CN117505447A - Apparatus and method for cleaning a wafer cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus and method for cleaning a wafer cassette, the apparatus comprising: the apparatus comprises: a first determination unit for determining whether or not there is a fitting at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette and generating first indication information; a second determination unit configured to determine whether or not the interior of the wafer cassette is empty and generate second instruction information; the cleaning unit is used for cleaning the wafer box; wherein when the first indication information indicates that the accessory exists and the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty, the cleaning unit starts a cleaning operation of the wafer cassette.

Description

Apparatus and method for cleaning a wafer cassette

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of wafer processing technology, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for cleaning a wafer cassette.

Background

Wafers are often very fragile and susceptible to physical and chemical damage as materials from which integrated circuits are fabricated. In the field of wafer fabrication, specialized carriers are often used to carry wafers for safe storage, transportation, and handling of the wafers.

Because of the special requirements of wafer applications, the wafer manufacturing field has strict standards for cleanliness, humidity, etc. of wafer carriers. With the continuous increase of the degree of automation of production, the cleaning of wafer carriers has been gradually changed from manual to automatic execution by dedicated cleaning machines. Currently, a cleaning machine for cleaning a wafer carrier has been widely used. In using the cleaning machine, not only is the cleaning process automatically performed by the cleaning machine, but the wafer carrier loading into and removal from the cleaning machine may also be performed by a robotic arm, without human intervention.

One of the problems with current cleaning machines is that the robot arm does not monitor the state of the wafer carrier as it is loaded into the cleaning machine. If a carrier carrying a wafer or a carrier lacking critical parts is loaded into a cleaning machine for cleaning, not only will the carrier not be thoroughly cleaned, but also the cleaning machine may be contaminated and damaged.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing, it is desirable for embodiments of the present disclosure to provide apparatus and methods for cleaning a wafer cassette. By using the device and the method, the state of the wafer box can be judged before the cleaning operation is performed, and the cleaning operation is restarted after the state of the wafer box is confirmed to reach the cleaning standard, so that the cleaning effect of the wafer box can be ensured, and the pollution and damage risk to the cleaning machine can be reduced.

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the disclosure is realized as follows:

in a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for cleaning a wafer cassette, the apparatus comprising:

a first determination unit for determining whether or not there is a fitting at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette and generating first indication information;

a second determination unit configured to determine whether or not the interior of the wafer cassette is empty and generate second instruction information;

the cleaning unit is used for cleaning the wafer box;

wherein when the first indication information indicates that the accessory exists and the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty, the cleaning unit starts a cleaning operation of the wafer cassette.

In some optional examples, the first determination unit includes an infrared sensor for detecting whether the accessory is present at the predetermined location on the exterior of the wafer cassette and a first processing module configured to generate the first indication information indicating the accessory is present when the infrared detector detects the accessory.

In some optional examples, the first determination unit includes an image recognition device for detecting whether the accessory is present at the predetermined location on the exterior of the wafer cassette, and a second processing module configured to generate the first indication information indicating the accessory is present when the image recognition device detects the accessory.

In some optional examples, the second determining unit includes a weighing unit configured to weigh the wafer cassette and a third processing module configured to determine whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty according to a weighing result of the weighing unit and a determination result of the first determining unit, and generate the second indication information indicating that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty when the interior of the wafer cassette is empty.

In some optional examples, the second determining unit includes a gas flow sensing device configured to sense a flow of a gas flow within the wafer cassette, and a fourth processing module configured to determine whether an interior of the wafer cassette is empty according to a sensing result of the gas flow sensing device, and generate the second indication information indicating that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty when the interior of the wafer cassette is empty.

In some optional examples, in a case where the first determination unit determines that the accessory is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette, if the weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to a first predetermined value, the third processing module generates the second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette is empty; or alternatively

In the case where the first determination unit determines that the accessory is not present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette, the third processing module generates the second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette is empty, where the second predetermined value is smaller than the first predetermined value, if the weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to the second predetermined value.

In some alternative examples, the apparatus includes: an alarm unit configured to issue an alarm if the first indication information indicates that the accessory is not present, or if the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette is not empty, or if the first indication information indicates that the accessory is not present and the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette is not empty.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for cleaning a wafer cassette, the method performed using an apparatus according to the first aspect, the method comprising:

Determining whether or not there is a fitting at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette by a first determination unit and generating first indication information;

judging whether the interior of the wafer box is empty or not through a second judging unit and generating second indicating information;

when the first indication information indicates that the accessory exists and the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty, a cleaning unit starts a cleaning operation of the wafer cassette.

In some optional examples, the determining, by the first determining unit, whether the accessory is present at a predetermined position on the exterior of the wafer cassette and generating the first indication information includes:

detecting, by an infrared sensor, whether a fitting is present at the predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette;

when the infrared detector detects the accessory, the first indication information indicating the existence of the accessory is generated through a first processing module.

In some optional examples, the determining, by the first determining unit, whether the accessory is present at a predetermined position on the exterior of the wafer cassette and generating the first indication information includes:

detecting, by an image recognition device, whether the accessory is present at the predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette;

Generating the first indication information indicating that the accessory exists when the image recognition device detects the accessory.

In some optional examples, the determining, by the second determining unit, whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty and generating the second indication information includes:

the wafer box is configured to be weighed through a weighing unit;

and judging whether the interior of the wafer box is empty or not according to the weighing result of the weighing unit and the judging result of the first judging unit through a third processing module, and generating the second indicating information for indicating that the interior of the wafer box is empty when the interior of the wafer box is empty.

In some optional examples, the determining, by the second determining unit, whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty and generating the second indication information includes:

sensing a flow of an air stream within the wafer cassette by an air flow sensing device;

and judging whether the interior of the wafer box is empty or not according to the sensing result of the air flow sensing device through a fourth processing module, and generating the second indication information for indicating that the interior of the wafer box is empty when the interior of the wafer box is empty.

In some optional examples, the determining, by the third processing module, whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty according to the weighing result of the weighing unit and the determination result of the first determination unit, and generating the second indication information indicating that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty when the interior of the wafer cassette is empty includes:

In a case where the first determination unit determines that the accessory is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette, generating, by the third processing module, the second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette is empty if a weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to a first predetermined value; or alternatively

And in the case that the first judging unit judges that the accessory is not arranged at the preset position on the outer part of the wafer box, the weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to a second preset value, and the second indicating information for indicating that the inner part of the wafer box is empty is generated through the third processing module, wherein the second preset value is smaller than the first preset value.

In some alternative examples, the method further comprises:

and when the first indication information indicates that the accessory is not present and/or the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer box is not empty, an alarm is sent out through the alarm unit.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide apparatus and methods for cleaning a wafer cassette. The apparatus includes a first determining unit for determining whether or not there is a fitting at a predetermined position on an outside of the wafer cassette, a second determining unit for determining whether or not an inside of the wafer cassette is empty, and a cleaning unit. Due to the arrangement of the judging unit, the automatic operation of the whole cleaning flow can be realized. Further, since the apparatus starts the cleaning operation in a case where the determination unit determines that the wafer cassette satisfies the cleaning condition, that is, the inside of the wafer cassette is empty and the fitting is provided at a predetermined position of the outside. Therefore, under the condition of ensuring thorough cleaning of the wafer box, the pollution and damage of the wafer box and the wafer possibly existing in the wafer box to equipment can be avoided, and the production safety is improved.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional wafer cassette;

FIG. 2 is another schematic view of a conventional wafer cassette;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a conventional apparatus for cleaning a wafer cassette;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for cleaning a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a portion of an apparatus for cleaning a wafer cassette according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a portion of an apparatus for cleaning a wafer cassette according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of a method for cleaning a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Wafer cassettes are widely used as one of the carriers for carrying wafers. Fig. 1 and 2 show schematic views of a conventional wafer cassette CA, respectively. The wafer cassette CA may have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a chamber surrounded by a housing for accommodating wafers W therein. The wafer cassette CA may have a detachable lid CO. In fig. 1 and 2, the cover CO is located behind the wafer cassette CA. When the cover CO is detached from the cassette CA, the chamber of the cassette CA is opened to allow the wafers to enter the cassette CA. A holder for carrying wafers may be provided within the cassette CA so that the wafers may be placed within the cassette CA independently of each other. For example, in fig. 1 and 2, the support may include a plurality of layers disposed in a horizontal direction to carry a plurality of wafers in the horizontal direction.

In order to facilitate the handling of the cassette CA, handles HA are generally provided on the outer surfaces of a pair of side walls of the cassette CA, respectively. The handles HA on the two side walls are disposed at positions corresponding to each other so as to make the bottom surface of the cassette CA parallel to the ground when the cassette CA is carried using the handles HA, thereby ensuring that the wafers W within the cassette CA are held at desired positions. To avoid taking up too much space, for example, the handle HA may be formed on the cassette CA in an embedded manner.

In addition to the handle HA, the wafer cassette CA is typically provided with a number of necessary fittings. For example, a fitting AC may be provided on the top of the wafer cassette CA. The fitting AC may protrude upward from the top surface of the cassette CA. The fitting AC may be used as a suspension point in the process of transferring the wafer cassette CA in a suspended manner. In addition, the fitting AC may also be used as one of the support points of the cassette CA when cleaning the cassette CA.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, it shows a state when the wafer cassette CA is cleaned using the conventional apparatus 1 for cleaning a wafer cassette. In order to be able to clean the wafer cassette, in particular the interior of the wafer cassette, thoroughly, the cover CO has been removed from the wafer cassette CA before the wafer cassette CA is cleaned and is arranged in the cleaning chamber of the apparatus 1, for example in an upright manner in the cleaning chamber of the apparatus 1. In cleaning the wafer cassette CA, the wafer cassette CA is placed in the cleaning chamber of the apparatus 1 with the mouth facing downward, wherein the supports SU provided on two opposite inner side walls of the apparatus 1 can be engaged with the fittings AC provided at the top of the wafer cassette CA and the catching parts provided at the bottom of the wafer cassette CA, respectively, to support the wafer cassette CA in the cleaning chamber of the apparatus 1, for example, in such a manner that the bottom of the wafer cassette CA is parallel to the horizontal plane. As an example, the catching part may be formed at the bottom of the wafer cassette in an embedded manner. The apparatus 1 sprays cleaning liquid through a nozzle CL provided in the cleaning chamber to clean the wafer cassette CA.

From the above description, it may be noted that the wafer cassette is positioned with the mouth facing during cleaning. This requires that the cassette be internally empty when it is being cleaned. That is, the interior of the cassette is not allowed to accommodate wafers during cleaning. Otherwise, the wafer may fall out of the cassette while the cassette is being set down. The falling wafer may not only itself be damaged, but also may contaminate and damage the cleaning chamber of the apparatus 1. In addition, the accessory AC is typically removably mounted on top of the wafer cassette. In actual production, the accessory AC may be accidentally detached from the cassette, resulting in the cassette entering the cleaning chamber possibly not being equipped with the accessory AC. Once there is no accessory AC, the cassette cannot be supported within the cleaning chamber as intended, but rather can deflect, which may cause a portion of the deflected cassette to contact the interior of the cleaning chamber. During the cleaning process of the wafer cassette, the apparatus 1 drives the wafer cassette to rotate in the cleaning chamber via the support SU, so as to clean the wafer cassette thoroughly. The cassette contacting the inside of the cleaning chamber may cause serious damage to various components disposed in the inside of the cleaning chamber during the rotation.

When the cassette is manually loaded by the operator, the operator inspects the cassette and loads the cassette into the cleaning chamber with the assurance that the interior of the cassette is empty and the fittings AC outside the cassette are in place. However, when the wafer cassette is automatically loaded by the robot, since the current apparatus 1 does not have a function of inspecting the wafer cassette, it may cause that the wafer cassette which does not meet the cleaning standard is also loaded into the apparatus 1, causing pollution and damage to the apparatus 1.

In view of the foregoing, it is desirable for embodiments of the present disclosure to propose an apparatus and method for cleaning a wafer cassette. By using the device and the method, the wafer box can be detected before being arranged at the cleaning station, so that the wafer box is arranged and cleaned at the station under the condition that the inside of the wafer box is empty and accessories are in place, the loss of wafer products is avoided, and the pollution and damage of the wafer and the wafer box to the device are avoided.

An apparatus and method for cleaning a wafer cassette according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 4, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an apparatus 2 for cleaning a wafer cassette, the apparatus 2 comprising: a first determination unit 21, a second determination unit 22, and a cleaning unit 23. The first determination unit 21 is for determining whether or not the accessory AC is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA and generating first instruction information. The second determination unit 22 is configured to determine whether the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty and generate second instruction information. The cleaning unit 23 is used for cleaning the wafer cassette CA. Wherein when the first indication information indicates that the fitting AC exists and the second indication information indicates that the inside of the cassette CA is empty, the cleaning unit 23 starts a cleaning operation of the cassette.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus 2 may comprise a detection chamber TC provided independently of the washing chamber, wherein the first and second determination units 21, 22 may be provided in the detection chamber TC. Before entering the cleaning chamber, the wafer cassette CA is subjected to state detection in the detection chamber TC by the first determination unit 21 and the second determination unit 22. Since it is not possible to confirm whether the inside of the cassette CA is empty or not before entering the inspection chamber TC, the cassette CA should be placed in the inspection chamber TC in a normal use state. For example, the wafer cassette CA is placed in the inspection chamber TC with the top facing directly above.

Since the determination objects to which the first determination unit 21 and the second determination unit 22 are directed are different, the first determination unit 21 and the second determination unit 22 may be disposed at different positions within the detection chamber TC. For example, the first determination unit 21 may be disposed near a predetermined position of the accessory AC within the detection chamber TC. Taking the fitting AC as an example, as described above, the fitting AC is provided on the top of the cassette CA, then the first determination unit 21 may be provided around the top of the cassette CA. Of course, the first determination unit 21 may be disposed at other positions according to a specific implementation form.

Likewise, the second determination unit 22 may be provided in the detection chamber TC at a position that facilitates the determination operation thereof, according to its specific implementation form, without interfering with the first determination unit 21.

As explained above, the pod CA should have at least two conditions, that is, the fitting AC is provided on the top of the pod CA and the inside of the pod CA is empty, before being subjected to the automated cleaning.

Based on this, it is possible to first determine whether or not accessory AC is present at a predetermined position by first determination unit 21. If the first determination unit 21 determines that the accessory AC is located at the predetermined position of the cassette CA, the determination of the state inside the cassette CA may be continued by the second determination unit 22. If the second determination unit 22 determines that no wafer is present inside the cassette CA, the cassette CA satisfies the cleaning condition. The apparatus 2 may also be used to perform a cleaning operation on the cassettes, in which case the cassettes CA may be transferred from the inspection chamber TC to the cleaning chamber CC. The washing chamber CC may be disposed adjacent to the detection chamber TC. The cleaning unit 23 may be disposed in the cleaning chamber CC. When the wafer cassette CA satisfying the cleaning condition can be transferred from the inspection chamber TC to the cleaning chamber by the robot, and the cover CO is removed from the cleaning chamber by the robot and the remaining part of the wafer cassette CA is supported in the cleaning chamber CC with the opening facing downward. When the cassette CA is set in place, the cleaning unit 23 may be activated to clean the cassette CA.

If the determination result of the first determination unit 21 is: the absence of the fitting AC at a predetermined position of the cassette CA indicates that the cassette CA has not satisfied the cleaning condition. In this case, the second determination unit 22 may not be required to continue to perform the determination operation.

It is to be understood that, as an alternative embodiment, the second determination unit 22 may be caused to perform the determination operation prior to the first determination unit 21, or the first determination unit 21 and the second determination unit 22 may be caused to perform the determination operation at the same time. Such alternative embodiments are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus 2 for cleaning a wafer cassette CA. The apparatus 2 includes a first determination unit 21 for determining whether or not there is an accessory at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA, a second determination unit 22 for determining whether or not the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty, and a cleaning unit 23. Due to the arrangement of the judging unit, the automatic operation of the whole cleaning flow can be realized. Further, since the apparatus starts the cleaning operation in a case where the determination unit determines that the wafer cassette CA satisfies the cleaning condition, that is, the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty and the fitting is provided at a predetermined position of the outside. Therefore, the pollution and damage of the wafer box CA and the wafers possibly existing in the wafer box CA to equipment can be avoided under the condition of ensuring thorough cleaning of the wafer box CA, and the production safety is improved.

A specific implementation form of the first determination unit 21 will be described below according to a specific embodiment.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 4, the first determination unit 21 includes an infrared sensor for detecting whether the accessory AC exists at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA, and a first processing module configured to generate first indication information indicating the existence of the accessory AC when the accessory AC is detected by the infrared detector.

Specifically, referring to fig. 4, the infrared sensor may include a transmitter 21A and a receiver 21B. The first processing module 21C may be in communication with a transmitter 21A and a receiver 21B. The emitter 21A and the receiver 21B are disposed inside the detection chamber TC and are disposed oppositely on two opposite side walls of the detection chamber TC so that the receiver 21B can receive the infrared rays emitted from the emitter 21A without an obstacle between the emitter 21A and the receiver 21B.

The height of the emitter 21A and the receiver 21B in the vertical direction within the detection chamber TC may be set to coincide with a predetermined height of the fitting AC located on the top of the wafer cassette CA in the vertical direction at the time of detecting the chamber TC, so that when the wafer cassette CA provided with the fitting AC at a predetermined position of the top enters the detection chamber TC and is placed at a predetermined detection position, the fitting AC may block the optical path of the infrared rays emitted from the emitter 21A to the receiver 21B, so that the receiver 21B cannot receive the infrared rays. Once the receiver 21B cannot receive the infrared rays, it can be determined that the fitting AC is provided at a predetermined position on the top of the wafer cassette CA that is currently determined. In contrast, if the pod CA has been set at the inspection position but the receiver 21B is still able to receive the infrared rays emitted from the emitter 21A, it can be determined that no component is provided at the predetermined position on the top of the pod CA that is currently determined.

The first processing module 21C may receive the detection results of the transmitter 21A and the receiver 21B and transmit corresponding detection information according to the detection results. For example, when the transmitter 21A and the receiver 21B detect the accessory AC, the first processing module 21C generates first indication information indicating that the accessory AC is present.

The presence or absence of the accessory can be detected in a noncontact and highly sensitive manner by using the infrared sensor. In addition, the infrared sensor is generally insensitive to environmental changes (such as light changes and temperature fluctuations), so that misjudgment caused by environmental factors is reduced, and reliability of judgment results is improved. The quick response mechanism can be automatically realized by arranging the first processing module without manual participation, so that the data analysis process is simplified, and the overall operation efficiency is improved.

Alternatively, referring to fig. 5, the first determination unit 21 includes an image recognition device 21D for detecting whether the accessory AC exists at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA, and a second processing module 21E configured to generate first indication information indicating the existence of the accessory AC when the accessory AC is detected by the image recognition device 21D.

The setting position of the image recognition device 21D can be relatively free compared to the infrared sensor. The image recognition device 21D may be provided in the detection chamber TC at a position where the top image of the wafer cassette CA can be acquired. For example, as shown in fig. 5, in order to be able to obtain a clearer image, the image recognition device 21D may be disposed directly above a predetermined position of the accessory AC on the wafer cassette CA at the top of the detection chamber TC. The second processing module 21E may communicate with the image recognition device 21D.

When the wafer cassette CA enters the inspection chamber TC and is set at a predetermined inspection position, the image recognition device 21D can acquire a real-time image of the top of the wafer cassette CA. For example, the top image of the wafer cassette CA with the accessory AC provided on top thereof acquired by the image recognition device 21D may be stored in advance in the second processing module 21E, whereby the second processing module 21E can compare the real-time image with the pre-stored image. If the comparison result shows that the real-time image is consistent with the pre-stored image, it can be determined that the accessory AC is arranged at the preset position of the top of the currently judged wafer cassette CA; in contrast, if the comparison result shows that there is a large difference between the real-time image and the pre-stored image, it can be determined that the accessory AC is provided at the predetermined position of the top of the currently determined wafer cassette CA.

The second processing module 21E may receive the detection result of the image recognition device 21D and transmit corresponding detection information according to the detection result. For example, when the image recognition device 21D detects the accessory AC, the second processing module 21E generates first indication information indicating that the accessory AC is present.

Since the image recognition device can provide a high level of object recognition and analysis capability, it is very effective to accurately judge whether or not there is a fitting at a predetermined position outside the wafer cassette. The image recognition device can handle more complex shapes and features than the basic sensor, enabling it to recognize many different types of accessories. Furthermore, the image recognition technique can accommodate new accessory types through software updates and adjustments, providing greater adaptability and flexibility.

It is to be understood that the specific implementation form of the first determination unit is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may have other modifications. Such variations are within the scope of the present disclosure.

A specific implementation form of the second determination unit 22 will be described below according to a specific embodiment.

Referring to fig. 4, the second determination unit 22 includes a weighing unit 22A and a third processing module 22B, the weighing unit 22A is configured to weigh the wafer cassette CA, the third processing module 22B is configured to determine whether the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty or not based on the weighing result of the weighing unit 22A and the determination result of the first determination unit 21, and generate second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty when the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty.

As shown in fig. 4, the weighing unit 22A may be disposed below a predetermined detection position of the wafer cassette CA within the detection chamber TC, and may include a plurality of sets of springs to determine the weight of the currently determined wafer cassette CA by the deformation amount of the springs. It will be appreciated that the weighing cell 22A may have other implementations, for example, the weighing cell 22A may include a gravity sensor instead of a spring to effect weighing of the wafer cassette CA. And will not be described in detail herein.

The third processing module 22B may communicate with the weighing cell 22A to receive the weighing result of the weighing cell 22A. Since it may be the case that the weight of the accessory AC may be equal to the weight of one or more wafers, the third processing module 22B may need to determine whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty in combination with the determination result of the first determination unit 21 and the weighing result of the weighing unit 22A. The third processing module 22B may also convert the determination result into second instruction information.

In addition to the technical effects common to the above-described embodiments, the wafer cassette CA is weighed by the weighing unit 22A, and in combination with the result of the first determination unit 21, the third processing module 22B can more accurately determine whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty. This method is more accurate and reliable than a mere visual or physical inspection. Furthermore, the weighing cell 22A may be adapted for use with different sizes and types of pods, providing flexibility and adaptability in handling different pods.

As an alternative embodiment, referring to fig. 6, the second determination unit 22 includes an air flow sensing device configured to sense the flow of air flow within the wafer cassette CA, and a fourth processing module that determines whether the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty according to the sensing result of the air flow sensing device, and generates second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty when the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty.

As shown in fig. 6, the air flow sensing device may include an air supply line 22C and an air flow sensor 22D. In determining whether the interior of the pod CA is empty using the air supply line 22C and the air flow sensor 22D, the lid CO (not shown in fig. 6) of the pod CA needs to be removed so that the air supply line 22C and the air flow sensor 22D can enter the pod CA through the opening of the pod CA. The air supply line 22C has a nozzle opening downward. The nozzles of the air supply line 22C may be opposite to the air flow sensor 22D in the vertical direction, and the overall size of the air supply line 22C and the air flow sensor 22D in the vertical direction is smaller than the height of the wafer cassette in the vertical direction so that the air supply line 22C and the air flow sensor 22D can enter the wafer cassette.

The gas supply line 22C may spray gas having a certain pressure downward toward the gas flow sensor 22D. If the cassette CA is empty, the airflow sensor 22D can quickly sense a significant change in airflow. However, if a horizontally placed wafer is accommodated in the cassette CA, the wafer will block the flow of the air flow ejected from the nozzle of the air supply line 22C toward the air flow sensor 22D, which makes the air flow sensor 22D unable to quickly sense a significant change in the air flow.

The fourth processing module 22E may communicate with the air flow sensing device to receive the sensing results of the air supply line 22C and the air flow sensor 22D. Unlike the weighing unit 22A and the third processing module 22B, the fourth processing module 22E may determine whether the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty without considering the determination result of the first determination unit 21. That is, the second determination unit 22 including the gas flow sensing device and the fourth processing module 22E may perform the determination operation independently of the first determination unit 21. In this case, the order in which the first determination unit 21 and the second determination unit 22 perform the determination operations may be arbitrarily adjusted, and may even be performed synchronously.

It is possible to determine in a direct manner whether the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty by the second determination unit including the gas flow sensing device. And the flow of the air flow in the wafer box CA can achieve the effect of pre-cleaning the wafer box CA.

As mentioned above, the cleaning operation can be performed on the wafer cassette CA only when the fitting AC is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA and the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty. If it can already be determined that one of these two conditions is not satisfied, the cleaning operation does not need to be continued.

However, in actual production, it is still necessary to process the wafer cassette CA that does not satisfy the cleaning condition, for example, attach a fitting to the wafer cassette CA in which a fitting is missing, take out a wafer in the wafer cassette CA in which a wafer is accommodated, and the like. In this regard, the first determination unit 21 and the second determination unit 22 may perform a complete determination operation and output corresponding instruction information as a basis for performing subsequent operations.

The following is further described based on an embodiment in which the second determination unit 22 comprises a weighing unit 22A and a third processing module 22B.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, in a case where the first determination unit 21 determines that the accessory AC exists at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA, if the weighing result of the weighing unit 22A is equal to the first predetermined value, the third processing module 22B generates second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty; or alternatively

In the case where the first determination unit 21 determines that there is no accessory AC at a predetermined position on the outside of the cassette CA, the weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to a second predetermined value, which is smaller than the first predetermined value, the third processing module generates second indication information indicating that the inside of the cassette CA is empty.

For example, the total weight of the fitting AC and the wafer cassette CA may be pre-stored as a first predetermined value in the third process module 22B. Once the first determination unit 21 determines that the fitting AC is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the cassette CA, the total weight of the cassette CA and the fitting AC will be greater than or equal to the first predetermined value. If the interior of the pod CA is empty, the total weight of the pod CA and the accessory AC should be equal to the first predetermined value, and if the interior of the pod CA contains wafers or other objects, the total weight of the pod CA and the accessory AC may be greater than the first predetermined value.

The third processing module 22B may generate second indication information indicating that the inside of the cassette CA is empty when the total weight of the cassette CA and the accessory AC is equal to the first predetermined value. In addition, the third processing module 22B may generate second indication information indicating that the inside of the cassette CA is not empty when the total weight of the cassette CA and the accessory AC is greater than the first predetermined value. The internal part of the wafer box CA can be emptied according to the second indication information, so that the loss of the wafer product is recovered, and the damage of the wafer to other equipment is avoided.

For another example, the weight of the wafer cassette CA that does not include the accessory AC may be pre-stored as the second predetermined value in the third process module 22B. Once it is determined by the first determination unit 21 that the fitting AC is not present at a predetermined position on the outside of the cassette CA, the weight of the cassette CA should be equal to a second predetermined value if the inside of the cassette CA is empty, and the weight of the cassette CA may be greater than the second predetermined value if the inside of the cassette CA accommodates a wafer or other object.

The third processing module 22B may generate second indication information indicating that the inside of the cassette CA is empty when the weight of the cassette CA is equal to the second predetermined value. Based on this second indication information, the cleaning of the pod CA can be continued only by mounting the accessory to the pod CA at a predetermined position. Further, the third processing module 22B may generate second indication information indicating that the inside of the cassette CA is not empty when the weight of the cassette CA is greater than the second predetermined value. In this case, it is necessary to perform a purging operation not only for the cassette CA but also for the inside of the cassette CA.

In summary, by the second determination unit 22 including the weighing unit 22A and the third processing module 22B, the internal and external states of the wafer cassette CA can be determined, which is more advantageous for the arrangement and management of the subsequent processes of the wafer cassette CA.

It will be appreciated that the above technical effects may be achieved by the first determining unit 21 and the second determining unit 22 in other forms, and will not be described herein.

In order to avoid placing a wafer cassette CA that does not meet the cleaning conditions into the cleaning chamber for cleaning, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 4, the apparatus 2 further comprises an alarm unit 24, the alarm unit 24 being configured to:

Issuing an alarm if the first indication information indicates that the accessory AC is not present; or alternatively

Issuing an alarm if the second indication information indicates that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is not empty; or alternatively

An alarm is issued in case the first indication information indicates that the accessory AC is not present and the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette CA is not empty.

As shown in fig. 4, the alarm unit 24 may communicate with, for example, the first processing module 21C of the first determination unit 21 and the third processing module 22B of the second determination unit 22 to respond to the first processing module 21C and the third processing module 22B

Referring to fig. 7, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a method for cleaning a wafer cassette, the method being performed by using the apparatus 2 according to the above description, the method comprising:

s01: determining whether or not the accessory AC exists at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA by the first determination unit 21 and generating first indication information;

s02: determining whether the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty by the second determination unit 22 and generating second indication information;

s03: when the first indication information indicates that the fitting AC exists and the second indication information indicates that the inside of the cassette CA is empty, the cleaning unit 23 starts the cleaning operation of the cassette CA.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determining, by the first determining unit 21, whether the accessory AC exists at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA and generating the first indication information includes:

detecting whether or not the accessory AC is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA by an infrared sensor;

when the infrared detector detects the accessory AC, first indication information indicating the existence of the accessory AC is generated by the first processing module.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determining, by the first determining unit 21, whether the accessory AC exists at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA and generating the first indication information includes:

detecting whether or not the accessory AC is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA by the image recognition device;

first indication information indicating that the accessory AC exists is generated when the image recognition device detects the accessory AC.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determining, by the second determining unit 22, whether the interior of the wafer cassette CA is empty and generating the second indication information includes:

the weighing unit is configured to weigh the wafer box CA;

whether the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty is determined by the third processing module based on the weighing result of the weighing unit and the determination result of the first determination unit 21, and second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty is generated when the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determining, by the second determining unit 22, whether the interior of the wafer cassette CA is empty and generating the second indication information includes:

sensing a flow of the gas flow within the wafer cassette CA by the gas flow sensing device;

and judging whether the inside of the wafer box CA is empty or not according to the sensing result of the air flow sensing device by the fourth processing module, and generating second indication information for indicating that the inside of the wafer box CA is empty when the inside of the wafer box CA is empty.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determining, by the third processing module, whether the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty according to the weighing result of the weighing unit and the determination result of the first determination unit 21, and generating the second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty when the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty includes:

in the case where the first determination unit 21 determines that there is a fitting AC at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA, if the weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to the first predetermined value, second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty is generated by the third processing module; or alternatively

In the case where the first determination unit 21 determines that there is no accessory AC at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette CA, the weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to a second predetermined value, which is smaller than the first predetermined value, the second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is empty is generated by the third processing module.

According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the method further comprises:

issuing an alarm if the first indication information indicates that the accessory AC is not present, the alarm being issued by the alarm unit 24; or alternatively

In the case where the second indication information indicates that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is not empty, an alarm is issued by the alarm unit 24; or alternatively

In the case where the first indication information indicates that the accessory AC is not present and the second indication information indicates that the inside of the wafer cassette CA is not empty, an alarm is issued by the alarm unit 24.

It should be noted that: the technical schemes described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be arbitrarily combined without any conflict.

The foregoing is merely specific embodiments of the disclosure, but the protection scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think about changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the disclosure, and it is intended to cover the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (14)

1. An apparatus for cleaning a wafer cassette, the apparatus comprising:

a first determination unit for determining whether or not there is a fitting at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette and generating first indication information;

A second determination unit configured to determine whether or not the interior of the wafer cassette is empty and generate second instruction information;

the cleaning unit is used for cleaning the wafer box;

wherein when the first indication information indicates that the accessory exists and the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty, the cleaning unit starts a cleaning operation of the wafer cassette.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first determination unit comprises an infrared sensor for detecting whether the accessory is present at the predetermined location on the exterior of the wafer cassette and a first processing module configured to generate the first indication information indicating the presence of the accessory when the infrared detector detects the accessory.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determination unit comprises an image recognition device for detecting whether the accessory is present at the predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette, and a second processing module configured to generate the first indication information indicating the accessory is present when the image recognition device detects the accessory.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second determination unit includes a weighing unit configured to weigh the wafer cassette and a third processing module configured to determine whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty or not based on a weighing result of the weighing unit and a determination result of the first determination unit, and generate the second indication information indicating that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty when the interior of the wafer cassette is empty.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second determination unit includes a gas flow sensing device configured to sense a flow of a gas flow within the wafer cassette, and a fourth processing module that determines whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty according to a sensing result of the gas flow sensing device, and generates the second indication information indicating that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty when the interior of the wafer cassette is empty.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the device comprises a plurality of sensors,

in a case where the first determination unit determines that the accessory is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette, if a weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to a first predetermined value, the third processing module generates the second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette is empty; or alternatively

In the case where the first determination unit determines that the accessory is not present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette, the third processing module generates the second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette is empty, where the second predetermined value is smaller than the first predetermined value, if the weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to the second predetermined value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: and an alarm unit configured to issue an alarm if the first indication information indicates that the accessory is not present and/or the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette is not empty.

8. A method for cleaning a wafer cassette, characterized in that the method is performed by using the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the method comprising:

determining whether or not there is a fitting at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette by a first determination unit and generating first indication information;

judging whether the interior of the wafer box is empty or not through a second judging unit and generating second indicating information;

when the first indication information indicates that the accessory exists and the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty, a cleaning unit starts a cleaning operation of the wafer cassette.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining, by the first determination unit, whether the accessory is present at a predetermined location on the exterior of the wafer cassette and generating the first indication information comprises:

detecting, by an infrared sensor, whether a fitting is present at the predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette;

when the infrared detector detects the accessory, the first indication information indicating the existence of the accessory is generated through a first processing module.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining, by the first determination unit, whether the accessory is present at a predetermined location on the exterior of the wafer cassette and generating the first indication information comprises:

detecting, by an image recognition device, whether the accessory is present at the predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette;

generating the first indication information indicating that the accessory exists when the image recognition device detects the accessory.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the determining, by a second determination unit, whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty and generating second indication information includes:

The wafer box is configured to be weighed through a weighing unit;

and judging whether the interior of the wafer box is empty or not according to the weighing result of the weighing unit and the judging result of the first judging unit through a third processing module, and generating the second indicating information for indicating that the interior of the wafer box is empty when the interior of the wafer box is empty.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining, by a second determination unit, whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty and generating second indication information comprises:

sensing a flow of an air stream within the wafer cassette by an air flow sensing device;

and judging whether the interior of the wafer box is empty or not according to the sensing result of the air flow sensing device through a fourth processing module, and generating the second indication information for indicating that the interior of the wafer box is empty when the interior of the wafer box is empty.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining, by a third processing module, whether the interior of the wafer cassette is empty based on the weighing result of the weighing unit and the determination result of the first determination unit, and generating the second indication information indicating that the interior of the wafer cassette is empty when the interior of the wafer cassette is empty comprises:

In a case where the first determination unit determines that the accessory is present at a predetermined position on the outside of the wafer cassette, generating, by the third processing module, the second indication information indicating that the inside of the wafer cassette is empty if a weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to a first predetermined value; or alternatively

And in the case that the first judging unit judges that the accessory is not arranged at the preset position on the outer part of the wafer box, the weighing result of the weighing unit is equal to a second preset value, and the second indicating information for indicating that the inner part of the wafer box is empty is generated through the third processing module, wherein the second preset value is smaller than the first preset value.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

and when the first indication information indicates that the accessory is not present and/or the second indication information indicates that the interior of the wafer box is not empty, an alarm is sent out through the alarm unit.