the two carrying tables 20 by the transfer mechanism 30.

The wafer transfer mechanism 30 is mainly used for carrying and transferring the wafer 100. The driving part 31 is a main functional part on the sheet conveying mechanism 30 for driving the carrying arm 32 to lift and rotate around the vertical axis 200. The carrier arm 32 is a portion of the wafer transfer mechanism 30 for carrying the wafer 100. The driving part 31 is connected to the aforementioned at least one carrier arm 32 means that the driving part 31 is connected to all carrier arms 32. In other words, when the number of the carrying arms 32 is plural, the plural carrying arms 32 are connected to the driving member 31.

The carrying arm 32 may be detachably connected to the driving part 31, or may be integrally provided on the driving part 31, and the carrying arm 32 may be directly connected to the driving part 31, or may be limited to the driving part 31 by other parts. As an example, the connection manner of the carrier arm 32 and the driving part 31 may be, but not limited to, plugging, bolting, welding, riveting, bonding, or the like. When the number of the carrying arms 32 is plural, the carrying arms 32 may be integrally formed as a single piece or may be separate parts.

The driving part 31 may, for example, comprise only one driving structure capable of simultaneously driving the carrying arm 32 to be lifted and rotated, such as a screw structure, i.e. the screw itself is rotated while being linearly moved in a vertical direction.

The driving part 31 may also comprise two driving structures, one of which is used for driving the carrying arm 32 to rotate, and the other of which is used for driving the carrying arm 32 to lift, for example, the driving part 31 comprises an electric cylinder for driving the carrying arm 32 to lift and a rotating motor for driving the carrying arm 32 to rotate.

It should be noted that, during the process of driving the carrier arm 32 by the driving member 31, the carrier arm 32 may rotate in either a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction.

Alternatively, the carrier arm 32 may be, but is not limited to being, made of a metallic or non-metallic material, such as copper, aluminum, or stainless steel, for example, and a non-metallic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyvinylchloride, for example.

The fork piece 321 can be detachably connected to the carrying arm 32, can be integrally arranged on the carrying arm 32, and can be directly connected with the carrying arm 32 or can be limited on the carrying arm 32 through other parts. By way of example, the fork 321 may be coupled to the carrier arm 32 by, but not limited to, plugging, bolting, welding, riveting, bonding, etc.

In some examples, fork blade 321 is an integral structure with carrier arm 32.

Alternatively, the number of the carrying arms 32 may be one, two or more, and may be selected according to the actual application environment. The fork 321 may be, but not limited to, a rectangular sheet, a trapezoid sheet, or a polygonal sheet, and may be selected according to practical application environments.

Illustratively, the sheet transfer mechanism 30 includes a carrier arm 32. In the transfer process of the transfer mechanism 30, the carrier arm 32 is driven by the driving component 31 from the initial position through rotation and lifting actions, so that the carrier arm 32 enters the first chamber 11 to reach the carrier table 20, and the two fork pieces 321 on the carrier arm 32 are located below the wafer 100 on the carrier table 20. Wherein, two fork pieces 321 interval sets up for can form between two fork pieces 321 and dodge the space, when carrier arm 32 is located the below of the wafer 100 on plummer 20, the space of dodging between two fork pieces 321 can dodge this plummer 20, so that the at least part of this plummer 20 is located between two fork pieces 321.

Then, the carrier arm 32 is lifted up so that the fork 321 lifts up the wafer 100 on the carrier 20 located in the first chamber 11.

Then, the carrying arm 32 continues to rotate under the drive of the driving part 31, so that the carrying arm 32 enters the second chamber 12 to reach the corresponding position of the carrying table 20.

Then, the carrier arm 32 is lowered by the driving part 31 to place the wafer 100 on the carrier 20. During the process of lowering the carrier arm 32, the avoiding space formed between the two fork pieces 321 can avoid the carrier table 20, so that at least a portion of the carrier table 20 is located between the two fork pieces 321 when the wafer 100 is placed on the carrier table 20.

Finally, the carrier arm 32 continues to rotate under the drive of the drive member 31 and then rises to return to the initial position.

In this manner, the transfer mechanism 30 completes one transfer operation, and subsequently the wafer 100 may be transferred again between the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 in the same manner as described above.

According to the technical scheme, the carrying arm 32 has the capability of simultaneously rotating and lifting under the driving of the driving component 31, the linkage and coordination of the sheet conveying movement are obviously improved by the double movement mechanism, the residence time of the wafer 100 in the sheet conveying process can be reduced, the sheet conveying time is greatly shortened, and the sheet conveying efficiency and stability of the sheet conveying device can be effectively improved. In addition, the two fork pieces 321 are arranged at intervals, so that avoidance can be formed on the bearing table 20 in the sheet conveying process, and the risk of interference between the fork pieces 321 and the bearing table 20 can be reduced.

In some embodiments, the sheet conveying mechanism 30 includes a mounting portion 33 and two carrying arms 32, the driving member 31 is connected to the mounting portion 33, and the two carrying arms 32 are symmetrically disposed along a center of the mounting portion 33. The two carrier arms 32 are configured such that, upon driving of the driving part 31, one carrier arm 32 reaches one of the two carrier tables 20, the other carrier arm 32 can reach the other of the two carrier tables 20 in synchronization.

Illustratively, the mounting portion 33 is a portion of the sheet transfer mechanism 30 for connection with the drive member 31, in other words, the mounting portion 33 is connected between the drive member 31 and the carrier arm 32. The carrying arm 32 may be detachably connected to the mounting portion 33, or may be integrally provided on the mounting portion 33, and the carrying arm 32 may be directly connected to the mounting portion 33, or may be restricted to the mounting portion 33 by other means. As an example, the connection manner of the bearing arm 32 and the mounting portion 33 may be, but not limited to, plugging, bolting, welding, riveting, bonding, or the like.

In some examples, the carrier arm 32 and the mounting portion 33 are an integrally formed structure.

In some examples, the tensile strength of the mounting portion 33 is greater than the tensile strength of the load arm 32. The connection firmness between the mounting portion 33 and the driving member 31 can be improved, thereby contributing to the improvement of the reliability of the entire sheet conveying device.

Illustratively, when the sheet conveying mechanism 30 includes two carrying arms 32, during the sheet conveying process of the sheet conveying mechanism 30, the two carrying arms 32 are driven by the driving component 31 to rotate and lift from the initial position, wherein one carrying arm 32 enters the first chamber 11 to reach the carrying table 20, the other carrying arm 32 enters the second chamber 12 to reach the carrying table 20, and the two fork pieces 321 on the two carrying arms 32 are located below the wafer 100 on the carrying table 20.

Then, the two carrier arms 32 are lifted, wherein the fork 321 on one carrier arm 32 lifts the wafer 100 on the carrier 20 positioned in the first chamber 11, and the fork 321 on the other carrier arm 32 lifts the wafer 100 on the carrier 20 positioned in the second chamber 12.

Then, the two carrying arms 32 continue to rotate under the drive of the driving part 31, so that the carrying arm 32 originally located in the first chamber 11 enters the second chamber 12 and reaches the corresponding position of the carrying table 20, and the carrying arm 32 originally located in the second chamber 12 enters the first chamber 11 and reaches the corresponding position of the carrying table 20.

Then, the two carrier arms 32 are lowered by the driving part 31 to place the wafer 100 on the carrier 20 in the first chamber 11 and the carrier 20 in the second chamber 12, respectively.

Finally, the two carrying arms 32 continue to rotate under the drive of the drive member 31 and then rise up to return to the original position.

In this manner, the transfer mechanism 30 completes one transfer operation, and subsequently the wafer 100 may be transferred again between the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 in the same manner as described above.

By introducing the two carrying arms 32, the wafer conveying mechanism 30 can simultaneously convey two wafers 100 in one wafer conveying process, so that the wafer conveying efficiency of the wafer conveying device can be greatly improved.

In some embodiments, two carrier arms 32 extend in opposite directions from the mounting portion 33, respectively, the fork piece 321 extends in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the carrier arms 32, and both the extending direction of the fork piece 321 and the extending direction of the carrier arms 32 are parallel to the horizontal plane. And in the two carrying arms 32, the extending direction of the fork piece 321 arranged on one carrying arm 32 is opposite to the extending direction of the fork piece 321 arranged on the other carrying arm 32.

The layout not only ensures the structural stability of the wafer transfer mechanism 30, but also enables the two carrier arms 32 to effectively share the weight of the wafer 100 during wafer transfer, improves balance, and reduces vibration and deflection when the wafer 100 is transferred, thereby protecting the wafer 100 from unnecessary damage.

Fig. 5 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another embodiment of a sheet conveying device according to the present application in a first position.

With continued reference to fig. 5, in some embodiments, the housing 10 includes a first wall 13 and a second wall 14, where the first wall 13 and the second wall 14 are disposed opposite to each other in a vertical direction, and the first wall 13 is provided with a through hole. The sheet conveying mechanism 30 further comprises a connecting component 34, the connecting component 34 penetrates through the through hole and is connected between the driving component 31 and the bearing arm 32, the driving component 31 is arranged outside the shell 10, and the bearing platform 20 is connected to the second wall body 14.

Illustratively, the connection member 34 may be a columnar structure, a plate-like structure, or the like, and the projected shape of the connection member 34 in the vertical direction may be, but is not limited to, a circular shape, a rectangular shape, an elliptical shape, or the like. The through hole penetrates the first wall body 13 in the vertical direction, and the structural shape and size of the through hole are matched with those of the connecting part 34, so that the connecting part 34 can pass through smoothly. The connection member 34 may be directly connected to the through hole, or may be indirectly connected to the through hole through other members.

In some examples, the connection member 34 is a columnar structure, and the connection member 34 has a circular projected shape in the vertical direction, and the through hole is a circular hole that is fitted to the connection member 34.

In some examples, the connection member 34 is a columnar structure or a plate-like structure, and the projection shape of the connection member 34 in the vertical direction is rectangular or elliptical, the connection member 34 is fitted in the through hole by a bearing member, the shape and size of the inner peripheral surface of the bearing member match the shape and size of the connection member 34, and the shape and size of the outer peripheral surface of the bearing member match the shape and size of the through hole.

The connecting member 34 may be detachably connected between the driving member 31 and the carrying arm 32, or may be integrally provided between the driving member 31 and the carrying arm 32, and the connecting member 34 may be directly connected between the driving member 31 and the carrying arm 32, or may be indirectly connected between the driving member 31 and the carrying arm 32 through other members. As an example, the connection manner of the connection member 34 and the driving member 31 and the connection manner of the connection member 34 and the carrier arm 32 may be, but not limited to, plugging, bolting, welding, riveting, bonding, or the like.

According to the technical scheme, the driving part 31 is arranged outside the shell 10, so that the driving part 31 is convenient to detach and maintain, the maintenance time consumption of the driving part 31 during faults can be reduced, and the whole sheet conveying efficiency of the sheet conveying device can be further improved.

In some embodiments, the sheet conveying mechanism 30 and the carrying platform 20 are both connected to the second wall 14.

Fig. 6 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another sheet conveying device according to some embodiments of the present application in a first position.

With continued reference to fig. 6, in some embodiments, the drive member 31 includes a first drive member 311 and a second drive member 312, the first drive member 311 being coupled to the carrier arm 32 and configured to drive the carrier arm 32 in rotation. The second driving member 312 is connected to the first driving member 311, and the second driving member 312 is used for driving the first driving member 311 to lift.

Illustratively, the first driving member 311 may be, but is not limited to, a screw structure or a rotary motor or the like to drive the rotation of the carrier arm 32. The second driving member 312 may be, but is not limited to, a telescopic rod structure, a sliding rail and block structure, a screw rod structure, an electric cylinder structure, a mechanical arm or the like to drive the first driving member 311 to lift. The first driving piece 311 can synchronously drive the carrying arm 32 to lift in the lifting process.

On the one hand, the independent first driving member 311 and the independent second driving member 312 are respectively arranged for the rotation and the lifting of the carrying arm 32 to drive, so that the control precision of the rotation and the lifting of the carrying arm 32 can be effectively improved.

On the other hand, it is understood that stability during rotation is more difficult to control than lifting, and that control of rotational stability is also difficult as the load is larger. In this way, the first driving piece 311 for driving the carrying arm 32 to rotate is directly connected with the carrying arm 32, so that the load of the first driving piece 311 can be reduced, and the stability of the carrying arm 32 in the rotating process can be improved.

In some embodiments, the first driver 311 and the second driver 312 are both disposed outside of the housing 10.

In some embodiments, one of the first driving member 311 and the second driving member 312 may be disposed outside the housing 10, and the other may be disposed inside the housing 10.

Fig. 7 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another sheet conveying device according to some embodiments of the present application in a first position.

With continued reference to fig. 7, in some embodiments, the sheet transfer device further includes a first sealing member 40, the first sealing member 40 disposed within the housing 10 and located between the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12, the first sealing member 40 configured to communicate or isolate the first chamber 11 from the second chamber 12.

The first sealing member 40 may be opened and closed by itself to control the communication or blocking of the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12. Specifically, when the first sealing member 40 is opened, the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are in a communication state, and when the first sealing member 40 is closed, the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are in a blocking state.

The first sealing member 40 may be directly connected to the housing 10 or may be restrained to the housing 10 by other members. Alternatively, the first sealing member 40 may be, but is not limited to, a ball valve, a gate valve, a shut-off valve, a butterfly valve, or the like.

Illustratively, when the sheet conveying mechanism 30 conveys sheets, the first sealing member 40 is opened, and the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are in communication. When the wafer transfer mechanism 30 is not transferring a wafer, that is, when the wafer 100 is transferred between the first chamber 11 and the atmosphere or when the wafer 100 in the first chamber 11 is processed, the first sealing member 40 is closed, and the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are in a blocked state.

By arranging the first sealing component 40, the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 can be effectively isolated in the processing process of the wafer 100, and the cross influence between different process environments of the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 is avoided.

In some embodiments, the housing 10 is provided with an opening that communicates with the first chamber 11. The sheet transfer device further comprises a second sealing member 50, wherein the second sealing member 50 is disposed at the opening and is used for communicating or blocking the first chamber 11 from the atmosphere.

In the present embodiment, the first chamber 11 is a transition side chamber, and the second chamber 12 is a vacuum side chamber. The opening is used to provide a passage for the atmospheric robot to transfer the wafer 100, i.e., the atmospheric robot transfers the wafer 100 from the atmosphere into the transition side chamber through the opening or transfers the wafer 100 within the transition side chamber to the atmosphere through the opening. The second sealing member 50 may be opened and closed by itself to control the communication or blocking of the first chamber 11 from the atmosphere. Specifically, when the second sealing member 50 is opened, the first chamber 11 and the atmosphere are in communication, and when the second sealing member 50 is closed, the first chamber 11 and the atmosphere are in a closed state.

The second sealing member 50 may be directly connected to the housing 10 or may be restrained to the housing 10 by other members. Alternatively, the second sealing member 50 may be, but is not limited to, a ball valve, a gate valve, a shut-off valve, a butterfly valve, or the like.

Alternatively, the shape of the opening may be, but is not limited to, circular, rectangular, elliptical, trapezoidal, or the like. The structural shape of the second sealing member 50 matches the shape of the opening.

Illustratively, when the second sealing member 50 is opened, i.e., when transferring the wafer 100 to be processed from the atmosphere into the first chamber 11 or transferring the processed wafer 100 within the first chamber 11 to the atmosphere, the first sealing member 40 is closed, and the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are in a closed state to maintain the vacuum environment of the second chamber 12. When the first sealing member 40 is opened, that is, during the transfer of the wafer 100 between the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 by the wafer transfer mechanism 30, the second sealing member 50 is closed, and the first chamber 11 and the atmosphere are isolated to maintain the vacuum environment inside the housing 10.

By introducing the second sealing component 50, the technical scheme can reduce the interference of the external environment to the wafer conveying process and ensure the stability of the process environment in the cavity.

In some embodiments, the carrier arm 32 is located in the second chamber 12 in a state where the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are blocked. That is, in the state where the sheet transfer mechanism 30 is not operating, the carrier arm 32 is located in the second chamber 12.

In the present embodiment, the first chamber 11 is a transition side chamber, the second chamber 12 is a vacuum side chamber, and the second chamber 12 is mainly used for providing a vacuum environment required for processing the wafer 100, that is, the processing of the wafer 100 is located in the second chamber 12, so the second chamber 12 has a larger space, that is, the volume of the second chamber 12 is larger than the volume of the first chamber 11. In this way, the second chamber 12 can provide a larger setting space, and the carrying arm 32 is arranged in the second chamber 12, so that the setting difficulty of the sheet conveying mechanism 30 can be reduced, and the overall preparation difficulty of the sheet conveying device is reduced.

In other embodiments, the carrying arm 32 may be located in the first chamber in a state where the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are blocked. That is, in the state where the sheet conveying mechanism 30 is not operating, the carrying arm 32 is located in the first cavity. The carrying arm 32 is close to the opening, so that the carrying arm 32 is convenient to mount, dismount and maintain, and the convenience in maintaining the sheet conveying mechanism 30 can be improved.

Fig. 8 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another sheet conveying device in a second position according to some embodiments of the present application, and fig. 9 is a schematic partial top view of a sheet conveying mechanism and a carrier table in cooperation in the illustration shown in fig. 8.

With continued reference to fig. 8-9, in some embodiments, the carrier 20 includes a plurality of supports 21, the plurality of supports 21 being spaced apart, and a relief gap 22 being formed between the plurality of supports 21. When the carrier arm 32 reaches either carrier stage 20 and is positioned below the wafer 100, the two prongs 321 of the carrier arm 32 are positioned within the avoidance gap 22.

Illustratively, in the transferring process of the transferring mechanism 30, the carrier arm 32 is driven by the driving component 31 from the initial position through the rotation and lifting actions, so that the carrier arm 32 enters the first chamber 11 to reach the carrier table 20, and the two fork pieces 321 on the carrier arm 32 are located below the wafer 100 on the carrier table 20. Wherein, when the avoidance space between the two fork pieces 321 can avoid the bearing table 20, the avoidance gap 22 formed between the plurality of supporting pieces 21 can also avoid the two fork pieces 321, so that the two fork pieces 321 are positioned in the avoidance gap 22.

Then, the carrier arm 32 is lifted up so that the fork 321 lifts up the wafer 100 on the carrier 20 located in the first chamber 11.

Then, the carrying arm 32 continues to rotate under the drive of the driving part 31, so that the carrying arm 32 enters the second chamber 12 to reach the corresponding position of the carrying table 20.

Then, the carrier arm 32 is lowered by the driving part 31 to place the wafer 100 on the carrier 20. Wherein, in the process of descending the carrying arm 32, the avoiding space formed between the two fork pieces 321 can avoid the carrying platform 20, and meanwhile, the avoiding gap 22 formed between the plurality of supporting pieces 21 of the carrying platform 20 can also avoid the two fork pieces 321, so that the two fork pieces 321 are positioned in the avoiding gap 22.

Finally, the carrier arm 32 continues to rotate under the drive of the drive member 31 and then rises to return to the initial position.

The number of the supporting members 21 may be two, three, four or more, and may be selected according to the actual application environment.

According to the technical scheme, the avoidance gap 22 is formed on the bearing table 20 to further form linkage avoidance fit with the fork piece 321, so that the risk that the bearing arm 32 is blocked in the moving process can be further reduced, and the reliability of the piece conveying process is further improved.

Fig. 10 is a schematic front view of a carrier arm of another sheet conveying device according to some embodiments of the present application in a second position.

With continued reference to fig. 10, in some embodiments, the fork 321 is configured to carry the wafer 100 with a buffer 60 disposed on a surface thereof, the buffer 60 having a hardness less than the hardness of the fork 321.

Illustratively, the buffer 60 is disposed on a surface of the fork 321 for carrying the wafer 100, and the buffer 60 is configured to make direct contact with the wafer 100. The buffer 60 may be detachably connected to the fork 321, or may be fixedly connected to the fork 321. The buffer member 60 may be directly connected to the fork 321, or may be limited to the fork 321 by other components. As an example, the buffer 60 and the fork 321 may be connected by, but not limited to, plugging, bolting, riveting, clamping, bonding, etc.

Alternatively, the material of the buffer 60 may be, but is not limited to, polyurethane, silicone, rubber, latex, etc.

According to the technical scheme, the buffer piece 60 is arranged, so that the hardness of the buffer piece 60 is small, the texture of the buffer piece 60 is soft, and the risk of scratching the wafer 100 when the buffer piece is in direct contact with the wafer 100 can be reduced.

In some embodiments, the heights of the two carrying platforms 20 are equal, so that the number of times the carrying platform 20 is lifted and lowered when the carrying arm 32 transfers the wafer 100 between the two carrying platforms 20 can be reduced, and the transfer efficiency of the transfer device can be further improved.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides a semiconductor device, where the semiconductor device includes the slice apparatus according to any one of the above aspects.

In some embodiments, the semiconductor device may be a charged particle beam imaging apparatus (e.g., scanning electron microscope), or an optical imaging apparatus, for detecting wafer surface processing errors, or for detecting wafer surface critical dimensions.

The semiconductor device further includes a pressure relief device, a first molecular pump, and a second molecular pump. The pressure relief device is arranged on the shell 10 and is adjacent to and communicated with the first chamber 11, and the pressure relief device is used for relieving pressure in the first chamber 11 so that the environmental state in the first chamber 11 can be converted from a vacuum state to a large gas state. The first molecular pump is adjacent to the pressure relief device and connected with the first chamber 11, and is used for vacuumizing the first chamber 11, so that the environmental state in the first chamber 11 can be converted from a large gas state to a vacuum state. The second molecular pump is disposed in the second chamber 12 and is used for evacuating the second chamber 12 to ensure that the second chamber 12 can be in a vacuum environment. When the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are communicated, the pressure relief device can also relieve pressure of the second chamber 12 through the first chamber 11, so that relevant components in the second chamber 12 can be conveniently installed and overhauled. The relevant components in the second chamber 12 may be, but are not limited to, the carrier 20 and some components for processing the wafer 100, etc.

It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of the present application and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other.

It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present application, but not to limit the technical solution of the present application, and although the detailed description of the present application is given with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solution described in the above embodiments may be modified or some or all technical features may be equivalently replaced, and these modifications or substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solution deviate from the scope of the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, and all the modifications or substitutions are included in the scope of the claims and the specification of the present application. In particular, the technical features mentioned in the respective embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there is no structural conflict. The present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but encompasses all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims (11)

1. A sheet transfer apparatus, comprising:

A housing comprising a first chamber and a second chamber;

the bearing tables are arranged in the shell and used for bearing wafers, one bearing table is positioned in the first chamber, and the other bearing table is positioned in the second chamber;

The wafer conveying mechanism comprises a driving part and at least one bearing arm, two fork pieces which are arranged at intervals extend out of the end parts of each bearing arm, the fork pieces are used for bearing wafers, the driving part is connected with the at least one bearing arm and used for driving each bearing arm to lift and rotate around a vertical axis, so that the bearing arm can reach any bearing platform and be positioned below the wafers, at least part of the bearing platform is positioned between the two fork pieces of the bearing arm, and then the bearing arm can be lowered to enable the wafers positioned on the fork pieces to fall on the bearing platform, or the bearing arm is lifted to enable the fork pieces to lift the wafers positioned on the bearing platform, and the bearing arm is rotated to drive the wafers to be far away from the bearing platform.

2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet conveying mechanism comprises a mounting portion and two carrying arms, the driving part is connected to the mounting portion, and the two carrying arms are symmetrically arranged along the center of the mounting portion;

The two carrying arms are configured so that, when one of the carrying arms reaches one of the two carrying tables, the other carrying arm can reach the other of the two carrying tables in synchronization under the drive of the drive means.

3. The sheet conveying device according to claim 2, wherein two of the carrier arms extend in opposite directions from the mounting portion, the fork pieces extend in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the carrier arms, and both the extending direction of the fork pieces and the extending direction of the carrier arms are parallel to a horizontal plane;

And in the two bearing arms, the extending direction of the fork piece arranged on one bearing arm is opposite to the extending direction of the fork piece arranged on the other bearing arm.

4. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a first wall body and a second wall body, the first wall body and the second wall body are oppositely arranged along the vertical direction, and a through hole is formed in the first wall body;

the sheet conveying mechanism further comprises a connecting part, the connecting part penetrates through the through hole and is connected between the driving part and the bearing arm, the driving part is arranged outside the shell, and the bearing table is connected with the second wall body.

5. The film transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive member comprises a first drive member and a second drive member, the first drive member being coupled to the carrier arm and configured to drive the carrier arm in rotation;

The second driving piece is connected to the first driving piece and used for driving the first driving piece to lift.

6. The sheet transfer device of claim 1, further comprising a first sealing member disposed within the housing between the first chamber and the second chamber, the first sealing member configured to communicate or isolate the first chamber from the second chamber.

7. The sheet transfer apparatus of claim 6 wherein an opening is provided in said housing, said opening communicating with said first chamber;

The sheet conveying device further comprises a second sealing component, wherein the second sealing component is arranged on the opening and used for communicating or blocking the first cavity with the atmospheric environment.

8. The sheet transfer apparatus of claim 7, wherein the carrier arm is located in the second chamber in a state where the first chamber and the second chamber are blocked.

9. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the carrying platform comprises a plurality of supporting pieces, the plurality of supporting pieces are arranged at intervals, and avoidance gaps are formed among the plurality of supporting pieces;

When the bearing arm reaches any bearing table and is positioned below the wafer, the two fork pieces of the bearing arm are positioned in the avoiding gap.

10. The wafer handling device of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the surface of the fork blade for carrying the wafer is provided with a buffer member having a hardness less than the hardness of the fork blade.

11. A semiconductor device comprising a sheet transfer apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.