CN215680636U

CN215680636U - Wafer handling system

Info

Publication number: CN215680636U
Application number: CN202121786395.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 蔡易霖; 蔡俊郎
Original assignee: Nexchip Semiconductor Corp
Current assignee: Nexchip Semiconductor Corp
Priority date: 2021-07-30
Filing date: 2021-07-30
Publication date: 2022-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 2031-07-30

Abstract

The utility model provides a wafer handling system, comprising: the wafer boat box is internally provided with an accommodating cavity for placing wafers, and the end part of the wafer boat box is provided with an opening communicated with the accommodating cavity and a cabinet door; a gas supply source located outside the wafer cassette and providing gas to the accommodating cavity; the first gas transmission pipe is positioned in the accommodating cavity, arranged on one surface opposite to the opening and communicated with a gas supply source; the second gas transmission pipe is positioned in the accommodating cavity, arranged on one surface opposite to the opening and communicated with the first gas transmission pipe, and a plurality of gas outlets are formed in the pipe body of the second gas transmission pipe; the wafer loading and unloading machine is provided with a mechanical arm and an air shower device, the mechanical arm is used for picking up wafers positioned in the wafer carrier box, and the air shower device provides air blown to the mechanical arm; when the arm picked up the wafer, when opening the cabinet door, the gas that the gas supply source provided flowed to the accommodation space through the gas outlet to increase the atmospheric pressure of the inside of accommodation space, prevent that impurity from getting into in the accommodation cavity.

Description

Wafer handling system

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductors, in particular to a wafer handling system.

Background

The wafer loading and unloading system in the prior art is provided with a wafer boat box for containing wafers and a wafer loader and unloader for picking up the wafers, wherein an air shower is arranged at the top of the wafer loader and used for supplying air blown to a mechanical arm when the mechanical arm picks up the wafers so as to reduce impurities such as particles, water vapor, acid gas and the like near the mechanical arm and further reduce impurities such as the particles, the water vapor, the acid gas and the like flowing to the wafer boat box.

The wafer boat box is internally provided with a plurality of wafers, the mechanical arm can only take one wafer at a time, the inside and the outside of the wafer boat box have air pressure difference at the moment of opening a cabinet door of the wafer boat box, the air pressure outside the wafer boat box is higher, the air pressure inside the wafer boat box is lower, and partial particles, water vapor and/or acid gas can still enter the wafer boat box. And when the mechanical arm enters the wafer boat box, the mechanical arm still carries partial particles, water vapor and/or acid gas and other impurities. Once entering the wafer boat, the impurities may have a large effect on other wafers in the wafer boat, and may corrode or form impurities on the wafer surface, which may indirectly affect the quality of devices formed on the wafer or indirectly affect the efficiency of subsequent process steps.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model aims to provide a wafer loading and unloading system, which can increase the air pressure in a boat box, balance the air pressure in the interior and the exterior of the boat box and prevent impurities outside the boat box from entering the interior of the boat box when a mechanical arm picks up a wafer in the boat box, thereby reducing the probability of wafer damage and improving the quality of the wafer.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wafer handling system comprising:

the wafer boat box is internally provided with an accommodating cavity for accommodating wafers, and the end part of the wafer boat box is provided with an opening communicated with the accommodating cavity and a cabinet door for sealing the opening;

a gas supply source located outside the cassette for supplying gas to the receiving cavity;

the first gas conveying pipe is positioned in the accommodating cavity and is arranged on one surface opposite to the opening, and the first gas conveying pipe is communicated with the gas supply source;

the second gas transmission pipe is positioned in the accommodating cavity and is arranged on one surface opposite to the opening, the second gas transmission pipe is communicated with the first gas transmission pipe, and a pipe body of the second gas transmission pipe is provided with a plurality of gas outlets;

the wafer loading and unloading machine is provided with a mechanical arm and an air shower device, the mechanical arm is used for picking up wafers in the wafer cassette, and the air shower device provides air blown to the mechanical arm when the mechanical arm picks up the wafers; and

when the mechanical arm picks up the wafer, the cabinet door is opened, and meanwhile, the gas provided by the gas supply source flows to the accommodating space through the gas outlet so as to increase the gas pressure in the accommodating space.

Optionally, in the wafer handling system, the cassette includes a top plate, a bottom wall opposite to the top plate, and a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a third sidewall connected between the top plate and the bottom wall, where the first sidewall is vertically connected to the second sidewall, the second sidewall is vertically connected to the third sidewall, the first sidewall is parallel to the third sidewall, the first sidewall and the third sidewall are close to the opening and located at two sides of the opening, and the second sidewall is opposite to the opening and parallel to a surface where the opening is located.

Optionally, in the wafer handling system, two first gas delivery tubes are vertically installed on the bottom wall near the second side wall, and the first gas delivery tubes pass through the bottom wall and communicate with the gas supply source.

Optionally, in the wafer handling system, the second gas delivery tube is parallel to the bottom wall and is disposed close to the second side wall, the second gas delivery tube is connected between the two first gas delivery tubes, and two ends of the second gas delivery tube are respectively inserted into the two first gas delivery tubes.

Optionally, in the wafer handling system, the number of the second gas transmission pipes is multiple, and the multiple second gas transmission pipes are uniformly arranged near the second side wall.

Optionally, in the wafer handling system, the gas outlet is disposed on the second gas delivery pipe and faces the opening.

Optionally, in the wafer handling system, the accommodating cavity has a plurality of shelves therein for holding the wafers, and the shelves are parallel to the bottom wall.

Optionally, the wafer handling system further includes a gas valve disposed on the first gas transmission pipe.

Optionally, the wafer handling system further includes an automatic controller, where the automatic controller receives the motion information of the robot arm picking up the wafer and controls the opening and closing of the gas valve.

Optionally, the wafer handling system further comprises a susceptor for supporting the wafer cassette.

In the wafer handling system provided by the utility model, when the robot arm picks up the wafer, the cabinet door is opened, and simultaneously, gas flows to the accommodating space from the gas supply source through the first gas transmission pipe and the second gas transmission pipe, so that the gas pressure in the wafer boat box is increased, the gas pressures in the wafer boat box and outside the wafer boat box are balanced, and impurities outside the wafer boat box are prevented from entering the wafer boat box. And the gas can also blow impurities carried by the mechanical arm to the outside of the wafer carrier, so that the probability of wafer damage is reduced, and the quality of the wafer is improved.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2-4 are schematic structural diagrams of a wafer handling system according to an embodiment of the utility model;

in the figure: 100-crystal boat box, 110-cabinet door, 120-top plate, 130-bottom wall, 140-first side wall, 150-second side wall, 160-third side wall, 210-first gas transmission pipe, 220-second gas transmission pipe, 300-wafer loading and unloading machine, 310-air shower, 400-bearing table and 500-wafer.

Detailed Description

The following describes in more detail embodiments of the present invention with reference to the schematic drawings. The advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description. It is to be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and are not to precise scale, which is merely for the purpose of facilitating and distinctly claiming the embodiments of the present invention.

In the following, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances. Similarly, if the method described herein comprises a series of steps, the order in which these steps are presented herein is not necessarily the only order in which these steps may be performed, and some of the described steps may be omitted and/or some other steps not described herein may be added to the method.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the present invention provides a wafer handling system, comprising:

a wafer boat 100 having an accommodating cavity for accommodating a wafer 500 therein, wherein an opening communicating with the accommodating cavity and a door 110 for closing the opening are formed at an end of the wafer boat 100;

a gas supply source (not shown) located outside the cassette 100 for supplying gas into the receiving cavity;

a first gas delivery pipe 210, located in the accommodation cavity and arranged on a surface opposite to the opening, wherein the first gas delivery pipe 210 is communicated with the gas supply source;

a second gas delivery tube 220, located in the accommodating cavity and disposed on a surface opposite to the opening, wherein the second gas delivery tube 220 is communicated with the first gas delivery tube 210, and a plurality of gas outlets (not shown) are formed on a tube body of the second gas delivery tube 220;

a wafer handler 300 having a robot (not shown) for picking up wafers located inside the cassette 100 and an air shower 310, the air shower 320 providing air to the robot when the robot picks up the wafers 500; and

when the robot arm picks up the wafer 500, the door 110 is opened, and the gas provided by the gas supply source flows to the accommodating space through the gas outlet, so as to increase the gas pressure inside the accommodating space.

Preferably, the pod 100 includes a top plate 120, a bottom wall 130 opposite to the top plate 120, and a first sidewall 140, a second sidewall 150, and a third sidewall 160 connected between the top plate 120 and the bottom wall 130, wherein the first sidewall 140 and the second sidewall 150 are vertically connected, the second sidewall 150 and the third sidewall 160 are vertically connected, the first sidewall 140 and the third sidewall 160 are parallel, the first sidewall 140 and the third sidewall 160 are close to the opening and located at two sides of the opening, and the second sidewall 150 is opposite to the opening and parallel to a plane where the opening is located. The boat box 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention corresponds to a rectangular parallelepiped or a cube, the top plate 120 is connected above the first, second, and

third sidewalls

140, 150, and 160, and the bottom wall 130 is connected below the first, second, and

third sidewalls

140, 150, and 160. The first, second and

third sidewalls

140, 150 and 160 are positioned in three directions, respectively, and the other direction has no sidewall, which is an opening of the cassette 100.

Preferably, the number of the first gas delivery tubes 210 is two, the first gas delivery tubes 210 are vertically installed on the bottom wall 130 near the second side wall 150, and the first gas delivery tubes 210 communicate with the gas supply source through the bottom wall 130. Specifically, one first gas delivery tube 210 can be fixedly attached to the bottom wall 130 at a location near both the second sidewall 150 and the first sidewall 140, i.e., near the junction of the second sidewall 150 and the first sidewall 140, and another first gas delivery tube 210 can be fixedly attached to the bottom wall 130 at a location near both the second sidewall 150 and the third sidewall 160, i.e., near the junction of the second sidewall 150 and the third sidewall 160.

Further, the wafer handling system further includes a susceptor 400 for supporting the cassette 100. The cassette 100 is placed on a susceptor, a gas supply source is placed under the susceptor, and a first gas delivery tube 210 is communicated with the gas supply source through the bottom wall 130. The gas supplied by the gas supply source is nitrogen or dry air.

Further, the second gas delivery pipe 220 is parallel to the bottom wall 130 and is disposed close to the second side wall 150, the second gas delivery pipe 220 is connected between the two first gas delivery pipes 210, and two ends of the second gas delivery pipe 220 are respectively inserted into the two first gas delivery pipes 210. When there are a plurality of second gas transmission pipes 220, the plurality of second gas transmission pipes 220 are uniformly arranged near the second side wall 150, and both ends of the plurality of second gas transmission pipes 220 are inserted into the first gas transmission pipe 210. Specifically, each second gas transmission tube 220 has two ends, both ends are not sealed, and are respectively a first end and a second end, the first end is inserted into one first gas transmission tube 210, and the second end is inserted into the other first gas transmission tube 210, and because the ends are not sealed, when gas is contained in the first gas transmission tubes 210, the gas can enter the tube body of the second gas transmission tubes 220 through the ends of the second gas transmission tubes 220, so that the tube body is filled with gas.

Further, the gas outlet is disposed on the second gas delivery pipe 220 and faces the direction of the opening. The gas outlets may be circular or square, and the plurality of gas outlets are uniformly arranged on the second gas transmission pipe 220, and preferably, the plurality of gas outlets are located on the same line, so that the gas in the cavity is more uniform, and the gas pressure is more uniform.

Further, the accommodating cavity has a plurality of shelves (not shown) for holding the wafers, and the shelves are parallel to the bottom wall. The shelves are detachably or fixedly connected to the first sidewall 140 and the third sidewall 160, each shelf can hold one wafer, and a plurality of wafers can be held on a plurality of shelves, the specific number of the shelves can be determined according to the actual situation. The second gas transmission tube 220 and the rest stand can be properly staggered, and when the gas comes out from the gas outlet, the accommodating space can be fully distributed through the gap between the upper layer of wafer and the lower layer of wafer. The cross section of the gas outlet is parallel to the second side wall, so that when the gas comes out of the gas outlet, the gas can be transmitted to the space close to the outlet in parallel to the surface of the wafer, and the whole accommodating space is paved quickly.

Further, the wafer handling system may further comprise a gas valve (not shown) disposed on the first gas delivery tube 210. In the embodiment of the utility model, the gas valve is preferably an automatic gas valve, so that the efficiency is higher and the accurate control can be realized. The gas valve is automatically opened when the cabinet door is opened, gas flows from the gas supply source to the first gas transmission pipe 210 and then flows to the second gas transmission pipes 220, and then flows into the accommodating cavity through the gas outlets of the second gas transmission pipes 220, and the gas flows into the accommodating cavity in a direction facing the cabinet door, so that the gas can be flushed with the gas flowing into the wafer cassette from the outside of the wafer cassette 100, and the gas outside the wafer cassette 100 is prevented from flowing into the wafer cassette 100. Meanwhile, the gas may increase the pressure in the receiving space, reduce the pressure difference between the inside of the boat box 100 and the outside of the boat box 100, and prevent impurities such as particles, water vapor and/or acid gas outside the boat box 100 from entering the boat box 100. Meanwhile, the gas can blow away impurities brought in by the mechanical arm, so that the influence of the impurities on the rest of the wafer is prevented.

Further, the wafer handling system further includes an automatic controller (not shown in the drawings), which receives the motion information of the robot arm picking up the wafer 500 and controls the opening and closing of the gas valves. The robot controller may be in electrical communication with the wafer handler 300, the gas valve, and the cabinet door 110, for example, via bluetooth. The automatic controller can obtain the signal of the wafer handler 300, for example, the robot picks up the information of the wafer 500, and then controls the opening of the cabinet door 110, and simultaneously transmits the signal of the opening of the cabinet door 110 to the gas valve, which opens to provide gas to the accommodating cavity. Then, the robot arm takes the wafer 500 out of the cassette 100, and transmits a signal to the cabinet door 110, so that the cabinet door 110 is closed, and controls the gas valve to close, thereby stopping supplying gas to the accommodating cavity. The pick-up of the wafer 500 is completed.

In summary, in the wafer handling system according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the robot arm picks up the wafer, the door is opened and the gas flows from the gas supply source to the accommodating space through the first gas transmission tube and the second gas transmission tube, so as to increase the gas pressure inside the cassette, balance the gas pressures inside and outside the cassette, and prevent the impurities outside the cassette from entering the cassette. And the gas can also blow impurities carried by the mechanical arm to the outside of the wafer carrier, so that the probability of wafer damage is reduced, and the quality of the wafer is improved.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention in any way. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wafer handling system, comprising:

2. The wafer handling system of claim 1, wherein the cassette comprises a top plate, a bottom wall opposite the top plate, and first, second, and third sidewalls connected between the top plate and the bottom wall, the first and second sidewalls being connected perpendicularly, the second and third sidewalls being connected perpendicularly, the first and third sidewalls being parallel, the first and third sidewalls being proximate to and on either side of the opening, the second sidewall being opposite the opening and parallel to a plane in which the opening is located.

3. The wafer handling system of claim 2, wherein the first gas delivery tubes are two and are vertically mounted on the bottom wall adjacent the second side wall, and wherein the first gas delivery tubes communicate with the gas supply through the bottom wall.

4. The wafer handling system of claim 3, wherein the second gas delivery tube is disposed parallel to the bottom wall and adjacent to the second side wall, the second gas delivery tube is connected between the two first gas delivery tubes, and two ends of the second gas delivery tube are inserted into the two first gas delivery tubes, respectively.

5. The wafer handling system of claim 4, wherein the second gas delivery tubes are a plurality of tubes, and wherein the plurality of second gas delivery tubes are uniformly disposed proximate the second sidewall.

6. The wafer handling system of claim 1, wherein the gas outlet is disposed on the second gas delivery tube and faces in a direction of the opening.

7. The wafer handling system of claim 2, wherein the receiving cavity has a plurality of shelves therein for holding wafers, the shelves being parallel to the bottom wall.

8. The wafer handling system of claim 1, further comprising a gas valve disposed on the first gas delivery tube.

9. The wafer handling system of claim 8, further comprising an automation controller that receives information about the robot's actions to pick up a wafer and controls the opening and closing of the gas valves.

10. The wafer handling system of claim 1, further comprising a susceptor for supporting the cassette.