TWM639093U - Wafer storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wafer storage device. The main structure includes a wafer storage assembly. The wafer storage assembly includes a positioning column, an upper cover, a lower support, and a wafer support. The left and right sides of the wafer storage assembly are respectively There is a left clamping component and a right clamping component, and a longitudinal driving mechanism is connected to the lower carrier or the left clamping component and the right clamping component, wherein the left clamping component includes a left support, a left upper jaw, and a left lower jaw , the right clamping component includes the right support, the right upper jaw, and the right lower jaw, the left clamping component will be driven by a left transverse driving mechanism, and the right clamping component will be driven by a right transverse driving mechanism, In this way, the upper cover or each wafer carrier in the wafer storage assembly is clamped to cooperate with the driving mode of the longitudinal driving mechanism to create a space for the user to take and place the wafer, and at the same time cooperate with the wafer detection mechanism to detect the wafer. To improve the convenience and efficiency of use.

Description

Wafer storage device

The present invention provides a wafer storage device which improves storage convenience and pick-and-place efficiency.

By the way, wafer technology is the foundation of many current semiconductor technologies, so wafer manufacturing and R&D technology is one of the key points of the semiconductor industry.

When wafers are stored or transported, containers are often used to load them to prevent damage or reduce the possibility of contact with external air, so as to stabilize and ensure the quality of wafers. The normal way of placing wafers in containers is mostly to place them in a stacked manner, and when needed, take out the wafers through mechanical equipment such as robotic arms.

And if it is applied to small wafers, because of the small size or thickness of the wafers, the wafers will be stacked more closely in the container, and the entire storage space will be fully utilized. However, if stacked in this way, and It may be troublesome for the user to take out the wafer due to the small size and the close gap, which may cause damage to other wafers, which greatly reduces the efficiency when picking and placing the wafer.

Therefore, how to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and deficiencies is the direction that the applicant of the present invention and the relevant manufacturers engaged in this industry want to study and improve urgently.

Therefore, in view of the above deficiencies, the creator of this model has collected relevant information, evaluated and considered in many ways, and based on years of experience accumulated in this industry, through continuous trial and modification, he designed this kind of storage that is more convenient for use. Patentee for a new type of efficient wafer storage device.

The main purpose of the new model is: to use the longitudinal driving mechanism to drive the wafer storage component, and cooperate with the left clamping component and the right clamping component to create a space for picking and placing wafers, and cooperate with the wafer detection mechanism to detect wafers at the same time situation, thereby improving the convenience and efficiency of use.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the main structure of the present invention includes: a wafer storage assembly, a left clamping assembly located on the left side of the wafer storage assembly, a left lateral drive mechanism located on the left clamping assembly, a set a right clamping assembly on the right side of the wafer storage assembly, a right lateral drive mechanism on the right clamping assembly, a longitudinal drive mechanism connecting the wafer storage assembly or the left clamping assembly and the right clamping assembly, and A wafer detection mechanism arranged on one side of the wafer storage assembly, wherein the wafer storage assembly includes a plurality of positioning columns, an upper cover that is movably arranged on the positioning columns, and a lower load that is movably arranged on the positioning columns parts, and a plurality of wafer carriers that are movable on the positioning column and located between the upper cover and the lower carrier, and the above-mentioned longitudinal drive mechanism is connected to the lower carrier, and the left clamping assembly includes a left support , a left upper jaw on the left support, and a left lower jaw on the underside of the left upper jaw, the right clamping assembly includes a right support, a right upper jaw on the right support, And a lower right jaw located at the lower side of the upper right jaw.

With the above structure, when the user wants to pick and place the wafer, the wafer storage component can be driven to the designated position through the longitudinal driving mechanism first, or the left clamping component and the right clamping component can be driven to move to the designated position. At the designated position, use the left lateral drive mechanism to drive the left support in the left clamping assembly to move towards the direction of the wafer storage assembly, and use the right lateral drive mechanism to drive the right support in the right clamping assembly to the wafer storage assembly direction to move.

At this time, the upper left jaw and the upper right jaw will hold the same wafer carrier or upper cover at the same time, while the lower left jaw and the lower right jaw will hold another wafer carrier at the same time, and then vertically The driving mechanism will drive the lower carrier to move downward for a first predetermined distance along the direction of the positioning column, and the unclamped wafer carrier will also be driven downward by the lower carrier.

After the lower carrier is moved, the lower left jaw and the lower right jaw will drive the clamped wafer carrier down a second predetermined distance, so that the gap generated by the first predetermined distance and the second predetermined distance can be passed. The space allows the user to perform pick-and-place actions, and during pick-and-place, the wafer detection mechanism can also be used to detect the status of the wafer in the wafer storage unit to assist the user in related operations. Achieve the advantages of improving efficiency and convenience.

With the above-mentioned technology, a breakthrough can be made to solve the problem that the conventional small wafers are difficult to pick and place, and the practical progress of the above-mentioned advantages can be achieved.

1: Wafer Storage Components

11:Positioning column

12: Upper cover

13:Lower bearing

14:Wafer carrier

141: inspection area

15:Confirmation window

2: Longitudinal driving mechanism

3: Left clamping component

31: left support

32: Upper left jaw

33: Lower left jaw

34:Left lateral driving mechanism

4: Right clamping assembly

41: Right side support

42: Upper right jaw

43: Lower right jaw

44: Right lateral driving mechanism

5: Wafer inspection mechanism

51:Warpage detection parts

52:Wafer Confirmation

6: Gas in and out mechanism

61: Intake pipe

62: air outlet

7: Air curtain assembly

W: Wafer

The first figure is a three-dimensional perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The second figure is a partial schematic diagram (1) of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The third figure is a partial schematic diagram (2) of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the wafer storage assembly in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The fifth figure is a schematic diagram (1) of vertical movement of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of detection in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The seventh figure is a clamping schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The eighth figure is a schematic diagram (2) of vertical movement of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the movement of the jaws in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of taking out a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a three-dimensional perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The twelfth figure is a schematic diagram of the air flow of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The thirteenth figure is a schematic diagram of the air curtain of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a three-dimensional perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram (1) of vertical movement of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 16 is a clamping schematic diagram of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram (2) of vertical movement of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose and effect, the technical means and the structure adopted by the present invention are hereby illustrated in detail with respect to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Its features and functions are as follows, so as to fully understand.

Please refer to the first figure to the tenth figure, which are perspective views to take-out schematic diagrams of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It can be clearly seen that the present invention comprises:

A wafer storage assembly 1, the wafer storage assembly 1 includes a plurality of positioning columns 11, an upper cover 12 that is movably arranged on each positioning column 11, a lower carrier 13 that is movably arranged on the positioning columns 11, and A plurality of wafer carriers 14 that are movable on each positioning column 11 and located between the upper cover 12 and the lower carrier 13;

A confirmation window 15 located on the wafer storage assembly 1, and each wafer carrier 14 There will be an inspection area 141 corresponding to the confirmation window 15;

A longitudinal driving mechanism 2 connected to the lower carrier 13, the longitudinal driving mechanism 2 of the present embodiment takes a servo motor as an example;

A left clamping assembly 3 located on the left side of the wafer storage assembly 1, the left clamping assembly 3 includes a left support 31, a left upper jaw 32 located on the left support 31, and a movable upper left The lower left jaw 33 at the lower side of the jaw 32, the lower left jaw 33 in this embodiment is driven by a lifting cylinder as an example;

A left lateral drive mechanism 34 located on the left clamping assembly 3, the left lateral drive mechanism 34 of the present embodiment takes a horizontal cylinder as an example;

A right clamping assembly 4 located on the right side of the wafer storage assembly 1, the right clamping assembly 4 includes a right support 41, an upper right jaw 42 disposed on the right support 41, and a movable upper right clamp 42. The lower right jaw 43 at the lower side of the jaw 42, the lower right jaw 43 in this embodiment is driven by a lifting cylinder as an example;

One is located at the right horizontal driving mechanism 44 on the clamping assembly 4 on the right side, and the right horizontal driving mechanism 44 of the present embodiment takes the horizontal cylinder as an example; and

A wafer detection mechanism 5 located at one side of the wafer storage assembly 1, the wafer detection mechanism 5 has a warpage detection part 51, and a wafer confirmation part located at one side of the warpage detection part 51 52 , wherein the warpage detection component 51 and the wafer confirmation component 52 are optical detectors arranged on the left clamping component 3 and the right clamping component 4 as examples.

Through the above description, the structure of this technology can be understood, and according to the corresponding cooperation of this structure, the advantages of more convenient and efficient use can be achieved, and the detailed explanation will be described below.

When the user wants to pick and place the wafer W, as shown in the fifth figure, the longitudinal drive mechanism 2 can be used to drive the wafer storage assembly 1 to move longitudinally and move to the designated position. Put the wafer W on the first wafer carrier 14 below the cover 12 as an example, so when it is moved to the designated position, the position of the upper cover 12 will be aligned with the left upper jaw in the left clamping assembly 3 32 and the upper right jaw 42 in the right clamping assembly 4 , the wafer carrier 14 that is about to take out the wafer W is aligned with the lower left jaw 33 and the lower right jaw 43 .

At this time, as shown in the sixth figure, the wafer confirmation member 52 in the wafer detection mechanism 5 will use the position of the confirmation window 15 to detect the situation in the wafer storage assembly 1, and because each wafer carrier 14, there will be an inspection area 141. The position of the inspection area 141 will expose each wafer W and will not be blocked by the wafer carrier 14. Therefore, if the wafer confirmation member 52 passes through the confirmation window 15 to confirm When there is a wafer on the track, the accuracy will be higher and will not be affected by the wafer carrier 14, so as to achieve the advantage of accurately detecting whether there is a wafer W placed on the wafer carrier 14.

After confirming that there is a wafer W, as shown in the second and third figures and the seventh to ninth figures, the left lateral drive mechanism 34 will drive the left support member 31 to move in the direction of the wafer storage assembly 1, so that The left upper jaw 32 is engaged with the upper cover 12, and the left lower jaw 33 is engaged with the wafer carrier 14, and the right lateral drive mechanism 44 drives the right support 41 to move in the direction of the wafer storage assembly 1 , so that the upper right jaw 42 engages with the upper cover 12 , and the lower right jaw 43 engages with the wafer carrier 14 . And the above-mentioned clamping sequence of the left support 31 and the right support 41 is not limited, and can be performed simultaneously, first left and then right, or first right and then left.

After the engagement is completed, the longitudinal driving mechanism 2 will drive the lower carrier 13 to move down a first predetermined distance, and at the same time drive the unengaged wafer carrier 14 to move down. After the longitudinal driving mechanism 2 has moved, the lower left jaw 33 and the lower right jaw 43 will drive the clamped and engaged wafer carrier 14 to move down a second predetermined distance, and the length of the second predetermined distance will be If the distance is smaller than the first predetermined distance, a space is created between the wafer carrier 14 clamped and engaged by the lower left jaw 33 and the lower right jaw 43 , the upper cover 12 above and the other wafer carrier 14 below.

At this time, the user can use this space to take and place the wafer W on the wafer carrier 14 clamped and engaged by the lower left jaw 33 and the lower right jaw 43, thereby taking and placing the wafer storage assembly. 1 without touching the upper cover 12 and the remaining wafer carrier 14 below, so as to improve the convenience of use and reduce the possibility of collision damage. And if the wafer W is to be placed on the wafer carrier 14, the warpage of the wafer W can also be detected by the warpage detection part 51 in the wafer detection mechanism 5, so as to prevent excessive warping. When the wafer carrier 14 or the upper cover 12 is hit, it may cause damage.

After the loading and unloading is completed, the above-mentioned actions can be operated in reverse, that is, the left lower jaw 33 and the right lower jaw 43 drive the clamped and engaged wafer carrier 14 to move up to the original position, and then drive it vertically The mechanism 2 drives the lower carrier 13 and the rest of the wafer carrier 14 to return to their original positions upwards, and allows the left lateral drive mechanism 34 and the right lateral drive mechanism 44 to drive the left clamping assembly 3 and the right clamping assembly 4 away from each other. The wafer storage component 1 can be restored to the original storage state.

Please also refer to the eleventh figure to the thirteenth figure at the same time, which is another comparison of the new model. From the three-dimensional perspective view of the preferred embodiment to the schematic diagram of the air curtain, it can be clearly seen from the figure that this embodiment is similar to the above-mentioned embodiments, only in this embodiment, a gas inlet and outlet mechanism will be provided on the wafer storage unit 1 6. The gas inlet and outlet mechanism 6 of this embodiment is composed of a plurality of inlet pipes 61 and air outlet holes 62 arranged on the wafer storage unit 1, so that clean gas can be introduced into the wafer storage unit 1 according to requirements.

And one side of the wafer storage assembly 1 is provided with an air curtain assembly 7, the air curtain assembly 7 of the present embodiment takes the air curtain machine arranged at the both sides of the entrance and exit of the wafer as an example, so that the air curtain assembly 7 can be passed through The air curtain effect produced by the air curtain assembly 7 prevents external dirt from entering the wafer storage assembly 1 .

Please also refer to the fourteenth figure to the seventeenth figure at the same time, which is a stereoscopic perspective view to a vertical movement schematic diagram (2) of another preferred embodiment of the present invention. It can be clearly seen from the figure that this embodiment Similar to the above embodiments, only in this embodiment, the longitudinal driving mechanism 2 is respectively connected to the left clamping component 3 and the right clamping component 4 as an example to show that the connection target of the longitudinal driving mechanism 2 is not limited.

In this way, when the present embodiment is actuated, the wafer storage assembly 1 will not move, but the longitudinal driving mechanism 2 will first drive the left clamping assembly 3 and the right clamping assembly 4 to move upward to the designated position, such as the upper cover 12 The position is aligned with the upper left jaw 32 in the left clamping assembly 3 and the upper right jaw 42 in the right clamping assembly 4 . Afterwards, it can be operated as in the aforementioned embodiment, so that the left lateral drive mechanism 34 will drive the left support member 31 to move in the direction of the wafer storage assembly 1, so that the left upper jaw 32 engages with the upper cover 12, and the left lower The jaws 33 are engaged with the wafer carrier 14 , and the right lateral driving mechanism 44 drives the right support 41 to move toward the wafer storage assembly 1 , so that the upper right jaw 42 is engaged with the upper cover 12 , And engage the lower right jaw 43 on the wafer carrier 14 .

After the engagement is completed, let the longitudinal driving mechanism 2 drive the left clamping assembly 3 and the right clamping assembly 4 to move upward for a first predetermined distance, and also make the left lower jaw 33 and the right lower jaw 43 drive the clamping and engaging The wafer carrier 14 moves down a second predetermined distance to create a space for the user to pick and place the wafer. When the taking and placing is completed, the above-mentioned actions are also reversed to restore the whole to the original state.

However, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Therefore, all simple modifications and equivalent structural changes made by using the description and drawings of the present invention should be treated in the same way. Included in the scope of the patent of this model, it is agreed to Chen Ming.

To sum up, the wafer storage device of the present invention can really achieve its function and purpose when used, so the present invention is a new model with excellent practicability. In order to meet the application requirements of a new model patent, an application is filed according to the law. I hope that the judging committee will approve the new model as soon as possible to protect the hard work of the creators. If the Junju judging committee has any doubts, please feel free to write to us. The creators will do their best to cooperate.

1: Wafer Storage Components

2: Longitudinal driving mechanism

3: Left clamping component

4: Right clamping component

Claims (5)

A wafer storage device, which mainly includes: A wafer storage assembly, the wafer storage assembly includes a plurality of positioning columns, an upper cover that is movably arranged on the positioning columns, a lower carrier that is movably arranged on the positioning columns, and a plurality of movably arranged on the positioning columns a wafer carrier on the positioning columns and located between the upper cover and the lower carrier, and the wafer carriers are used to hold wafers; A left clamping assembly, the left clamping assembly is located at the left side of the wafer storage assembly, and the left clamping assembly includes a left support, a left upper jaw on the left support, and a movable the lower left jaw located at the underside of the upper left jaw; a left lateral driving mechanism, the left lateral driving mechanism is arranged on the left clamping component for driving the left clamping component to move laterally; A right clamping assembly, the right clamping assembly is located at the right side of the wafer storage assembly, and the right clamping assembly includes a right support, a right upper jaw on the right support, and a movable the lower right jaw located at the underside of the upper right jaw; a right lateral driving mechanism, the right lateral driving mechanism is arranged on the right clamping assembly for driving the right clamping assembly to move laterally; a longitudinal driving mechanism, the longitudinal driving mechanism is arranged at one side of the wafer storage unit, and is used for connecting the wafer storage unit or the left side holding unit and the right side holding unit; and A wafer inspection mechanism is provided at one side of the wafer storage assembly for inspecting wafers in the wafer storage assembly. The wafer storage device as described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the wafer detection mechanism has a warpage detection part and a wafer confirmation part arranged at one side of the warpage detection part. The wafer storage device as described in item 2 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the wafer storage unit is provided with a confirmation window whose position corresponds to the wafer confirmation member, and each wafer carrier has a confirmation window whose position corresponds to the confirmation window the inspection area. The wafer storage device described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the wafer storage unit is provided with a gas inlet and outlet mechanism. The wafer storage device as described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, wherein an air curtain assembly is provided at one side of the wafer storage assembly.

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