KR20210117444A - Anti-slip pad removing surface charge and wafer popping problem for semiconductor wafer transfer robot arm - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a non-slip pad mounted on a robot arm for wafer transfer comprises: a base unit mounted on the upper surface of a blade of the robot arm; and a pattern unit formed on the upper surface of the base unit and including one or more fine patterns, wherein the pattern unit includes a conductive layer unit formed on the upper surface of the pattern unit and having conductivity to be in electrical contact with the wafer. The process stability can be ensured by neutralizing charges accumulated on surfaces of the wafer and the non-slip pad, preventing the excessive mounting force due to electrostatic attraction between the wafer and the non-slip pad, and facilitating the unloading of the wafer.

Description

Anti-slip pad for semiconductor wafer transfer that removes surface charge to remove popping phenomenon {ANTI-SLIP PAD REMOVING SURFACE CHARGE AND WAFER POPPING PROBLEM FOR SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER TRANSFER ROBOT ARM}

The present invention relates to an electrostatic force generated by the surface charge of an anti-skid pad mounted on a transfer robot arm during wafer unloading during semiconductor wafer transfer so that the wafer does not easily fall from the robot arm or in the process of unreasonably unloading. It relates to an anti-skid pad for solving the problem of wafer breakage from equipment.

In general, a semiconductor device is manufactured by forming a multilayer film according to a desired circuit pattern on a single crystal silicon wafer. To this end, a plurality of unit processes, such as a deposition process, a photolithography process, an oxidation process, an etching process, an ion implantation process, and a metal wiring process, are repeatedly performed according to the steps.

In order for each of these unit processes to proceed according to the procedure, after each process is completed, the wafer is moved to the equipment to be subjected to the subsequent process. At this time, the wafers may be individually transferred, or a plurality of wafers may be loaded and transferred in equipment such as a cassette.

In a process of loading or transferring a plurality of wafers loaded in a cassette to a specific equipment one by one, a wafer transfer robot may be generally used.

A conventional wafer transfer robot has a blade that directly handles the wafer, and an anti-skid pad is attached to the blade to prevent the wafer from slipping. The wafer is in direct contact with these anti-skid pads. Since the anti-slip pad is generally formed of a rubber material, it has insulating properties. In the non-slip pad having such insulating properties, electric charges may be aggregated on the surface during the transfer process, and when the wafer is seated on the blade, electrostatic attraction is generated due to the surface charge, which may cause excessive mounting force. In this case, the wafer may not be easily separated in the unloading process of separating the wafer from the blade, or the wafer may be separated from the equipment or damaged in the process of separating it by applying excessive force.

As a related prior art, there is Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0055010 (title of the invention: wafer transfer robot and control method thereof), and the like.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an anti-skid pad for a wafer transfer robot to solve the problem that the wafer is not easily separated from the blade due to the surface charge of the anti-skid pad during the semiconductor manufacturing process, or the wafer is separated from the equipment or damaged during the separation process. provides

The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the problem(s) mentioned above, and another problem(s) not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The anti-skid pad according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base portion mounted on the upper surface of the blade and a pattern portion formed on the upper surface of the base portion and including one or more fine patterns, and the pattern portion is formed on the upper surface of the wafer and It may include a conductive layer portion having conductivity so as to be in electrical contact.

In addition, the non-slip pad according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a conductive part electrically connecting the conductive layer part and the wafer.

In addition, the anti-slip pad according to an embodiment of the present invention further comprises an adhesive layer for adhesion to the upper surface of the blade on the lower surface of the base part, and a conductive part electrically connecting the conductive layer part and the adhesive layer, the adhesive layer may have conductivity so as to be electrically connected to the wafer.

In addition, in the anti-slip pad according to the embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the conductive layer portion may be 5 nm to 200 μm.

In addition, in the non-slip pad according to the embodiment of the present invention, the conducting portion may be formed to surround the side surface of the base portion.

In addition, in the non-slip pad according to the embodiment of the present invention, the conductive layer portion is graphene, carbon nano tube (CNT), C60, C540, C70, amorphous carbon, graphite, polyacetylene, poly thiophene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polypphenylene, polyphenylene vinylene, polyparaphenylene sulphide ), poly p phenylene vinylene, poly iso thianaphthene, or poly thienylene vinylene.

In addition, in the non-slip pad according to the embodiment of the present invention, the conducting portion is graphene, carbon nano tube (CNT), C60, C540, C70, amorphous carbon, graphite, polyacetylene, poly thiophene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polypphenylene, polyphenylene vinylene, polyparaphenylene sulphide ), poly p phenylene vinylene, poly iso thianaphthene, or poly thienylene vinylene.

In addition, in the anti-skid pad according to an embodiment of the present invention, the one or more fine patterns are formed in a columnar shape, the cross-sectional shape of the column is a polygon, a circle, or an ellipse, and the height of the column is 10 nm to 1000 μm, and the The diameter of the pillar may be 10 nm to 1000 μm.

In addition, in the anti-skid pad according to an embodiment of the present invention, the one or more fine patterns are formed in the shape of a groove, the cross-sectional shape of the groove is a polygon, a circle, or an ellipse, and the depth of the groove is 10 nm to 1000 μm, The diameter of the groove may be 10 nm to 1000 μm.

In addition, in the anti-skid pad according to an embodiment of the present invention, a mounting force by a Van der Waals force may be generated between the lower surface of the wafer and the upper surface of the pattern part.

In addition, in the anti-slip pad according to an embodiment of the present invention, the base part and the pattern part are elastic polymer (elastomer), silicone-based elastomer (Si based elastomer), fluoroelastomer (FKM, fluoroelastomer), perfluoroelastomer ( FFKM, perfluoroelastomer) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface of the anti-skid pad in contact with the wafer is formed as a conductive layer, and a conductive part is formed so that the conductive layer and the blade can be electrically connected, so that surface charges aggregated on the surface of the anti-slip pad. By grounding the wafer with the blade, the wafer is prevented from being mounted on the anti-skid pad with excessive mounting force by the surface charge, thereby preventing the wafer from being damaged and improving process stability.

1 is a schematic diagram of a wafer transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the blade shown in FIG. 1 .
3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of an anti-slip pad according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining an anti-slip pad including a conductive layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 to 8 are views for explaining an anti-slip pad including a conductive part according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view for explaining an anti-slip pad including an adhesive layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Advantages and/or features of the present invention, and methods of achieving them, will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of a wafer transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the wafer transfer robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is for transferring, for example, a wafer whose process is completed to the next process or to a loading space such as a cassette, schematically may include a robot body 110 and a multi-joint type robot arm 120 mounted on the upper portion of the robot body 110 .

A wheel (not shown) is provided at the lower end of the robot body 110 , so that the robot body 110 can move. As shown in FIG. 1 , the robot arm 120 may include a plurality of arms 121 , 123 , and 125 . In this embodiment, the first arm 121 , the second arm 123 and the second arm 120 . It may include three arms 125 .

The first arm 121 and the robot body 110 are coupled by a shaft 111 to rotate the first arm 121 about the shaft 111 , and also the first arm 121 and the second arm 121 . The arm 123 and the second arm 123 and the third arm 125 are also coupled by a shaft so that each of the arms 121 , 123 , and 125 can be rotated in a desired direction.

Accordingly, the blade 130 mounted on the third arm 125 may be moved to a desired position by the respective operations of the arms 121 , 123 , and 125 . In particular, in the case of the shaft 111 connecting the robot body 110 and the first arm 121 , the shaft 111 can be lifted and lowered, thereby performing an operation of loading or unloading a wafer on the blade 130 . .

The blade 130 may be coupled to the arm mounting member 127 coupled to the third arm 125 to enable rotation. As shown in FIG. 2 , a screw hole 133 is formed in the blade 130 , and a hole (not shown) to which a screw can be coupled is also formed in the arm mounting member 127 correspondingly to the blade 130 . It is coupled to the arm mounting member 127 and may be easily separated as needed.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the blade shown in FIG. 1 .

2, the blade 130 according to this embodiment includes a blade body 131 for mounting a wafer, and a plurality of anti-skid pads mounted on the upper surface of the blade body 131 to support one surface of the wafer ( 140) may be included.

The blade body 131 according to the present embodiment may include two blade tips 135 . The two blade tips 135 are provided in an arc shape as a whole so that a wafer can be supported thereon. The blade body 131 may also be provided with a circular blade tip (not shown).

An anti-skid pad 140 may be mounted on this blade tip 135 , as shown in FIG. 2 , it is mounted in a region connecting each end of the blade tips 135 and the blade tip 135 , and thus the wafer can be uniformly supported. However, the arrangement structure of the anti-slip pad 140 is not limited thereto, and it is obvious that it may be mounted at another position if it is suitable to support the wafer. The anti-slip pad 140 may include an adhesive layer (not shown) on its lower surface, and may be mounted on the blade body 131 through the adhesive layer.

3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the anti-slip pad 140 shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the anti-slip pad 140 may include a base part 141 and a pattern part 143 . The base part 141 is formed to support the pattern part 143 , and the pattern part 143 may include one or more pillars or protrusions 1431 . One or more pillars or projections 1431 may be formed to extend vertically with respect to the upper surface of the base portion 141, but is not limited thereto and may be formed at a predetermined angle rather than vertical, and each pillar or projection ( The angles 1431 make with the upper surface of the base part 141 may not be the same.

Although one or more pillars or protrusions 1431 are described as an example that they are formed in a straight line, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed in a curved shape.

One or more pillars or protrusions 1431 are disposed to be spaced apart, and the distance may be the same or different. The one or more pillars or protrusions 1431 may be formed in a cylindrical shape, but are not limited thereto, and may be formed in various cross-sectional shapes such as polygons, such as triangles, quadrilaterals, or pentagons, or ovals, in cross-section. The upper end of the one or more pillars or protrusions 1431 may be flat, but may also be formed in a rounded shape.

One or more pillars or protrusions 1431 may be formed to have a height of 10 nm to 1000 μm, and each of the pillars or protrusions 1431 may be formed to have the same height, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed to have different heights.

One or more pillars or protrusions 1431 may be formed with a diameter or thickness of 10 nm to 1000 μm, and each of the pillars or protrusions 1431 may be formed with the same diameter or thickness, but is not limited thereto, but different diameters or thicknesses. may be formed as

Referring to FIG. 4 , in the anti-slip pad, the pattern part 143 may include one or more grooves or holes 1433 . One or more grooves or holes 1433 may be formed to vertically extend downwardly toward the upper surface of the base portion 141 , but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed at a predetermined angle rather than vertical. The angles 1433 make with the upper surface of the base part 141 may not be the same.

Although one or more grooves or holes 1433 are described as an example in which they are formed in a straight line, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed in a curved shape.

The one or more grooves or holes 1433 are disposed to be spaced apart, and the spacing distance may be the same or different. The one or more grooves or holes 1433 may be formed in a circular cross-section, but the cross-section is not limited thereto, and the cross-section may be formed in various cross-sectional shapes such as a polygonal shape such as a triangle, a square, or a pentagon, or an oval shape. The bottom of the one or more grooves or holes 1433 may be flat or may be formed in a rounded shape.

One or more grooves or holes 1433 may be formed to a depth of 10 nm to 1000 μm, and each of the grooves or holes 1433 may be formed to have the same depth, but is not limited thereto and may be formed to have different depths.

The one or more grooves or holes 1433 may be formed to have a width of 10 nm to 1000 μm, and each of the grooves or holes 1433 may be formed to have the same width, but is not limited thereto and may be formed to have different widths.

The base portion 141 and the pattern portion 143 may be integrally formed at the same time, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed sequentially or separately formed and then combined. When the base part 141 and the pattern part 143 are integrally formed, they may be integrally formed using a pre-fabricated mold. The base part 141 and the pattern part 143 may be formed of the same material. The base portion 141 and the pattern portion 143 may be formed of a polymer material, or may be formed by mixing a polymer material with a carbon-based material such as graphene and carbon nanotubes. The base portion 141 and the pattern portion 143 may include an elastic polymer (elastomer), a silicone-based elastomer (Si based elastomer), a fluoroelastomer (FKM, fluoroelastomer), a perfluoroelastomer (FFKM, perfluoroelastomer), or polytetrafluoro It may be formed of ethylene (PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene).

The pattern portion 143 provides high frictional force in response to the normal force caused by gravity of the wafer, thereby enhancing the mounting force at which the wafer is mounted on the blade tip 135 . Also, an attractive force by a Van der Waals force may be generated between the upper surface of the pattern part 143 and the lower surface of the wafer.

5 is a view for explaining an anti-slip pad including a conductive layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the non-slip pad may include a conductive layer portion 145 having conductivity on a surface portion contacting the wafer on an upper portion of the pattern portion 143 . Since the conductive layer part 145 has conductivity, it is electrically connected to the lower surface of the wafer loaded on the blade. The thickness of the conductive layer portion 145 may be 5 nm to 200 μm, and may have an overall uniform thickness, but is not limited thereto, and may have an irregular thickness. In FIG. 5 , a case in which the thickness of the conductive layer part 145 is smaller than the height of the pillar or protrusion is illustrated as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the thickness of the conductive layer part 145 may be greater than the height of the pillar or protrusion.

Although the case where the pattern part 143 includes the pillars or protrusions 1431 has been described as an example through FIG. 5 , the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is also applicable to the case where the pattern part 143 includes a groove or a hole. In this case, the thickness of the conductive layer portion may be smaller than the depth of the groove or hole, but is not limited thereto, and the thickness of the conductive layer portion may be greater than the depth of the groove or hole. In addition, the thickness of the conductive layer portion may be uniform as a whole, but is not limited thereto, and may be irregular depending on the shape of the pattern portion.

6 to 8 are diagrams for explaining an anti-slip pad including a conductive part 147 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

During a semiconductor device manufacturing process, when a positively or negatively charged wafer is loaded onto the non-slip pad, the non-slip pad generally formed of an insulator is polarized across the upper and lower portions. Charges of different polarities from the wafer are aggregated on the upper portion of the anti-skid pad adjacent to the wafer, that is, on the pattern portion, and electrostatic attraction acts between the wafer and the pattern portion due to charges of different polarities. Since the above electrostatic attraction generates an excessive mounting force between the wafer and the non-slip pad, an excessive force is required to separate the wafer from the blade during the unloading process. In this process, a popping phenomenon occurs in which the wafer bounces off the blade, and if it is excessive, a problem may occur in which the wafer is separated from the transfer equipment in the separation process and is damaged.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the non-slip pad may include a conductive part 147 electrically connecting the conductive layer part 145 and the wafer. Referring to FIG. 7 , during the loading process, the conductive part 147 is electrically connected to the wafer 150 through the conductive layer part 145 , and the charge aggregated on the wafer 150 and the charge aggregated on the top of the non-slip pad. They can be neutralized through an electrically grounded blade. As a result, by removing unnecessary electrostatic attraction generated between the wafer 150 and the non-slip pad 140 , the popping phenomenon occurring during the unloading process can be easily removed, thereby ensuring process stability.

The conductive part 147 may be formed to extend along the side surface of the base part 141 to be electrically connected to the blade 135 . Referring to FIG. 8 , the conductive part 147 may be formed to surround the side surface of the base part 141 , but may be formed to surround only some side surfaces of the base part 141 if the grounding is stably made.

The conductive layer portion 145 and the conducting portion 147 may be integrally formed, but is not limited thereto, and may be sequentially formed or separately formed and then electrically connected. The conductive layer part 145 and the conductive part 147 may be formed sequentially or integrally by injecting a raw material solution of the conductive layer part 145 or the conductive part 147 into a pre-fabricated mold.

The conductive layer portion 145 and the conductive portion 147 may be formed of conductive materials, and may include a carbon-based material or a conductive polymer, or may be formed by mixing them. The carbon-based material may include graphene, carbon nano tube (CNT), C60, C540, C70, amorphous carbon, or graphite. Conductive polymers include polyacetylene, polythiophene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polypphenylene, and polyphenylenevinylene. , poly p phenylene sulphide, poly p phenylene vinylene, poly iso thianaphthene or poly thienylene vinylene. can

9 is a view for explaining an anti-slip pad including an adhesive layer 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9 , the non-slip pad includes an adhesive layer 160 , and may be mounted on the blade 135 through the adhesive layer 160 . The conductive part 147 may be formed to be electrically connected to the conductive layer part 145 and extend to the adhesive layer 160 along the side of the base part, and the conductive part 147 may be formed to be electrically connected to the adhesive layer 160 . can That is, when the anti-slip pad is mounted on the blade through the adhesive layer 160 , an electrical path may be formed from the conductive layer part 160 to the blade 135 through the conductive part 147 and the adhesive layer 160 .

The adhesive layer 160 may be formed by including conductive materials, and may be formed by including a carbon-based material or a conductive polymer in materials having adhesive properties such as polyimide. The carbon-based material forms an electrical path of a network structure in the adhesive material, thereby forming an electrical path from the top to the bottom of the adhesive layer 160 . The carbon-based material may include graphene, carbon nano tube (CNT), C60, C540, C70, amorphous carbon, or graphite. Conductive polymers include polyacetylene, polythiophene, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polypphenylene, and polyphenylenevinylene. , poly p phenylene sulphide, poly p phenylene vinylene, poly iso thianaphthene or poly thienylene vinylene. can

When the wafer is loaded, in the same manner as in the principle according to FIG. 8 , the charges accumulated on the wafer and the non-slip pad are neutralized by being grounded to the blade 135 through the conductive layer part 145 , the conducting part 147 and the adhesive layer 160 . have. As a result, by removing unnecessary electrostatic attraction between the wafer and the non-slip pad, the popping phenomenon occurring in the wafer unloading process can be easily removed, thereby ensuring process stability.

Although specific embodiments according to the present invention have been described so far, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims described below as well as the claims and equivalents.

As described above, although the present invention has been described with reference to the limited examples and drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, which are various modifications and Transformation is possible. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the claims described below, and all equivalents or equivalent modifications thereof will fall within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

100: wafer transfer robot
110: robot body
111: shaft
120: robot arm
121: first arm
123: second arm
125: third arm
127: arm mounting member
130: blade
131: blade body
133: screw hole
135: blade tip
140: non-slip pad
141: base part
143: pattern part
1431: pillar or protuberance
1433: home or hole
145: conductive layer part
147: current unit
150: wafer
160: adhesive layer

Claims (11)

In the non-slip pad provided on the wafer transfer robot and mounted on a blade for loading and unloading wafers,
a base portion mounted on the upper surface of the blade; and
and a pattern part formed on the upper surface of the base part and including one or more fine patterns;
The anti-slip pad comprising a; conductive layer portion having conductivity so as to be in electrical contact with the wafer on the upper surface of the pattern portion.
According to claim 1,
The non-slip pad further comprising a; a conductive part electrically connecting the conductive layer part and the wafer.
According to claim 1,
an adhesive layer for adhesion to the upper surface of the blade on the lower surface of the base; and
Further comprising; a conductive part electrically connecting the conductive layer part and the adhesive layer;
The adhesive layer is an anti-skid pad, characterized in that it has conductivity to be electrically connected to the wafer.
According to claim 1,
The thickness of the conductive layer portion is an anti-slip pad, characterized in that 5nm to 200㎛.
4. The method of claim 2 or 3,
The non-slip pad, characterized in that the energizing portion surrounds a side surface of the base portion.
According to claim 1,
The conductive layer portion is graphene, carbon nano tube (CNT), C60, C540, C70, amorphous carbon, graphite, polyacetylene, polythiophene, polyaniline, Poly pyrrole, poly p phenylene, poly phenylene vinylene, poly p phenylene sulphide, poly p phenylene vinylene ), poly iso thianaphthene (poly iso thianaphthene), poly thienylene vinylene (poly thienylene vinylene), characterized in that it comprises one or more of the non-slip pad.
4. The method of claim 2 or 3,
The conductive part is graphene, CNT (carbon nano tube), C60, C540, C70, amorphous carbon, graphite, polyacetylene, polythiophene, polyaniline, Poly pyrrole, poly p phenylene, poly phenylene vinylene, poly p phenylene sulphide, poly p phenylene vinylene ), poly iso thianaphthene (poly iso thianaphthene), poly thienylene vinylene (poly thienylene vinylene), characterized in that it comprises one or more of the non-slip pad.
According to claim 1,
The one or more fine patterns are formed in a columnar shape,
The cross-sectional shape of the pillar is a polygon, a circle or an ellipse,
The height of the pillar is 10 nm to 1000 μm,
The non-slip pad, characterized in that the diameter of the pillar is 10㎚ to 1000㎛.
According to claim 1,
The one or more fine patterns are formed in a groove shape,
The cross-sectional shape of the groove is a polygon, a circle or an ellipse,
The depth of the groove is 10 nm to 1000 μm,
The non-slip pad, characterized in that the diameter of the groove is 10㎚ to 1000㎛.
According to claim 1,
An anti-skid pad, characterized in that a mounting force by a Van der Waals force is generated between the lower surface of the wafer and the upper surface of the pattern part.
According to claim 1,
The base part and the pattern part are elastic polymer (elastomer), silicone-based elastomer (Si based elastomer), fluoroelastomer (FKM, fluoroelastomer), perfluoroelastomer (FFKM, perfluoroelastomer) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene) ) Anti-slip pad, characterized in that formed of.

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