CN220672539U - Transmission device and semiconductor process equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses a transmission device and semiconductor process equipment, which belong to the technical field of semiconductor processing. The disclosed transmission device is used for semiconductor process equipment to transport a wafer from a transmission chamber to a process chamber, and comprises a bearing piece, a first mounting plate, a mechanical arm and an adjusting mechanism, wherein the bearing piece is arranged on the first mounting plate and is used for bearing the wafer, the first mounting plate is rotatably arranged on the mechanical arm, and the adjusting mechanism can drive the first mounting plate to rotate relative to the mechanical arm. The technical scheme can solve the problem that the conveying device related to the related technology cannot horizontally convey the wafer into the process chamber.

Description

Transmission device and semiconductor process equipment

Technical Field

The application belongs to the technical field of semiconductor processing, and particularly relates to a transmission device and semiconductor process equipment.

Background

In semiconductor processing equipment, a transfer device is generally required to transport a wafer to be processed from a transfer chamber into a process chamber, and various operations such as gripping, placing, and processing are performed by a robot arm and a robot finger of the transfer device.

In order to ensure the transmission precision and the safety of the transmission device, the transmission device requires a mechanical finger to ensure that the wafer can horizontally enter the process chamber in the process of transporting the wafer, and in the practical application process, the wafer cannot horizontally enter the process chamber due to different transport distances and different wafer qualities, so that an operator needs to constantly adjust the structure of the transmission device to ensure that the wafer can horizontally enter the process chamber.

However, since the adjustment method can only meet a certain wafer quality at a certain transmission distance, when the transmission distance is increased or the wafer quality is increased, the wafer still has a sagging problem, that is, the wafer still cannot be ensured to enter the process chamber horizontally.

In summary, the related art related to the transfer device has a problem that the wafer cannot be horizontally transported into the process chamber.

Disclosure of Invention

The application discloses a transmission device and semiconductor process equipment, which are used for solving the problem that the transmission device related to the related technology cannot horizontally transport wafers into a process chamber.

In order to solve the technical problems, the application adopts the following technical scheme:

the utility model provides a transmission device for semiconductor process equipment, in order to transport the wafer to the process chamber from the transmission chamber, transmission device includes carrier, first mounting panel, arm and adjustment mechanism, the carrier is located first mounting panel, the carrier is used for bearing the wafer, first mounting panel rotationally locates the arm, just adjustment mechanism can drive first mounting panel is for the arm rotation.

A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a transfer chamber, a process chamber, and a transfer device as described above, the transfer device being movably disposed in the transfer chamber and the transfer device being configured to transport the wafer to the process chamber.

The technical scheme that this application adopted can reach following beneficial effect:

in this application, because the arm is rotationally located to first mounting panel, and adjustment mechanism can drive first mounting panel for the arm rotation, consequently, at first mounting panel pivoted in-process, can drive the wafer rotation on carrier and the carrier, until the wafer level sets up, at this moment, the carrier can be with wafer level transportation to the technology chamber in. Therefore, even if the conveying distance of the conveying device is increased or the wafer mass is increased, the sagging amount of the bearing piece is increased, the adjusting mechanism can drive the first mounting plate to rotate at any time, so that the arrangement mode can always ensure that the wafer can horizontally enter the process chamber. Therefore, the conveying device disclosed by the application can solve the problem that the conveying device related to the related technology cannot horizontally convey the wafer into the process chamber.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a transmission device disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a connection structure between a first mounting plate and a mechanical arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a connection structure of a switching block and a detecting member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view of a carrier disclosed in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic parameter diagram of a transmission device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals illustrate:

110-wafer, 120-transfer chamber, 130-process chamber;

200-carriers, 210-identification parts, 220-first ends, 230-second ends;

300-first mounting plate, 310-plate body, 320-first projection, 330-second projection;

400-mechanical arm, 410-through hole;

500-adjusting mechanism, 510-power plant, 511-output shaft, 512-housing, 513-first connection;

600-rotating shaft;

700-second mounting plate, 710-mounting slot, 720-second connector;

810-control device, 820-adapter block, 821-connecting hole, 830-detecting piece.

Detailed Description

For the purposes of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue burden from the present disclosure, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The transmission device disclosed in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings by means of specific embodiments and application scenarios thereof.

Referring to fig. 1-7, a transmission device is disclosed, the disclosed transmission device includes a carrier 200, a first mounting plate 300, a robotic arm 400, and an adjustment mechanism 500.

The transfer device disclosed herein is used in a semiconductor processing apparatus to transfer a wafer 110 from a transfer chamber 120 to a process chamber 130, the transfer chamber 120 being the chamber in which the transfer device is disposed, and the process chamber 130 being the chamber in which the wafer 110 is processed in the semiconductor processing apparatus.

The carrier 200 is used for carrying the wafer 110, that is, the wafer 110 may be placed on the carrier 200, and the wafer 110 is transported into the process chamber 130 by the movement of the carrier 200, and the carrier 200 may be a mechanical finger disposed on a conveying device, that is, the carrier 200 is a component for gripping the wafer 110.

The carrier 200 is disposed on the first mounting plate 300, the first mounting plate 300 is rotatably disposed on the mechanical arm 400, that is, the mechanical arm 400 is a basic component of the transmission device, and the mechanical arm 400 can provide a mounting base for other components of the transmission device, and the carrier 200 can rotate with the first mounting plate 300 relative to the mechanical arm 400, so that the wafer 110 on the carrier 200 rotates, and the wafer 110 is kept in a horizontal state.

The adjusting mechanism 500 has an adjusting function, and the adjusting mechanism 500 can drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate relative to the mechanical arm 400, because the adjusting mechanism 500 can drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate at any time, please refer to fig. 2 (the dashed line is the carrier 200 in the normal state), the carrier 200 in the sagging state can rotate at any time, and further the wafer 110 on the carrier 200 can also rotate at any time until the wafer 110 is in the horizontal state, at this time, it can be ensured that the wafer 110 can enter the process chamber 130 horizontally, that is, other components in the process chamber 130 do not affect the normal transportation and installation of the wafer 110.

In this application, since the first mounting plate 300 is rotatably disposed on the mechanical arm 400, and the adjusting mechanism 500 can drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate relative to the mechanical arm 400, the carrier 200 and the wafer 110 on the carrier 200 can be driven to rotate until the wafer 110 is horizontally disposed in the process of rotating the first mounting plate 300, and at this time, the carrier 200 can horizontally transport the wafer 110 into the process chamber 130. Therefore, even if the transfer distance of the transfer device is increased or the mass of the wafer 110 is increased, the sagging amount of the carrier 200 is increased, but the adjusting mechanism 500 can drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate at any time, so that the wafer 110 can be always horizontally introduced into the process chamber 130. Therefore, the transfer device disclosed in the present application can solve the problem that the transfer device related to the related art cannot horizontally transport the wafer 110 into the process chamber 130.

Alternatively, the first mounting plate 300 and the robot 400 may be arranged horizontally, and the adjustment mechanism 500 may extend with respect to the robot 400 to be connected with the first mounting plate 300 to drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate with respect to the robot 400.

In another embodiment, referring to fig. 3, the first mounting plate 300 includes a plate body 310 and a first protrusion 320 and a second protrusion 330 protruding from the plate body 310 along a vertical direction, wherein the plate body 310 is disposed between the first protrusion 320 and the second protrusion 330, that is, the first protrusion 320 and the second protrusion 330 are disposed at two opposite sides of the plate body 310, and at least a portion of the plate body 310 is overlapped with the mechanical arm 400 along the vertical direction, so that at least a portion of the mechanical arm 400 is located between the first protrusion 320 and the second protrusion 330, and at this time, the mechanical arm 400 may be rotatably connected to the first protrusion 320 and the second protrusion 330 through a rotation shaft 600, respectively, so that the first mounting plate 300 is rotatably connected to the mechanical arm 400 through the rotation shaft 600. In this embodiment, since the first mounting plate 300 is rotatably connected to the mechanical arm 400 through the first protrusion 320 and the second protrusion 330, there are more connection points between the first mounting plate 300 and the mechanical arm 400, so that the connection therebetween is more stable.

Alternatively, the mechanical arm 400 may be rotatably connected to the first protrusion 320 and the second protrusion 330 through the same rotation shaft 600, or the mechanical arm 400 may be rotatably connected to the first protrusion 320 and the second protrusion 330 through different rotation shafts 600, that is, at this time, the transmission device includes at least two rotation shafts 600, the mechanical arm 400 and the first protrusion 320 may be rotatably connected through one rotation shaft 600 of the at least two rotation shafts 600, the mechanical arm 400 and the second protrusion 330 may be rotatably connected through the other rotation shaft 600 of the at least two rotation shafts 600, and the axes of the at least two rotation shafts 600 coincide. Of course, the number of the rotating shafts 600 is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application, as long as the first mounting plate 300 can be rotatably provided to the mechanical arm 400 through the rotating shafts 600.

Alternatively, the rotating shaft 600 may be a pin, and the pin may be in interference fit with the first protruding portion 320 and the second protruding portion 330, and the pin may be in clearance fit with the mechanical arm 400, or the pin may be in clearance fit with the first protruding portion 320 and the second protruding portion 330, and the pin may be in interference fit with the mechanical arm 400, so that the first mounting plate 300 may be guaranteed to be rotatably disposed on the mechanical arm 400.

Alternatively, the adjustment mechanism 500 may be a manual adjustment mechanism, i.e., the operator drives the first mounting plate 300 to rotate relative to the robotic arm 400 by manual adjustment, e.g., the adjustment mechanism 500 may be a screw.

In another embodiment, at least part of the adjusting mechanism 500 is disposed on a side of the mechanical arm 400 away from the first mounting plate 300, the adjusting mechanism 500 includes a power device 510, i.e. the adjusting mechanism 500 is an automatic adjusting device, the mechanical arm 400 is provided with a through hole 410, and an output shaft 511 of the power device 510 passes through the through hole 410 and is connected with the first mounting plate 300, i.e. the output shaft 511 can provide power to drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate relative to the mechanical arm 400. In this embodiment, since the adjusting mechanism 500 can automatically drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate relative to the mechanical arm 400, the wafer 110 can be adjusted to a horizontal state faster and more accurately, that is, the adjusting efficiency and the adjusting precision of the present application can be higher through the power device 510.

Alternatively, the power device 510 may be a linear motor, and the output shaft 511 may extend out of a housing of the linear motor, that is, a housing 512 described later, to push the first mounting plate 300 to rotate relative to the mechanical arm 400, where the output shaft 511 may be in abutting contact with the first mounting plate 300, or the output shaft 511 may be connected to the first mounting plate 300 by other components to provide driving force for the first mounting plate 300.

Alternatively, the power device 510 may include a housing 512, the housing 512 may be non-detachably disposed on the mechanical arm 400, for example, the housing 512 may be welded on the mechanical arm 400, and the output shaft 511 may be movably disposed on the housing 512, that is, the output shaft 511 may extend out of the housing 512 to push the first mounting plate 300 to rotate to different degrees.

In another embodiment, the housing 512 is detachably disposed on the mechanical arm 400 through the first connecting piece 513, that is, the power device 510 is detachably disposed on the mechanical arm 400, so that the power device 510 can be easily maintained or replaced by an operator. Alternatively, the first connection 513 may be a threaded connection.

Alternatively, the carrier 200 may be provided only on the first mounting plate 300, that is, in the vertical direction, the carrier 200 is overlapped with the first mounting plate 300, and the carrier 200 and the first mounting plate 300 may be detachably connected by a screw connection.

In another embodiment, the transfer device may further include a second mounting plate 700, at least a portion of the first mounting plate 300 is overlapped with the second mounting plate 700 in the vertical direction, and a portion of the carrier 200 is disposed between the first mounting plate 300 and the second mounting plate 700, and the first mounting plate 300 and the second mounting plate 700 may be detachably connected by the second connection member 720, or the first mounting plate 300, the carrier 200, and the second mounting plate 700 may be detachably connected by the second connection member 720. Alternatively, the second connector 720 may be a threaded connector.

In this embodiment, since the portion of the carrier 200 is disposed between the first and second mounting plates 300 and 700, the portion of the carrier 200 may be wrapped by the first and second mounting plates 300 and 700 so that the first and second mounting plates 300 and 700 may collectively protect the portion of the carrier 200, and at the same time, the carrier 200 may be subjected to a supporting force provided by the first and second mounting plates 300 and 700 in a vertical direction, which may allow the carrier 200 to support the wafer 110 more stably.

Alternatively, the first mounting plate 300, the carrier 200, and the second mounting plate 700 may be stacked in order in the vertical direction, i.e., there is a gap between the first mounting plate 300 and the second mounting plate 700 for disposing the carrier 200.

In another embodiment, the first mounting plate 300 and the second mounting plate 700 may be attached in a vertical direction, i.e., there is no gap between the first mounting plate 300 and the second mounting plate 700, and at least one of the first mounting plate 300 and the second mounting plate 700 is provided with a mounting groove 710, and a portion of the carrier 200 is provided in the mounting groove 710, which reduces the overall size of the first mounting plate 300, the carrier 200, and the second mounting plate 700 in the vertical direction, while more portions of the carrier 200 are wrapped by the first mounting plate 300 and the second mounting plate 700, so that more portions of the carrier 200 are protected, and at the same time, the carrier 200 may be subjected to a larger supporting force provided by the first mounting plate 300 and the second mounting plate 700 in the vertical direction, which allows the carrier 200 to more stably support the wafer 110.

Optionally, the present application also discloses a semiconductor processing apparatus for processing a wafer 110, the semiconductor processing apparatus including a transfer chamber 120, a process chamber 130, and a transfer device as described above, the transfer device being movably disposed in the transfer chamber 120, i.e., at least a portion of the transfer device is movable within the transfer chamber 120, and the transfer device is configured to transport the wafer 110 into the process chamber 130.

Optionally, the semiconductor processing apparatus may further include a transfer block 820, the transfer block 820 communicating the transfer chamber 120 and the process chamber 130, i.e., the transfer block 820 is disposed between the transfer chamber 120 and the process chamber 130, and the transfer block 820 may be disposed on the outer shell of the transfer chamber 120 and the outer shell of the process chamber 130 by a screw connection, the transfer block 820 having an inner cavity 821, the inner cavity 821 communicating with the transfer chamber 120 and the process chamber 130, at which time the carrier 200 may be sequentially moved from the transfer chamber 120 and the inner cavity 821 into the process chamber 130 to transport the wafer 110 from the transfer chamber 120 to the process chamber 130.

When the wafer 110 is transported into the inner cavity 821, an operator can obtain the sagging degree of the carrier 200 through an observation mode, at this time, the adjusting mechanism 500 can drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate, when the wafer 110 on the carrier 200 is observed to be restored to a horizontal state, the adjusting mechanism 500 can stop driving the first mounting plate 300 to rotate, that is, the adjusting mechanism 500 stops working, at this time, the conveying device can transport the wafer 110 kept in the horizontal state into the process chamber 130.

In another embodiment, referring to fig. 4, the semiconductor processing apparatus may further include a control device 810 and a detecting member 830 disposed on the adapter block 820, specifically, the adapter block 820 is provided with a detecting hole, the detecting hole is communicated with the inner cavity 821, the detecting member 830 is disposed on the detecting hole through a threaded connection, the detecting member 830 can detect the sagging amount of the carrier 200, that is, the detecting member 830 can automatically detect the sagging degree of the carrier 200, and the control device 810 can drive the adjusting mechanism 500 to work according to the sagging amount, that is, the adjusting mechanism 500 can receive a signal fed back by the control device 810 to drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate. It is understood that in this embodiment, the detection efficiency and the detection accuracy can be improved by the detection member 830, and the adjustment efficiency can be improved by the control device 810, which can reduce the workload of the operator to some extent.

Alternatively, the control device 810 may drive the adjusting mechanism 500 according to the sagging amount, specifically, the control device 810 may drive the output shaft 511 to extend a certain distance according to the sagging amount, specifically, referring to fig. 7, the control device 810 may calculate the extending amount L4 of the output shaft 511 required to extend by the following formula, that is, the extending amount L4 satisfies the following relationship:

L4＝(L3/L2)*L1；

wherein L1 represents the distance between the rotating shaft 600 and the output shaft 511, L2 represents the distance between the rotating shaft 600 and the first end 220, L3 represents the sagging amount of the carrier 200 detected by the detecting member 830, and L1 and L2 may be stored in the control device 810 in advance, when the sagging amount L3 is fed back to the control device 810 by the detecting member 830, the control device 810 can calculate the stretching amount L4 of the output shaft 511 required to stretch out through the above formula, at this time, the control device 810 controls the output shaft 511 to stretch out, so as to drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate, and further drive the carrier 200 to rotate, and further drive the wafer 110 to recover to the horizontal state.

Alternatively, the detecting member 830 may obtain the sagging amount of the carrier 200 by integrally analyzing the carrier 200.

In another embodiment, to avoid the detection of the detecting member 830 from being adversely disturbed and reduce the detection error of the detecting member 830, the carrier 200 may be provided with a marking portion 210, and the detecting member 830 may detect the sagging amount through the marking portion 210, that is, the detecting member 830 may obtain the sagging amount only by locally analyzing the carrier 200, which makes the detecting member 830 less adversely disturbed and less prone to detection error.

Alternatively, in this embodiment, the detecting element 830 may be a CCD (Charged Coupled Device ) image sensor, and the detecting element 830 may be provided with a coordinate system, and since the CCD image sensor may receive the reflected light of the object and convert the reflected light into an electrical signal, and then acquire the size and position information of the object by processing the electrical signal, the detecting element 830 may calculate the coordinate value of the identifying portion 210 in the coordinate system after acquiring the image of the identifying portion 210, the ordinate of the coordinate value is the value of the sagging amount, and the detecting element 830 may feed back the sagging amount to the control device 810 in real time, and the control device 810 may drive the adjusting mechanism 500 according to the sagging amount to rotate the first mounting board 300. Therefore, the automatic adjusting device has automatic adjusting capability, manual operation is not needed, and the workload of operators can be reduced.

Alternatively, the detecting member 830 may not have a coordinate system, at this time, in a direction in which the detecting member 830 receives the reflected light of the identifier 210, that is, in a detecting direction of the detecting member 830, a coordinate system may be disposed on an inner wall of the adapter block 820, the detecting member 830 may directly obtain the sagging amount of the carrier 200 by comparing the position of the identifier 210 with the coordinate system on the inner wall of the adapter block 820, at this time, the detecting member 830 may feed back the sagging amount to the control device 810 in real time, and the control device 810 may operate according to the sagging amount to drive the adjusting mechanism 500 to drive the first mounting plate 300 to rotate.

Alternatively, the carrier 200 has a first end 220 and a second end 230 disposed opposite to each other, where the first end 220 is configured to carry the wafer 110, i.e., the wafer 110 is disposed closer to the first end 220, the second end 230 is disposed on the first mounting plate 300, and the identifier 210 may be disposed at a position away from the first end 220.

In another embodiment, the identification portion 210 may be disposed at the first end 220, that is, the identification portion 210 is disposed near the wafer 110, and the identification portion 210 faces the detecting member 830, so that the detecting member 830 obtains the reflected light of the identification portion 210. In this embodiment, since the first end 220 is used for carrying the wafer 110, the sagging degree of the first end 220 is the greatest, that is, the sagging state is the most obvious, and the detecting member 830 is easier to detect, so that the sagging amount of the carrier 200 is easier to obtain.

In the embodiments described above, the differences between the embodiments are mainly described, and as long as there is no contradiction between the different optimization features between the embodiments, the different optimization features may be combined to form a better embodiment, and in consideration of brevity of line text, the description is omitted here.

The foregoing is merely exemplary of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may be made to the present application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. which are within the spirit and principles of the present application are intended to be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. A transfer device for a semiconductor processing apparatus for transporting a wafer (110) from a transfer chamber (120) to a processing chamber (130), the transfer device comprising a carrier (200), a first mounting plate (300), a robot arm (400) and an adjustment mechanism (500), the carrier (200) being provided to the first mounting plate (300), the carrier (200) being adapted to carry the wafer (110), the first mounting plate (300) being rotatably provided to the robot arm (400), and the adjustment mechanism (500) being adapted to drive the first mounting plate (300) to rotate relative to the robot arm (400).

2. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the first mounting plate (300) includes a plate body (310) and first and second protruding portions (320, 330) protruding from the plate body (310) in a vertical direction, the plate body (310) is disposed between the first and second protruding portions (320, 330), at least a portion of the plate body (310) overlaps the robot arm (400) in the vertical direction, and the robot arm (400) is rotatably connected to the first and second protruding portions (320, 330) through rotation shafts (600), respectively.

3. The transmission device according to claim 2, wherein at least part of the adjusting mechanism (500) is disposed on a side of the mechanical arm (400) facing away from the first mounting plate (300), the adjusting mechanism (500) includes a power device (510), the mechanical arm (400) is provided with a through hole (410), and an output shaft (511) of the power device (510) passes through the through hole (410) and is connected with the first mounting plate (300).

4. A transmission according to claim 3, characterized in that the power device (510) comprises a housing (512), the housing (512) being detachably arranged to the robot arm (400) by means of a first connection (513), the output shaft (511) being movably arranged to the housing (512).

5. The transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising a second mounting plate (700), wherein at least part of the first mounting plate (300) overlaps the second mounting plate (700) in a vertical direction, and wherein part of the carrier (200) is provided between the first mounting plate (300) and the second mounting plate (700).

6. The transfer device according to claim 5, wherein the first mounting plate (300) and the second mounting plate (700) are attached to each other in a vertical direction, and at least one of the first mounting plate (300) and the second mounting plate (700) is provided with a mounting groove (710), and a portion of the carrier (200) is provided in the mounting groove (710).

7. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a transfer chamber (120), a process chamber (130), and a transfer device according to any of claims 1-6, the transfer device being movably arranged in the transfer chamber (120) and the transfer device being adapted to transport the wafer (110) to the process chamber (130).

8. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a control device (810), an adapter block (820) and a detector (830) provided to the adapter block (820), the adapter block (820) communicating the transfer chamber (120) and the process chamber (130), the carrier (200) being sequentially movable from the transfer chamber (120) and the adapter block (820) to the process chamber (130);

the detecting piece (830) can detect the sagging amount of the bearing piece (200), and the control device (810) can drive the adjusting mechanism (500) to work according to the sagging amount so as to drive the first mounting plate (300) to rotate.

9. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the carrier (200) is provided with a marking (210), and the detecting member (830) can detect the sagging amount through the marking (210).

10. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the carrier (200) has a first end (220) and a second end (230) disposed opposite each other, the first end (220) is configured to carry the wafer (110), the second end (230) is disposed on the first mounting plate (300), the identification portion (210) is disposed on the first end (220), and the identification portion (210) faces the detecting member (830).