CN109904103B

CN109904103B - Silicon chip transfer device and silicon chip testing device

Info

Publication number: CN109904103B
Application number: CN201910236940.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 夏秋良; 范雪峰
Original assignee: New Meguiar Suzhou Semiconductor Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: New Meguiar Suzhou Semiconductor Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-27
Filing date: 2019-03-27
Publication date: 2021-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-27
Also published as: CN109904103A

Abstract

A silicon wafer transfer device and a silicon wafer testing device belong to the field of semiconductor testing. The silicon wafer transfer device comprises: body, a plurality of arm, absorption piece. The plurality of mechanical arms are respectively and independently connected with the body in a rotatable way. Each of the plurality of robotic arms includes a rod. Wherein, the both ends of the body of rod are connected with body, adsorption element respectively, and adsorption element is constructed and is come the absorption silicon chip and allow the silicon chip to take off the absorption selectively. The transfer device has a plurality of working postures, and therefore, the controlled silicon wafer can be switched between the plurality of postures as required so as to match with proper equipment to carry out operations such as sorting and detection on the silicon wafer.

Description

Silicon chip transfer device and silicon chip testing device

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of semiconductor testing, in particular to a silicon wafer transfer device and a silicon wafer testing device.

Background

Semiconductor electronic grade silicon wafers are the basic raw material for the semiconductor industry. The semiconductor industry has a wide range of product specifications. The silicon wafers required by products of different specifications and models have different quality requirements on size, crystal orientation, resistance, thickness and the like. The quality characteristics of the silicon wafer, which run through the whole process, mainly comprise electrical parameters, crystallographic parameters, geometric parameters and appearance surface cleanliness parameters. The content of the silicon wafer to be detected at present is as follows:

1. electrical parameters of the silicon wafer: conductivity type, resistivity variation, resistivity streaks, and the like;

2. crystallographic parameters of the silicon wafer: surface orientation, reference plane orientation, vortices, oxidation induced defects, and the like;

3. geometric parameters of the silicon wafer are as follows: diameter, thickness variation, bow, warp, flatness, reference plane or notch size, edge profile and its profile, etc.;

4. silicon wafer surface parameters: surface cleanliness, surface integrity, and limits of various types of contamination, damage, and the like.

The related art testing machines usually adopt a semi-automatic or full-automatic integrated structure, and each machine can only test the limitation of one parameter. In order to perform multi-parameter testing, the silicon wafer needs to be transferred to corresponding testing equipment for testing. However, existing devices are often designed for a single test purpose and are therefore less flexible. Aiming at the requirement of multi-parameter measurement, the silicon chip can be completely and nondestructively transferred to a testing device according to the requirement.

However, there is currently no such device.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to improve or even solve at least one problem in the prior art, the application provides a silicon wafer transfer device and a silicon wafer testing device.

The application is realized as follows:

in a first aspect, examples of the present application provide a silicon wafer transfer apparatus.

The silicon wafer transfer device comprises:

a body;

the mechanical arms are respectively and independently and rotatably connected to the body;

each of the plurality of robotic arms comprises a rod;

the two ends of the mechanical arm are respectively connected with the body and the adsorption piece, and the adsorption piece is constructed to adsorb the silicon wafer and allow the silicon wafer to be selectively desorbed.

The silicon wafer transfer device is provided with a plurality of mechanical arms which can independently move, so that the device can have a plurality of selectable postures. Meanwhile, the mechanical arm can reduce the damage to the silicon wafer in the transfer process to a certain extent by adsorbing the silicon wafer through the adsorption piece.

Therefore, the device capable of performing complex gesture motion can conveniently transfer the silicon wafer to different testing devices with different silicon wafer gesture requirements, so that a single device can complete multiple performance tests of the silicon wafer.

In combination with the first aspect, in some optional examples of the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect of the present application, the suction member includes a disk and a suction nozzle, which are cooperatively connected with each other, the suction member sucks the silicon wafer through the suction nozzle and allows the silicon wafer to be selectively desorbed, the suction nozzle has an attachment surface configured to contact the silicon wafer, and an area of the attachment surface is smaller than that of the silicon wafer having a preset area.

In combination with the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in some optional examples of the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect of the present application, the number of the nozzles is multiple, and all the nozzles are uniformly distributed on the disk in an annular shape.

The suction nozzles are uniformly distributed on the disk, which is favorable for uniformly distributing the acting force. Therefore, when all the suction nozzles are adsorbed on the silicon wafer, the silicon wafer and the disk can be uniformly stressed, so that the problems of distortion, deformation and the like of the silicon wafer are avoided, and meanwhile, the balance control of the mechanical arm is easier to implement.

In combination with the first or second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in some alternative examples of the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect of the present application, the suction nozzle has a plurality of suction ports, each of the plurality of suction ports has a contact sub-surface, and the attachment surface is formed by the contact sub-surfaces of the plurality of suction ports.

The suction nozzle is formed by a plurality of suction ports, so that the attachment surface of the suction nozzle and the silicon wafer can be further reduced, and the pollution to the silicon wafer is avoided. The suction nozzle is formed by a plurality of suction ports, so that the suction nozzle can act on the silicon wafer locally under the action of smaller suction force, the problem that the local area on the surface of the silicon wafer is stressed too much is avoided, and the silicon wafer is protected.

In combination with the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in some optional examples of the fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect of the present application, the adsorption port includes a core, a wall surrounding the core, and a gap is formed between the core and the wall; the disk has a plurality of suction holes for accommodating the suction ports and corresponding in number to at least the plurality of suction ports one-to-one.

Through with the micro-structure of absorption mouth design for optimizing, can further reduce the contact with silicon chip surface to a certain extent, and through still can providing appropriate adsorption affinity to adsorb fixed silicon chip.

In combination with the fourth possible implementation of the first aspect, in some optional examples of the fifth possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, one or both of the core and the wall are made of a soft material.

The core body and the wall body which are in contact with the silicon wafer are made of soft materials, so that damage to the silicon wafer caused by fluctuation of adsorption force when the silicon wafer is adsorbed and fixed can be avoided. In addition, because the silicon wafer is made of soft materials, the silicon wafer has certain flexibility, and therefore the silicon wafer can play a role in buffering when in vibration or fluctuation, and the silicon wafer is protected.

In combination with the third possible implementation of the first aspect, in some alternative examples of the sixth possible implementation of the first aspect of the present application, the core, the wall, and the suction hole are formed in a single piece.

The core body and the wall body extend out of the suction hole, so that the surface of the silicon wafer which is unlikely to be completely contacted with the surface of the disc of the adsorption piece, and the scraping and filing injuries of a non-adsorption fixed area can be reduced to a certain extent.

In combination with the sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in some optional examples of the seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect of the present application, the wafer transfer device has a carrier configured to restrain the wafer for driving by the robot arm.

The silicon wafer is fixed by the carrier, so that certain special test requirements can be met. The carrier can be connected with the mechanical arm in a convenient and appropriate manner, and the connection manner between the silicon wafer and the carrier can be selected according to the test requirement. Or the carrier and the mechanical arm are detachably connected by adopting a universal joint, and the connection mode of the carrier and the silicon wafer is constructed in advance according to the requirement.

In a second aspect, examples of the present application provide a silicon wafer testing apparatus.

The silicon wafer testing device comprises a tester, an optional silicon wafer storage platform and a silicon wafer transfer device.

The tester comprises a testing device and a silicon wafer storage table.

The test device, optionally a silicon wafer storage table, is arranged around the silicon wafer transfer device, which is configured to take out and transfer the silicon wafer stored in the silicon wafer storage table to the test device for inspection of the silicon wafer.

The silicon wafer transfer device is matched with the tester and the silicon wafer storage table to separate the storage, the movement and the test of the silicon wafers, and each equipment device can be configured and constructed relatively and independently, so that the maintenance and the management of equipment are facilitated.

In some optional examples of the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect of the present application, in combination with the second aspect, the wafer storage stage has a plurality of stages and surrounds the wafer transfer device in a ring shape together with the test instruments.

The tester has a plurality of silicon chip storage platforms, so can store a plurality of silicon chips. And the multi-parameter test of a plurality of silicon chips can be rapidly completed by combining the silicon chip transfer device with multiple postures.

In the implementation process, the silicon wafer transfer device provided by the embodiment of the application can realize various working postures through the mechanical arm with flexible postures, so that the silicon wafer presents different postures, and the test requirement is further met.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are required to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, it should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope, and for those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained from the drawings without inventive effort.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a silicon wafer transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another silicon wafer transfer apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an adsorption member in a silicon wafer transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of another adsorption member in the silicon wafer transfer device according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a test module in a silicon wafer transfer device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a first viewing angle of a silicon wafer testing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a second viewing angle of a silicon wafer testing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Icon: 100-a silicon wafer transfer device; 101-a body; 1011-a lifting mechanism; 102-a robotic arm; 1021-a rod body; 1022-the axis of rotation; 103-an adsorption member; 1031-disk; 1032-a suction nozzle; 10321-wall body; 10322-a core body; 201-an integrated test module; 202-a test module; 203-test disc card slot; 204-test instrument box; 205-silicon chip card slot; 206-test arm fixed axis; 207-test arm; 208-test template trays; 301-silicon wafer chucking boxes; 302-robot and platform; 305-integrated test equipment.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application, generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, can be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application, presented in the accompanying drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Due to the defect sensitivity of silicon wafers and their relatively high quality requirements, silicon wafers need to be tested and tested in order to reject failed silicon wafers and ensure the quality of subsequent products such as chips.

In practice, silicon wafers often need to undergo a variety of tests.

Generally, the related art uses an automatic or semi-automatic device for operation test. However, such devices for testing are set up for the requirements of a particular type or class of test parameters. Therefore, moving the silicon wafer between multiple devices is often required to complete a complete test of the silicon wafer.

However, as mentioned above, since a single parameter of a silicon wafer is often tested by a single device, it is relatively troublesome to completely test the silicon wafer, and the silicon wafer is easily damaged during moving, so that it is difficult to implement efficient multi-parameter testing.

A first aspect.

In view of the above, the inventors have attempted to solve the problems existing in the present situation. In an example, the inventors propose an apparatus for enabling a silicon wafer to move more conveniently during testing. As will be explained hereinafter: the equipment can be applied to a system or a device of a plurality of test devices, can transfer the silicon wafer among the test devices, and can also finish the posture adjustment of the corresponding test requirements corresponding to each test device.

More desirably, although the wafer is adjusted in a variety of poses and motions, the wafer will remain undamaged or unaffected by the adjustments and rejected. For example, the apparatus of the example may be used to perform various tests on a silicon wafer while maintaining its surface integrity (e.g., no warping, bumps, etc.), cleanliness (e.g., no contamination), etc.

More clearly, the apparatus in the present application example will be referred to and described with reference to the silicon wafer transferring apparatus 100 in the following, and please refer to fig. 1 to 7 for details.

The silicon wafer transfer apparatus 100 includes a main body 101, a robot arm 102, and an adsorption member 103. The robot arm 102 is connected to the main body 101 and the suction member 103, respectively. Wherein the suction member 103 is a member for sucking the silicon wafer, the robot arm 102 can perform a suitable motion so that the suction member 103 can also be driven, thereby moving the silicon wafer.

The first part, the body 101 (alternatively referred to as a platform/support platform).

The body 101 is generally provided and used as a basis for a transfer device. Which provides an indirect or direct connection point and attachment points for the robot arm 102 and the suction piece 103, as well as other components. The body 101 also provides stable conditions (e.g., initial conditions, attitude) for the various components so that the robotic arm 102 can be moved for a desired purpose. This often means that the body 101 is fixedly arranged or at least fixed in use. Thus, the movement of the robot arm 102 can be accurately performed with the body 101 as a reference.

However, it may be desirable for the body 101 to be removable based on installation, maintenance, etc. This can be achieved by mounting a motion mechanism or a roller or the like to the body 101. Or a movable mechanism is independently provided according to the moving requirement of the body 101, and the body 101 can be placed on the moving mechanism. The movement mechanism is locked so that the body 101 is fixed, and the movement mechanism is moved so as to change the spatial position of the body 101.

In one example, the body 101 may be arranged in a columnar structure, such as a cylinder or prism (e.g., a triangular prism, a quadrangular prism, etc.). The physical structure dimensions such as the height of the body 101 may be selectively set according to actual requirements, and are not particularly limited in the example. Although the height is not particularly limited, the height may be designed as needed. For example, the body 101 can be adjusted in height as desired using the lifting mechanism 1011/lifter (e.g., air cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, etc.). Alternatively, the body 101 may be configured like a hydraulic cylinder. In such a scheme, the body 101 is generally arranged in a multi-sleeved manner. In addition, the body 101 may also be provided with an internal space (e.g., a receiving cavity) for receiving various components, such as wiring, as needed. It will be appreciated that for the body 101 with the housing chamber, it has a door that can be selectively opened and closed.

For convenience of description, the body 101 defines a first end and a second end, and extends substantially from the first end to the second end. Wherein the first end is intended to be in contact/fixed with various work surfaces (e.g., the ground); the second end is adapted to be coupled to a robotic arm 102 or the like.

The second part, the robotic arm 102.

The robot arm 102 is provided such that one end is connected to the main body 101, which is the first end of the main body 101, and the other end of the robot arm 102 is connected to the suction member 103. The robot arm 102 is a main moving part of the silicon wafer transfer apparatus 100, which performs and completes most of the moving operations, and thus drives the suction member 103 to move therewith.

The robot arm 102 may move in an extension, a shortening, a rotation, or the like, and each of the movement modes may be performed independently or in combination. The motion power of the mechanical arm 102 may be mainly constituted by a motor, a speed reducer, or a hydraulic system. However, motor drive is a beneficial option and endeavor based on ease of use.

In the example, the posture of the mechanical arm 102 is linear or curved, and may have different choices according to different configurations, and thus have different movement modes.

For example, when the robot arm 102 is formed with a single lever 1021, it can move, e.g., rotate, about a connection point with the first end of the body 101. For example, in the case that the body 101 is a quadrangular prism, the rotation of the robot arm 102 may be performed by using a straight line perpendicular to a first surface (a top surface of the quadrangular prism) of the first end of the body 101 as the rotation axis 1022; or a straight line perpendicular to a second surface (a side surface of the quadrangular prism) of the first end of the body 101 is taken as the rotation axis 1022; alternatively, the robot arm 102 may have both of the above-described motion modes. The rotational movement of the robotic arm 102 may be powered by the rotation of a motor is an embodiment. Thus, the output shaft of the motor may be collinear with the axis of rotation 1022 of the robotic arm 102. Or through a gear structure.

In another example, the robotic arm 102 has a plurality of rods 1021. The number of the rods 1021 may be two, three, four, or even more, and is not particularly limited. The rods 1021 are connected, for example, by hinges and can be rotated by motors. The two interconnected rods 1021 can rotate about a common axis of rotation 1022, and the robotic arm 102 has a variable number of axes of rotation 1022 depending on the number of rods 1021, and in one example the axes of rotation 1022 are parallel to each other. For example, taking the body 101 of the quadrangular prism as an example, the axis of the rotational connection part between the rod 1021 and the first end of the body 101 is perpendicular to the top surface of the body 101. Alternatively, the axes of rotation 1022 may not be all parallel, such as partially parallel and partially perpendicular. In this manner, the robotic arm 102 may achieve more poses.

Further, in order to enrich the movement posture of the robot arm 102, the connection manner between the robot arm 102 and the first end of the body 101 may be adjusted. For example, the robot arm 102 may be raised and lowered as a whole (away from or close to) with respect to the body 101, and thus, the extension and retraction and the raising and lowering of the robot arm 102 may be combined in movement. As an implementation scheme, a lifting platform may be disposed in the accommodating cavity of the body 101, and the top surface has a through hole connected to the accommodating cavity. The elevating platform can partially or completely extend out of the through hole. The robot 102 is connected to the lift table by a lever 1021. The lifting platform may be constructed by means of hydraulic boosting.

The number of robotic arms 102 may be optional. E.g., one robot arm 102 or two robot arms 102, etc. When there are two or more robot arms 102, each robot arm 102 is independently rotatably connected to the body 101.

In general, the robot 102 (robot arm) may include a microcomputer control device, a telescopically movable rotating arm, a suction device (one or more), a sensor device, and a power device. Wherein, the microcomputer control device controls the operation of the whole mechanical arm; the telescopic moving rotating arm is connected with the microcomputer control device and moves along a preset direction under the control of the microcomputer control device, and the sucker is moved to a specified position in an all-dimensional and multi-angle mode. The adsorption device, the sensor device and the power device are all fixed on the telescopic moving rotating arm, and the moving arm is used for being far away from or close to an object to be adsorbed and is driven by a servo motor in operation; the sensor device is composed of a plurality of sensors and is used for sensing the direction of the telescopic moving rotating arm and controlling whether an adsorption object such as a silicon wafer exists in the adsorption area, the vacuum pressure of adsorption and the like in detail. The adsorption device is distributed on a platform of the telescopic movable rotating arm, is positioned singly and directly, and a plurality of arms are uniformly distributed and are designed in a scissor hand shape or an X-shaped shape, so that the multiple arms are parallel, the use efficiency of the platform is improved, and the platform can be used for loading and unloading and testing the speed.

And a third section, a suction member 103.

The suction members 103 are connected to the robot arm 102, and are located at both ends of the robot arm 102 together with the body 101. In the embodiment where the robot 102 includes a rod 1021, the connection mode can be described as the body 101 and the suction member 103 are respectively connected to two ends of the rod 1021.

The suction member 103 is connected to a lever body 1021 constituting the robot arm 102 via a rotation shaft 1022. The rotation shaft 1022 may be provided by an output shaft of a motor embedded in the rod 1021. The rotation shaft 1022 may be aligned with a length direction of the lever body 1021. For example, when the rod 1021 is a cylinder, the rotation center line of the output shaft of the motor is collinear with the axis of the rod 1021. In this manner, by appropriate arrangement of the suction member 103, the silicon wafer to be fixed can be moved, for example, turned over by the suction member 103.

The suction member 103 is a member that contacts the silicon wafer and fixes the silicon wafer by suction. That is, the adsorption member 103 is configured to adsorb the silicon wafer and allow the silicon wafer to be selectively desorbed. Thus, the silicon wafer is fixed by the suction member 103 when it is necessary to transfer the silicon wafer, and the silicon wafer can be released by the suction member 103 when the silicon wafer is transferred to a desired position. The adsorption mode is realized by negative pressure adsorption. Therefore, in some alternative embodiments, the wafer transfer apparatus 100 has a needle vacuum generating device, such as a vacuum pump, an air pump, etc., and delivers air through a pipe to form a negative pressure.

Since the silicon wafer is usually provided in a thin sheet (e.g., a circular sheet), the suction member 103 may include the disk 1031 and the suction nozzle 1032 which are coupled to each other. The suction nozzle 1032 is coupled to the disk 1031 and is coupled to the vacuum generating device through a duct. The suction nozzle 1032 is a member directly contacting a silicon wafer. The suction member 103 sucks the silicon wafer through the suction nozzle 1032 and allows the silicon wafer to be selectively desorbed. Based on the silicon chip protection considerations, the suction nozzle 1032 defines an attachment surface configured to contact a silicon chip, and the attachment surface has an area smaller than a predetermined area of the silicon chip. In other words, the attachment surface of suction nozzle 1032 does not spread completely over the wafer surface. Thus, the contact between the adsorption piece 103 and the silicon wafer is reduced, so that the pollution and damage to the silicon wafer can be reduced to a certain degree.

In order to firmly adsorb and fix the silicon wafer, it may be tried to arrange more suction nozzles 1032, that is, the number of suction nozzles 1032 in the silicon wafer transfer apparatus 100 may be plural. In this manner, the number of suction nozzles 1032 is increased while the contact surface of the individual suction nozzles 1032 with the silicon wafer is reduced, thereby appropriately ensuring that the silicon wafer is firmly fixed in a case where the contact area with the silicon wafer as a whole is relatively small. Further, for the solution with a plurality of nozzles 1032, all the nozzles 1032 can be selected to be distributed on the disk 1031 in a ring shape (e.g., a concentric ring). Based on this, the size of the disk 1031 can be adjusted appropriately to meet the arrangement requirements of the suction nozzles 1032. For example, the disk 1031 may have a size smaller than a silicon wafer, or the disk 1031 may have a size greater than or equal to a silicon wafer. For example, the disk 1031 is a disk, a circular sheet, or the like, which has the same shape and size as a silicon wafer. For example, the shape may be in the shape of an eggplant or gourd, square, oval, etc.; the size and shape may vary.

In addition to the selective adjustment of the number of the nozzles 1032, the configuration of the nozzles 1032 may also be adjusted. In short, the suction nozzle 1032 can be selected from a variety of configurations, and is not limited in any particular manner.

For example, the suction nozzle 1032 can be formed of a single member, such as the suction nozzle 1032 being a suction cup. The suction cup has a generally circular shape with a concave central portion. The negative pressure adsorption fixation can be formed when the concave part is closely contacted with a surface through pressing and self or external resilience of the concave part. Such an adsorption structure can be produced without depending on a device such as a vacuum pump.

In another example, the suction nozzle 1032 can be comprised of multiple components, such as the suction nozzle 1032 comprising a plurality of suction cups. That is, the suction nozzle 1032 may be an array structure formed by a plurality of suction cups.

In other alternatives, the suction nozzle 1032 may be formed by a suction port. The number of the adsorption ports may be one or more. The suction nozzle 1032 has a plurality of suction ports, and therefore, the suction nozzle 1032 may have an array structure including a plurality of suction ports. Each of the plurality of suction ports has a contact sub-surface so that the attachment surface of the suction nozzle 1032 is constituted by all the contact sub-surfaces of all the suction ports. Wherein the adsorption port is also a solid component and can be independently adsorbed and fixed with the silicon chip under negative pressure. For example, the suction port is a smaller size suction cup (or micro suction cup/attachment plate) than the suction cup in the previous single component suction nozzle 1032 implementation.

Alternatively, each of a plurality of suction ports constituting the suction nozzle 1032 is accommodated in the hole. For example, the disk 1031 has a plurality of suction holes for accommodating the suction ports in a number corresponding at least one to the plurality of suction ports. That is, all the suction ports are accommodated in the respective suction holes (one suction port corresponds to one suction hole), and the number of the suction ports is the same. Alternatively, the number of the suction holes is larger than that of the suction ports.

For the suction port, a suction cup such as rubber or silicone may be used. Alternatively, in another example, the adsorption port may be a composite structure. For example, the suction port can include a core 10322, a wall 10321 surrounding the core 10322. The core 10322 and the wall 10321 are generally annular in configuration. A gap is formed between the core 10322 and the wall 10321. The core 10322 may be a hollow cylindrical structure, and a main negative pressure is generated thereby to attract the silicon wafer. Wall 10321 can be used as an auxiliary fixing member for fixing a silicon wafer to core 10322.

The annular cavity between the core body and the wall body is a pipeline connected with negative pressure, the core body and the wall body are used for supporting and can be used without the core body, the core body is added for supporting a silicon wafer, and fragments caused by overlarge vacuum negative pressure in the wall body cavity are avoided.

Since the bonded silicon wafer is relatively brittle and is not expected to be damaged during movement, the core 10322 and the wall 10321 can be made of various materials suitable for the process. Generally, one or both of the core 10322 and the wall 10321 are made of a soft material (e.g., silicone, resin, rubber, etc.); or the silicon chip can be made of soft plastic, silica gel, rubber and other materials which can slightly elastically deform without causing damage to the silicon chip, or one or more layers of silica gel, rubber, fiber, plastic and other materials are attached to the surfaces of the core body and the wall body. In addition, the core 10322 and the wall 10321 may be arranged to protrude out of the suction hole. Therefore, when the silicon wafer is fixed, most of the silicon wafer can be prevented from contacting the surface of the silicon wafer, and damage or pollution of the silicon wafer is reduced.

In short, in some alternative examples, the suction holes provided to the suction cup assume a symmetrical structural arrangement. The number of the small suction holes can be 1-10, each small suction hole can be composed of 1-10 small suction holes, and the diameter of each small suction hole is 1mm-50 mm. The suction holes are annular, the suction holes are made of soft materials such as rubber, silica gel and fibers, the annular sucker can effectively adsorb the silicon wafer and protect the silicon wafer, and damage such as hidden cracking and stress cracking caused by vacuum and scratches and the like caused by interface contact are avoided. The symmetrical arrangement ensures uniform stress; meanwhile, each cluster of suction holes is provided with a pipeline and can be matched with pressure sensing to monitor the vacuum degree. The suction hole integrally protrudes out of the suction cup or is level with the suction cup.

Since the silicon wafer needs to be tested in various ways, certain tools may be required for some special testing requirements. Accordingly, the wafer transfer device 100 may also be configured with carriers configured to restrain the wafer for driving by the robot arm 102 as desired.

The carrier for the silicon wafer in the test process can be used for testing a template tray (tray for short) as an example. During partial test (such as appearance test), the silicon wafer is directly suspended by using a vacuum chuck. However, the overhead test can cause the wafer to have portions that are obscured by the chuck, making it difficult to measure. At the moment, the tray adopting the test template can avoid the problems so as to meet the test requirement of the silicon wafer. In one example, the tray is peripherally fixed and the intermediate portion is provided with adjustable means. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 may further include a test stencil holder to be fitted to the tray. The structure of the test stencil bracket adopts a three-position clamping groove and a multi-position clamping groove, so that a silicon wafer with the size of 4 inches to 18 inches can be used, and the size is not limited to the size. The template tray is hollow, so that the test module can conveniently test two surfaces of the silicon wafer.

The wafer transfer apparatus 100 in the example can be used primarily to enable wafers to be transferred to various suitable locations. Testing of silicon wafers may be accomplished by a variety of test tools, as will be shown below.

A second aspect.

The application example can also provide a system capable of completing the test of the silicon wafer, which comprises a test tool and the silicon wafer transfer device 100. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 is used to transfer a wafer from an initial position to a test tool so as to pass a test of the test tool.

Generally, the silicon wafer transfer apparatus 100 may perform only the transfer operation of the silicon wafer. After the silicon wafer is placed in the test tool by the transfer device, the test operation may be performed only by the test tool. However, in other examples, the testing of the silicon wafer may be performed by the transfer device and the testing tool in cooperation. Thus, in such examples, the silicon wafer may require pose adjustment at the time of testing, which may require the involvement of a transfer device.

Based on the foregoing, the example proposes a silicon wafer testing device, which includes a tester and a silicon wafer transferring device 100. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 is configured to transfer a silicon wafer to a tester to test the silicon wafer. Further, the testing device can also comprise a silicon wafer storage table. As the name implies, the silicon wafer storage platform is used for storing silicon wafers. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 is configured to take out and transfer the silicon wafer stored in the wafer storage stage to a test apparatus for testing the silicon wafer. The silicon wafer storage and test equipment and the silicon wafer transfer equipment are arranged in a matched mode, so that a system formed by the three devices can perform various tests on the silicon wafer more safely with relatively higher efficiency.

It is easy to know that the tester and the silicon wafer storage platform may be arranged around the silicon wafer transferring apparatus 100 based on the convenience of transferring and testing the silicon wafer. Therefore, the integration level of the testing device is relatively higher, the use is more convenient, and meanwhile, the maintainability and the reliability can be improved to a certain extent.

Therefore, the above test device for transferring and testing silicon wafers can be used for testing and sorting silicon wafers. For example, silicon wafers of different qualities are distinguished according to the test results. The device is expected to solve the problem of the testing efficiency of the silicon wafer, reduce the false detection rate, diversify the detection parameters and protect the complete detection of the silicon wafer.

In order to test a plurality of silicon wafers simultaneously, a plurality of silicon wafer storage tables (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc.) may be arranged and annularly surround the silicon wafer transfer apparatus 100 together with the test apparatus.

Each test module of the test instrument comprises an electrical test module (conductive type, resistivity change, resistivity stripe and the like), a crystallography test module (surface orientation, reference surface orientation, vortex, oxidation induced defects and the like), a geometry test module (diameter, thickness change, curvature, warping degree, flatness, reference plane or gap size, edge profile, appearance and the like), a surface test module (surface cleanliness, surface integrity, various contamination, damage and other limits) which is positioned singly, or a plurality of test modules are uniformly distributed around a platform.

The silicon chip is adsorbed and transferred to the test tray through the sucker on the mechanical arm, and the test module is used for testing. After the test is finished, the data is gathered to a microcomputer, the system automatically grades the silicon wafers according to the standard, and then the silicon wafers are sorted into silicon wafer baskets of different grades through an arm.

In the testing process, the silicon wafer and the testing machine table are different in orientation, part of parameters can be directly tested on a sucker of a mechanical arm, can also be fixedly placed on a template to be tested, and can be moved to different machine tables to be tested along with the template, and meanwhile, the testing module 202 can also be placed on the template to be fixed in position and then is subjected to motion testing. Namely: a. the silicon chip moves among different station positions, and the tester port is fixed. b. And fixing the silicon chip, and movably adapting the port of the test instrument. c. The silicon wafer is placed on the template, and the template is moved to the port of the test instrument. Or; a. the silicon chip moves among different station positions, and the tester port is fixed. The silicon chip is fixed on the test tray, and the instrument ports of the integrated test module are fixed (reasonably distributed around the test platform). b. And fixing the silicon chip, and movably adapting the port of the test instrument. The silicon chip is fixed, and the port of the test instrument is movably matched (rotatable).

In general, reference is made to figure 5 of the drawings. The test instrument may be an integrated test module 201. The device comprises an independent test module 202, a test disc clamping groove 203 (which can be fixed and can also move up and down), a test instrument box 204, a silicon wafer clamping groove 205, a test arm 207 and test arm fixing shaft 206, a test arm 207 with adjustable scales and a test template tray 208. Wherein the outer diameter of the test template tray 208 is adjustable to facilitate supporting different sized devices.

The overall structure of the testing apparatus is shown in fig. 6 and 7, which includes a silicon wafer cassette 301, a robot arm and platform 302, an integrated testing module 201, a single testing module 202, and an integrated testing apparatus 305.

For the above structure, it includes at least some of the following advantages:

the silicon chip uses neotype sucking disc during removing, effectively adsorbs on the quotation, avoids too much contact simultaneously, avoids polluting and piece risk.

The upper and lower pieces of the silicon wafer are single-machine arms, scissor type mechanical arms or X-shaped or star-shaped mechanical arms, the upper and lower piece efficiency is improved, and therefore the detection capability is improved.

The novel tray-shaped test template is a carrier for testing a silicon wafer, effectively avoids contact with a silicon wafer test surface, protects a fragile product, simultaneously, the silicon wafer is tested by moving along with the test module 202 on the test tray, the number of the test trays of the test machine is 1-9 according to test conditions, and the test efficiency is greatly increased.

The star-shaped design of the test module 202 and the matching of the test tray increase the space utilization.

The size of the test tray can be adjusted according to test requirements, the test tray covers a test range of 4-18 inches, and meanwhile, the appearance (such as a round shape, a square shape and an irregular shape) of a test silicon wafer can be adjusted, so that the test efficiency is greatly improved. The test modules 202 are reasonably distributed around the test platform in an integrated manner, and the requirements of the test tray and the tested modules are matched, so that the space utilization rate and the test speed are increased.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A silicon wafer transfer apparatus, comprising:

a body;

each of the plurality of robotic arms comprises a rod;

the two ends of the mechanical arm are respectively connected with the body and the adsorption piece, and the adsorption piece is constructed to adsorb the silicon wafer and allow the silicon wafer to be selectively desorbed;

the adsorption piece comprises a disc and a suction nozzle which are mutually matched and connected, the adsorption piece adsorbs the silicon wafer through the suction nozzle and allows the silicon wafer to be selectively desorbed, the suction nozzle is provided with an attachment surface which is constructed to be in contact with the silicon wafer, and the area of the attachment surface is smaller than that of the silicon wafer with a preset area;

the suction nozzle is provided with a plurality of suction ports, each suction port is provided with a contact sub-surface, and the attachment surface is formed by the contact sub-surfaces of the suction ports;

the adsorption port comprises a core body and a wall body surrounding the core body, and a gap is formed between the core body and the wall body; the core body is of a hollow columnar structure and is used for connecting negative pressure and adsorbing a silicon wafer;

the disk is provided with a plurality of suction holes which are used for accommodating the suction ports and the number of the suction holes at least corresponds to the suction ports one by one.

2. The silicon wafer transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the number of the suction nozzles is plural, and all the suction nozzles are uniformly distributed on the disk in a ring shape.

3. The wafer transfer device of claim 1, wherein one or both of the core and the wall are made of a soft material.

4. The wafer transfer device of claim 1, wherein the core and the walls project beyond the suction holes.

5. The wafer transfer device of claim 1, wherein the wafer transfer device has a carrier configured to restrain a wafer for actuation by the robotic arm.

6. A silicon wafer testing device is characterized by comprising an optional silicon wafer storage table, a tester and a silicon wafer transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; the tester and the optional silicon wafer storage table are arranged around the silicon wafer transfer device, and the silicon wafer transfer device is configured to take out and transfer the silicon wafers stored in the silicon wafer storage table to the tester for detection.

7. The silicon wafer testing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the silicon wafer storage stage has a plurality of stages and surrounds the silicon wafer transfer apparatus in a ring shape together with the tester.