TWI683384B - Wafer drying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A wafer drying apparatus includes a platform, a holder and an air-blowing device. The holder is movably disposed on the platform. The holder is configured to carry a wafer. The holder includes a first carrying portion and a second carrying portion. There are plural first clamping blocks disposed on the first carrying portion. The second carrying portion is connected with the first carrying portion. There are plural second clamping blocks disposed on the second carrying portion. The first clamping blocks and the second clamping blocks are disposed between the first carrying portion and the second carrying portion, so as to form a distance between the first carrying portion and the second carrying portion. The air-blowing device is disposed on the platform and is configured to blow air to the holder.

Description

Wafer drying equipment

The present invention relates to a blow-drying device, and particularly to a wafer blow-drying device.

A common way of drying wafers is to place multiple wafers in a wafer dehydrator, and then operate the wafer dehydrator to rotate the wafers for dehydration and drying. However, the wafer dehydration machine is more suitable for dehydration of a larger number of wafers, and the dehydration time is longer. When it is necessary to dehydrate a small number of wafers, it is less economical and time-consuming to use a wafer dehydrator.

Another method of wafer drying is that the process personnel use an air gun to manually dry the wafers, but manually drying the wafers can not only ensure that the wafers are indeed dried, but also can not grasp the overall wafer drying time, and it is also easy There was a problem that the air gun nozzle touched the surface of the wafer and caused the product to be abnormal or broken.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer blow-drying device, which has the advantages of simplifying the wafer blow-drying step and increasing the wafer blow-drying efficiency.

According to the above object of the present invention, a wafer blow drying device is proposed Prepare. The wafer drying equipment includes a carrier, a carrier and an air blowing device. The carrier is movably arranged on the carrier. The carrier is configured to carry wafers. The carrying frame includes a first carrying portion and a second carrying portion. A plurality of first clamping blocks are provided on the first bearing part. The second bearing part and the first bearing part merge with each other. The second bearing part is provided with a plurality of second clamping blocks respectively corresponding to the first clamping blocks. The first clamping block and the second clamping block are located between the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion, so that a distance is formed between the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion. The air blowing device is provided on the carrier and is configured to blow air toward the carrier.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the first clamping blocks mentioned above is provided with a first protrusion on the first surface facing the corresponding second clamping block. Each second clamping block is provided with a second protrusion on the second surface facing the corresponding first clamping block. The first protrusion and the second protrusion contact the wafer, and the first surface and the second surface do not contact the wafer.

According to an embodiment of the invention, each of the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion includes a cylindrical structure, a circular arc structure, a pyramid structure, a truncated cone structure, or a plurality of thin column structures.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion has a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface. Wherein, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface jointly form an ridge line, and the ridge line contacts the wafer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion are ring-shaped, and the first clamping block and the second clamping block jointly clamp the peripheral edge of the wafer.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the above-mentioned blowing device includes a first blowing unit and a second blowing unit. First blowing unit and second blowing unit The elements are arranged oppositely along the moving direction perpendicular to the carrier and form a blowing channel. The carrier can move along the carrier and pass through the blowing channel, and the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit are configured to blow the opposite sides of the carrier respectively.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the blowing direction of each of the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit described above is inclined by 45 degrees to 60 degrees relative to the carrier.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned blowing device further includes a fixing frame, a first adjusting device and a second adjusting device. The fixing frame is arranged on one side of the carrier. The first adjusting device is disposed on the fixing frame and is configured to be connected to the first blowing unit to adjust the blowing direction of the first blowing unit. The second adjusting device is disposed on the fixing frame and is configured to be connected to the second blowing unit to adjust the blowing direction of the second blowing unit.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the above-mentioned air blowing device further includes a first baffle and a second baffle. The first baffle and the second baffle are respectively disposed in front of the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit.

According to an embodiment of the invention, one side of the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion are pivotally connected to each other, and the pivotal connection is connected to the rotary pneumatic cylinder.

It can be known from the above embodiments of the present invention that the wafer drying equipment of the present invention uses the carrier to hold the wafers and transport the wafers to the blowing device for drying, thus simplifying the drying process and time of the entire wafer. In addition, the wafer transfer speed can also be combined with the air volume and temperature of the air blowing device to control the process time of the overall wafer drying equipment.

On the other hand, the carrier of the present invention has the design of the first clamping block and the second clamping block. A gap is created between the second carrier and the air blowing device to expel the liquid on the surface of the wafer. In addition, the first clamping block and the second clamping block of the present invention can be further designed with protruding portions to reduce the contact area when the first clamping block and the second clamping block clamp the wafer, and to prevent liquid from remaining on the wafer and the clamping Between blocks.

100‧‧‧ Wafer Drying Equipment

200‧‧‧Carrier

300‧‧‧Carrier

310‧‧‧ First Carrying Department

311‧‧‧The first clamping block

311a‧‧‧First surface

311b‧‧‧First protrusion

311c‧‧‧First slope

311d‧‧‧Second slope

311e‧‧‧Edge

320‧‧‧Second Carrying Department

321‧‧‧Second clamping block

321a‧‧‧Second surface

321b‧‧‧Second protrusion

321c‧‧‧First slope

321d‧‧‧Second slope

321e‧‧‧Edge

400‧‧‧Blowing device

410‧‧‧First blow unit

420‧‧‧ Second blowing unit

430‧‧‧Fixing frame

440‧‧‧ First adjustment device

450‧‧‧Second adjustment device

460‧‧‧First baffle

470‧‧‧Second baffle

500‧‧‧ Transmission

510‧‧‧slide

520‧‧‧slider

530‧‧‧Servo motor

540‧‧‧rotary pneumatic cylinder

610‧‧‧The first clamping block

610a‧‧‧First surface

611‧‧‧The first protrusion

620‧‧‧Second clamping block

620a‧‧‧Second surface

621‧‧‧Second protruding part

710‧‧‧First clamping block

711‧‧‧First protrusion

720‧‧‧Second clamping block

721‧‧‧Second protrusion

810‧‧‧The first clamping block

811‧‧‧First protrusion

820‧‧‧Second clamping block

821‧‧‧Second protrusion

910‧‧‧The first clamping block

911‧‧‧First protrusion

920‧‧‧Second clamping block

921‧‧‧Second protruding part

G1‧‧‧spacing

S1‧‧‧Upload side

S2‧‧‧Unloading side

W‧‧‧ Wafer

For a more complete understanding of the embodiment and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: [FIG. 1] is a schematic diagram of a device for drying a wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [FIG. 2] is a schematic side view of a wafer drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [FIG. 3] is a schematic view of an open state of a carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention; [FIG. 4] It is a schematic diagram showing the merged state of a carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention; and [FIG. 5A] to [FIG. 5D] are diagrams showing clips with different structural designs according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic.

Directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as "X direction", "Y direction", "Z direction", "upper surface" or "lower surface", etc., refer only to the directions of the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are Rather than limiting the invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 at the same time, which are respectively a schematic diagram and a side schematic diagram of a wafer drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wafer drying apparatus 100 of this embodiment mainly includes a carrier 200, a carrier 300 and an air blowing device 400. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, opposite sides of the carrier 200 along the Y direction are respectively defined as an uploading side S1 and an unloading side S2. In this embodiment, the initial position of the carrier 300 is located on the carrier 200 near the upload side S1, and the air blowing device 400 is disposed between the upload side S1 and the unload side S2 of the carrier 200. Wherein, the carrier 300 is mainly configured to carry the wafer W, and is slidably disposed on the carrier 200, whereby the wafer W can be transported from the upload side S1 of the carrier 200 to the blowing device 400 to be dried, Then transport to the unloading side S2. In one embodiment, the carrier 300 slides on the carrier 200 through the transmission device 500. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transmission device 500 includes a slide rail 510, a slider 520, and a servo motor 530. The installation positions of the slide rail 510, the slider 520, and the servo motor 530 will be described later.

Please continue to refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. In a specific embodiment, the carrier 200 is a long slot body design or a general frame design. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper side of the carrier 200 is an open design and has an assembly space inside. In this embodiment, the slide rails 510 of the transmission device 500 are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the carrier 200 along the X direction, and the slide rails 510 extend along the Y direction. In this embodiment, two opposite sides of the carrier 300 are connected to the slider 520 respectively, and the slider 520 is disposed on the slide rail 510 of the carrier 200. The servo motor 530 is disposed on one side of the carrier 200, and can drive the slider 520 and the carrier 300 to slide on the slide rail 510.

Please also refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3, where Figure 3 shows the A schematic view of an open state of a carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the carrier 300 includes a first carrier 310 and a second carrier 320, wherein the first carrier 310 and the second carrier 320 can be combined with each other. In one embodiment, one side of the first bearing portion 310 and the second bearing portion 320 are pivotally connected to each other, and a rotary pneumatic cylinder 540 is connected to the pivotal connection, which can control the first bearing portion 310 to open relative to the second bearing portion 320 . As shown in FIG. 3, the first carrying portion 310 is provided with a plurality of first clamping blocks 311, and the second carrying portion 320 is provided with a plurality of second clamping blocks 321.

Please refer to FIG. 4 together, which shows a schematic diagram of a combined state of a carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the first clamping block 311 and the second clamping block 321 are located between the first bearing portion 310 and the second bearing portion 320, and the position and number of the second clamping block 321 are the same as those of the first clamping block 311. Position and quantity correspond to each other. Thereby, when the first bearing portion 310 and the second bearing portion 320 merge with each other, the first clamping block 311 and its corresponding second clamping block 321 can be engaged with each other, and the first bearing portion does not have a portion of the first clamping block 311 There is a gap G1 between the portion of the second bearing portion where the second clamping block 321 is not provided. Specifically, when the wafer W is placed on the carrier 300, the first clamping block 311 and the second clamping block 321 of the carrier 300 can clamp the wafer W together, and the gap G1 is provided on the surface of the wafer W The liquid drains through. In a specific embodiment, the shapes of the first bearing portion 310 and the second bearing portion 320 are circular, and the size is designed to correspond to the size of the wafer W to be dried, and the first bearing portion 310 and the second The carrier 320 collectively clamps the outer periphery of the wafer W.

Please refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 again. In an embodiment, in each first clamping block 311, the first clamping block 311 faces its corresponding second clamping block 321 has a first surface 311a, and a first protrusion 311b is provided on the first surface 311a. Similarly, in each second clamping block 321, the second clamping block 321 has a second surface 321a toward its corresponding first clamping block 311, and a second protrusion 321b is provided on the second surface 321a. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 311b and the second protrusion 321b are substantially pyramid-shaped. As shown in FIG. 3, the first protrusion 311b of the first clamping block 311 includes a first inclined surface 311c and a second inclined surface 311d, wherein the first inclined surface 311c and the second inclined surface 311d are connected to each other to form an ridge line 311e. Similarly, the second protrusion 321b of the second clamping block 321 includes a first inclined surface 321c and a second inclined surface 321d, wherein the first inclined surface 321c and the second inclined surface 321d are connected to each other to form an ridge line 321e. Thus, when the first clamping block 311 and the second clamping block 321 jointly clamp the wafer W as shown in FIG. 1, only the ridge line 311e of the first clamping block 311 and the ridge line 321e of the second clamping block 321 contact the crystal A circle W, and the first inclined surface 311c and the second inclined surface 311d of the first clamping block 311 and the first inclined surface 321c and the second inclined surface 321d of the second clamping block 321 do not contact the wafer W and a gap is formed between the wafer W To accelerate the discharge of liquid. It can be seen that the design of the first protruding portion 311b of the first clamping block 311 and the second protruding portion 321b of the second clamping block 321 can reduce the contact area with the wafer W, thereby preventing liquid from remaining on the wafer W's grip.

For clarity, the first clamping block and the second clamping block of the present invention also have different structural designs. Please refer to FIG. 5A, which is a schematic diagram of a clamping block with different structural designs according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the structures of the first clamping block 610 and the second clamping block 620 are substantially the same as the structures of the first clamping block 311 and the second clamping block 321 described above, the difference is only that the first clamping block 610 A protrusion 611 and the second protrusion on the second clamping block 620 The portion 621 has different shapes. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 611 and the second protrusion 621 have a cylindrical structure. As shown in FIG. 5A, the first protrusion 611 is disposed on the first surface 610a of the first clamping block 610 toward the second clamping block 620, and the second protrusion 621 is disposed on the second clamping block 620 toward the first clamping block 610 on the second surface 620a. Thereby, when the first clamping block 610 and the second clamping block 620 jointly clamp the wafer, only the first protruding portion 611 and the second protruding portion 621 respectively contact the surface of the wafer, and the first surface 610a and The second surface 620a does not contact the wafer, thereby reducing the contact area between the clamping block and the wafer, and preventing liquid from remaining between the clamping block and the wafer.

Please also refer to FIG. 5B. FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of clips having different structural designs according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the structures of the first clamping block 710 and the second clamping block 720 are substantially the same as the structures of the first clamping block 610 and the second clamping block 620 of FIG. 5A, the difference is only in the structure of the first clamping block 710 The first protrusion 711 and the second protrusion 721 on the second clamping block 720 have different shapes. In this embodiment, the first protruding portion 711 and the second protruding portion 721 respectively have a circular arc structure, which can also achieve the purpose of reducing the contact area between the clamping block and the wafer as described above.

Please also refer to FIG. 5C, which is a schematic diagram of a clamping block with different structural designs according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the structures of the first clamping block 810 and the second clamping block 820 are respectively substantially the same as the structures of the first clamping block 610 and the second clamping block 620 of FIG. 5A, the only difference is that the first clamping block 810 The first protrusion 811 and the second protrusion 821 on the second clamping block 820 have different shapes. In this embodiment, the first protruding portion 811 and the second protruding portion 821 respectively have a truncated cone structure, which can also achieve the reduction of the clamping block as described above The purpose of the contact area with the wafer.

Please also refer to FIG. 5D, which is a schematic diagram of a clamping block having different structural designs according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the structures of the first clamping block 910 and the second clamping block 920 are substantially the same as the structures of the first clamping block 610 and the second clamping block 620 of FIG. 5A, the difference is only in the first clamping block 910 The first protrusion 911 and the second protrusion 921 on the second clamping block 920 have different shapes. In this embodiment, the first protruding portion 911 and the second protruding portion 921 are respectively a plurality of thin pillar structures, which can also achieve the purpose of reducing the contact area between the clamping block and the wafer as described above.

1 and FIG. 2 again, the blowing device 400 is disposed between the loading side S1 and the unloading side S2 on the carrier 200, and when the carrier 300 carries the wafer W to the front of the blowing device 400, blowing The device 400 may blow air toward the carrier 300 to dry the wafer W. In some embodiments, the blowing device 400 includes a first blowing unit 410 and a second blowing unit 420, and the first blowing unit 410 and the second blowing unit 420 are along a movement direction perpendicular to the carrier 300 Relative settings. Specifically, the first blowing unit 410 and the second blowing unit 420 may be oppositely arranged along the Z-axis direction. In one embodiment, the first blowing unit 410 is located above the carrier 200, and the second blowing unit 420 is located in the mounting space of the carrier 200, and a certain distance is maintained between the two to form a blowing channel. Thereby, the carrier 300 can move along the carrier 200 and pass through the blowing channel, so that the first blowing unit 410 and the second blowing unit 420 respectively face the opposite sides of the wafer W on the carrier 300 ( For example, the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W) are blown.

1 and 2 again, the first blowing unit 410 and the first The blowing direction of the second blowing unit 420 is inclined by 40 degrees to 60 degrees relative to the carrier 200. Specifically, the air blowing device 400 further includes a fixing frame 430, a first adjusting device 440 and a second adjusting device 450. The fixing frame 430 is disposed on at least one side of the carrier 200. The first adjusting device 440 is disposed on the fixing frame 430 and connected to the first blowing unit 410, and is configured for an operator to adjust the blowing direction of the first blowing unit 410. The second adjusting device 450 is disposed on the fixing frame 430 and connected to the second blowing unit 420, and is configured for the operator to adjust the blowing direction of the second blowing unit 420. In some embodiments, the first blowing unit 410 and the second blowing unit 420 are air knife devices. As shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, a first baffle 460 and a second baffle 470 may be respectively disposed in front of the first blowing unit 410 and the second blowing unit 420. Similarly, a specific distance is maintained between the first baffle 460 and the second baffle 470 for the carrier 300 to pass through. Thereby, when the carrier 300 moves along the carrier 200 and passes between the first baffle 460 and the second baffle 470, the first blowing unit 410 and the second blowing unit 420 face the carrier 300, respectively The liquid blown by the upper and lower sides of the upper wafer W can be blocked by the first baffle 460 and the second baffle 470 to prevent the liquid on the wafer W from entering the first blowing unit 410 and the second blowing The rear of the unit 420.

It can be known from the above embodiments of the present invention that the wafer drying equipment of the present invention uses the carrier to hold the wafers and transport the wafers to the blowing device for drying, thus simplifying the drying process and time of the entire wafer. In addition, the wafer transfer speed can also be combined with the air volume and temperature of the air blowing device to control the process time of the overall wafer drying equipment.

On the other hand, the carrier of the present invention has a first clamping block and a first The design of the two clamping blocks not only can clamp the wafer together, but also can create a gap between the first carrying portion and the second carrying portion to facilitate the air blowing device to discharge the liquid on the surface of the wafer. In addition, the first clamping block and the second clamping block of the present invention can be further designed with protruding portions to reduce the contact area when the first clamping block and the second clamping block clamp the wafer, and to prevent liquid from remaining on the wafer and the clamping Between blocks.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with examples, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined in the appended patent application.

100‧‧‧ Wafer Drying Equipment

200‧‧‧Carrier

300‧‧‧Carrier

310‧‧‧ First Carrying Department

320‧‧‧Second Carrying Department

400‧‧‧Blowing device

410‧‧‧First blow unit

420‧‧‧ Second blowing unit

430‧‧‧Fixing frame

440‧‧‧ First adjustment device

450‧‧‧Second adjustment device

500‧‧‧ Transmission

510‧‧‧slide

520‧‧‧slider

530‧‧‧Servo motor

540‧‧‧rotary pneumatic cylinder

W‧‧‧ Wafer

Claims (9)

A wafer drying equipment includes: a carrier; a carrier, which is movably disposed on the carrier, wherein the carrier is configured to carry a wafer, and the carrier includes: a first carrier, A plurality of first clamping blocks are provided on the first bearing portion; and a second bearing portion is merged with the first bearing portion, wherein a plurality of second clamping blocks are provided on the second bearing portion respectively corresponding to First clamping blocks, wherein the first clamping blocks and the second clamping blocks are located between the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion, so that the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion are formed A distance; wherein, each of the first clamping blocks is oriented toward its corresponding second clamping block on a first surface with a first protrusion, and each of the second clamping blocks is oriented toward its corresponding A second protrusion is provided on a second surface of the first clamping block, wherein the first protrusions and the second protrusion contact the wafer, and the first surface and the second surface do not contact the Wafer; and an air blowing device, disposed on the carrier, configured to blow air toward the carrier. The wafer drying equipment as described in item 1 of the patent application, wherein each of the first protrusions and the second protrusions includes a cylindrical structure, a circular arc structure, a pyramid structure, and a cone Table structure, or plural A thin column structure. The wafer blow-drying device as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein each of the first protrusions and the second protrusions has a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, wherein the first inclined surface A ridge line is formed together with the second inclined surface, and the ridge line contacts the wafer. The wafer drying equipment as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion are ring-shaped, and the first clamping blocks and the second clamping blocks jointly hold the crystal The circumference of the circle. The wafer drying equipment as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the blowing device includes a first blowing unit and a second blowing unit, the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit Opposite to the moving direction of the carrier and forming a blowing channel; and the carrier can move along the carrier and pass through the blowing channel, and the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit It is configured to blow the opposite sides of the carrier respectively. The wafer drying equipment as described in item 5 of the patent application scope, wherein the blowing direction of each of the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit is inclined 45 degrees to 60 degrees relative to the carrier. The wafer drying equipment as described in item 5 of the patent application scope, wherein the blowing device further comprises: a fixing frame, which is arranged on one side of the carrier; and a first adjusting device, which is arranged on the fixing frame and Connected to the first blowing unit, configured to adjust the blowing direction of the first blowing unit; and a second adjusting device, disposed on the fixing frame and connected to the second blowing unit, configured to adjust the second The blowing direction of the blowing unit. The wafer drying equipment as described in item 5 of the patent application scope, wherein the blowing device further includes a first baffle and a second baffle, the first baffle and the second baffle are respectively disposed on the In front of the first blowing unit and the second blowing unit. According to the wafer drying equipment described in item 1 of the patent application scope, one side of the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion are pivotally connected to each other, and a rotary pneumatic cylinder is connected to the pivotal connection.

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